Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyers: When Antidepressants Cause Harm

Many people suffering from depression turn to antidepressants to alleviate their symptoms, such as drugs like Zoloft and Paxil. However, there have been a lot of lawsuits and claims placed against these drugs, especially among pregnant women, on the grounds that it allegedly caused birth defects on their babies, as well as unpleasant side effects on the mothers themselves.

Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyers When Antidepressants Cause Harm

When antidepressants become a bigger cause of harm than good, you can go after the doctors or manufacturers with the help of Brooklyn personal injury lawyers for compensation over these defects. First, you should know what undesirable side effects and serious health risks are posed by a number of antidepressants available in the market today.

SSRI’s

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI’s, are among the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the market. These drugs, like Zoloft, Effexor, Lexapro, and Serzone aim to ease depression by affecting the nervous system’s neurotransmitters by blocking the reabsorption, or reuptake, of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Once the balance of serotonin has changed, it becomes easier for brain cells to send and receive chemical messages, thus improving one’s mood. These are called selective because they only seem to affect serotonin and not the other neurotransmitters in the body.

Possible Effects of SSRI Antidepressants

In the past few years, however, there have been numerous reports of serious side effects from the intake of these antidepressants, and lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers because of this. The Food and Drug Administration, in fact, has looked into the issue and has repeatedly issued warnings regarding the use of SSRIs.

In their warnings, the FDA specified that the intake of these SSRI antidepressants has been linked to serotonin syndrome, a potentially fatal condition wherein high levels of the chemical serotonin accumulates inside the body. Pregnant women taking these antidepressants have also been found to have an increased risk of giving birth to an infant having a persistent pulmonary hypertension. Moreover, the FDA had also warned that intake of SSRI’s can increase suicidal thinking and behavior when taken by anyone of any age.

Filing a Claim

In filing a personal injury claim due to these drugs, you must be able to prove that you have been injured, that was caused by the antidepressant, and that the manufacturer, pharmacy or doctor hasn’t been able to provide adequate warnings regarding its use. These cases need the help of a Brooklyn injury attorney, like those from the Law Offices of Joseph Lichtenstein, to have a better chance of winning.

Sources:

Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft, and Other Antidepressant Drugs, Nolo

Antidepressants and Pregnancy: Risks and Injuries, FindLaw

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