Zoloft and the generic for Zoloft, sertraline, have caught the media’s attention on how Zoloft dosing effects a pregnant woman and her unborn child. Withdrawals from Zoloft are the least of a pregnant patient’s post-pregnancy worries. SSRI antidepressants such as Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil and Celexa have been linked to cases of serious congenital heart defects in babies born to women who took Zoloft while pregnant, which may include atrial septal defects (ASD), ventricular septal defects (VSD), tetrology of fallot (ToF), hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), transposition of the great arteries (TGA or TOGA), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), double outlet right ventricle (DORV), and coarctation of the aorta (CoA).

For more information on seeking legal action please read: Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuits.

Zoloft Side Effect

In many cases, surgery is required when the child is very young (first three years of life) and then again, potentially multiple times, as the child grows to adulthood. Most congenital heart defects are treatable when they are diagnosed and addressed early on. Children may then be able to lead a mostly normal and productive life following medical attention. In some cases, the only viable option to correct these severe heart defects and preserve the child’s life involves a heart transplant.

Side Effects from Zoloft

Women taking Zoloft while pregnant, or the generic of Zoloft while pregnant, need to be aware of certain side affects of Zoloft. Side effects for Zoloft that some patients have include: Zoloft withdrawals, Zoloft weight gain, and Zoloft alcoholism. Serious side affects of Zoloft include: Zoloft atrial septal defects (ASD) heart defects, Zoloft ventricular septal defects (VSD) heart defects, Zoloft tetrology of fallot (ToF) heart defects, Zoloft hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) heart defects, Zoloft transposition of the great arteries (TGA or TOGA) heart defects, Zoloft patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) heart defects, Zoloft total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) heart defects, Zoloft double outlet right ventricle (DORV) heart defects, and Zoloft coarctation of the aorta (CoA) heart defects.

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 Information for Healthcare Professionals: Fluoxetine (marketed as Prozac)  

FDA ALERT [7/2006]: Increased Risk of Neonatal Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension

A recently published case-control study has shown that infants born to mothers who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) after the 20th week of pregnancy were 6 times more likely to have persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) than infants born to mothers who did not take antidepressants during pregnancy (see SSRI drug names at the bottom of this sheet). The background risk of a woman giving birth to an infant affected by PPHN in the general population is estimated to be about 1 to 2 infants per 1000 live births. Neonatal PPHN is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The FDA is updating the prescribing information for all SSRIs with this new information. The FDA is also accruing data from additional sources pertaining to the potential association between SSRIs and neonatal PPHN. The FDA will provide additional information when it becomes available. In the interim, the FDA recommends that physicians carefully consider and discuss with patients the potential risks and benefits of SSRI treatment throughout pregnancy, including late pregnancy.

This information reflects FDA’s current analysis of data available to FDA concerning these drugs. FDA intends to update this sheet when additional information or analyses become available.

Considerations

Physicians should consider the benefits and risks of treating pregnant women with SSRIs, alternative treatments, or no treatment late in pregnancy.

Data Summary

A retrospective case-control study published on February 9, 2006, in the New England Journal of Medicine assessed the risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) following exposure to SSRIs during pregnancy. 377 women whose infants were born with PPHN and 836 women whose infants were healthy were enrolled in the study in four United States metropolitan areas between 1998 and 2003. The study showed that infants born to mothers who took SSRIs after the completion of the 20th week of gestation were 6 times more likely to have PPHN than infants who were not exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy. 14 infants with PPHN and 6 healthy control infants had been exposed to an SSRI after the 20th week of gestation. There were too few cases of PPHN with each individual SSRI to compare risks for PPHN with individual SSRIs. The study did not find an association between exposure to SSRIs during the first 20 weeks of gestation and PPHN.

Exposure to non-SSRI antidepressants did not appear to be associated with an increased risk of PPHN, although the number of infants with exposure to non-SSRI antidepressants was too small to permit a reliable risk estimate or comparison with the risk observed for SSRIs.

In weighing the risks and benefits of treatment with SSRIs and other antidepressants during pregnancy for individual patients, physicians should also note the recent publication of a prospective longitudinal study of 201 pregnant women with a history of major depression in the February 1, 2006, issue of JAMA. In this study, women who discontinued antidepressant medication during pregnancy had a higher risk of relapse of major depression during pregnancy (68%) than women who maintained antidepressant medication throughout pregnancy (26%).

SSRI Drug Names

• Celexa (citalopram)
• Fluvoxamine
• Lexapro (escitalopram)
• Paxil (paroxetine)
• Prozac (fluoxetine)
• Symbyax (olanzepine/fluoxetine)
• Zoloft (sertraline)

Speak to a Prozac Lawyer about a Prozac Birth Defect Lawsuit

If you took Prozac or generic fluoxetine during pregnancy and your child was born with a birth defect, we encourage you to contact a Prozac litigation attorney at our law firm immediately. It may be too late to recover from the debilitating effects of Prozac, but an experienced products liability attorney at the Willis Law Firm can assist you in a legal action against the makers of Prozac. You are not alone. Join other birth defect victims and their families in speaking up and fighting for your legal rights.

Please fill out our free online legal evaluation form and we will contact you within 24 hours. Please keep in mind that certain states have statutes of limitation that limit the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit or seek legal action. Contact our law firm immediately so that we may explain the rights and options available to you and your family.