Zoloft Class Action Lawsuits & Lawyers
If you or someone you know has experienced birth defects or heart defects while taking Zoloft when pregnant, our Zoloft lawyers are waiting to hear from you. There may be a Zoloft class action lawsuit with possible compensation from Zoloft settlements.
In a new report from the Health.com website has prompted a CNN story on the increased risk of children developing autism if the mother has taken any SSRI drug such as Zoloft or other SSRI drugs while pregnant.
Children whose mothers take Zoloft, Prozac, or similar antidepressants during pregnancy are twice as likely as other children to have a diagnosis of autism or a related disorder, according to a small new study, the first to examine the relationship between antidepressants and autism risk.
FDA issued a public health advisory warning health care professionals and consumers that the popular anti-depressant drug Zoloft had been linked to serious side effects that could cause life-threatening birth defects in children born to mothers who used Zoloft during their pregnancies. The number of women and children who had been put at risk could not be accurately tabulated but considering that by the following year nearly 30 million Zoloft prescriptions had been written the scale of exposure certainly was massive.
Many people are asking these Zoloft questions:
Is Zoloft safe?
Is Zoloft a SSRI drug?
Is Zoloft an MAOI?
Is Zoloft addictive?
Is Zoloft safe during pregnancy?
Is Zoloft dangerous to my pregnancy?
Pfizer, the pharmaceutical giant that developed and marketed Zoloft, already had been the target of a number of lawsuits generated by Zoloft victims who claimed that children had suffered the life-threatening condition of persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns and other birth defects, including abnormalities of the cranium, heart, lungs and abdominal organs. Legal experts who have reviewed these court documents agree that these families may be able to recover damages if certain legal standards are met. One of these factors is whether Pfizer adequately met its responsibility to inform the patients and the Food and Drug Administration about these side effects if they knew about them.
Zoloft & Pregnancy Birth Heart Defects.
Zoloft and Pregnancy Facts: SSRI drugs under scrutiny
Zoloft Birth Heart Defects – specific injuries:
Heart Defects:
ASD (Atrial Septal Defect) Generally speaking this is simply classified as a hole in the heart.
Tetralogy of Fallot: a congenital defect that is a combination of four defects and includes, narrowed passageway between the pulmonary artery and the right ventricle. Ventricle hypertrophy, ventricular septal defect (VSD) and an overriding aorta.
Transposition of the Great Arteries: This is another type of congenital heart defect where the positions of the two major vessels are switched in position and can cause shortness of breath or a bluish skin discoloration due to lack of oxygenated blood.
Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS): Another class of congenital heart defect that is generally rare and is a case where the right side of the heart hasn’t developed as intended, as the left side of the heart.
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS): This congenital heart defect is similar to HRHS above, but with the left side of the heart does not develop in the fetus stage.
Other Birth defects possibly associated with Zoloft or SSRI use:
Craniosynostosis,
Omphalocele,
Club Foot
Anal Atresia
Limb Reduction
Zoloft, one of Pfizer's many medications and certainly one of its most lucrative, has been marketed as extremely safe and as a result been used widely. However, this drug may result in side effects or may have contraindications that no one was warned about, as many unhappy Zoloft users have found.
To be sure, lower risk side effects of Zoloft, such as mania or a loss of libido, have been noted; though these are not life-threatening, they are annoyances and can definitely interfere with the quality of a patient's life.
More dangerous risks that have only recently come to light are suicidal thoughts and actions. These side effects have especially been noted in younger persons taking Zoloft, which was approved in 2003 for use in 6-17 year olds with severe obsessive compulsive disorders (OCDs).
Unfortunately, it seems that while Zoloft alleviates some individuals' mood swings, it doesn't work on their depression right away. Therefore, younger persons taking Zoloft become more energetic, but are still depressed; and for those who may lean toward suicide, that renewed sense of energy coupled with major depression translates into the ability to carry out the act of taking ones life.
For those persons and their loved ones who counted on Zoloft to alleviate the pressures of depression, this side effect's deadly results are devastating.
Though Pfizer now has openly accepted the fact that their manufactured drug Zoloft may increase suicidal behavior (and their warning labels speak to that side effect), those who have experienced this effect (or their families) may be able to file lawsuits against the drug maker.
Zoloft Lawsuits in these States:
Alabama (AL), Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Delaware (DE), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Massachusetts (MA), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico (NM), New York (NY), North Carolina (NC), North Dakota (ND), Ohio(OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), South Dakota (SD), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VI), Washington (WA), Washington DC (DC), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI), Wyoming (WY).
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Comments on This Topic:
There are 55 comments related to:
Defective Drugs: News, Statistics and Legal Guide
Sheila Surbersays: 2012-01-03 09:33:49
My daughter took Zoloft for a couple of years and then stopped prior to getting pregnant and never took it again. Her first child was born with Autism and her second child has Tetrology of Falot. Since she had stopped taking the Zoloft probably a year before her firt pregnancy, is this just a coincidence? BTW, she was very healthy and health conscience during both pregancies. She maintained a safe weight, excercised and wouldn't take any type of medications other than prenatal vitamins.
Lisasays: 2011-11-29 15:39:21
I took zoloft for depression for about 2 years before I found out I was pregnant with my now 11 year old son. I did quit taking it immediately when I found out, which I was 5-6 weeks pregnant by then. My son was born with autism, seizure disorder, and severe behavior disorder. I always wondered if zoloft was the cause. Now I feel like I have answers! I submitted a claim online today, and hope to hear from someone soon. This is very upsetting to me. My poor child has suffered going on 12 years with this horrible disorder. I WANT ANSWERS!
Mercedes Winfreysays: 2011-11-16 06:19:38
I was taking zoloft off and on duriing my pregnancy. I was diagnosed with hypertension and went into labor at 27 weeks. My now 2 yr old was 1 pound and 3 ounces. She Stayed in emory hospital for 4 months after she was born.She has cronic lung desise. I never knew why there was no explination. I currently 8 months pregnant with no complications. The only thing that changed was the medications.
Keettasays: 2011-10-27 07:34:08
@lynette I took Zoloft and stopped immediately when I found out that I was pregnant. But let's be honest how long does it take to find out that you are pregnant? Usually after your missed period and then you go and pick up a pregnancy test. When I was about 8 months pregnant during an ultrasound they found fluid on my daughter's brain. After birth it would be revealed that she was missing her corpus callosum which are the fibers that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain. So far she is developing fine, however problems don't usually occur until a little later (she's only 7 months). I'm hoping for no problems and that the corpus callosum is something that your can live without, but I still must watch her to make sure that she doesn't seize and that she doesn't develope a severe case of hydrocephalys (did I spell that right?). At first I didn't think anything of it because I stopped taking the Zoloft early on. However, the more I see these commercials on t.v. the more convinced I become that Zoloft caused her birth defect. Besides, even though you get off of the medication it isn't completely erraticated from your body immediately especailly if you have been on it for a couple of years as I had been. Try not to worry and I hope that your little one receives a clean bill of health. The last thing you want to hear is that your child has a birth defect especially when you already suffer from depression. I almost killed myself while I was pregnant. Zoloft owes me.
Royale Andrewssays: 2011-10-11 15:24:52
I took zoloft during my first pregnancy with my oldest and she was born with a heart murmur and she ended up being in congestive heart failure and had a ventricle septal defect and atrial septal defect. She had to have open heart surgery at 6 months and was on lasix for the heart failure. Would be interested in what will come with this?
Vanessasays: 2011-10-10 14:47:02
I recently lost my baby at 18 weeks. I have been on Zoloft for a number of years for anxiety and depression. My doctors told me it was considered safer to stay on than come off Zoloft but in retrospect they didn't seem 100% sure. Having read some of the studies and statistics on test done on women and animals while pregnant I am not convinced that Zoloft may have played a role in what I am going through now. I wish now that I had come off of it to increase my chances of having a healthy happy baby. If Zoloft is in any way responsible for the loss my family and I are feeling now it is not worth it.
Lynettesays: 2011-09-28 14:01:43
I have been on zoloft for a little over 8 years now. I just found out I am 6 weeks pregnant and under my psychiatrists direction have stopped taking it completely. I am wondering if anyone of you have stopped taking the zoloft when you found out you were pregnant and if any birth defects still were present.
jrsays: 2011-09-09 00:19:57
I WAS TAKING ZOLOFT DURING THE COMCEPTION OF MY SON BOUT 4 MONTHS PRIOR AND AFTER BUT WHEN MY SON WAS BORN IT SEEMED NORMAL EXCEPT THE EXTREME JAUNDICE A WEEK IN THE INCUBATOR THE BILLY BLANKET AT NIGHT A MONTH AFTER THE HOSPITAL IT ALL SEEMED NORMAL UNTIL HE GOT SICK WITH MENENGITIS VIRAL A WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL AND HE WAS OK AFTER GETTIN HOME IT SEEMED WIERD HE WAS GETTIN SICK EVERY WEEK THE PRIMARY SAID IT WAS NORMAL I DIDNT THINK SO I ASKED DRS THEY SAID THE SAME A YEAR GOES BY AFTER A YEAR HE SROPPED GETTIN SICK BUT NOTICED DELAYS HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH SPINA BIFIDA WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF HIS LIFE BUT SPECIALISTS CONFIRMED NO PROBLEM I WAS CONCERNED CUZ HE WOULD NOT CRAWL HE WOULD BARELY SIT UP AND COULD BARELY FEED HIM WITH A SPOON HE HAS BEEN UNDER MANY BLOOD TESTS MRIS X RAYS AND SUPPOSELY SAID HE PASSED ALL TESTS I DONT NO HOW CUZ I HAVE A SON 2 YEARS YOUNGER THAN HIM AND HE IS PASSED HIM BY FAR I GET MAD AT THE DRS I TELL HIS MOM BUT EVERYTIME I TAKE HIM TO A DIFFERENT DR THEY ASK DIFFERENT ?S AND R SURPRISED THE SUPPOSE CALLED EXPERTS DIDNT SAY OTHER WISE BUT HE IS GETTING TREATMENTS NOW DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM BUT I AM CERTAIN HAS SOMETHING ELSE ONE DR HAS AGREED WOTH MY FINDINGS BUT CANT SAY FOR SURE CUZ HE NEEDS MORE TESTS IM JUST TIRED OF THE RUN AROUND I CAN FIGURE MY KIDS PROBLEMS OVER THE INTERNET AND DRS GO TO SCHOOL FOR IT IVE HEARD DRS ARE GOIN ON THE INTERNET TO TROUBLSESHOOT KIDS PROBLEMS THESE DAYS IDK I JUST WANT THE BEST FOR MY KID
J s Postsays: 2011-09-01 01:26:25
My girlfriend was on Zoloft when she gave birth to our son, from an early age on we knew something was wrong (with him) the doctors first said it was a fluid build-up in the ears which was delaying speech, he was finally confirmed with a "higher functioning" form of autism, but is noticeably not the same as other seven year olds. Recently my giorlfriend seen a tv ad for a possible class action lawsuit against Pfizer. The question is: How much compensation is right to cover a possible life-long problem that keeps him from functioning at a normal, adult level? problem
Matthew Foxsays: 2011-08-26 13:11:46
My Sister took Zoloft during her entire pregnancy. She asked the dr. if it was okay to take during her pregnancy. He said that if she had anxiety that the anxiety would be worse than not taking the zoloft. Not the baby is 18 months and showing signs of autism. If this is proved to be related this is a major injustice.