Tegretol Birth Defect Lawsuit

The side effects of Tegretol, a widely-used anticonvulsant, have been linked to an increased risk of spina bifida in newborns when the medication is used by pregnant women. 

TEGRETOL LAWSUIT STATUS: Potential Tegretol birth defect lawsuits are being reviewing by lawyers on behalf of children who were born with spina bifida after the mother was given Tegretol during pregnancy.

OVERVIEW: Tegretol (carbamazepine) was first approved by the FDA in 1974 for use as an anticonvulsant and epilepsy seizure medication. It is also approved for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and bipolar disorder. It has been released in the U.S. and abroad under a variety of brand names, including Equetro and Carbatrol.

TEGRETOL BIRTH DEFECTS: A number of epilepsy drugs, including Tegretol and Depakote, have long been associated with congenital birth defects when taken by pregnant women. However, in a study published in December 2010 in the British Medical Journal, researchers found a link between Tegretol and a spina bifida risk.

Pregnant women who took Tegretol were 2.6 times more likely have a newborn with spina bifida than women who were not given the drug during pregnancy.

Overall, 3.3% of women who took the drug gave birth to a child with spina bifida. The researchers did not find any other congenital birth defects that appeared to be associated with Tegretol.

Spina bifida is a developmental birth malformation involving the spinal cord, where some vertebrae are not fully formed. The condition may allow portions of the spinal cord to protrude through the opening in the bones, leading to serious life-long injuries for the child