Ortho Evra Side Effects
In its first year on the market the Ortho Evra birth control patch was linked to the deaths of 23 young women. Seventeen of these cases were caused by blood clots related to the use of the Ortho Evra patch.
These blood clots were caused by constant exposure to elevated levels of estrogen (60% higher than with the pill). This increased estrogen exposure can also place women in danger of other potentially deadly Ortho Evra side effects.
The Food and Drug Administration has warned that women who use the Ortho Evra patch are more likely to suffer blood clots than with birth control pills. This can also place patients in danger of suffering a heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and other serious Ortho Evra side effects.
The Ortho Evra patch and pulmonary embolisms
The Ortho Evra patch is directly associated with blood clots that lead to pulmonary embolism (PE). This occurs when a blood clot (vein thrombosis) detaches itself from the point of development and travels to the lungs, clogging the pulmonary artery.
Most sufferers who develop this deadly type of blood clot will experience a stroke before it can be detected and treated.
Ortho Evra has been linked to blood clots that lead to pulmonary embolisms.
Research shows that 10% of patients who suffer from PE will die within an hour of the blood clot reaching the lungs. Half of all patients who live through PE will experience another pulmonary embolism in the future.
Doctors such as Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, recommend that women not use the Ortho Evra patch. Dr. Wolfe concludes that there is no valid medical reason to use the Ortho Evra patch instead of a more trusted form of birth control like the pill.
The Ortho Evra patch and deep vein thrombosis
The Ortho Evra birth control patch has been linked to the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot found in the deep veins (usually of the legs). This condition can be associated with slow blood flow throughout the legs. When a thrombus builds up in the veins or arteries of the legs, it can lead to the onset of a thrombotic stroke. If the thrombus detaches from the point of origin and travels to the heart, brain or lungs, it causes an embolic stroke.
The Ortho Evra patch and death
In its first year on the market, the Ortho Evra patch was linked to 23 deaths. Seventeen of them were related to blood clots determined to be caused by the Ortho Evra birth control patch. Pulmonary emboli (PE), cancer of the liver and a rise in gall bladder disease have also been linked to the use of the Ortho Evra patch.
