There will always be times in our lives when we’ll need a little help; the times when we call on the support of family and friends to help us through a particularly trying episode. And while it may not always be easy to ask for help – to admit that you’re in need – it is in these moments, when you are most vulnerable, that you will find your truest friends. Sometimes the support comes from outside resources; from places you wouldn’t have expected - especially when you are facing a particular medical condition such as PPHN.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn or PPHN, is a condition that only affects newborn babies, effectively stopping what would be their normal breathing process and sending them into respiratory distress. When a baby is born, the arteries that were constricted while the baby was in the womb (because they were receiving their oxygen from their mother through the umbilical cord) open up and begin to receive blood flow to and from the lungs. This is the normal oxygenation process that delivers oxygen throughout our bodies. With PPHN, however, the arteries remain constricted and blood is not able to flow as it normally would. The affects of PPHN can be quite serious and even catastrophic. And so being aware of the potential causes of PPHN is vital for pregnant or soon to be pregnant women everywhere.

Unfortunately, one of the causes of PPHN is the taking of Paxil® during pregnancy. In fact, taking Paxil® during pregnancy results in a six-fold increase in the possibility of delivering a child with PPHN. But women are still being prescribed Paxil® for their depression and anxiety during pregnancy – or being told to continue the medication if they are already taking it.

Paxil® attorneys in California offer what is surely unexpected support to families dealing with PPHN – helping them get the financial settlements that will help them with medical costs. And by bringing PPHN into the spotlight, Paxil® attorneys in California hope to ensure that women everywhere are given the information they need to ensure healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.

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There is a generation of Americans that are completely convinced that everything out of a doctor of medicine’s mouth is the absolute truth. This is not to say that doctors would knowingly deceive us; only to say that they may not always have all the answers and it is up to us as patients to be advocates for our own healthcare. Such generations were taught that what their doctor says goes and that to ask questions or bring up concerns would only serve to undermine their authority and offend them. Today’s patients have come to learn that in order to have all the information they must ask all the questions; and that their doctor – while certainly highly qualified – may not have all the information that they need to help them make the most informed decisions.

This way of thinking will help protect us from those possibilities we may not even be aware of; including a condition known as Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn or PPHN.

Women who are pregnant – or are considering a pregnancy – will certainly visit their doctor to help them achieve a healthy pregnancy and delivery, followed, of course, by a healthy baby. Unfortunately, however, sometimes pertinent information is left out and pregnant women are instructed to engage in what can ultimately be risky behavior. For instance, the taking of Paxil®, while an otherwise safe medication that is used to treat depression and anxiety, during pregnancy can result in a women have an elevated risk of giving birth to a child with PPHN.

PPHN is a rare condition but nonetheless it can be extremely serious and even fatal. Children with PPHN are born typically without incident but following their birth they are unable to begin breathing normally on their own. The arteries that would otherwise carry blood to and from the lungs in the body’s normal oxygenation process remain constricted (as they are when the baby is in the womb) and blood flow is inhibited. The result of PPHN can be a variety of organ failures and even respiratory failure.

Paxil® attorneys in California work with those who have been impacted with PPHN so that the proper information can reach those women who need it the most.

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In the last post we discussed the condition known as PPHN - Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn – and its connection to the mother’s taking of Paxil® during pregnancy. While Paxil® is otherwise used safely to combat depression and anxiety its impact during pregnancy is something to be considered by every pregnant woman or those who are planning to become pregnant.

We discussed what happens to babies with PPHN as far as not receiving an adequate blood supply to the lungs where blood would normally become oxygenated and deliver oxygen to the rest of the body. Even with proactive treatment, some babies with PPHN will succumb to the disease as a result of such things as organ failure, respiratory failure, and even shock.

The medical community responds to PPHN with aggressive treatment including nitric oxide and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) which offers temporary support by delivering oxygen to the brain.

Even those babies that survive PPHN may have long term ramifications including chronic lung conditions, delays in development, seizures, hearing loss, speech impairment, and even neurological ramifications. These children will certainly have to be evaluated often throughout their childhood and may even continue to experience PPHN related issues well into adulthood.

For these reasons and more, Paxil® attorneys in California work with families that have been affected by PPHN – helping them to navigate the medical complexities associated with the disease, understand the long term ramifications, and get the financial restitution they need to effectively and comprehensively care for their child now and into the future.

But, more importantly, Paxil® attorneys in California are interested in making sure that information is disseminated appropriately concerning the link between Paxil® and PPHN so that women everywhere – those that are pregnant or those that will be pregnant in the future – as well as their caregivers are afforded the tools to make the best decisions for themselves.

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Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) is not a condition with which most of us are largely unfamiliar. And this unfamiliarity is an unfortunate thing – especially if we are pregnant woman that is currently taking the popular drug, Paxil®.

For those who have not heard of this condition and are unaware of its connection to Paxil®, the facts are alarming. PPHN is a condition whereby the natural breathing function of an infant is compromised; essentially, a baby that should normally immediately adapt to being able to breathe on its own is unable to do so.

In normal pulmonary and circulatory function, blood is pumped to and from the lungs in a continuous cycle of oxygenation whereby oxygen is delivered to the organs of the body and carbon dioxide is exchanged. This critical function is thwarted in the face of PPHN and blood is not able to reach the lungs and become oxygenated. Because the body is not receiving the oxygen that it should, there is vulnerability to a host of ramifications including respiratory failure, heart failure, organ failure, and even fatality.

The most terrifying part about PPHN – aside from the obvious – is that a baby’s vulnerability to it can be drastically increased by the mother taking Paxil® during pregnancy. This otherwise safe and effective antidepressant and anti anxiety medication can have serious ramifications for pregnant women and the baby they are carrying.

While we may assume that pregnant women are receiving fair warnings from their medical caregivers concerning the dangers of Paxil® use during pregnancy and the resulting possibility of PPHN, the reality is that women are not only not being warned – in some cases they are being advised to start taking or continue to take Paxil®.

Paxil® attorneys in California, therefore, work with women who have given birth to babies with PPHN following Paxil® use during pregnancy. In the next post, we’ll discuss some of the particular long term ramifications of PPHN.

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There has been a huge phenomenon involving the taking of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications by people throughout the world. It seems as though no matter who we talk to they are on medication for something or another. Modern pharmaceuticals have allowed us to break the shackles of depression and anxiety and lead lives that are unfettered by severe changes in mood.

One of the most popular medications among the class of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) is Paxil® - a drug that is used worldwide in combating depression and anxiety. Paxil® use is normally benign as far as side effects go; and those who do experience side effects find they are not severe enough to warrant stopping the medication that helps them so much.

But the use of Paxil® during pregnancy has been shown to be far more of a consideration than the taking of the drug during any other time. In fact, the taking of Paxil® during pregnancy has been shown to cause an elevated risk of a condition known as PPHN - Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn which, while rare, can be devastating. PPHN is a cardiopulmonary condition that impacts blood flow in a newborn baby. While arteries would normally expand to allow blood to flow to the lungs after birth, in cases of PPHN, the arteries remain constricted and blood is not able to travel to the lungs as it should.

The results of PPHN can be respiratory distress and even respiratory failure – effects that the medical community and Paxil® attorneys in California are not taking lightly. In fact, it has become the goal of the legal community led by Paxil® attorneys in California to educate the public, as well as the medical community, more thoroughly on PPHN.

The fact is that women are not being given the proper information regarding PPHN and the dangers of taking Paxil® during pregnancy; and such lack of information is putting their babies at significant risk. Paxil® attorneys in California understand the need to educate the public and help women find alternative methods for relief of depression during pregnancy.

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We are lucky enough to live in a time where medications are available to treat every conceivable condition; sicknesses that would have once meant certain death are now able to be treated through the use of comprehensive medications. In fact, we have become quite accustomed to the fact that there is a pharmaceutical remedy for nearly every condition we may face; and so we take the medications that have been prescribed to us with little thought at all.

The fact of the matter is that some of these medications can cause problems in the form of dangerous side effects that we may not have considered. And until we are aware of all of these side effects we are taking medications with little understanding of the possibilities. Paxil®, for example, is an enormously popular medication taken by millions of people to treat depression and anxiety; a part of a group of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Paxil® has helped many people with little to no side effects under most circumstances. But, unfortunately, the possibility of side effects changes in light of pregnancy.

In fact, the taking of Paxil® during pregnancy has been shown to have a six-fold increase in the possibility of a woman giving birth to a child with PPHN - Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn.

PPHN is a dangerous condition that only affects newborn babies. Rather than the baby’s arteries expanding as they should do following birth, they remain constricted and blood is unable to flow to the lungs where the oxygenation process would normally occur. The result of PPHN can be respiratory distress and even respiratory failure, so prompt medical attention is critical for recovery.

While PPHN can be treated, it is more important that women and their medical practitioners are alerted to the connection of Paxil® and PPHN so that the condition can be avoided altogether.

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Facing any illness effectively requires doing so with as much fortitude as possible and a proactive spirit that allows you to be your own advocate and gatherer of information. When the illness in question affects a child, it is up to the parents to take the role of advocate and do their best to put an effective team in place that will allow them to seek out the best medical care, as well as answer the extensive questions that are bound to surface on a daily basis.

Choosing the proper people to be part of such an advocacy team depends on the illness in question. Some illnesses, including Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn (PPHN) often require there to be legal, as well as medical, professionals involved to achieve the most successful outcome.

PPHN is a disease that affects newborn babies; and while it is certainly rare, its impact can be devastating. PPHN affects a newborn’s ability to pump blood to its lungs where the blood becomes oxygenated and oxygen is then delivered throughout the body. With PPHN, a baby’s arteries remain constricted and blood is not able to flow as it normally would. Babies with PPHN must be treated aggressively and sometimes even with proactive medical treatment, babies face respiratory distress and even failure.

Parents that are facing PPHN with their newborn obviously require a strong medical team around them to help them care for their child most effectively. But in addition, many parents of babies with PPHN look also to the legal community in the form of Paxil® attorneys in California. This is because PPHN has been strongly linked to the taking of Paxil® during pregnancy. In fact, pregnant women who continued to take – or started to take - Paxil® during pregnancy have a shown a six-fold increase in giving birth to babies with PPHN.

A strong team, including medical professionals and Paxil® attorneys in California, can help parents find the best possible solutions for their child.

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Babies are born every minute and we hardly give any thought to it at all. The truth of the matter is, however, that when we give birth to a healthy child we should consider ourselves very lucky considering the babies that have been born during that very same minute that are already struggling to live. Parents and parents-to-be are unaware of the many conditions that can affect the health of a newborn baby and they remain unaware until they are faced with dealing with such a condition; at which time they arm themselves with as much information as possible.

One such condition - Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn – or PPHN – is a condition that we should have as much information about before pregnancy is even a consideration. Unfortunately, however, such information is seemingly not making it to the parties that can most benefit from it – pregnant women and women who are considering becoming pregnant.

PPHN is a condition that affects a newborn’s ability to pump blood to their own lungs where it would ordinarily become oxygenated. Instead, the arteries of the newborn remain constricted and blood is unable to flow as it should. What can result is respiratory distress and even respiratory failure as oxygen is not flowing to and from the lungs and the entire respiratory process is compromised.

What is so important for pregnant women (and women considering pregnancy) to know ahead of time is that PPHN can be caused by the taking of Paxil® during pregnancy. Under typical circumstances, Paxil® is a safe and effective medication used to treat depression and anxiety; millions of people take it every day with no incidence. But when it comes to pregnancy, Paxil® can increase a woman’s chances of giving birth to a child with PPHN six-fold. Subsequently, it is imperative that women and their caregivers have the proper information to make educated decisions.

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It’s been said that knowledge is power and this is by far especially true when it comes to our health and the health of the people that we love. We are a society that is armed with information like never before – especially with the resources provided by the Internet – and we use this information to make the best choices we can regarding our continued health. After all, we have all been told how important it is to be our own advocates in our health care and we are rising to the challenge in numbers – ready to stand up for what we know to be right.

So how is it with all of this information at our disposal that we remain unaware of the connection between one of the world’s most popular antidepressants and a condition that affects newborn babies?

Paxil® is a historically safe and effective medication taken by millions of people worldwide; a part of the Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) family of drugs that helps mitigate the symptoms of depression and anxiety. But it has been shown that taking Paxil® during pregnancy is not as safe as many people have been led to believe.

In fact, women who continue to take Paxil® during their pregnancies run a six times higher than average risk of giving birth to a baby that suffers from Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn – or PPHN.

PPHN is a rare condition that impacts a baby’s ability to breathe normally on their own. Following birth, the arteries of healthy babies expand to receive blood flow to and from the lungs; with babies that suffer from PPHN, the arteries remain constricted and blood is not able to flow. The result of this constriction can be respiratory distress and even respiratory failure.

With information, however, disseminated as it should be to medical caregivers, pregnant women, and those women considering pregnancy, the threat of Paxil® related PPHN can be diminished.

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Finances are rarely far from most of our minds; especially in today’s economy where the gas pump has become our enemy and the very last thing we want to visit during the course of the week. Most of us have difficulties making ends meet under normal circumstances – always just a little bit behind at the end of every month.

When you consider how challenging things can be under normal conditions, you can only imagine how difficult they would be if a devastating illness were thrown into the mix. And imagine for just a moment that the illness in question affected a newborn baby – the most vulnerable among us. For parents facing the horrifying reality of a sick child, the very last thing they want to think about is finances. But with mounting medical bills and often a temporary loss of salary with one or both parents staying by their child’s side in the hospital, financial stability unfortunately does ultimately come into question.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn – or PPHN – is a critical condition faced only by newborn babies. Those babies born with PPHN suffer with an inability to pump their own blood to their lungs; arteries that would normally expand to receive blood flow remain constricted and inhibit the flow of blood. PPHN can be treated but in some cases respiratory distress can turn into respiratory failure.

What is little known about PPHN is that it is linked with the taking of Paxil® - an otherwise safe and effective antidepressant and anti anxiety medication – during pregnancy. As a result Paxil® attorneys in California work with parents whose children are struggling with PPHN. Paxil® attorneys in California help families in this situation get the financial restitution that they need during this difficult time so that finances can be put on the back burner as they help their baby get healthy.

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