Birth Defect Lawyer to Offer Free Case Evaluations to Public

FREE CASE EVALUATIONS – FILL OUT FORM TO RIGHT OR CALL TOLL FREE: 1-800-632-1404

Wellbutrin, Paxil and other drugs are commonly prescribed to women who are or may become pregnant for several reasons, including as an antidepressant SSRI aid and as a smoking cessation pill. Regardless of the reason, women who take these drugs may experience a greater than average risk of infant child birth defects, including but not limited to heart defects, cleft palate, cleft lip, skeletal deformations and more. If your child experienced such a horrific side effect, please call us today for a free case evaluation on how we can help.

Listing of Drugs

There are various medications the FDA warns women against taking during different stages of pregnancy. The drugs found on this list went through multiple tests, research experiments, and survey before the FDA classified them as dangerous to babies during pregnancy.

IF YOU HAVE TAKEN ANY OF THESE DRUGS AND YOUR CHILD HAS DEVELOPED A BIRTH DEFECT, PLEASE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY.

Zoloft (sertraline), a popular antidepressant known as a “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor” (SSRI), is linked to dangerous side effects in users and serious birth defects (including, heart murmur, hole in the heart and other serious heart defects) if taken by pregnant women. Since 2006, the FDA has warned against the use of Zoloft and other SSRIs in pregnant mothers.

Paxil (paroxetine), one of the most widely prescribed SSRI’s for depression in adults has also been associated with serious side effects in men and women and very dangerous birth defects like heart defects that can result in death if taken by pregnant women. Also part of the 2006 study of SSRI side effects, Paxil has been identified by the FDA to be dangerous for women who are pregnant or who become pregnant.

Prozac (fluoxetine) is probably the most popular anti-depressant and SSRI prescribed by physicians over the past decade and is considered by the FDA to be highly dangerous for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. Side effects of Prozac include heart defects, cleft palate/cleft lip, and persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN).

Celexa (citalopram), one of the more recent brand-named SSRI’s used to treat depression, was identified by the FDA in 2011 as being linked to very serious side effects as well as birth defects. The FDA issued a warning to adults who took higher dosages of Celexa that they are at a greater risk of deadly heart conditions including fatal heart rhythm problems. Consumer Reports released an article on the study as well.

Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride), was identified by the FDA in 2009 to have links to dangerous side effects and potentially fatal birth defects. A public health advisory was released by the FDA pointing out that Wellbutrin, Chantix and Zyban may increase the risk of suicide and serious neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) is prescribed by doctors to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder and is in the group of medications classified as SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Similar to Zoloft, Paxil and Prozac, Lexapro has been linked to serious and dangerous side effects including thoughts of suicide in adults and heart defects in children from mothers who have taken these products.

Effexor (venlafaxine) is an antidepressant and anti-anxiety drug that was approved by the FDA and released on the market in 2004 as an another SSRI. Since then it has been shown to have a direct correlation with permanent and dangerous birth defects including abdominal birth defects, anal atresia, cardiac defects, limb defects and genital defects.

Diflucan (fluconazole), a powerful anti-fungal medication prescribed to women with yeast infections and other types of fungal infections in the body and organs, may be associated with rare but very serious side effects and birth defects in infants whose mothers were treated with Diflucan. The FDA reported the following possible birth defects: mis-shaped head, cleft palate/cleft lip, joint deformities and congenital heart disease and heart defects.

Topamax (topiramate) is an anti-seizure drug used to treat epileptics and is also prescribed for adults suffering migraine headaches. In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration strengthened their warning based on new data that links Topamax to severe birth defects when used while pregnant. If you or someone you know has taken or is currently taking Topamax, it is strongly urged by the FDA to discuss alternative treatments for seizures and migraines.

Depakote (divalproex sodium), another popular anti-seizure drug prescribed by doctors to treat epileptic seizures, has been reported in some studies to be linked to severe birth defects and side effects. Birth defects identified in these studies include: holes in the heart, abnormal skull formation, cleft palate/cleft lip, and spina bifida.

If you or someone close to you have taken any of the above drugs and have experienced any of the following birth defects contact our team of Birth Defect Attorneys immediately to discuss your options.

These are some possible birth defects:

Hole in Heart
Heart Defects
Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate
Club Foot, Fetal Death
Anal Atresia
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS)Lung Disease/Pulmonary Hypertension
Limb Defect/Genital Defect
Ventrical Outflow Defect
Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)
Tetralogy of the Fallot
Transposition of the Great Arteries
A Ventrical Septal Defect (VSD)
Pulmonary Hypertension in newborn (PPHN)

Anyone who has taken any prescribed medications during pregnancy should discuss their options with a licensed birth defect lawyer immediately. They may be entitled to financial compensation.

Alleged Birth Defects

Anti-depressants have become a troubling subject when it comes to teenagers; however, some mothers are unfortunately giving birth to children with birth defects that may be connected to taking drugs called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibiters (SSRIs) during early pregnancy.

SSRI birth defects, which include heart problems, spina bifida, club foot, cleft pallet, and others, are causing concerning and leading to litigation filed against the makers of these dangerous drugs.

Complaints of SSRI birth defects have been identified since at least 2005 from women who ingested during early pregnancy, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, and Wellbutrin while pregnant. SSRI drugs are generally used as anti-depressants or to stop smoking.

A New England Journal of Medicine study found that women who took SSRIs during third trimester were six times more likely to deliver babies born with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) than those who did not take the SSRIs during their third trimester. PPHN is a lung disorder that restricts the arteries and causes blood pressure in the pulmonary artery of the heart to rise beyond control.

Symptoms of PPHN may include the following: heart murmurs, rapid heart rate, bluish skin, low blood oxygen levels, difficulty breathing diagnosing PPHN.

PPHN is a serious birth defect. Even after treatment, infants can be susceptible to heart failure, brain hemorrhage, seizures, kidney failure or organ damage. Some of these birth defects can be present throughout life or even fatal. Some infants who happen to survive PPHN nevertheless have long term breathing difficulties, seizures, developmental delays and hearing loss.

Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin and Zyban are anti-depressants or smoking sensation drugs that have fallen under close scrutiny for use by expectant mothers. As consumers of prescriptions drugs, our society assumes that pharmaceutical companies test for the safety as well as the effectiveness of prescription medication. Unfortunately, there are and have been several drugs on the market that can cause injury, illness or even death. In these cases, the negligence of a pharmaceutical company may warrant a personal injury lawsuit.

Such a condition may cause surgery, lifetime defects or death.

Getting Legal Help

If your child is born with a birth defect and you had been prescribed Wellbutrin during pregnancy, you may have a claim for compensation. You may be eligible for compensation for the medical expenses for the treatment of your child and also compensation for your mental sufferings.

If you or a loved one took Wellbutrin during early pregnancy and had a child born with a birth defect, this side effect may be associated with Wellbutrin. Members of our firm are currently reviewing potential Wellbutrin lawsuits. If you have a question or have suffered serious side effects, a Wellbutrin lawyer can be reached by email or by calling TOLL FREE 1-800-632-1404.

Members of our firm are attorneys currently representing clients who have taken several prescription drugs and claim injuries associated with those drugs, includingTopamax®, Wellbutrin®, Fosamax®, and Actos®. They and members of the firm also represent clients across the globe pertaining to medical device failures, including theAdvanced Bionics HiRes90k® cochlear implant , the TVM / TVT transvaginal mesh – sling and the DePuy hip implant. For a free case evaluation, please contact:

TOLL FREE: 1-800-632-1404

EMAIL: click here

FILL OUT THIS FORM:

NOTE: Our team of attorneys will review potential cases for all fifty states, including Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin and Wyoming.

September 19, 2011

Topamax Birth Defect Lawyer Notes Ingestion May Cause Cleft Palate

FREE CASE EVALUATION: 1-800-632-1404

Topamax can cause birth defects, including cleft palate, cleft lip, and genital and skeletal deformities. Please contact us immediately for a free consultation on a Topamax birth defect. We are standing by now to explain to you questions about Topamax lawsuits, Topamax class action lawsuits, Topamax injuries and Topamax side effects.

One potential side effect of taking Topamax while pregnant is that ingestion may cause a cleft palate in an infant. Cleft palate is the term applied to a fissure of the roof of the mouth usually present at birth and often combined with a divided or cleft lip (hare lip). The incidence of cleft palate and/or cleft lip is about 0.2% of total births. About one sixth of the children with this problem also have other problems which may include mental handicap. Deafness is also common.

A cleft is a separation of parts of the mouth usually joined together during the early weeks of fetal development. A cleft lip is separation of the upper lip and often the upper dental ridge. A cleft palate is a separation of the hard or soft palate and occurs with or without a cleft lip. Because of the lack of closure between the oral and nasal cavities, newborns have difficulty maintaining sufficient negative pressure to express liquid from a nipple. The infant’s tongue does not have an upper surface to express milk from the breast or bottle.

Cleft lips and palates are closed through surgery. Surgeons can repair cleft lips in the first few months of life. Repair of a cleft palate is more extensive, and the surgeon generally waits until the infant reaches a certain weight, usually by 12 months of age. Generally, surgeons perform multiple procedures to correct the abnormalities. These surgeries include bone grafting, orthodontic repair, and placement of ear tubes.

Feeding can be a major challenge because of the way the infant’s mouth is affected. In order to feed, the baby must grip with the mouth and close off the nasal cavity to create a chamber of reduced pressure into which milk is drawn. When a suitable amount of milk has been taken into the mouth, a swallow is triggered – and all this must be achieved while continuing to breathe. Feeding can be stressful and exhausting, and takes much longer than for unaffected infants. In some cases an infant may have to be fed via a syringe, and sometimes a gastric tube is inserted surgically to enable an infant or small child to feed sufficiently. If a newborn is not to remain in hospital, the parents may have to learn to use special equipment and nutritional supplements or their baby will fail to thrive.

If your child was born with cleft lip, cleft palate or any other birth defect after you took Topamax when pregnant, do not delay in calling us for help.

Members of our Firm are currently representing and seeking clients who have taken several prescription drugs and claim injuries associated with those drugs, including Wellbutrin, Paxil, Topamax, Avandia, Accutane and Reglan. We also represent clients across the globe pertaining to medical device failures, including the Advanced Bionics HiRes90k cochlear implant, the Gynecare Prolift transvaginal mesh – sling and the DePuy hip implant.

For a free case evaluation and to immediately discuss the facts of your potential claim, please contact us before your time to act runs out:

CALL: (901) 527-2125

TOLL FREE: 1-800-632-1404

EMAIL: click here

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What year was your child born?

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August 8, 2011

Topamax Birth Defect Lawyer Reports on Helping

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The FDA has issued a recent warning (March 4. 2011) to doctors prescribing Topamax or Topiramate:

“Health care professionals should carefully consider the benefits and risks of topiramate when prescribing it to women of childbearing age,” said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Alternative medications that have a lower risk of birth defects should be considered.”

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) also earlier this year:

Newer-Generation Antiepileptic Drugs and the Risk of Major Birth Defects JAMA, 05/19/2011

Mølgaard–Nielsen D et al. – Among live–born infants in Denmark, first–trimester exposure to lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, topiramate, gabapentin, or levetiracetam compared with no exposure was not associated with an increased risk of major birth defects.

Methods
Prevalence odds ratios (PORs) of any major birth defect diagnosed within the first year of life by fetal exposure to antiepileptic drugs.

Results
Of the 1532 infants exposed to lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, topiramate, gabapentin, or levetiracetam during the first trimester, 49 were diagnosed with a major birth defect compared with 19 911 of the 836 263 who were not exposed to an antiepileptic drug (3.2% vs 2.4%, respectively; adjusted POR [APOR], 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72–1.36).

A major birth defect was diagnosed in 38 of 1019 infants (3.7%) exposed to lamotrigine during the first trimester (APOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.83–1.68), in 11 of 393 infants (2.8%) exposed to oxcarbazepine (APOR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.46–1.59), and in 5 of 108 infants (4.6%) exposed to topiramate (APOR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.58–3.58).

Gabapentin (n = 59) and levetiracetam (n = 58) exposure during the first trimester was uncommon, with only 1 (1.7%) and 0 infants diagnosed with birth defects, respectively.

As the JAMA paper emphasizes “safety data on first-trimester use of newer-generation antiepileptic drugs and birth defects are limited.”

Bottom line: reports show there are potential dangers to taking Topamax, and that you may find a link between taking Topamax and birth defects.

Cleft lip and cleft palate occur when a child’s oral structures fail to develop properly in utero. Cleft lip is characterized by a vertical fissure in the upper lip which may extend up through the nose. Cleft palate can vary in severity from a small opening at the back of the mouth to a nearly complete separation of the roof of the mouth. Children born with cleft lip or cleft palate may struggle with severe side effects like feeding difficulties, recurring ear infections, dental problems, hearing loss, and delays in speech and language development.

If your child was born with cleft lip, cleft palate or any other birth defect after you took Topamax when pregnant, do not delay in calling us for help.

Ed Wallis is an attorney currently representing and seeking clients who have taken several prescription drugs and claim injuries associated with those drugs, including Wellbutrin, Paxil, Topamax, Avandia, Accutane and Reglan. He also represents clients across the globe pertaining to medical device failures, including the Advanced Bionics HiRes90k cochlear implant, the Gynecare Prolift transvaginal mesh – sling and the DePuy hip implant. In fact, Mr. Wallis and others in the firm in which he practices serve as counsel to persons around the world for defective medical devices and drugs.

For a free case evaluation and to immediately discuss the facts of your potential claim, please contact us before your time to act runs out:

CALL: (901) 527-2125

TOLL FREE: 1-800-632-1404

EMAIL: click here

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August 8, 2011

Topamax Lawyer Reports New Website Online

FREE CASE EVALUATION: 1-800-632-1404

Following the FDA’s new safety announcement concerning the link between Topamax and oral cleft birth defects, the Consumer Justice Foundation developed an educational resource to provide mothers with more information about Topamax birth defects. According to this recent FDA action, there is an increased risk of oral clefts like cleft lip and cleft palate among infants whose mothers take Topamax while pregnant (fda.gov). After reviewing new Topamax birth defect data, the FDA has also elevated the pregnancy category of Topamax from C to D, which means there is positive human evidence of the drug’s potential to cause serious harm to a fetus when taken during pregnancy (fda.gov).

Topamax is a prescription anticonvulsant drug, currently manufactured by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, a division of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Although anticonvulsant drugs were originally designed to treat epilepsy specifically, many of these medications have been indicated for additional purposes in recent years. The FDA approved Topamax, for example, in 1996 for the treatment of epilepsy, and again in 2004 for the prevention of migraine headaches. Since its introduction to the U.S. market, Topamax has become one of the most commonly prescribed anticonvulsants available.

If your child was born with cleft lip, cleft palate or any other birth defect after you took Topamax when pregnant, do not delay in calling us for help.

For a free case evaluation and to immediately discuss the facts of your potential claim, please contact us before your time to act runs out:

CALL: (901) 527-2125

TOLL FREE: 1-800-632-1404

EMAIL: click here

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What year was your child born?

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August 8, 2011

Topamax Birth Defect Lawsuit Help

FREE CASE EVALUATION: 1-800-632-1404

Topamax or Topiramate is a seizure medication that has been linked to serious birth defects. The manufacturer, Ortho-McNeil has been fined US$6.14 million by the US Government. Reports of serious side effects has led to Topamax lawsuits brought by families whose children were born with birth defects such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

In light of new data concerning the potential link between Topamax use in pregnancy and the development of major birth defects, the FDA has elevated the pregnancy category of the antiepileptic drug from C to D, meaning there is positive human evidence of the drug’s potential to cause fetal malformations. This FDA action was largely influenced by new information collected by the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry, which identified fetal exposure to topiramate (Topamax) as a risk factor for the development of oral cleft birth defects like cleft lip and cleft palate (Comparative Safety of Topiramate During Pregnancy, NAAED Pregnancy Registry). Upon review of this new Topamax birth defect information, the FDA has asked healthcare professional to carefully weigh the benefits and risks associated with Topamax before prescribing the drug to women of childbearing age, especially for conditions not typically associated with permanent injury or death.

You can also file a Topamax lawsuit if you have been affected by the use of this drug. A lot of women were asked to take Topamax during their pregnancy. According to reports, this has caused numerous health problems. Children were born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other birth defects. According to these reports, the use of Topamax during pregnancy has increased the risk of birth defects up to sixteen times. This certainly was a cause for major worry among new moms, and those who were pregnant. The FDA has since then upgraded the warning but this is not enough. You need to be sure that the drug has not caused any harm, and if it has, then, the manufacturer needs to be held accountable

For a free case evaluation and to immediately discuss the facts of your potential claim, please contact us before your time to act runs out:

CALL: (901) 527-2125

TOLL FREE: 1-800-632-1404

EMAIL: click here

FILL OUT THIS FORM:

Your Name (required)

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Your Telephone Number

What year was your child born?

Where do you live (state)?