Paxil Injuries

Paxil – The Link to Heart and Lung Injuries in Babies

The most serious risks of Paxil involve potential harm to the fetus when mothers take the antidepressant during pregnancy. Paxil has been classified as a pregnancy drug that is potentially capable of harming a baby’s development in the womb.

Specifically, Paxil use by pregnant mothers can lead to injuries that affect the newborn’s heart, lungs and other organs. Tube feeding, respiratory assistance, and long hospital stays might ensue.

Paxil has also been linked to premature births.

If you or a loved one believe that you might have an injury claim related to the use of Paxil during pregnancy, please contact The Driscoll Firm, LLC, at 314-932-3232 for a free consultation. We will be happy to discuss your legal rights, including the possibility of bringing a lawsuit to obtain financial compensation.

Compensation for Paxil Injuries

Infants whose mothers took Paxil during pregnancy may suffer serious heart defects and require surgery. Paxil when taken by pregnant women has been linked to an increased risk of birth defects, particularly heart defects in newborn babies, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These defects are holes in the walls of the chambers of the heart. They range in severity from those that are minor to those that may cause life-threatening symptoms and require surgery to correct. The defects include:

  • Ventricular Septal Defect—The heart defect is a hole or multiple holes in the wall that separates the right and left ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart. If the hole is large, then too much blood will be pumped to the lungs, leading to heart failure. Babies with a large VSD may have symptoms related to heart failure and require medication and surgery to close the hole.
  • Atrial Septal Defect—This heart defect is a hole in the wall separating the upper chambers of the heart, the atria. The hole may allow blood to flow between the chambers and cause pressure to build up in the lungs and difficulty breathing. ASDS may require surgery to close.

In the general population, only about one or two infants per 1,000 are born with PPHN. But when pregnant mothers take Paxil, the risk is six times higher.

Injuries associated with PPHN include:

  • Heart defects
  • Hearing and speech damages
  • Developmental delays
  • Neurological deficits.

PPHN requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Babies who make it through the initial trauma can be left with permanent damages requiring extensive treatment. The injuries may prove fatal.

Most of the reported heart defects were atrial and ventricular septal defects (holes in the walls of the chambers of the heart). In general, these types of defects range in severity from minor, which may resolve without treatment, to serious, which may need to be repaired surgically.

The Paxil web site lists the following complications to babies born to mothers who took Paxil in the third trimester of pregnancy:

  • Difficulties with breathing
  • Turning blue
  • Seizures
  • Changing body temperature
  • Feeding problems
  • Vomiting
  • Low blood sugar
  • Floppiness
  • Stiffness
  • Tremor
  • Shakiness
  • Irritability or constant crying.

Paxil can be present in breast milk, so mothers who are nursing should be aware of a heightened risk to their baby. Users of Paxil – including infants – may experience withdrawal symptoms. This may be revealed through increased agitation, insomnia, difficulty in feeding, and crying.

Contact a Paxil Litigation Lawyer Today

Across the nation, parents with children afflicted with injuries linked to Paxil are facing a possible lifetime of medical bills and special care expenses. In some cases, financial compensation from GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Paxil, might be available. If you think you might have a Paxil claim, contact an experienced injury attorney at The Driscoll Firm, LLC, for a confidential case evaluation today. Call 314-932-3232.

The Driscoll Firm, LLC, has a proven record of fighting for people injured through the use of pharmaceuticals such as Paxil. John J. Driscoll resolved a purchaser action against SmithKline Beecham Corp. involving alleged violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and the sale of the anti-depressant drug Paxil to minors and adolescents.

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