Did Matthew Die Because Of Anti-Depressants ?

Online, October 27, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Christine Shultz was prescribed an anti-depressant during her pregnancy. On February 21st 2009 she gave birth to Matthew at the Royal Inland Hospital (RIH). Two hours later, little Matthew was no more. Most probable cause of death? The anti-depressant that was prescribed to Christine whilst she was carrying Matthew.
The Shultz family is convinced that Effexor (the anti-depressant in question) led to the untimely demise of their son. Effexor is also known by its clinical name of venlafaxine. A detailed postmortem showed no anatomic cause of death, and tissue samples that were sent to the U.S. research lab came back inconclusive as to whether Effexor could be the cause of Matthew's death. The report (from the lab) concluded that the exposure to venlafaxine is unknown.

What the Shultz family were unaware of is the fact that venlafaxine had been under a Health Canada warning since 2004.
Anti-depressants like Effexor have been suspected of leading to a number of birth defects, some of them rather severe. Here are a few of them;
1) Clubfoot, a deformity of the foot.
2) Persistent pulmonary hypertension, also known as PPHN. Children born with PPHN usually require immediate assistance breathing by means of a ventilator.
3) Gastroschisis and omphalocele. Internal organs protrude via a small hole in the abdominal wall or through the belly button.
4) Hydrocephalus. This causes a deformity in the skull, with the majority of babies having heads larger than normal. It can also cause children to have tunnel vision, convulsions, and some degree of mental disability.
5) Spina Bifida, a defect affecting the spinal column. With this condition some of the vertebrae don't fully close, and as a result parts of the spinal column protrude.
Judging by baby Matthew's sudden demise, it is suspected that he succumbed to persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN).

It has been two years since Matthew's death and the Shultz family is hoping that their loss will bring awareness to the dangers of taking anti-depressants during pregnancy.
Health Canada has advised that newborns could be affected by anti-depressants, especially if the mother begins taking them during the third trimester.