Having a child born with a serious birth injury takes the dream of becoming a new parent and makes it much more stressful and upsetting. When a child is born with a disorder that does not have a treatment or cure, it is completely heartbreaking. Recently, the antidepressant medication Effexor has been linked to the neural tube birth defect anencephaly, which has neither a cure nor any treatment options. When a child is born with Anencephaly caused by Effexor, many women decide to file a lawsuit against the company behind this medication. In addition to anencephaly, Effexor and other antidepressants have also been linked to heart defects, stomach wall defects, autism spectrum disorders, cranial skull defects, and others.

Effexor Anencephaly

Anencephaly is a neural tube defect, a type of birth defect that usually happens within the very first month of a pregnancy before a woman even knows that she is carrying a child. During this time in early pregnancy, the neural tube closes in order to form the brain, skull, spinal cord as well as the back bone. When the neural tube fails to fully close, the result is anencephaly. With Effexor Anencephaly, the baby will be missing parts of the brain, and the remaining portion of the brain will most likely not be covered by the skull or skin. Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment or cure available for Anencephaly and babies born with this condition will most likely never gain consciousness and die shortly following their birth. Sometimes Effexor anencephaly can be diagnosed prior to birth, but it can be seen immediately at the time of the birth.

Effexor Anencephaly Study

According to research performed by the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, taking the SNRI antidepressant Effexor while pregnant results in the risk of the baby being born with Anencephaly more than six times. The data collected by the NBDPS also showed that the risk of another neural tube defect, Spina Bifida, was doubled when the fetus was exposed to Effexor during development. These findings are especially alarming when you consider that as a “Pregnancy Category C” drug, Effexor and several other antidepressants are still available for prescription to pregnant women. In addition to Effexor, the following antidepressants have also been linked to birth defects: Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro, and Celexa.

File an Effexor Anencephaly Lawsuit: Effexor Attorney

If your child was born with a severe birth defect after being exposed to an antidepressant medication, call the Willis Law Firm today for a free initial consultation. Many families do not believe that they were adequately forewarned about the increased risk of birth defects like Anencephaly prior to taking the medication. The Willis Law Firm is currently reviewing potential Effexor cases across the nation; call us today to see if you may be legally entitled to financial compensation through a lawsuit.