Treating depression in pregnant women is a very difficult medical subject because it involves assessing the potential benefits to the mother versus the potential risks for adverse effects posed to the developing child. For this reason, the United States Food and Drug Administration has developed a categorization system for various prescription drugs. However, many antidepressant medications that are classified in pregnancy categories C & D (thus still being prescribed to pregnant women) have been linked to several congenital heart, cranial, neural tube birth defects. One of these prescriptions, Zoloft, has demonstrated an increased risk of Tetralogy of Fallot in several medical research studies.
Zoloft Tetralogy of Fallot
The Zoloft congenital heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot is actually a unique combination of four different defects (although only three of them must always be present). These four defects are:
Ventricular Septal Defect
Constriction of the Pulmonary Outflow Tract
Overriding Aorta
Right Ventricular Hypertrophy
Although a definitive cause for Tetralogy of Fallot has not been established, this serious birth defect has been linked to environmental factors during the pregnancy such as alcoholism, poor nutrition, and prescription drugs taken by the mother. This clearly aligns with the research finding that taking Zoloft and other SSRIs can increase the risk for TOF. In addition to Zoloft, the following antidepressants have also been associated with tetralogy of fallot: Prozac, Lexapro, Effexor, Zoloft, and Paxil.
Zoloft TOF Treatment and Complications
As with most other Zoloft congenital heart defect, tetralogy of fallot requires surgery to treat; in some cases, more than one surgery is necessary. The various surgeries treat various aspects of this four-pronged defect such as increasing the blood flow to the lungs, closing the ventricular septal defect, and widening the pulmonary outflow tract. With successful surgery, Zoloft TOF patients have a 90% chance of living into adulthood. However, there is still an increased risk for various complications like arrhythmias, seizures, delayed growth, and even early death.
File a Tetralogy of Fallot Lawsuit: Speak to a Zoloft Attorney
Having a child with a Zoloft birth defect can be extremely distressing, not to mention financially draining. A Zoloft Tetralogy of Fallot TOF lawsuit is one potential way to offset this monetary burden. If your child was born with a birth defect following prenatal exposure to an antidepressant, call the Willis Law Firm for your free and confidential case review. We are currently taking Zoloft lawsuits nationwide; call us today.