SSRI Antidepressants & Pregnancy

If you took an SSRI during the first trimester of pregnancy and your child was diagnosed with Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN) at birth, please contact us right away for advice on SSRI lawsuits. You may be entitled to compensation.

Millions of young women have turned to prescription antidepressants.  Due to inadequate warnings from pharmaceutical manufacturers, they continue to take the drugs while they are pregnant. One particular class of antidepressants is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs have been linked to serious birth defects, including Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns (PPHN), when taken during pregnancy.

Even if PPHN was not specifically diagnosed, if you took an SSRI and your child had breathing-related difficulties at birth and is now experiencing developmental delays, the Simmons Law Firm would like to talk to you. Our PPHN lawyers may be able to shed light on the benefits of pharmaceutical litigation for your circumstances.

What are SSRI Prescriptions

The Mayo Clinic explains that SSRIs work to block some of the brain cells’ reabsorption (or reuptake) of serotonin, leaving more serotonin in the brain.  More serotonin in the brain improves mood.¹

SSRIs are sold under numerous brand names including:

• Zoloft
• Prozac
• Celexa
• Cipralex
• Effexor
• Luvox
• Remeron
  

SSRI Side Effects in Newborns

Symptoms of PPHN appear immediately at birth.

In a normal birth, a baby takes its first breath and the lungs expand. The lungs add oxygen to the lungs, and the pulmonary arteries expand to carry this oxygenated blood throughout the body.

In a child with PPHN, the pulmonary arteries do not expand. In addition to starving vital organs, including the brain, of oxygen, this can cause a dangerous increase in blood pressure.

The good news about PPHN is that it can be treated to alleviate the immediate symptoms. These babies can appear normal after treatment. Unfortunately, every second their organs lacked oxygen could have caused serious damage which may not show up for several months.

This damage was also preventable if doctors and their patients had adequate warnings about the dangers of taking SSRIs during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Unfortunately, the bad news about PPHN is that many children who have PPHN-related symptoms at birth may later have marked developmental delays.

FDA Warning

According to FDA warnings regarding the SSRI side effects:

Infants exposed to SSRIs during the first trimester have developed respiratory complications that required prolonged hospitalization, respiratory support, and tube feeding and may be at risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).²

^{* Please note that recovery results vary per client. The recovery amounts in each case reflect the specific facts of that case. Further, recovery amounts in past cases are not a guarantee of future results.}

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