Paxil Birth Defects: Mothers Wonder What They Did Wrong

Stacy U. had been taking Paxil for about three years to help relieve her panic attacks when she found out she was pregnant. She took Paxil for the first few months of her pregnancy but stopped taking it when her doctor decided that Paxil might be too risky for the unborn baby. [MORE: PAXIL WOMB DEATH]

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Taking Paxil while Pregnant is Risky

Alena Valerio was born at 35 weeks and weighed around six pounds. Her mother was on Paxil throughout her pregnancy. When she was born the doctors detected a heart murmur that did not go away during her first month. So Alena was sent to a pediatric cardiologist who diagnosed her with pulmonary stenosis - a narrowing of the pulmonary valve. [MORE: PAXIL BIRTH DEFECTS]

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Paxil: "Absolutely do not take it."

When Rhonda Aldrich found out she was pregnant, she told her doctor she was taking Paxil and asked if there were any concerns about the drug. She notes her doctor said, "There is nothing on the label stating that Paxil will harm the baby." So Aldrich continued taking Paxil. [MORE: PAXIL DO NOT TAKE]

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Mom to Other Women: Don't Take Paxil While Pregnant

When Tammy Smithey learned she was pregnant in the fall of 2004, she called her ob-gyn to ensure that Paxil was safe for her to continue taking. Smithey had been on Paxil for a few years, but was concerned that it might have negative effects on her baby. Her ob-gyn told her that Paxil was okay to take while pregnant. [MORE: PAXIL]

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Mother's Warning to Women: Do Not Take Paxil While Pregnant

"He started turning blue," Edgington says. "The doctor said he was blue as a smurf." The more Manie cried the more blue he turned and the doctor had no idea what was wrong with him. A specialist was called in but even he did not know what was wrong. So Manie was airlifted to a different hospital. [MORE: PAXIL BLUE BABY]

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If Paxil doesn't Kill you with Guilt, Nothing Will

Kristie Crayne started taking Paxil in 2000 and stayed on it during her pregnancy. Her daughter Megan was born in 2001. "I met other Moms' in the hospital who had also taken Paxil," says Crayne. "None of us knew Paxil caused birth defects. When you are sitting together in NICU you talk about how you are coping with a sick baby. 'I love that pink pill,' other mothers told me; 'It helps me get through this.' We didn't know ..." [MORE: PAXIL GUILT]

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Paxil and Birth Defects Lawsuit: I Just Hope We Can Help Others

"Every time I saw my Ob/Gyn during my pregnancy, I asked if it was safe to be taking Paxil, and every time he said there were absolutely no risks," says Tanya Barnes. But Tanya doesn't blame the doctor -- he was also kept in the dark about Paxil. "Paxil didn't mention anything about possible birth defects." [MORE: PAXIL LAWSUIT]

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Paxil and Birth Defects: I Blamed Myself for Too Long

Shae was prescribed Paxil at the beginning of 2000 for anxiety. She was also taking the birth control pill at the time, so her pregnancy came as quite a surprise. But she stopped taking the drug as soon as she found out. "My doctor told me I was carrying twins but test results only showed one heartbeat," says Shae. "He said the other baby was still there and everything was okay." That couldn't have been further from the truth. [MORE: PAXIL BLAME]

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Paxil and the Damage Done

"In 2004, my wife took Paxil during the first trimester of her pregnancy," says Roy Gueldenzoph. "Two days after our daughter was born, our doctor gave us two options: do nothing and she dies, or get her to a heart specialist immediately. We opted for the latter." [MORE: PAXIL DAMAGE]

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Paxil Claims a Short Life

"My wife took Paxil before and during her pregnancy and everything was fine," says Trever Hargitt. "This was going to be our third so we knew what to expect -- or thought we did..." Keagan Hargitt lived only three short weeks due to heart and lung failure. "Now we will never know what our son could have grown up to be." [MORE: PAXIL DEATH]

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Paxil: A Fatal Link to Coronary Birth Defects News

"I first started taking Paxil when I was in high school," says Bonnie (not her real name pending a lawsuit). Then I quit taking it when I got pregnant with my oldest child - I have four kids. But by the time I was pregnant with Keagan, my life had become difficult and I was very depressed; my husband's job meant that we had to move far away from family and friends and I started taking Paxil again. [MORE: PAXIL BIRTH DEFECTS]

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