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Zoloft Birth Defects



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• Zoloft and PPHN
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Our attorneys are investigating lawsuits on behalf of infants born with Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) or other serious birth defects whose mother took Zoloft® or another antidepressant during pregnancy. If your child was born with PPHN, we may be able to help you recover compensation. Contact our Zoloft® birth defects lawyers for more information.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) & Zoloft® Medication

Both the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada, the Canadian equivalent, have placed SSRI antidepressants such as Zoloft® in a category that warns of risk of birth defects to babies born from women who have taken Zoloft® medication during pregnancy.

As part of their decision, both the FDA and Health Canada both cite a 2006 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed that babies born to women who took Zoloft® or a similar antidepressant were 600 percent more likely to be born with Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) than to women who did not take the drug.

Somehow, in babies born with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, it appears that the antidepressant has prevented babies from effectively transitioning to breathing through the lungs and the body is still seeking oxygen from the now gone placenta. Normally, this switch begins to happen through the third trimester. When it doesn't, the newborn does not have enough oxygen in his blood and the heart is working overtime to make up for the shortage.

To parents, this side effect of Zoloft® is simply unacceptable and doctors are directed by the government classification to engage pregnant mothers in detailed discussions about whether the risks outweigh the benefits of continuing to take the drug.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) Symptoms

Babies born with PPHN, also referred to as primary pulmonary hypertension or idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, exhibit rapid breathing and their skin is bluish. In addition to being short of breath, because the heart is working overtime the newborn is probably experiencing chest pain. Babies with pulmonary hypertension will be lethargic with fatigue and weakness and their legs will swell. PPHN can lead to neurological deficiencies due to lack of oxygen sent to the brain and, ultimately, respiratory failure.

Diagnosis of PPHN is confirmed by a heart ultrasound.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) Treatment

Newborns with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension are given oxygen, sometimes mixed with nitric oxide gas, through a ventilator or other external breathing device that fits the newborn.

The pulmonary hypertension prognosis leaves parents with a scary outlook; with almost 10 percent of newborns with PPHN surviving and 20 percent of those who survive suffer neurologic disabilities, even where their pulmonary hypertension was only of moderate severity. Other estimates warn that one in five newborn infants with PPHN will die — even if they receive immediate treatment.

Contact a Zoloft® Attorney Now

If you took Zoloft® medication during pregnancy and your child was born with persistent pulmonary hypertension you should call a Zoloft® birth defect attorney right now for a free consultation to learn your rights. You and your infant may qualify for compensation.

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