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Prescription Drugs & Birth Defects
Antidepressants & Anti-Seizure medications such as Topamax, Depokote, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, and others, have been associated with a higher risk of Birth Defects if taken during pregnancy.
These drugs have been linked to birth defects such as cardiac defects, persistant pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN) neural tub defects, craniosynonstosis, anal atresia, cleft lip, cleft palate, and limb malformations.
If your child was born with a Birth Defect, an Antidepressant or Anti-Seizure Medication such as Topamax or Depokote may be to blaim.
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Prescription Drugs that May Cause Birth Defects
Topamax®
Depokote®
Zoloft®
Paxil®
Celexa®
Lexapro®
Other Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
Antidepressants & Birth Defects
A study done at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in September 2007, researchers found that out of 500,000 pregnant woman, fifty percent were unaware that the drugs they were taking put their baby at risk for birth defects.
SSRI Antidepressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Lexapro have been linked to cases of serious congenital birth defects and many of the mothers taking the drug received inadequate warning during their pregnancy.
SSRI antidpressants have been linked to birth defects such as cardiac defects, persistant pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN) neural tub defects, craniosynonstosis, anal atresia, cleft lip, cleft palate, and limb malformations. Researchers have found that pregnant women who took an SSRI after the 20th week of conception were six times more likely to give birth to a baby with PPHN. A 2008 study found a strong association between the drug Paxil and heart defects.
Topamax
In March 2011, the FDA issued a warning that pregnant women who took the epilepsy and migraine drug, Topamax, were at a higher risk of giving birth to a baby with a cleft palate or cleft lip. In addition, the FDA upgraded Topamax from a Pregnancy Category C drug to a Pregnancy Category D, meaning that there is clear evidence of the risk of birth defects to human fetus.
In addition to these risks, pregnant women who take the drug Topamax are also more likely to give birth to a baby with heart defects, limb malformations, craniofacial defects, and persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns. (PPHN)
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Depakote, manufactured by Abbot Laboratories, was put on the market in 1983. The drug is an antiepileptic used to treat seizures, bipolar disorder, and migraines. The drug is listed as a Pregnancy Category D drug and has a 4-fod increase in serious birth defects compared to other anticonvulsive drugs. This includes Spina Bifida, Heart Defects, Craniofacial Defects, Cleft Palate, Cleft Lip, and Limb Malformations.
In 2006, Abbott Laboratories added a black box warning about the risks of birth defects if taken during pregnancy. In May 2010, researchers found that the birth defects from Depakote occur as early as the first trimester, before most women even know that they are pregnant.
Unfortunately, Depakote has been used by many pregnant women, resulting in devastating birth defects and malformations.
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