Paxil
Paxil Lawsuits
Paxil Lawsuits are being brought for the side effects of taking Paxil that include the development of birth defects, including heart, lung, abdominal wall defects, abnormally shaped skull, brain and spinal cord, curved feet, and complete or partial closure of the anus.
Paxil Lawyers can help you with your legal rights if you are a victim of Paxil birth defects. Paxil attorneys have experience with Paxil and their history and proceedings to date and are your best bet to seek damages and be confident that you will succeed if you are a legitmate victim of Paxil use.
What Is Paxil?
Paxil is in a class of medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Paxil was first approved for use in the United States on December 29, 1992 for the treatment of depression. In June of 2003, the FDA announced it was reviewing reports of a possible increased risk of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts in children and adolescents under the age of 18 treated with the drug Paxil for major depressive disorder (MDD). Then in December of 2005 the FDA alerted health care professionals and patients about early results of new studies for Paxil (paroxetine) suggesting that the drug increases the risk for birth defects, particularly heart defects, when women take it during the first three months of pregnancy.
Paxil tablets and oral suspension are used to treat:
- Depression
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Paxil CR is used to treat:
- Depression
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
Who Should Not Take Paxil?
- Never
take Paxil if you are taking another drug used to treat depression,
called a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI), or if you have stopped
taking an MAOI in the last 14 days. Taking Paxil close in time to an
MAOI can result in serious, sometimes fatal reactions including:
- High body temperature
- Coma
- Seizures (convulsions)
- Never take Paxil if you are taking Mellaril (thioridazine), used to treat schizophrenia, because it can result in serious heart beat problems.
What Are The Risks?
The following are the major potential risks and side effects of Paxil therapy. However, this list is not complete.
- SSRIs/SNRI/Triptan and Serotonin Syndrome:
A life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome may occur when triptans are used together with a SSRI or a SNRI. Serotonin syndrome occurs when the body has too much serotonin, a chemical found in the nervous system. Serotonin syndrome symptoms may include restlessness, hallucinations, loss of coordination, fast heart beat, rapid changes in blood pressure, increased body temperature, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Serotonin syndrome may be more likely to occur when starting or increasing the dose of a triptan, SSRI or SNRI.
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension:
A study suggests there may be additional, though rare, risks of SSRI medications during pregnancy. This study focused on newborn babies with persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), which is a serious and life-threatening lung condition that occurs soon after birth of the newborn. Babies with PPHN have high pressure in their lung blood vessels and are not able to get enough oxygen into their bloodstream. About 1 to 2 babies per 1000 babies born in the U.S. develop PPHN shortly after birth, and often they need intensive medical care. In this study PPHN was six times more common in babies whose mothers took an SSRI antidepressant after the 20th week of the pregnancy compared to babies whose mothers did not take an antidepressant. The study was too small to compare the risk in one drug compared to another, and this risk has not so far been investigated by other researchers. The study, by Christina Chambers and others, was published on February 9, 2006 in The New England Journal of Medicine.
- Suicidal thoughts or actions: Persons
taking Paxil may be more likely to think about killing themselves or
actually try to do so, especially when Paxil is first started or the
dose is changed. People close to persons taking Paxil can help by
paying attention to changes in user's moods or actions. Contact your
healthcare professional right away if someone using Paxil talks about
or shows signs of killing him or herself. If you are taking Paxil
yourself and you start thinking about killing yourself, tell your
healthcare professional about this side effect right away.
- Stopping Paxil: Do
not stop taking Paxil suddenly because you could get side effects. Your
healthcare professional will slowly decrease your dose.
- Bleeding problems: Paxil
may cause bleeding problems, especially if taken with aspirin, NSAIDs
(nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen),
or other drugs that affect bleeding.
- Mania: You may become hyperactive, excitable or elated.
- Seizures: You may experience a seizure (convulsion) even if you are not taking Paxil close in time with a MAOI.
- Pregnancy: Tell your healthcare professional if you are or may be pregnant (see FDA Alert [07/2006] above).
In addition to the issue described in the alert, babies delivered to
mothers taking Paxil late in pregnancy have developed problems, such as
difficulty breathing and feeding. Babies delivered to mothers taking
Paxil early in pregnancy are sometimes born with heart problems.
- Sexual problems: You
may have problems with impotence (erectile dysfunction), abnormal
ejaculation, difficulty reaching orgasm, or decreased libido (sexual
desire).
- Other side effects include
weakness, dry mouth, constipation, yawning, infection, diarrhea,
sweating, dizziness, tremor, nervousness, nausea, difficulty sleeping,
decreased appetite, and sleepiness.
- Tell your healthcare professional about all your medical conditions, especially if you have liver or kidney disease, or glaucoma. Tell your healthcare professional if you are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed your baby.
