According to a study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the more serious birth defects that can be linked to Effexor is Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN). An FDA health advisory agrees, stating that women who took drugs that were similar Effexor in the second trimester of pregnancy were 6 times more likely to give birth to babies that suffered from PPHN.
Babies that are born with PPHN find it harder to process oxygen while in the womb than babies whose mothers didn’t take the popular antidepressant. While babies are still in the womb, oxygen is sent to the baby through the umbilical cord rather than the lungs and the pulmonary artery is what circulates oxygen to the heart through the ductus arteriosus. Once the child is born, the oxygen stops moving through the ductus arteriosus and into the lungs instead. If the baby is born with PPHN, the ductus arteriosus doesn’t close. This stops the blood flow from getting into the baby’s lungs, leaving the baby’s oxygen supply very low.
Some of the symptoms associated with PPHN include rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing and bluish skin. Babies that are born with heart murmurs and low oxygen levels in their blood also may have PPHN. Most of the babies that are born with PPHN can’t survive it, but those who do often suffer from long-term health problems like breathing problems, developmental complications, hearing difficulties and seizures.
If you have been taking Effexor while in the second half of your pregnancy and your baby is suffering from any of the above-listed symptoms, or if your child has been diagnosed with PPHN, you might be eligible to receive some financial compensation. You should talk to your doctor and seek a lawyer’s assistance.
