Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuits

Attorneys Handling Cases of Zoloft Birth Defects

The use of the medication Zoloft during pregnancy has led to thousands of lawsuits being filed against the manufacturer. Mothers who were prescribed and took the drug during pregnancy have suffered serious pregnancy complications or had children born with birth defects. These terrible Zoloft side effects were not known or disclosed at the time the drug was released onto the market. As the number of serious birth defects climbed, it appeared that the use of the drug Zoloft had contributed to the injury to the baby. Many families have suffered the tragic results of the failure of Pfizer, Inc. or their physician to sufficiently warn them against the dangers of the use of Zoloft during pregnancy. These include birth defects such as heart defects, PPHN (persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn), brain and spinal cord defects such as spina bifida, abdominal wall defects (omophalocele), clubfoot (malformation of the feet), anal atresia, cleft lip and palate, omophalocele, and limb defects.

Were you warned about Zoloft birth defects?

FDA warnings have been issued with regard to Zoloft and the increased risk of PPHN and other side effects when the drug is prescribed to mothers during pregnancy. As the testing of the drug was done on only on pregnant rats, in their literature, the company admits there were no adequate and well-controlled studies on pregnant women, and yet the drug continues to be prescribed . The generic name of this medication is sertraline hydrochloride. You may have been prescribed either Zoloft or a generic form of the drug and suffered pregnancy complications or had a baby born with severe birth defects or other problems.

We trust that any pharmaceutical allowed on the market and prescribed, particularly to pregnant women, would have been fully tested. Pfizer, Inc. recommends that Zoloft only be prescribed when the potential benefits justify the potential risk to the fetus - yet what those risks are may never have been mentioned to the pregnant women when prescribed the drug. The physician prescribing the drug may or may not have been aware that that if the medication is used during the last trimester, there have been post-marketing reports of respiratory distress, cyanosis (lack of oxygen to tissues near the skin's surface, and blue coloration), apnea, (sudden halting of breathing), seizures, temperature instability, feeding difficulties, vomiting, hypoglycemia, hypotonia (muscle weakness), hypertonia (abnormal increase in muscle tension and reduced ability to stretch), hyperreflexia (over reactive reflexes, such as twitching and spastic tendencies), tremor, and constant crying.

Unfortunately, many parents now have experienced the outcome of the use of Zoloft during pregnancy, and face the costs, both physically and emotionally, of having a baby that requires medical care, special treatment and surgeries early in life. At Arnold & Itkin, we are committed to seeking justice for families who have suffered the tragic results, either in birth defects or serious pregnancy complications, through the use of Zoloft.

Contact a Zoloft birth defect lawyer from our firm for assistance regarding filing a lawsuit.