The antidepressant medication Effexor has been linked to several different kinds of birth defects, especially if taken early in a pregnancy. Many of these associated birth defects, including cleft lip and cleft palate, can afflict a developing fetus before the mother is even aware that she is pregnant. Effexor cleft lip and cleft palate can require surgery as well as speech therapy and special orthodontic care. Although the prognosis is good for children who quickly receive appropriate medical care, these various treatments can quickly become expensive and overwhelming to new parents. For this reason, many families respond by filing an Effexor cleft lip and cleft palate lawsuit against the company behind this potentially harmful medication.
Effexor Cleft Palate
Cleft palate is a type of “orofacial cleft” birth defects that affects around 2,600 babies every year in the United States. The “palate” is a term that refers to the roof of the mouth, which form between weeks 6-9 in a pregnancy. When the associated tissues on the roof of the mouth fail to connect properly, the result is cleft palate. According to data from the National Birth Defects Prevention study, when a mother takes Effexor while pregnant, the risk of having a child born with cleft palate is increased nearly %300.
Effexor Cleft Lip
Cleft lip occurs more frequently than cleft palate, and approximately 4,400 babies are born in the United States with this birth defect every single year. Cleft lip happens between weeks 4-7 of a pregnancy if the lip tissue fails to join all the way; the result is an opening in the lip that can range from a small slit all the way to a substantial opening going all the way to the nose. If a child is born with a cleft lip, there is also a chance that it will have a cleft palate as well. According to data collected by the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, the risk of a child being born with cleft lip (with or without cleft palate) is nearly doubled when the mother was prescribed Effexor while pregnant.
File an Effexor Lawsuit: Speak to a Birth Defects Attorney
If your baby was born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate (or other birth injury) following the exposure to Effexor or other prescription antidepressant medication prior to being born, you and your child may have a legal claim to financial compensation. Call the experienced and caring team at the Willis Law Firm today in order to have your potential Effexor lawsuit evaluated free of cost or obligation. Find out today if an Effexor lawsuit is the right choice for you and your family; the Willis Law Firm is currently accepting antidepressant birth defect clients nationwide. Call us today.