After reviewing new findings suggesting that the antidepressants Paxil and Prozac cause birth defects, product liability attorneys are available for potential plaintiffs looking to bring antidepressant birth defect lawsuits against several drug manufacturers.

Most of the antidepressant medications under investigation are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. SSRI medications are some of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants on the market. They work by preventing neurotransmitters from being naturally absorbed back into the nerve cell. Instead of being reabsorbed, the neurotransmitter remains in the gaps between the nerves, at least for a limited time. This helps improve communications between the nerve cells and strengthens the circuits in the brain that help to regulate a person’s mood.

The medical journal BMJ recently published a study regarding SSRIs. The study was performed by researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the study, medical researchers looked at records from nearly 28,000 women — 18,000 women who had babies born with birth defects and 10,000 women who had babies born without birth defects. The researchers were searching for an association between SSRI antidepressants and increased risks of birth defects.

SSRI Antidepressant Birth Defects

While reviewing the records the medical researchers looked at whether each woman had been using SSRI antidepressants. From the data, researchers found that Paxil, generically known as paroxentine, was linked to serious cardiovascular defects along with other serious system defects. These birth defects included anecephaly, atrial septal defects, right ventricular outflow tract obstruction defects, gastroschisis, and omphalocele.

Prozac, generically known as fluoxetine, was also linked to increased risks of craniosynostosis and right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. According to the study, women who used these SSRIs while pregnant had a 2 to 3.5 times greater risk of having a child born with birth defects.

Although the researchers with the CDC were able to identify a link between birth defects and the antidepressants Paxil and Prozac, the study did not prove it was a class-wide effect.

This is not the first time Paxil has been associated with birth defects. Back in 2005 the FDA issued a written alert concerning risks associated with using Paxil while pregnant, and required GlaxoSmithKline to update the medication’s warning labels. In 2010, GlaxoSmithKline paid over $1 billion to settle approximately 800 Paxil birth defect lawsuits.

Although the CDC study showed no correlation between the antidepressant Zoloft and SSRI birth defects, several other studies and FDA warnings suggest that using Zoloft while pregnant is risky. Birth defects associated with using Zoloft while pregnant include persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns as well as gastrointestinal abnormalities, brain defects, and abnormal skill developments.

SSRI Lawsuits

Over 1,000 SSRI birth defect lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts across the U.S. These lawsuits generally allege that pharmaceutical companies violated consumer protection laws by failing to warn consumers about dangerous drug side effects, and that certain antidepressants such as Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, and Cymbalta increase the risk of having a baby born with serious birth defects if the medication is taken during pregnancy.