Zoloft Birth Defects

The medication Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride) is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), and social anxiety disorder. Zoloft is taken orally and is part of a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). SSRIs help keep a balance of serotonin levels in the brain in order to restore and stabilize the brain to a normal emotional state.

Zoloft has been prescribed to expecting women and has been linked to some severe birth defects including:

• Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN)
• Congenital Heart Defects, holes in the heart
• Neural Tube Defects
• Abdominal Birth Defects (Omphalocele)
• Skull Defects (Craniosynostosis, cloverleaf skull)
• Club foot

If your baby was born with a Zoloft birth defect, you should learn about the defect and what can be done.

The most common Zoloft birth defect is PPHN. PPHN causes infants to have difficulty making the transition from breathing inside the womb to normal breathing after delivery. This often leads to failure of the respiratory system that requires mechanical ventilation. Only 10 20 percent of babies born with PPHN survive even after getting treatment. The FDA warns that Zoloft can cause PPHN if taken after the 20th week of pregnancy. Other drugs in this class of SSRIs to avoid during pregnancy are: Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil, and Lustral, to name a few.

Zoloft Lawsuit Attorneys

If you or a loved one took Zoloft while pregnant and resulted in the baby suffering or passing away from a skull, heart, lung, or abdomen birth defect, please contact our experienced Zoloft birth defect lawyers today for a free legal consultation. It is very costly for medical treatment of these conditions and the drug companies must pay. We will thoroughly analyze your case and advise you as to if you are entitled to compensation. Call us 24 hours a day or contact our Zoloft birth defect lawyers here.