Pregnancy is supposed to be a happy time. Women glow as they eagerly await the new addition to the family.
The truth is that pregnancy is uncomfortable; each day brings a new ache or discomfort. In addition, pregnancy is emotional. Hormonal fluctuations cause mood swings and can worsen or initiate depression. One in five women suffers from depression during pregnancy.
Depression is often treated with drugs called serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. SSRIs include many popular medications, including Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Cymbalta, and Lexapro. SSRIs can help control depression, but these drugs have been linked to a serious birth defect, called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).
PPHN is a birth defect that affects a newborn’s lungs. A fetus does not use the lungs while in the womb because the placenta supplies all the oxygen the baby needs through the umbilical cord. Since the blood doesn’t need to be oxygenated in the lungs, it goes directly to the heart through a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus. In most newborns, the ductus arteriosus blood vessel permanently closes with the first breaths. Blood is then redirected into the lungs where it becomes oxygenated before it goes to the heart.
When a newborn has PPHN, the ductus arteriosus does not close. Blood doesn’t enter the lungs, so the heart can’t get enough oxygen. Symptoms of PPHN include:
- Rapid breathing (tachypnea)
- Low blood oxygen (hypoxemia)
- Rapid heart rate (tachycardia)
- Heart murmurs
- Respiratory distress
- Blue tone to the skin (cyanosis)
The lack of oxygen causes stress to the heart and other vital organs, such as the liver, kidney, and brain. Newborns with SSRI PPHN are at risk of many serious complications, including:
- Seizures
- Shock
- Heart failure
- Kidney failure
- Brain hemorrhage or stroke
- Permanent organ damage
- Death
Infants who survive PPHN may suffer long-term disabilities, including intellectual disability, developmental disorders, hearing loss, respiratory problems, and seizure disorders.
A 2006 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported that infants whose mothers took SSRIs during the third trimester of pregnancy were six times more likely to develop PPHN than infants whose mothers did not take antidepressants. However, SSRIs continue to be marketed and prescribed to pregnant women. Why?
There have been numerous studies evaluating the association between the use of SSRIs during pregnancy and PPHN. A few of the studies gave conflicting results. The FDA maintains that it cannot reach a conclusion about the safety of the drugs, but the evidence is stacking up.
A 2012 study based on 1.6 million births in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway found that newborns born to women who were treated with SSRIs in late pregnancy were at least twice as likely to suffer from PPHN.
If you took Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, or another antidepressant during your pregnancy, and your newborn was born with PPHN or another birth defect, you may qualify to participate in a Utah pharmaceutical injury lawsuit. To learn more about how an SSRI birth defect claim can help with medical bills and care for a disabled child, contact a Salt Lake City dangerous drug attorney. To schedule a free consultation, call the James Esparza Law Firm at 800-745-4050.