Back in April of this year, drug giant Johnson & Johnson issued a recall of as many as 57,000 bottles of the anti-seizure medication Topamax after consumers complained of an “uncharacteristic odor.” This is leaving many people who might have taken the drug wondering how they may have been affected by this.

For starters, the recalled pills were made by Ortho-McNeil’s Neurologics division and consisted of Topamax 100 mg dosages. The drugs that were affected were shipped and distributed between Oct. 19, 2010 and Dec. 28, 2010 within the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The drug company believes that 6,000 bottles of Topamax were in the marketplace at the time of the recall. The odor was believed to be caused by trace amounts of TBA (2,4,6 tribromoanisole). TBA is not considered by the FDA to be a particularly harmful; however, the agency’s website does admit that “there are some reports of gastrointestinal events by consumers who also report sensing a foul odor, or taste, in drug products contaminated with the typical trace levels of TBA.”

Topamax is an epileptic medication that is prescribed to help prevent seizures. The drug has been linked to birth defects in babies of women who take the drug while pregnant. Some of the birth defects linked with Topamax include oral clefts, cleft palates, heart defects and spina bifida. Due to the increased risks of birth defects, women are advised by their doctors not to take the medication while pregnant or if they are planning on becoming pregnant.

If you have taken Topamax while pregnant and have given birth to a child that has any of the birth defects associated with Topamax, you may eligible to file a lawsuit to recover money for your child’s injuries. Contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting drug injury lawsuits and will work hard get you the compensation that you may be entitled to for your child’s medical expenses.