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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There are far more medical conditions in existence than we could all possibly recognize or understand right off the bat; even doctors need to often consult medical textbooks when it comes to diagnosing a particular condition that may be presenting with certain symptoms. But more often than not we begin to pay attention when a particular condition is experienced by someone we know and love; or is focused upon by the mainstream media.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn (PPHN) – is, fortunately – a condition that most people will never have to deal with in their lifetime. But for those who do face it, it becomes their own personal mission to educate as many people as possible about the causes of PPHN and the ramifications of such a condition.

PPHN affects newborn babies; stopping their typical breathing function following birth. Rather than the newborn’s arteries expanding to receive blood flow to and from the lungs, the arteries remain constricted even after birth and blood is not able to flow to the lungs where it normally would become oxygenated. Rather, blood does not become oxygenated and the blood does not flow in a regular fashion. The result of PPHN can be respiratory distress or even respiratory failure.

Parents who have children suffering from PPHN know all too well the horror of the condition and they often work towards ensuring that other parents have the information that they did not. The most important component for pregnant women to be aware of – or those women who are about to become pregnant – is that PPHN can be caused by an otherwise safe and effective prescription medication that millions of people take on a yearly basis - Paxil®.

While Paxil® has been relatively safe helping people deal with their depression and anxiety, with pregnant women the results can be disastrous as in the case of PPHN. Parents of those suffering with PPHN continue to get the word out and slowly but surely attention is being brought to this condition.

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When it comes to the health of our children, no effort is too big or small. We all do whatever it is that we have to do in order to ensure the ongoing health of our family, as well as protect other children who may be facing the same condition. This is why parents who struggle through particular conditions with their children often turn out to be the most effective advocates for other parents and children – of making sure that others in their same situation have as much – and oftentimes far more – information than they have at their disposal.

Such is the case with a condition known as Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn – or PPHN; a serious condition that affects a newborn baby’s ability to breathe on their own. While a baby normally begins breathing on its own after birth – its arteries expanding to receive blood flow to and from the lungs where the blood becomes oxygenated – with PPHN the arteries remain constricted and blood is unable to flow as it normally would. The result is the inability to oxygenate the blood and respiratory distress and possibly even respiratory failure ensues.

What parents who are facing this terrible disease may not realize is that the taking of a particularly popular anti-depressant, Paxil®, during pregnancy, can increase a woman’s chances of giving birth to a child suffering from PPHN nearly six-fold.

While Paxil® is an otherwise safe and effective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) taken by millions of people worldwide to combat depression and anxiety, when it comes to taking the drug during pregnancy, the results can be disastrous.

While information that has connected the taking of Paxil® during pregnancy to PPHN has been available since the early 2000s, this information has been less than readily available to the people who need it most – those who are pregnant or are considering pregnancy. Parents of those who have suffered from PPHN work alongside Paxil® attorneys in California in order to better inform the public.

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