Zoloft is FDA-approved to treat social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adults and OCD in 6 to 17-year-olds. Zoloft is not approved for the treatment of depression in children under 18. However, in spite of this lack of approval, many physicians continue to prescribe Zoloft for treatment of depression in children. Many physicians have prescribed Zoloft for depression in children under 18, even without FDA approval for the treatment.
Suffered harm from Zoloft? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights.
Several young patients have committed or attempted suicide after taking Zoloft, raising fears that suicidal thoughts or suicide may be a Zoloft side effect. After a controversial hearing, the FDA posted a warning on its website at the beginning of February 2005 and required Zoloft’s manufacturer, Pfizer, to include a warning on the label that Zoloft was among the drugs that "increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in short-term studies of adolescents and children."
Later information indicated that Zoloft might pose a similar threat to adults and the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory warning on July 1, 2005 warning that studies had raised the possibility of increased risk of suicidal behavior in adults treated with antidepressants.
Patients who have stopped using Zoloft have reported an alarming array of symptoms, or side effects, that begin soon after the drug is discontinued. Infants whose mothers have taken the drug during pregnancy have also suffered from Zoloft withdrawal. A recent study released by the University of California at San Diego found that infants whose mothers had taken SSRI antidepressants (including Zoloft) after the 20th week of pregnancy were at an increased risk for a sometimes deadly infant lung disorder called persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH). The FDA is currently investigating further claims that Zoloft has serious side effects.
Many individual cases have been filed to recover damages for Zoloft side effects, and a consumer protection lawsuit was file in California in 2004 claiming that the Zoloft manufacturer misled physicians and the public regarding Zoloft's safety and efficacy, in particular the suicidality and Zoloft withdrawal symptoms caused by the drug. For more details see Zoloft Lawsuits, Litigation & Lawyers.
Check out the following articles for more information about Zoloft, filing a Zoloft lawsuit and finding a Zoloft attorney.
Suffered harm from Zoloft? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights. |