Antidepressants and Heart Birth Defects
Having a baby is often associated with feelings of happiness, joy and fulfillment. Those feelings can drastically change to anger, hurt and guilt when parents learn that their child has a congenital heart defect that may have been caused by a medication the mother was taking while pregnant.
Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman and Robinson Calcagnie Robinson Shapiro Davis, Inc. are recognized preeminent plaintiff firms in the forefront of antidepressant litigation. We have created a joint venture in order to prosecute the firms' antidepressant birth defect cases. Our legal team consists of 10 attorneys that have more experience handling antidepressant birth defect cases than any other law firm in the country. Our attorneys have successfully handled over 3,000 SSRI-antidepressant cases in the past two decades.
SSRI antidepressants have been linked to elevated risks of certain birth defects, including certain congenital heart defects. Evidence gathered in scientific studies suggest that ingesting SSRI antidepressants while pregnant may increase the risk of a number of serious birth defects.
A congenital heart defect, or cardiac birth defect, occurs when the heart of a fetus fails to properly develop. When the heart does not function properly, a baby can suffer long-term developmental problems and even death.
Generally, congenital heart abnormalities are caused by genetic or environmental factors, such as drug exposure during pregnancy. Studies show that taking antidepressants similar to Celexa adn Lexapro during pregnancy may increase the risk of having a child with a cardiac birth defect.
There are different types of heart defects that can range from a very slight abnormality with no symptoms to a life threatening defect requiring a heart transplant. The following is a list of some types of congenital birth defects of the heart:
If you have taken an antidepressant while pregnant and given birth to a child with a heart defect, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact us today. |