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A Simple Guide To Filing Effexor Birth Defect Lawsuit

Effexor birth defect lawyer @1-800-632-1404
Effexor birth defect lawyer @1-800-632-1404

In 2005, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study entitled “Neonatal signs after late in utero exposure to serotonin reuptake inhibitors: Literature review and implications for clinical applications.” This was the first convincing evidence linking congenital birth defects with Effexor, Zoloft, and similar antidepressants and with it began the decade-old debate over the efficacy of antidepressant use during pregnancy.

A 2006 report in the New England Journal of Medicine claimed a six-fold increase with the threat of fatal lung disorder in babies if Effexor is ingested by a pregnant woman. The British Medical Journal linked the drug use during pregnancy to congenital heart defects in 2006 and published more research evidence on Effexor birth defects in newborns in 2013.

What is Effexor?

Effexor is the first serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor or SNRI antidepressant to be introduced. From 1993, when it was approved, to 2011, the drug was one of the most-prescribed antidepressants. The original manufacturer was Wyeth, which has been a part of Pfizer since 2009. Made to regulate mood-controlling neurotransmitters, the drug is suggested to treat anxiety and depressive disorders.

The manufacturer promoted the drug as superior to other antidepressants and claimed a fewer side effects. The product labeling, however, does not carry any warning for pregnancy side effects. Nor did the manufacturer bother to inform about potential Effexor birth defects risks.

What are major Effexor birth defects?

Research reports started appearing in the early 2000s warning of pregnancy-linked Effexor birth defects. By 2012, there were dozens of reports highlighted the association of the drug with many fatal and non-fatal birth deformities. The high possibility of babies born with defects following prenatal exposure to the drug has manifested in coining of the term “Effexor Baby.”

Effexor antidepressant pregnancy side effects are found to be capable of causing congenital birth defects, such as

  • persistent pulmonary hypertension and hypoxemia attributed to hypoplastic lung problem
  • long-term heart defects in newborns, including septum wall defect, intra-cardiac blood shunting, heart hole, hypoplastic hole, ventral, atrial, and septal deformities, omphalocele, and heart failure
  • cranial defects, including underdeveloped brain, malformations in the brain, imperfect skull
  • physical defects, including vertebra deformities, flawed neural tube, cleft palates and lip, abdominal malformation, anus deformities
  • developmental delays, slow learning, speech and walking problems, delayed growth
  • neurological problems in newborns

What to consider while filing an Effexor birth defect lawsuit?

The checklist prior to the filing of an Effexor birth defect lawsuit must take note of the following points.

  • Statute of limitations: Each state has its own statute of limitation, a legal framework prescribing time limit for filing various kinds of lawsuits. Find out what is the deadline for drug injury lawsuits. In Tennessee, for example, the statute of limitations for a Tennessee Effexor birth defect lawsuit is one year.
  • Evidence: Identify if the birth defect claim is directly or indirectly related to the use of Effexor antidepressant.
  • Documents: You will need to review medical and other documents to support your claim, including the pharmacy records to prove you were prescribed the medication during the first trimester of pregnancy.
  • Consult with Counsel.

What to allege in an Effexor birth defect lawsuit?

Remember that every case is different. An Effexor birth defect lawsuit can seek various types of damages, such as

  • Recovery of past medical expenses
  • Financial assistance for future medical costs
  • Compensation for disability
  • Compensation for physical suffering, emotional trauma, and loss of wages
  • Punitive damages

Am I eligible to file an Effexor birth defect lawsuit?

If your child is a victim of Effexor birth defect and you are willing to seek financial damages for product liability, please contact our Effexor birth defect lawyer at 1-800-632-1404 for a free consultation.

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Medicating Mood During Pregnancy And Risk of Effexor Birth Defects

Effexor birth injury

Laura, a Tennessee mother in her thirties, is worried over the future of her son born with an Effexor birth defect four years ago. She lost her job and had family problems. Her doctor suggested Effexor antidepressant as a treatment to her anxiety, panic, and depression. She continued taking the drug until the eight week into her pregnancy unaware of what the antidepressant could cause to the baby in her womb. She was hopeful of Effexor benefits in keep her emotional health stable and prevent the depression from impacting the child inside.

Her hope was shattered when doctors used the term “Effexor Baby” to indicate the special condition of her yet-to-born son soon after labor pain began. The boy was put into the neonatal intensive care for days after the birth. Medical examinations revealed he had a fused heart, irregular heartbeat, and other cardiac complications. As her son grew up, Laura came to know more about Effexor birth defects linked to pregnancy and many cases similar to her. At four, the boy continued to receive special care for his heart condition, low immunity, and persistent respiratory problems. Laura is one of the hundreds of parents who have filed Effexor birth defect lawsuits seeking damages.

Things To Know About Effexor Birth Defects

  • Effexor, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, contains Venlafaxine that regulates neurotransmitters responsible for mood swing.
  • The drug was first introduced in 1993. Wyeth was the original manufacturer of the antidepressant. Pfizer took over Wyeth in 2009 and it now owns the brand Effexor.
  • Effexor is prescribed to treat anxiety, depression, and panic disorders. The drug is also used in case of bipolar disorder, diabetic neuropathy, and migraines.
  • The SNRI antidepressant use during has been linked to fatal birth defects, such as persistent pulmonary hypertension. This lung-disabling disorder is the key deformity behind the development of the acronym “Effexor Baby.”
  • The medication is also associated with many types of heart deformities, such as septal heart, fused heart, hole in the heart, ventral and atrial defects, underdeveloped valves, septum wall defects, and omphalocele, in newborns.
  • Other Zoloft birth defect side effects include hypoxemia, intra-cardiac blood shunting, cranial defects, brain and skull malformations, slow brain development, speech impairment, growth delays, deformities in vertebra, defective neural tube, and various physical deformities.
  • In 2006, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine warned of six-time higher risk of PPHN in babies born to mothers using the antidepressant after 20th week of pregnancy. Health Canada issued a public health warning regarding Effexor pregnancy side effects same year.
  • The British Medical Journal has published many research reports linking the antidepressant to birth defects. A 2009 study warned of twice higher risk of heart problems while another reported in 2013 made autism risk claims based on the study of over 100,000 patients. In 2014, a third one reportedly discovered that Effexor ingestion by pregnant women enhanced the risk giving birth to children with PPHN by 2.5 times.
  • Studies by Swedish and English scholars have discovered links between the antidepressant and brain malformations, neurological disorders, vertebra deformities, and anencephaly in newborns.

If your child is a victim of Effexor birth defect and you are willing to seek financial damages for product liability, please contact our Effexor birth defect lawyer or call on 1-800-632-1404 for a free consultation.

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Does Effexor Cause Birth Defect?

Does-Effexor-Cause-Birth-Defect

The incidences of Effexor birth defect leading to fatal and non-fatal complications in newborns has led to the coinage of a medical term “Effexor Baby.” The word denotes babies suffering from heart, lung, cranial, neurological, and physical deformities due to exposure to the SNRI antidepressant during pregnancy. Introduced in 1993, Effexor containing venlafaxine was considered safe by thousands of pregnant women to safeguard their yet-to-born child from psychological disorders they are suffering from. However, many of them were unlucky with Effexor antidepressant causing serious birth defects and life-time health problems in their children.

Effexor and Heart Birth Defects

A large number of Effexor defect lawsuits claim congenital birth defects in children born to mothers treated with the drug during pregnancy. Most reported Effexor heart birth defects include,

  • neonatal cardiac complications
  • hypoplastic heart
  • absence or malformation of aorta
  • fallot syndrome
  • septal defects.
  • pulmonary valve deformities
  • need for open-heart surgery
  • pulmonary stenosis
  • heart hole

According to research reports, women using the antidepressant up to the 12th week of pregnancy are 60 percent more likely to have babies with heart defects. A 2009 British Medical Journal report cited potential two-fold higher risk of cardiac complications in Effexor babies. Danish scholars also made similar revelations linking the drug to neonatal heart defects while a 2013 BMJ report based on an analysis of over 100,000 case histories provided supportive evidence. Effexor birth defect lawyers claim that babies as old as for months had open heart surgery due to drug-linked cardiac complications.

Effexor and Lung Birth Defects

Effexor birth defects include persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), a fatal lung disorder. The highest numbers of Effexor lawsuits filed over the death of newborns highlight the lung disorder a cause. Blood vessels in the newborns fail to shut properly causing the lungs being deprived of blood and leading to circulatory failure. Oxygen fails to reach in other body parts resulting in death and near-fatal conditions.

A New England Journal of Medicine report claims that Effexor pregnancy side effects enhance the PPHN risk by six fold. The British Medical Journal published a report in January 2014 citing “2.5-time rise in the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in children born with side effects of antidepressants.” Researchers evaluated findings of seven studies on the antidepressant pregnancy side effects.

Effexor and Cranial Birth Defects

Effexor birth defects may cause children born with brain malformations, cranial disorders, craniosynostosis, anencephaly, and fused skull. The Neuropsychopharmacology journal highlights the increased risk of “Chiari type 1” brain malformations in Effexor babies. Published in May 2014, the report warned that “these mal formations in the cerebellum impact balance, coordination, muscle movement and cognitive functions while squeezing out the spinal canal.”

According to a Anglo-Swedish studies reported in the British Medical Journal, Effexor cause babies to suffer from anencephaly, cranial defects, vertebra deformities, and seizures.

Effexor and Neurological Birth Defects

A 2013 British Medical Journal report warned of two-fold more risk of autism spectrum disorders in children born following Effexor ingestion by mothers. The antidepressant exposure also leads to poor hand-eye coordination, depression, headaches and walking and grasping problems. The FDA also agreed in 2004 on the potential neonatal behavioral syndrome in newborns linked to antidepressant pregnancy side effects.

Apart from heightened autism risk, these babies may suffer from “developmental delays, communication inability, attention disorders, self-absorption, and behavioral problems,” claims a 2011 report in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The Pediatrics journal has also published studies highlighting growth and development problems in children linked to antidepressant ingestion by pregnant mothers.

Effexor and Physical Deformities

Effexor birth defect lawyers have highlighted several instances of underdeveloped organs, club foot, cleft lip and palate, neural tube defects, and vertebra deformities in newborns following Effexor use during pregnancy. A 2012 advisory by the American Academy of Pediatrics also warned of physical deformities and birth defects in babies due to prenatal side effects Effexor and similar antidepressants.

If your child is a victim of Effexor birth defect and you are willing pursue defective medical device product liability lawsuit seeking financial damages, please contact our team of Effexor birth defect lawyers today at 1-800-632-1404 for a free consultation.