subject: How to Know if you Have a Case for a Paxil Lawsuit? [print this page] How to Know if you Have a Case for a Paxil Lawsuit?
It is estimated that over 16 percent of all Americans are afflicted by a form of depression serious enough to merit therapy. For some people, the initial treatment for depression is an antidepressant medication, which may include the drug developed by GlaxoSmithKline. The business is the manufacturer of Paxil, an antidepressant medication prescribed to treat depression, anxiety disorders, and obsessive disorder.
Many antidepressants are riddled with potential unintended effects, and Paxil is one of those. The list of side effects encountered by some when taking the drug is lengthy, but most notably consists of loss of appetite, dry mouth, nausea, drowsiness, trouble sleeping, sweating, and headaches. Paxil can also cause severe mood changes or fluctuations, greater depression, and agitation. It has been known in some cases to decrease a patient's interest in sex or alter their sexual activity.
All of these adverse effects might seem intimidating enough to the regular victim of depression -- and with a plethora of medications offered, they could choose another brand with less downsides. But these side effects are only the beginning. GlaxoSmithKline is now under fire for a completely new set of unintended effects that concern mothers who used the drug during pregnancy. Women of child-bearing age who used the drug experienced widespread difficulties with premature birth, cardiac defects, breathing and motor problems, and gastrointestinal defects. These difficulties impact the heart and abdomen, and in some cases have triggered persistent pulmonary hypertension, which is a serious lung condition that appears soon after birth in the affected child.
These birth abnormalities are so severe and common that a large number of lawsuits have been registered against GlaxoSmithKline in order to compensate for the problems which are suffered genetically by the child, and psychologically by the mother. GlaxoSmithKline has settled many of the Paxil related cases in recent months. Estimates are that around 200 Paxil lawsuits have been settled for close to $1 billion. The company is not yet cleared of these concerns, however, as another 600 related cases of birth defects have yet to be tried in court or settled.
Fortunately GlaxoSmithKline seems to be willing to cooperate with plaintiffs. GlaxoSmithKline has been willing to settle many cases and has said it sees a fair settlement as vital in maintaining its powerful brand and leadership in the industry. A greater notice about potential birth defects and other complications now accompanies Paxil and comparable antidepressant medications, and the FDA has placed stricter guidelines concerning when to prescribe Paxil and the proper dosage as it relates to pregnancy.
