ByPosted on Sep 23, 2013
Earlier this month, the FDA announced that it will require all extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics intended to treat pain such as Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycontin, and others to have a new warning label. Among other changes, the label must now warn that “chronic maternal use of these products during pregnancy can result in neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS).” NOWS can be life-threatening and symptoms may include your newborn experiencing poor feeding, rapid breathing, trembling, and excessive or high-pitched crying.
The risks associated with fetal exposure to opioids gained greater attention with the publication of “Periconceptional use of opioids and the risk of neural tube defects” in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. This study found that women who took opioids around the time of conception were more than twice as likely to have a child born with a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida, as compared to women who did not take opioids around the time of conception.
If you took an opioid painkiller around the time of conception and your child was born with a neural tube birth defect, please contact attorneys David Strouss or Marilyn McGoldrick at 888-341-1405 to discuss your legal rights with our experienced team of birth defect lawyers.
