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One in five children born to women treated with Zoloft faces the enhanced risk of congenital brain deformities. Prenatal exposure to Zoloft and similar selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants is likely to cause potential “Chiari type 1 brain malformation” in babies, a new research study published in the Neuropsychopharmacology journal claims. The report made public on May 19, 2014, is the latest in the line of many findings that link pregnant women taking Zoloft to fatal heart and lung birth defects, developmental problems, and cranial deformities in babies born to them.
The Research Report: 18 Percent Children Face the Risk
Entitled “Chiari I Malformation in Children of Mothers with Depression with and without Prenatal SSRI Exposure,” the report was based on the research conducted by scholars at the University of North Carolina. It highlights the presence of higher risk of brain malformations impacting cognitive coordination in children born to “depressed mothers treated with antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy.” The risk is six times higher when compared to babies born to pregnant women not treated with antidepressants.
Chiari type 1 malformation refers to deformities in the cerebellum, a vital part of the brain entrusted with regulating human balance and muscle coordination. Malformed brain tissues in the area squeeze the brain stem, obstructing the flow of cerebral fluid to the spinal canal. “Fully 18 percent of the children whose mothers took SSRIs during pregnancy had Chiari type 1 malformations, compared to 3 percent among children whose mothers had no history of depression,” the researchers discovered.
Children born with such defects “might fall down a lot, walk unusually, have trouble grasping items, have poor hand-eye coordination” and likely to have “neck or chest pain, headaches with coughing, excessive drooling, irritation, swallowing difficulty, choking, speaking problem, developmental delays, light sensitivity or blurred vision, numbness, insomnia, or other abnormal feelings in the arms and legs,” the report highlights.
Researches Linking Zoloft Birth Defects to Brain Injury
- Risk of cranial deformities and anencephaly in children as a result of Zoloft birth defects. (New England Journal of Medicine, 2007)
- Danish researchers claimed link between Zoloft intake by pregnant women and withdrawal syndrome in babies. (Pediatrics journal, March 2010)
- Enhanced risk of autism in newborns when pregnant mothers use Zoloft antidepressant. (Times Magazine report, 2011)
- Five-fold risk of seizures in babies due to prenatal exposure to Zoloft. (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, May 2012)
- Brain defects, deformities in vertebra, and neurobehavioral syndrome in babies attributed to Zoloft taken by their mothers during pregnancy. (Human Reproduction journal, Oct 2012)
- Link between brain hemorrhage in newborns and Zoloft birth defects. (Neurology journal, 2012)
- Zoloft birth defects are likely to result in children missing normal development and growth milestones. (US National Academy of Science report, 2012)
The FDA alert on pregnancy-linked Zoloft birth defects came only in 2006, a decade and half after the drug was approved and used by millions. Hundreds of Zoloft birth defect lawsuits have been filed by parents against Pfizer for its failure to inform users about the potential side effects of the antidepressant when used by pregnant women.
If your child was born with a birth defect and you or a loved one took Zoloft during the first trimester or pregnancy, please contact us immediately.
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