Cleft Palate, Lip Defects & Topamax

What You Need to Know About Topamax and Birth Defects

Topamax (topiramate) is a drug prescribed for Epilepsy and Migraines. Recently the FDA upgraded the risk of this drug to indicate that there is "positive evidence of human fetal risk." There is evidence potentially linking a number of birth defects to this drug. Suspected Birth Defects include children born with Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate deformities and Hypospadias - a male birth defect effecting the opening of the Urethra that requires corrective surgery.

The FDA warns that babies born to women taking Topamax or opiramate in the first trimester are about 20 times more likely to develop Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate deformities. 

For an excellent article on Cleft Palate birth defects and their potential relationship to Topamax we recommend checking out TheVigilantMom.com.

If you would like more information and to learn about your legal rights, please call 1-888-722-0396 or submit the evaluation form.

Antidepressant Zoloft linked to Birth Defects

New England Journal of Medicine study finds six fold increase in risk

Zoloft Researchers have found that children born to women who used the antidepressant Zoloft during pregnancy are at an increased risk of serious and potentially fatal birth defects. Zoloft is part of a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which also includes Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro and Celexa. 

According to a 2006 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, women who take SSRIs including Zoloft during the third trimester of pregnancy are six times more likely to give birth to a child with persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) than women who did not take SSRIs. PPHN is a serious type of Heart defect that causes potentially fatal circulatory problems. Studies have also linked the use of Zoloft while pregnant to other types of heart defects.

A 2007 study found that women who use the Antidepressant during pregnancy were about twice as likely to give birth to children with Cardiac defects, including Ventricular Outflow defects and Septal defects. The study also found Zoloft users were almost six times more likely to give birth to a child with Omphalocele (Abdominal Organs sticking out of the Belly Button) and nearly twice as likely to have a child with Craniosynostosis (sutures in the Infant's Skull close earlier than normal). In addition to confirming the link between Zoloft during pregnancy and Omphalocele and Craniosynostosis, another study published in 2007 found that women who used an SSRI while pregnant were more than twice as likely to give birth to a child with Anencephaly (absence of a large part of the Brain and the Skull).

If you or a loved one took Zoloft or other SSRI Antidepressants during pregnancy and gave birth to a child with heart defects or other birth defects, contact MedRecallNews to learn more about your legal rights. It is heart breaking to think that any child would be harmed by side effects from a medication and we are here to help.

For additional details and to learn about your legal rights, please call 1-888-722-0396 or submit the evaluation form.