Kansas City Lawyers | Dangerous Drugs
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Birth Defects
Birth Defects are a heart wrenching situation for families. Science is limited in providing answers to questions about what causes birth defects. Many drugs which were prescribed to women during pregnancy have been associated with birth defects, and the sad fact is that these birth defects can change the life of a family forever. Worst of all is the knowledge that these birth defects were preventable.
Drugs Associated with Birth Defects
Several categories of drugs have been linked to birth defects if taken during specific parts of a woman's pregnancy. Here are a few that we follow:
- Heart Valve/Septal Defects - A septal defect refers to a "hole in the heart" which may or may not be noticeable during pregnancy. Some are apparent at birth. Two heart valve defects that are associated with the use of antidepressant drugs during pregnancy are
- Atrial Septal Defects (ASD)
- Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD)
- Septal and Heart Valve defects are associated with the use of antidepressant drugs during pregnancy.
Another type of birth defect called a left outflow tract heart defect can result from other anti-depressant drugs taken in the first few months of pregnancy.
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN) is a life-threatening lung condition apparent soon after birth. PPHN babies cannot get enough oxygen into their bloodstream. This can cause heart failure, seizures, organ failure, hearing loss, brain damage, kidney damage, shock and even death. PPHN is associated with use of antidepressant drugs during pregnancy.
- Omphalocele An omphalocle is a birth defect where a baby's internal organs, such as the intestines, the liver or other organs, stick out of the baby's belly button. Surgery is needed to fix an omphalocle. Omphalocle is associated with the use of certain anti-depressant drugs during pregnancy.
- Spina Bifida is part of a group of birth defects called Neural Tube defects. The neural tube is the structure in that develops into a baby's spinal cord and brain. This birth defect can range in severity but in the most severe form causes the spinal canal to protrude from the infant's body and makes it prone to serious infections and also causes severe neurological impairment. Spina Bifida is associated with the use of the anti-seizure medicine Depakote during pregnancy.
- Cleft Palate has been associated with the use of the anti-seizure and anti-migraine drug Topamax. Ironically, Topamax can also make birth control pills less effective. The FDA categorizes Topamax as pregnancy category "D" and provides warnings to patients about the potential for birth defects fi this drug is taken during pregnancy. The challenge for these mothers-to-be is that having seizures during pregnancy is also potentially harmful to the developing baby.
- Accutane the anti-acne drug has its own special category in terms of warnings against use during pregnancy. This drug has been associated with devastating disfigurement to the degree that doctors who prescribe this drug are required to administer a pregnancy test before, during and after treatment. The FDA has issued a "Black Box Warning," the most serious type of warning for this drug.
We trust our doctors to prescribe drugs that are safe and effective but too often, doctors themselves do not know the true dangers of those medications. It is critical that a patient be informed of ALL of the risks and benefits associated with medications recommended for use during pregnancy.
If you have questions about a prescription drug, talk frankly to your doctor about the possible side effects. Do not stop taking any medication without first consulting with your doctor, and learn as much as you can about the possible dangers from different medications taken during pregnancy.
We believe that drug companies who place profit above people must be held accountable for their negligence and the damage they cause to innocent victim's lives.
Following your doctor's orders for should not mean taking a gamble with your life. If you have been injured by a dangerous drug, the manufacturer may have failed in its duty to design, make, inspect and label the product appropriately.
Brown & Crouppen has been building a reputation for success with personal injury clients for over 30 years. Today, we are one of mid-America's largest personal injury law firms with over 80 legal professionals and six offices throughout Missouri and Illinois. We have the resources to take on large manufacturers and suppliers of unsafe drugs and products. Brown & Crouppen has thrived because of our shared commitment to deliver the best possible service to clients throughout Missouri and the United States.
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