Kansas City Lawyers | Birth Defects or Suicide Related to Paxil
Missouri • Kansas • Southern Illinois
Paxil (Paroxetine)
Paxil, manufactured by Glaxo SmithKline, is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). It is prescribed to treat depression, panic disorder, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The two main side effects associated with Paxil are a risk of birth defects/birth injury, and suicide and/or mental trauma .
Birth Defects & Injury
There is a significant increase in the risk of birth defects when taking Paxil during pregnancy . The FDA found that babies exposed to Paxil during the first trimester of pregnancy were 1.5 to 2 times more likely to suffer from birth defects. The birth defects include:
- Heart valve/septal defects. A septal defect is sometimes called a “hole in the heart.” Large septal defects, often apparent at birth, require surgery. Small ones may go undiagnosed at first, sometimes showing up as a “heart murmur.” Two heart valve defects associated with SSRIs are
- Atrial septal defects (ASD)
- Ventricular septal defects (VSD)
- 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.
- Anencephaly is a heart-breaking birth defect where a baby is born missing major portions of the brain, skull and scalp. A baby born with anencephaly is often stillborn, or dies within hours or days of birth.
- Craniosynostosis is a birth defect that causes the joints in the skull (called “cranial sutures”) to fuse before the brain has finished growing. It can lead to disfigurement of the skull or face, blindness and mental retardation. Surgery—often during the first year of the baby’s life—is needed to correct the condition.
- 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.
Suicide / Mental Trauma
Suicide associated with Paxil has been reported both during the first few weeks of taking Paxil and when people are stopping treatment.
Glaxo settled an appeal in 2001 after a jury blamed Paxil for 80 percent of a murder/suicide and awarded the family $6.4 million. The jury found that Glaxo has known since 1990 that Paxil can produce suicidal and homicidal reactions in a small number of people and failed to provide adequate warnings to doctors or on their label about this reaction.
Glaxo has also agreed to plead guilty and pay $750 million to resolve charges that it manufactured and marketed adulterated drugs, including Paxil CR .
If you or a loved one has been injured by a dangerous drug, the manufacturer may have failed in its duty to design, make, inspect and label the product appropriately.
At Brown & Crouppen our experienced team of Paxil and defective drug lawyers provide tough, aggressive representation for Paxil victims and their families. Brown & Crouppen can help you make informed decisions about your legal rights, so please call Brown & Crouppen at Toll Free: 1-888-891-2022 for your free legal consultation or save time with our online contact form.
