In the past few years, it seems there has been an explosion of new and
helpful prescription drugs on the market. For every new set of drugs that
emerges, though, it also seems as if there are new lawsuits related to
at least one of the drugs. In fact, the ads that many Texans have likely
seen regarding drug-related lawsuits proved to be the catalyst for one
parent’s pursuit of accountability.
One woman who took the seizure drug Depakote during pregnancy now believes
her son’s medical problems, including mild cerebral palsy, are linked
to the prescription. She had previously given birth to two healthy children,
but her third pregnancy, during which she took Depakote, resulted in a
baby with multiple health issues. These have included muscle pain and
tightening so severe it required surgery, mental delays and possibly a
form of autism.
Another parent, a father this time, also has reason to believe Depakote
is linked to
birth injuries. His child’s mother took Depakote throughout her pregnancy, and her
son exhibited alarming behavioral issues. These included crying constantly,
raging tantrums and a diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder. The child’s
mother even left the family as the result of the stress of the situation.
In both of these examples, the pregnant woman took Depakote on the advice
of their physicians. A medical damage, such as a brain injury, resulting
from a harmful drug-pregnancy interaction may be the fault of a negligent
doctor, or it may be caused by a negligent prescription drug manufacturer.
In any case, with medical issues that present themselves behaviorally,
detecting the malady in a newborn may be difficult or even impossible.
Parents whose children exhibit troubling issues will certainly want to
find the root cause, especially if it involves a drug taken before the
child’s birth.
Source: Lawyers and Settlements, “Depakote birth defects: If only we knew,” Jane Mundy, April 10, 2014