Paxil: An Antidepressant Drug
Paxil is a drug that is categorized as a Selective Serotonin Reputake Inhibitor (SSRI), and its purpose is to help treat depression and other anxiety conditions. Paxil works by raising the levels of serotonin in the body – this ultimately leads to a feeling of well being. Although Paxil is recognized as being successful with treating depression, women who took the drug while pregnant have been giving birth to children with Paxil birth defects.
Potential Paxil Birth Defects
Paxil has been linked with birth defects in newborns that were exposed to the drug during the early stages of fetal growth – these conditions include heart defects, abdominal defects, and cranial defects. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) performed a study that found that a mother who took Paxil during the first trimester was six times more likely to give birth to a child with Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN), than a pregnant woman who had not taken Paxil during pregnancy. PPHN is a disorder that occurs when blood flow to the lungs is low, which causes blood pressure in the heart to increase and also causes low oxygen levels in the blood. Paxil and other SSRI drugs have been linked with other potential birth defects as well including the following:
- Neural tube defects
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Craniosynostosis and ventricular septal defects
Some of these conditions may require multiple surgeries in order for the newborn to live a healthy and normal life.
How to Find Assistance with a Potential Paxil Lawsuit
The British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK manufactures the drug Paxil; therefore, GSK is legally and financially responsible for any Paxil birth defects that may have occurred in a newborn. If you or a loved one has taken Paxil and given birth to a child with a birth defect, it is advised that you contact a Chaffin Luhana Paxil lawyer at 1-888-480-1123 to discuss a potential Paxil lawsuit. You may be entitled to compensation and a lawyer at Chaffin Luhana is ready to assist you.
