In dealing with depression, medical professionals frequently prescribe oral medications like antidepressants and also psychotherapy. However, reports from patients, results of various medical studies, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings suggest that antidepressants like Paxil, Zoloft and Effexor may not be the safest way to cure depression and anxiety disorders because of their tendency to cause harmful effects. These include increased suicide risk, sexual dysfunction, hallucinations, abnormal personality changes, atypical mood shifts, eating disorders, and sleeping problems. Birth defects to newborns had been also reported, especially if the mother took the drug during the first trimester of pregnancy. The website BCLocalNews.com published an article on October 17, 2010 about a British Columbian couple trying tointensify awareness about infant exposure to antidepressants. This couple believes that their son died apparently from the wife’s exposure to antidepressants while pregnant.

On February 21, 2009, the mother—Christiane Schultz—was prescribed Effexor while she was pregnant and gave birth to her son, Matthew. Sadly, he died immediately two hours after he was born. She and her husband Amery supposed that her Effexor use contributed to Matthew's death. From then on, they have been trying to raise awareness on the hazards of antidepressant drugs to pregnant women and their children.

According to the studies, there is a wide range of birth defects linked to Paxil such as cardiovascular malformations in the form of atrial septal defects and ventricular septal defects. These typically occur when the mother has taken Paxil within the first trimester of pregnancy, during which the baby's heart is still forming in the womb. Moreover, pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is another Paxil side effect. It is some kind of high blood pressure in babies’ lungs. PPHN can be tremendously serious and it may lead to death in extreme cases. Limb abnormalities and craniosynostosis (skull deformation) are also other birth defects that are allegedly blamed on Paxil. These defects can be very serious. Certain defects can correct themselves while others cannot and may even lead to complications and surgeries. It was also known that newborns may also have low blood sugar and experience difficulty in breathing, vomiting, seizures, tremor and irritability.

The consumers should also be aware that various PaxilLawsuit is presently being filed by victims against the manufacturer of the drug, GlaxoSmithKline.

• adrugrecall.com/paxil/birth-defect.html
• medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=57323
• webmd.com/news/20051208/paxil-stronger-birth-defects-warning
• paxil.lawsuitinformation.org/