Depression is more persistent than occasional feelings of sadness or a lack of motivation. Depression is the primary cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Did you know that many pregnant women experience depression? During pregnancy, the body experiences many changes. Depression during pregnancy may be brought on by the strains of these changes.
Let’s take a look at how Zoloft is connected to birth defects, how to file Zoloft lawsuits, and some legal claims against Pfizer.
What is Zoloft Used For?
Zoloft belongs to a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are the most often prescribed antidepressants. Zoloft was introduced in the United States in 1991.
The following SSRIs have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat depression:
- Citalopram (Celexa)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
Zoloft is used to treat a number of mental health issues, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety. It is approved for use in children ages 6–17 to treat some conditions.
Both adults and teenagers who suffer from depression are frequently treated with this medicine. The medicine Zoloft is known by its generic name, sertraline. Pfizer makes the popular antidepressant Zoloft.
Around 38 million prescriptions for sertraline were written in the United States in 2020, making it the country’s sixth most often prescribed drug overall. In 2016, sertraline was the country’s most regularly prescribed psychotropic drug.
What are Zoloft Side Effects?
A Zoloft lawsuit was filed against Pfizer, the company that makes Zoloft, as a result of a number of serious side effects, birth defects, and drug injuries caused by the medicine.
Sertraline is similar to the majority of SSRIs in that it can result in a wide range of health issues. Sertraline users have been seen to have anxiety, depression, convulsions, tremors, hallucinations, psychosis, heart defibrillation, and significant behavioral changes.
Can Zoloft cause permanent damage? Yes. Occasionally, this drug may make patients suicidal.
Is Zoloft linked to serious side effects?
- Sleeping problems
- Nervousness
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Atrial septal defects
- Sexual issues
- Constant bleeding
- Suicidal thoughts
- dizziness
- Chest pain
- Stomach pain
- Allergic reaction
Side Effects of Zoloft Withdrawal
When taking Zoloft or another SSRI, suddenly stopping it can have serious side effects. Side effects happen because the body hasn’t had time to adjust to not receiving the medication.
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Anxiousness
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Headaches
- Trembling
- Paresthesias
- Hallucinations
- Numbness in the hands or feet
Before stopping antidepressants or Zoloft, consult your doctor. It’s crucial that you do not abruptly stop using antidepressants. Antidepressant dosages should be gradually decreased, often over four weeks but occasionally longer.
Black Box Warning for Zoloft
The FDA in the United States requires a boxed warning to be used whenever an approved medication raises a material risk of serious, potentially fatal effects. The boxed warning for Zoloft should be noted.
According to the label, there may be a link between the use of antidepressants such as Zoloft and the risk of suicidal ideation and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults aged 18 to 24.
The FDA initially implemented a black box warning on SSRIs in 2004, which is the toughest action it can take short of taking a medicine off the market. All commonly used antidepressants still come with packaging inserts that include the warning.
After the black box warning was released, the amount of children’s and adolescents’ antidepressant prescriptions, which had been steadily increasing throughout the 1990s, sharply decreased. Major depression has a 15% lifetime suicide rate, and it can also have other deadly effects; for instance, a history of major depression doubles the risk of heart disease.
Has Zoloft been recalled? According to January 10, 2018, US Food and Drug Administration Enforcement Report, Pfizer Inc. recalled 30-count bottles of 25-mg Zoloft pills.
The bottles from the 1972 batch S84026 were subject to Zoloft recall. The Roerig branch of Pfizer distributed the bottles throughout the United States.
The Connection between Birth Defects and Zoloft
About 10% of expecting mothers struggle with depression. Doctors have recommended Zoloft to treat the symptoms of depression during pregnancy because so many women experience emotional distress during this time.
There are adverse risks to taking Zoloft while pregnant. There are reports of a variety of adverse effects in pregnant women, including nausea, vomiting, seizures, breathing difficulties, agitation, and low blood sugar.
Antidepressants like Zoloft and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been linked to abnormal birth results. The FDA is concerned that these medications may result in newborns having heart birth abnormalities.
The regularly used antidepressant Zoloft has also been linked to abnormal infant births. Even though this risk has been known for years, the Zoloft manufacturer has chosen not to adequately notify pregnant women about it.
Persistent pulmonary hypertension in infants is one of the hazardous adverse effects of Zoloft. PPHN is most likely to occur in newborns whose moms used Zoloft during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Several studies have connected autism spectrum diseases and Zoloft use during pregnancy. Specifically, in the second and third trimesters, children whose moms used Zoloft or other SSRI antidepressants have a 200 percent higher probability of receiving a diagnosis, according to this study.
Is there a lawsuit against Zoloft? Families have brought hundreds of zoloft autism lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies as of 2022, claiming that SSRIs are to blame for the congenital abnormalities of their children.
Zoloft Side Effects on Birth Defects
- Clubfoot
- Cleft lip
- Anal atresia
- Heart or lung defects
- Brain and spinal cord defects
- Skull defects
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns
- Omphalocele
- Abdominal wall defects
- Intestinal disorders
- Autism spectrum disorder
If your child was born with one of these defects, Pfizer Zoloft lawsuits could help you fight for the Zoloft settlement amounts you need for your child’s future.
Legal Claims against Zoloft Maker
Pfizer, Inc., the company that makes Zoloft, has been the target of zoloft pregnancy autism lawsuits because if the neonatal problem had been recognized, warnings would have been made to stop doctors and their patients from taking Zoloft and avert these risks and harms.
Is Zoloft the subject of a class action lawsuit? An antidepressant class action lawsuit asserted that Pfizer misrepresented Zoloft’s safety and efficacy in treating depression when it was filed in federal court in California on January 30, 2013.
According to the antidepressant birth defect lawsuitt, Pfizer misrepresented to patients and physicians the results of clinical trials that showed the medicine was not safe and was not as successful as the firm had claimed.
According to the complaint, the majority of clinical trial data did not support Zoloft’s efficacy. September 2014 saw the dismissal of that lawsuit.
A Florida resident has sued Pfizer, the maker of the antidepressant Zoloft, for birth defects. The complainant claims that the medicine caused her daughter’s birth defect.
The Zoloft litigation further alleges that Pfizer failed to adequately evaluate Zoloft and failed to alert patients and doctors to the possibility of birth abnormalities. Instead, she asserts that Pfizer allowed pregnant women to be administered Zoloft despite being aware of the drug’s dangerous negative effects.
One of the plaintiffs has filed a lawsuit against Zoloft on behalf of her daughter. She was born with a variety of birth defects, including the Zoloft birth abnormality known as coarctation of the aorta. It is a condition that needs monitoring during infancy and into maturity and is typically present at birth.
The plaintiff claims that as a result of these congenital defects, both she and her daughter, who is now nine years old, have endured bodily and emotional suffering. Additionally, her daughter has been unable to experience a typical upbringing because the doctor regularly examines and tests her.
There had been numerous studies undertaken since Zoloft was originally made accessible to consumers in 1992 have shown birth abnormalities.
One such study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the risk of having a child with birth abnormalities increased by six times when pregnant women took Zoloft or comparable medications after the 20th week of pregnancy.
According to the findings of a different study, using Zoloft while pregnant could significantly raise the risk of having a child with a heart abnormality.
Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuits against Pfizer
Women who had taken Zoloft and their children born with a birth defect may have the right to hold the manufacturer responsible through a Zoloft lawsuit. This may help you get zoloft lawsuit payouts for pain and suffering, medical expenses, and more.
People are suing Pfizer for improper marketing of the medication, the drug’s manufacturing flaws, and the medication’s harmful side effects. Patients taking Zoloft have launched a collective lawsuit on Zoloft’s maker, Pfizer, for deceptive advertising.
A claim against Pfizer for harm to a newborn infant would seek remuneration for any future medical care that might be required, which could include a lifetime of specialized medical needs. It may cost a fortune to treat and console a child born with birth problems brought on by taking Zoloft.
A lack of caution in warning doctors and expecting mothers about Zoloft and other brand-name antidepressants has led to the filing of Zoloft lawsuits against drug manufacturers.
Zoloft Lawsuit Update 2023
There may still be some cases, and some attorneys may be considering Zoloft claims, but all publicly reported rulings have sided with Zoloft’s maker. There have been no significant developments in this dispute as of April 2023.
What to Do If You may be Eligible for a Zoloft Lawsuit?
Speak with a antidepressant lawsuit lawyer if your doctor claims that adverse effects you’ve had or are currently experiencing are due to Zoloft. In Zoloft during pregnancy lawsuits, the medical record is the fundamental legal document. A well-structured and well-written record is the best protection for every case.
Contact Zoloft lawyers if you or someone you know has suffered harm as a result of taking the medication Zoloft. Remember that each state has a statute of limitations that must be met before you can proceed with a Zoloft lawsuit.
In closing,
Taking action is the first step to safeguarding women’s mental health to feel better and provide the best start for their unborn child. Being kind to themselves is crucial, regardless of the treatment they choose to use to manage the melancholy. Their primary priority should be to care for their bodily and emotional needs.
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