Depakote Birth Defects v. Migraine Treatment: Worth the Risk?
By Andrea Gressman
Depakote is prescribed for a variety of reasons but one of the most common is to treat those who have certain types of seizures. Another interesting use is to treat those who suffer from migraines. The issue is that Depakote has been linked to causing birth defects if taken during pregnancy. However, the women who are being prescribed Depakote often go completely unaware that this side effect issue exists. Many who have later filed Depakote birth defect lawsuits after their child was born say they never would have opted to take the medication in the first place if they had been adequately warned of these risks.
So, as Depakote is being prescribed to treat something like migraines many are now wondering if the risk of having a baby with a birth defect justifies using Depakote to treat their migraines. Most mothers would give a resounding “no” as an answer to that question.
However, it does become more complicated when you are talking about women in child-bearing years. There are times when a woman has no intention of becoming pregnant or does not think to tell the physician she is seeing for her migraines that she is planning on becoming pregnant. Although the physician should ask these very important questions before prescribing Depakote, it is not always done. Often times women do not think to ask these questions prior to becoming pregnant because they’re simply unaware of all the drugs linked to causing birth defects.
Some of the birth defects that babies have developed after their mother took Depakote include heart problems and developmental delays. Sadly, the developmental delays are often not detected until the child is older and this is often times not associated with the use of Depakote by the mother. Again, because she likely thinks that she would not be prescribed something that would harm her baby.
Specific Depakote birth defects include the following:
- Cleft palate
- Dysplastic ribs
- Fetal death
- Hand malformations
- Hypoplastic right heart
- Hypospadias
- Spina Bifida
The classification that Depakote has received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in regards to being safe to take during pregnancy is a category D. This is due to the potentially life-threatening birth defects Depakote has been linked to. It has also been reported that Abbott Laboratories, the manufacturer of Depakote, has been sternly reprimanded for promoting off-label use. On October 2, 2012, the company was fined $500 million with an additional $200 million being forfeited with regards to their marketing campaign for such unapproved off-label uses.
If your child is a Depakote birth defect victim know your legal options. Visit the Depakote Birth Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page today in order to learn more about your legal rights and receive a free legal review from an experienced Depakote lawsuit lawyer. There is help available.
Updated February 27th, 2013
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