Paxil Birth Defects Lawsuit News:
Paxil Birth Defects, Pregnancy Drugs and Finding Safer Alternatives
- Yahoo News
03/03/2011 -In February, the FDA approved Makena and Edarbi as safe for pregnant women and also came out against antipsychotics for causing infant health issues. When deciding about drug use in pregnancy, we can take a lesson from Paxil and find safer alternatives.
During my sixth pregnancy, I was taking Paxil (paroxetine) for anti-anxiety. I had lost a second-trimester baby several years prior to this pregnancy and was experiencing depression and anxiety. When I got pregnant again, I consulted with my OB-GYN and midwife about continuing on the Paxil. I was advised to keep taking it, as it might be worse for the baby and me if I was experiencing anxiety or made sudden changes in my routine.
At the same point in gestation as the earlier pregnancy, I lost this baby also. The circumstances were different. With the previous pregnancy, my water began to leak. In the latter pregnancy, the baby just died. An autopsy found no health issues in the baby. That was in 2004. In 2005, Paxil was upgraded on the pregnancy drug list from Category C to Category D. Category D drugs are second in severity level only to Category X, which are directed linked to birth defects and miscarriage.
A link between Paxil and my second miscarriage was never established medically. Not because a connection didn't exist, but because it was not explored. When women miscarry or deliver stillborn babies, if a reason isn't immediately obvious, the medical community tends to gloss over the issue. I can't tell you how many times I've been told, "Sometimes these things just happen for no reason." While I agree that no reason may leap to the eye, I disagree that there is no reason. When I discovered that a drug I was taking during pregnancy (under doctor supervision) was since declared unsafe, it makes me distrust that enough research has been done on other pregnancy drugs.
Would my baby be alive today if I had not taken Paxil? Further research revealed that the most common reason for second trimester pregnancy loss is hypothyroid (low functioning thyroid). I was discovered to have hypothyroid (when I was also taking the Paxil). I was on Synthroid (Levothyroxine) during that pregnancy. As thyroid was ruled out, as well as other possible causes eliminate by autopsy, then Paxil looks like the likely suspect. I was also able to wean myself off from seven years of Paxil in about two weeks, with minimal side effects. I've had multiple improvements in health since quitting. I don't think that proper research was conducted on quitting SSRIs at the time of my pregnancy.
It seems that pregnancy drugs are like traffic signals: there must be a certain number of traffic accidents in a given location to warrant municipalities setting up traffic signals. Do a certain number of miscarriages, stillborn infants and infant birth defects need to occur before a drug is declared unsafe?
Obviously, some medications are critical to the health of the mother and can't be avoided without significant risk to her health. However, whatever goes into the mother goes into the baby. This includes drugs, medications and supplements, herbs, vitamins, homeopathic, organic and natural products. In pregnancy, it's best to get the facts and err on the side of caution. If a treatment is quite new, if you can manage without out the medication or if there are safer substitutes, it's in your baby's best interest to explore those options. Some conditions can be managed with diet and lifestyle changes. Edarbi, which has just been declared "safe" during pregnancy, is used to control blood pressure. Hypertension can often be controlled with lifestyle changes which preclude the need for high blood pressure meds during pregnancy. Making proactive drug choices gives your baby the best chance at life. You may be making healthier choices for yourself also.
Paxil Birth Defects Lawsuit Information:
If you or a loved one have taken Paxil and have experienced Paxil Side Effects or Paxil birth defects you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Paxil lawyers of Ennis & Ennis, P.A. today and find out about the possibility of a Paxil Lawsuit.
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