A New Jersey Personal Injury Attorney Discusses Topamax
The FDA first approved Topamax in 1996 as a drug used to treat seizures. Eventually, Topamax was also approved to treat migraine headaches. As a New Jersey personal injury attorney can tell you, this led to many pregnant women taking Topamax during pregnancy to prevent seizures and migraines.
However, in 2011, the FDA linked Topamax use in pregnant woman to a greater chance of birth defects and harm to the fetus. The study found that women who used Topamax during pregnancy were more than twice as likely as pregnant women who were not exposed to the drug to have newborns with oral cleft defects.
Birth Defects Associated With Topamax
As a New Jersey personal injury lawyer can inform you, some birth defects commonly associated with Topamax may include:
- Cleft lip
- Cleft palate
- Fetal malformation
- Skeletal malformation
- Genital defects
The most cited defect with Topamax use is usually cleft lip or cleft palate. These defects occur when the lip or palate fails to fully form, thereby causing a split along the roof of the mouth. This defect can have a lifelong impact on a newborn, such as permanent issues talking and eating.
How a New Jersey Personal Injury Attorney Can Help You
If you or your loved one believes you have been injured by Topamax, you will need an experienced New Jersey personal injury lawyer on your side. Generally, there may be two ways you can recover from your injuries.
First, you may be able to hold the manufacturers of the drug liable. If you and your New Jersey personal injury lawyer can prove that the manufacturer was negligent or careless in producing the drug or knowingly marketed a defective product, you may be able to hold the drug manufacturer responsible. Holding a company liable in a product liability lawsuit can be difficult, however, and you will want an experienced attorney on your side.
Second, you may be able to hold a healthcare professional responsible for your injury. For example, if your physicians failed to warn you of the dangers and potential side effects of Topamax use, or failed to tell you of an alternative safer medication, you may be able to hold them accountable.
Contact a New Jersey Personal Injury Attorney
If you believe that you have been injured due to Topamax, contact New Jersey personal injury attorney Gerald H. Clark at 877-841-8855.
