Depakote was considered a revolutionary drug as it produced excellent treatment results in patients with maniac episodes of bipolar disorder and severe depression disorder. It has also shown to be effective for the treatment of epilepsy, migraine headaches and chronic pain due to neuropathic conditions.
However, amidst all the hype about its effectiveness, there are also reports about the severe side effects of this drug. It is worth your while to know these side effects because it may help you find out if you are eligible in filing a Depakote lawsuit. According to studies, it is the offspring of mothers taking this drug who suffers its most serious side effects. it is noted that pregnant women who took this drug before and during their pregnancy had babies with serious malformations.
It has been estimated that unborn children of women taking this medication are three times more likely to develop birth defects of different kinds. For this reason, women should be advised not to get this drug or switch to another one, if they have to take medication before and during pregnancy.
If there were not warnings given before you took this drug and your child has malformations, you have legal right to ask for compensation and to file for a Depakote lawsuit. However, you need enough proof that you took this drug and during pregnancy. It is also important to prove that the child’s birth defects were due to your use of the drug at the time of your pregnancy. To get certification, you need to have your child diagnosed prior to initiating a Depakote lawsuit.
Recent findings show that this drug can indeed cause numerous birth defects. These birth defects are separated into two categories. The first one includes malformations that fall in the “less serious birth defects” category. These are: cleft palate and heart malformations as well as hand deformations and pulmonary stenosis.
There are also findings that mention that a few of these birth defects cannot be detected not unless a special kind of testing is done. For the second category, this would fall under the “the most serious” side effects. These are: Spina Bifida, neural tube malformations and serious skeletal defects as well as growth retardation. The most lethal would be fetal death.
Autism and other related disorders can also be traced to the use of this drug. This is since the active ingredient of Depakote seems to trigger such conditions. Though proving this can be hard, there are recent studies that can now help you in your case. A study back in 2009 mentioned that the children of mothers using the drug showed a nine-point lower IQ as compared to children in a well-matched control group.
Mental disorders of the autism spectrum are usually not diagnosed until the child is two or three years old or perhaps older. However, this is not a reason for parents to defer pursuing a Depakote lawsuit and getting compensation.
Female patients who took this drug before and during their pregnancy which resulted to children with birth defects have legal rights to seek out a Depakote lawsuit. Though you may not automatically get compensation, you need to be firm. There are also those who received compensation which is lower than their expected amount.
For all these reasons, you have to take all necessary actions to prepare your case. Depakote lawyers recommend starting with getting a full medical evaluation of your child. Overall, you should consider initiating a Depakote lawsuit to get compensation for your suffering and for your child’s suffering.
Filing a lawsuit because of Depakote Birth Defects is not easy.It’s really important to know first if they qualify for compensation to realize if there is a chance you and your child can win in your Depakote Lawsuit.