Pulmonary Hypertension is a serious heart and lung disorder. When a person has PPH, the blood vessels in the lungs constrict, increasing pressure in the pulmonary artery, a life-threatening situation.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, dizziness and fainting spells. The most effective way to treat a person with PPH is a lung transplant. In rare cases a heart transplant may also be required.
A newborn with PPHN may have rapid breathing and heart rate, difficulty breathing or bluish looking skin.
Up to 20% of newborns with PPHN will die, even with treatment. A recent [FDA Health Advisory] states that women who took SSRIs during pregnancy are at six times the risk of delivering a baby that has PPHN, than those who do not take an SSRI drug.
Much is still unknown about using Zoloft during pregnancy. The FDA places Zoloft in the
pregnancy Category C, which means that animal studies have shown possible fetal harm, but human trials do not show that the risk of birth defects is greater than the risks involved in discontinuing the drug.
Babies whose mothers have taken Zoloft during pregnancy, can suffer withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, constant crying, poor feeding and insomnia.
Pregnant women should work closely with their doctors in order to determine whether or not to stop taking Zoloft during pregnancy.
Zoloft Birth Defect Legal Help
If you took Zoloft during pregnancy, and your child was born with lung birth defects, or developed lung defects later in life, please contact a lawyer to discuss your case by clicking the link below. There is no charge to have your claim reviewed by a lawyer.
Last updated on Feb-3-10
New York, NY: Treating depression in pregnant women may require increasingly meticulous scrutiny, as a recent study published in the British Medical Journal has linked a mother's use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - chemical compounds commonly found in antidepressants like Zoloft – with heart defects in children, suggesting that Zoloft birth defects are a very real danger. [ 
Washington, DC: Less than a year ago, in July 2006, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory on a birth defect found to be associated with Zoloft and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants by a study in the February 2006 New England Journal of Medicine that found a higher risk of a life-threatening lung disorder in infants exposed to SSRIs, stating: [ 
