Saturday, December 11, 2010

Depakote Lawsuits Due to Birth Defects

Bringing a baby into the world is an amazing and life changing experience. This experience is something that will never be forgotten, and we all want it to be memories of love and happiness. Sadly though this is not always the case, sometimes families have to face the dreaded reality that the baby has birth defects, and in the worse cases, the baby does not live. Most of the time situations like this are out of our hands, however it is important to be aware of some ways to prevent this horrible nightmare from happening. An example of this is to know what is safe and what is unsafe to take during pregnancy. This article will discuss the drug Depakote and the very real danger that it poses to our beloved babies.

Depakote is a drug that is used to treat conditions such as epilepsy, migraines, and manic episodes due to a bipolar disorder. Expecting mothers should never take this drug because of the unfortunate numerous side effects that it causes including spina bifida and many others. Some mothers have not been aware of this danger and has taken the drug during pregnancy, which has resulted in heartache and loss, and therefore Depakote lawsuits. Because this drug has the potential of causing serious and life threatening birth defects, the Food and Drug Administration has classified Depakote in the pregnancy category D.

Depakote Side Effects

Women who are pregnant, will become pregnant, or are nursing should not take the drug Depakote because it can be very harmful to the unborn baby. The side effects of this drug may result in birth defects to the baby. These side effects can include the baby having a cleft palate or hand malformations. The baby may also have an hypoplastic right heart, which is when the right side of the heart is underdeveloped. The baby may also have undescended testes or dysplastic ribs, which mean the ribs are abnormally developed. Hypospadia is another side effect that can happen when a women is on Depakote, this is when the opening of the urethra forms in the wrong place on male babies. Spina bifida is another condition that is possible to happen, this condition is when the spinal column does not completely enclose the spinal cord. The worst possible side effect of Depakote may result in the death of the baby.

If you or someone you know has taken the drug Depakote and has experienced one or more of these negative side effects, then it is strongly recommended that you contact a Depakote lawyer as soon as possible. You may not know if you have a case right away, however it is very important to contact a Depakote lawyer right away because there may be a time limit on how long you have to file a claim. Your lawyer will help you decide if you want to pursue litigation, as this may compensate you for your loss. The time limit that you have to file your claim varies from state to state, however the typical time limit for personal injury lawsuits are two years.


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