Effexor Lawsuits Are Being Reviewed

Pregnant women have double the risk of a miscarriage if they take the antidepressant Effexor early in their pregnancy. Effexor, also known as Venlafaxine, users may be entitled to seek compensation for their injuries by filing an Effexor lawsuit against Pfizer, the makers of the antidepressant. If you believe that the antidepressant medication Effexor has caused you to suffer a miscarriage, Florida birth injury lawyers may be able to help you file an Effexor lawsuit and pursue a claim for damages. For more information, call (888) 444-8508.

Birth Defects from Effexor are one of the latest in a series of anti-depressant side effects that are being studied. This is a cause of concern because many of the side effects related to the class of drugs to which Effexor belongs include side effects like miscarriage, cardiac defects, cleft lip and palate, clubfoot, limb defects, and more.

Effexor belongs to a class of drugs known as SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor). The drug is prescribed to treat major depression and other mood disorders. While the Effexor version works on the basis of immediate-release (increase in levels of serotonin and norepinephrine), Effexor XR version works by extending the time for increasing the levels of the two chemicals that are important for maintaining mental balance.

Birth Defects From Effexor

Effexor antidepressant medications belong to a class of drugs known as SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor).

Effexor side effects revealed that women who had taken Effexor during pregnancy experience birth defects from Effexor in their newborn babies in the form of one or more of the following:

• Abdominal Birth Defects / Omphalocele
• Anal atresia (complete or partial closure of the anus
• Cardiac (heart) defects
• Cleft lip and cleft palate
• Clubfoot (one or both feet turn downward and inward)
• Craniosynostosis (skull defect)
• Limb Defects
• Neural-tube defects (brain and spinal cord, spina bifida)
• PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn)

In May 2010, a study was published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal that found women who take antidepressants like Effexor during the first trimester of their pregnancy were significantly more likely to miscarry than women who did not take antidepressants.

Two months earlier the journal Pediatrics found associations between exposure to antidepressants such as Effexor in late pregnancy and prolonged motor developmental milestones at six and 19 months of age. According to researchers, children exposed to antidepressants in the womb took 16 days longer to sit without support and nearly a month longer to walk compared to children who were not prenatally exposed to the medication.

Effexor Facts

Wyeth introduced Effexor to the market in 1993 for use as an antidepressant, as well as in treating a major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and certain anxiety disorders. It was the sixth most prescribed antidepressant in the United States in 2007, with over 17 million prescriptions written.

Florida Effexor Lawyers

If your child has suffered birth defects from Effexor, a defective drug attorney may be able to pursue an Effexor lawsuit on your behalf. For more information, call (888) 444-8508 or fill out the free case evaluation form.