Those who suffer from migraine headaches know that controlling their condition is the best way to stay happy and healthy. For some it is as simple as watching what they eat and avoiding trigger foods. For others, it is using medication that will help reduce the frequency and duration of their migraine headache attacks. What many people don’t know, however, is that using migraine medication can have some very serious side effects. Topamax can Lead to Birth Defects The popular migraine medication Topamax has been known to lead to serious birth defects. Despite the evidence that shows taking the drug during pregnancy is harmful to the unborn child, it was only recently that a warning label was required on the drug. In fact, before 2011 the drug was prescribed as though it was safe to take during pregnancy. Studies show that it is entirely not safe. In fact taking the drug during pregnancy increases the risk of having a child born with oral clefts (such as a cleft lip or cleft palate) 11 fold. That means if you take Topamax during pregnancy, you are 11 times more likely to give birth to a child that has this particular birth defect. But the defects don’t stop at the cosmetic (oral clefts can be corrected with surgery, and rarely present serious problems other than appearance issues and speech issues; that is not to discount the severity of those defects though). Taking Topamax during pregnancy can cause the child to be born with a club foot, septal heart defects (a hole in the heart), ancencephaly (the brain fails to form), and many other conditions . If you have used Topamax while pregnant, and your child was born with a birth defect, you may be able to file a Topamax lawsuit. Contact a personal injury attorney in order to seek compensation for medical expenses and other damages.
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birth defects, oral clefts, cleft palate, ancencephaly, heart defects, Topamax, migraines,
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