The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
However, prescription drug deaths outnumber car fatalities in the U.S. and someone dies from a prescription drug every 14 minutes.1
And there have been over 21 international warnings on birth defects linked to mood stabilizers, antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs.
Antidepressant drugs including Celexa, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor, Xanax, and Wellbutrin have been linked to birth defects in children. Also, an anti-seizure medication called Topamax, has also been linked to birth defects.
In 2005, the FDA issued a side effect study linking antidepressants taken during pregnancy to a 40% increased risk of craniofacial birth defects like cleft lip and cleft palate.
More recently, it was found by the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry that women taking Topamax during the first trimester of pregnancy are 21 times more likely to develop cleft lip or cleft palate. In fact, on March 4, 2011, the FDA issued an outright warning to the public regarding the increased risks of oral clefts in newborns to women treated with Topamax during pregnancy.
As you can imagine, fighting for your rights against the billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry that manufacture these drugs can be intimidating, complicated and expensive.
Read more about specific drug birth defects issues below:
1“Drug deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in U.S., data show,” Los Angeles Times, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/17/local/la-me-drugs-epidemic-20110918 Accessed: 28 September 2011