Birth defects in children whose mothers took Zoloft during pregnancy have now been linked to the drug by several recent clinical studies. Children born to mothers who had taken Zoloft or other antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have a higher percentage of being born with congenital heart deformities or other birth defects. Zoloft, which commonly know as its generic name sertraline, is currently listed as a Pregnancy Category C medication by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has been approved for the treatment of clinical depression and certain anxiety disorders.Even with the warnings given by the FDA, there are still many women who are unaware of the potential risks of taking Zoloft during pregnancy, it is these women who have started to file their own Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuit against the drugs makers.

 

To date there have numerous clinical studies that have linked Zoloft to increased risk of cardiac birth defects in infants. One study of note is the Pederson Study from 2009, which showed a doubling of Cardiac malformations overall and a tripling of Cardiac Septal defects, in addition when more than one SSRI was used during pregnancy these numbers are increased 3 and 5 times. Also in the Louik study from 2007, results verified that Zoloft (sertraline) also doubled cardiac defects

 

In both of these studies Zoloft was also connected to have the potential to cause several other birth defects in infants, these defects include: Serious Congenital Heart Defects, small holes in the heart walls called Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD), Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), Transposition of Great Arteries, Coarctation of the Aorta, Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), Pulmonary Atresia, Pulmonary Stenosis, Autism, Abdominal Stomach Wall Defects / Omphalocele and Cranial Skull Defects / Craniosynostosis, Heart Valve Defects, Neural Tube Defects (Spina Bifida) and Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN).

 

Even with the FDA categorizing Zoloft as a Pregnancy Category C medication, there are still many instances in where the mother was unaware of the birth defects the drug can potentially cause. If your child was born with a birth defect you believed was caused by Zoloft, and you feel that the Zoloft Warnings given by the FDA were not enough, then knowing your legal options could be your next step. For more information on any potential legal action you may take, visit with a Zoloft lawyer as soon as possible, most lawyers will give you a free consultation and many will not charge you unless your case receives compensation by the courts.

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