Paxil Increases Risk of Suicide and Birth Defects
A recent article published on bnet.com reported that the suicide of a Catholic priest might be linked to his use of the antidepressants, Paxil. The priest had begun taking the drug because he was distraught over a child sex abuse scandal that occurred at his parish. The deceased’s sister has since sued GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the manufacturers of Paxil, over the death of her brother.
A federal judge ruled that the priest likely committed suicide because of the Paxil side effects and not from the stress of the church’s cover-up. In her complaint, the sister alleged that the drug maker had known of Paxil’s potential for akathisia - psychosis or violent self harm in which patients are unable to rest and believe they are hopeless - as early as 1990.
In addition to risk of akathisia, Paxil has also been known to cause severe birth defects in infants whose mothers had taken the drug during pregnancy. In 2005 the FDA advised medical professionals that Paxil is unsafe if taken during the first three months of pregnancy.
Women who take Paxil during this time period are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to deliver babies that have heart defects than women on other antidepressants or in the general population. These reported heart defects included holes in heart atrial and ventricular chamber walls known as septal defects. The degree of symptom severity in these cases range from minor to serious, some of which may require surgery to fix the problem.
If your baby has suffered heart defects as a result of Paxil, you may want to seek legal counsel for your claim. Call 314-322-8515 for a free consultation with the experienced Missouri injury attorneys at Page Law.
