Mothers Suffer Guilt Over Use of Paxil

Montgomery, ALUnless you have been told that something you did might have caused your child's birth defects, you probably do not know the overwhelming guilt that mothers whose babies were born with alleged Paxil birth defects feel. These women, who believed that taking the antidepressant was better for the baby than if they did not, now face a lifetime of guilt, a lifetime of thinking that Paxil side effects might have caused their child's pain.

And yet, these women did nothing wrong. They simply followed the advice of their doctor, who told them that Paxil was safe to take while pregnant. There was no mention of the alleged Paxil defects and the doctors may not even have known. Of course, if the doctors did not know, there is no way that the pregnant women, trying desperately to ensure that they and their babies were safe, could possibly have known what would happen.

Sandra (not her real name) says she took Paxil while pregnant with her son. She found out that her son has a heart murmur. "My son's murmur is more distinctive when he is ill, he also becomes red in the face and has on occasion while at school had weakness to the point of passing out," Sandra says.

What appears to have happened is that some babies exposed to Paxil prior to their birth were born with significant birth defects; significant enough to be life threatening and to result in a lifetime of surgeries for the children and anxiousness for their mothers, who constantly look signs that something is wrong with their child. They live from doctor's appointment to doctor's appointment and worry endlessly with each cough that something serious is wrong with their child.

Some of these children are lucky enough to live relatively normal lives, playing with their friends and participating in sports. However, some of these children are not so lucky. They do not ever have the chance to run and play because of problems with their heart. They miss out on the opportunity to just "be children" because their lives are full of doctor's appointments and surgeries. They have very little control over what they can and cannot do, because their health problems prevent them from doing most things.

Studies have shown a link between taking Paxil during certain periods of a pregnancy and serious birth defects, including heart problems. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2006 found an association between the use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs, a group of drugs that includes Paxil) while pregnant and a risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.

Of course, by then it was too late for some women, who had already taken Paxil during their pregnancy. They say they wouldn't have taken it if they had been aware of the risks, but no one told them that the drug could potential cause such serious side effects for their children. Now, the children are left to cope with their health problems while their mothers are left dealing with the guilt and wondering if they could have done anything to prevent their child's pain.

Mary (not her real name), says she took Paxil while pregnant and worries that has caused harm to her son.

"I am hurt because I feel like I caused this to him but I know the doctor said it was safe to take so I did," Mary says. "Now I feel like a louse, like I didn't do the right thing by my son and I want to make it better the best that I can."