Drug recall attorneys have focused on other anti-depressants, such as Paxil, for birth defects in newborns such as heart defects. For years, the drug industry pushed Wellbutrin as a safe alternative to Paxil and other anti-depressants for women during pregnancy. As recently as 2007, a study noting the dangers of Paxil and Zoloft for pregnant women suggested Wellbutrin might be a safer alternative.
However, Reuters reported in May 2010 that Wellbutrin may not be so safe after all. In fact, it may be just as dangerous. Wellbutrin, the brand name for the anti-depressant bupropion, may cause "more than double the risk of heart defects known as left outflow tract defects, compared with infants whose mothers had not used the drug."
Reuters described this horrible side-effect for newborns: "Left outflow defects affect the flow of blood from the heart's left chambers to the rest of the body. In this study, the most common type of this defect was coarctation of the aorta -- a narrowing in the body's main artery that, in children, typically requires surgical repair."
Women who are pregnant or considering getting pregnant and are taking anti-depressants such as Wellbutrin should contact their medical provider immediately for the best advice on what medicine to take and avoid.
Posted by Louisville, Kentucky lawyer Jasper Ward. Jasper can be reached at jasper@jonesward.com or by using his toll-free number 1-888-KYLAW22.
