The firm of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz represents dozens of families and their children relating to birth defects connected with the ingestion of Paxil. Also called paroxetine hydrochloride, Paxil is a pharmaceutical drug manufacturered by GlaxoSmithKline prescribed to treat depression and anxiety disorders. The drug belongs to a family of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI).
Unfortunately, many women ingested Paxil during their pregnancies and have given birth to children with varying defects including: congenital heart defects such as atrial and ventricular septal defects (i.e. holes in the walls of the chambers of the heart), hypoplastic left heart syndrome, pulmonary stenosis and tricuspid atresia. Additionally, children are shown to have suffered other birth defects such lung defects (ie. PPHN), craniosynostosis, neural-tube defects, webbed neck, infant omphalocele, congenital foot deformity (ie. club foot), anal atresia.
Two peer reviewed studies show that women who took Paxil during the first trimester were approximately two (2) times as likley to give birth to a child with a heart defect as women who ingested other antidepressants and women in the background who did not take any antidepressant. One study in particular shows the risk of heart defects 2 percent or 2 out of every 100. The most common defect reported was heart related including atrial and ventricular septal heart defects.
AWKO represents babies with varying defects including by way of example, a little girl, “P” who was born in early 1999 and suffered from Craniosynostosis. Paula underwent two craniotomies and additional surgeries to improve her eye function but has permenant disfiguring and debilitating injuries. Another client, “J” suffered ventral septal defects and webbed neck and was forced to undergo open heart surgery at 6 months of age to repair her heart.
Without a large scale settlement in place, the firm of AWKO remains steadfast in its fight for the rights of these girls and their families and all of AWKO’s clients who suffered at the hands of Paxil.
