Ventricular Septal Heart Defects Linked to Antidepressants

PAXIL AND THE POSSIBLE LINK TO VENTRICULAR SEPTAL DEFECTS Paxil may be the end-all and cure-all when it comes to depression, but nearly 20 years after it was released to the general public, more and more studies are showing the negatives may far outweigh the positives. Despite being the most popular and well respected drugs to control depression, Paxil has entered the third decade of its existence with a whole new slew of side effects that may be worse than the disease it was designed to control.

One of these side effects is known as Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD), a congenital heart defect. A VSD is a problem with the wall between the left and right side of the heart. To understand beeter what a VSD is, picture or a poorly built apartment building. The walls are in this apartment building are so thin that if you were to hammer a nail into the wall, the pointy end would protrude into your neighbor’s apartment. Now picture the same thing with the left and right sides of your heart. Not a pretty picture is it?

In September 2005, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) released a study showing that pregnant women who use Paxil during the first trimester are two times more likely to have a baby with birth defects. The most common defect of Paxil users, according to the FDA, is VSD. Put simply, VSDs are holes in the heart ranging in size from a problem that can correct itself as the baby grows older to holes that require surgery to repair.

FUTURE CARE OF VENTRICULAR SEPTAL DEFECTS You may decide the risk to your future child of your ingesting using Paxil is not enough to warrant the risk of your depression resurfacing if stop using the drug. There are other Paxil side effects down the road that you need to be aware however. Babies born with ventricular septal defects sometimes require ongoing care throughout their life. And the restrictions imposed on their lives can effect more than their physical health.

• Medical – If your baby is born with VSD, it is necessary for a physician to periodically check the heart to make sure there are no problems.

• Activity restrictions – Though most patients won’t have to limit their activities much, there is a small percentage who will. Activities as simple as playing in the backyard and riding a bike may be limited.

• Medicinal therapy – Some patients, even after surgery, suffer with a heart that is less able to contract. In these cases the patients uses diuretics to help the heart pump better.

• More surgery – Most people with uncomplicated ventricular septal defects that are repaired early rarely need further surgery. However, residual effects in some patients have been found. In this case, more surgery may be required.

WHAT ARE YOUR CHOICES

Of all the defects associated with the use of Paxil, ventricular septal defects are the most common. The side effects may not be enough to warrant you, as the mother, to cease using the drug. After all, most of the issues of a “hole in the heart” can be easily repaired with surgery and medicinal therapy. However, there is the risk of a hole in the heart that cannot be repaired and the risk of a child being on medication the rest of their life. The choice is yours.

Schmidt & Clark | A National Law Firm specializes in mass torts and drug side effect lawsuits. For more information or a free review of your potential case, please visit: http://www.schmidtandclark.com or Paxil Ventricular Septal Heart Birth Defects.