Wellbutrin Birth Defects

Women who took antidepressant medication, like Wellbutrin, during their first trimester may have an increased risk of having a baby with a certain heart defect. The FDA first approved Wellbutrin, chemical name Bupropion, as an antidepressant in 1985. The medication was manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Wellbutrin was also sold under the names of Zyban, Voxra, Budeprion, or Aplenzin.

It is prescribed for:

• Depression
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
• Anxiety
• Smoking cessation or reducing nicotine cravings
• Sexual dysfunction
• Obesity

Bupropion is an effective antidepressant on its own but also serves in conjuction with other medications for insufficient SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants.

The American Journal of Obsterics & Gynecology recently published a study suggesting that babies whose mothers were on Wellbutrin during pregnancy were twice as likely to be born with the heart defect known as left outflow defects. Outflow defects affect the blood flow of the heart from the heart’s left chambers to the rest of the body. That is a defect in the structure of the heart and vessels which are present at birth. Many types of heart defects exist; most either complicate blood flow in the heart or vessels near it or cause blood to flow through heart in an abnormal pattern. Recent studies suggest that Wellbutrin increases this risk of heart problems.

Other possible birth defects include:

• Heart Ventricle Outflow Track Defects
• Atrial Septal Defect
• A Ventrical Septal Defect
• Persistent Pulmoonary Hypertension
• Pulmonary Stenosis

GlaxoSmithKline Bupropion Pregnancy Registry report from March 1997 through March 31, 2008 listed similar birth defects. Over time, many pregnant women took this popular medicine with no knowledge or warning of the deadly consequences the drug could have for their unborn babies.

If you took Wellbutrin before or during pregnancy and your baby has one of the above birth defects, please contact Potts Law at 816-931-2230 to see how we can help. Your baby’s injuries may require expensive treatments, prescriptions, life-saving surgery, ongoing physical therapy, or care giving. You may be entitled to file a Wellbutrin heart defect lawsuit to help pay for medical bills and pain and suffering of your child