Severe Side Effects

In April of 2005, three years after the FDA approved Ortho Evra birth control patch, a young woman's life came to a tragic end when she collapsed in a New York City subway station. An autopsy showed that a blot clot had traveled to her lung and caused her death. The medical examiner ultimately ruled that the blood clot was caused by the use of the Ortho Evra birth control patch.

Some of the more severe side effects that have been linked to the use of Ortho Evra birth control patches include:

• Pulmonary Embolism: 
  A pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery, usually due to a blood clot that traveled from the leg. This condition can cause permanent damage to part of your lung from lack of blood flow to lung tissue and damage to other organs in your body from not getting enough oxygen. The first reported death from Ortho Evra use was a pulmonary embolism.
• Strokes and Heart Attacks:
  The use of Ortho Evra has been directly linked with side effects such coughing blood, shortness of breath, sharp/crushing chest pains, heart attacks and strokes. Women who smoke put themselves at risk even more if they use this form of birth control.
• Death:
  Ortho Evra has been listed as the probable cause of at least 17 deaths due to pulmonary embolisms, strokes and heart attacks. To date, nearly 50 women have been seriously hurt by the birth control patch. There are, however, up to 4 million women still currently using the product world-wide, causing concern for officials who fear there will be more tragic consequences for those using the patch.

In a recent article from the publication Trial, the flaws of the Ortho Evra patch are brought to light in a classic "patch versus pill" debate. These flaws may offer some insight into why there have been so many fatal and near-fatal reactions to the drug.

"As the pill is taken everyday, hormone levels in the body go up and down - in peaks and troughs - but the patch delivers a steady stream of hormones. For this reason, patch users' peak estrogen level is 25 percent lower than that of pill users, although their overall estrogen level is 60 percent higher, according to the FDA.

Different types of oral contraceptives provide different doses of estrogen, but the patch comes in only one strength. One of the flaws with the transdermal birth control is that it's a uniform size and intends to deliver a uniform amount of hormones for every woman, regardless of her body size. Ortho Evra's label warns that it may be less effective in women who weigh 198 pounds or more. Some people don't get enough of the hormones and get pregnant, and others get too much of the hormones and get blood clots."

If you or a loved one have used the Ortho Evra birth control patch and have experienced any side effects including blood clots, heart attacks, strokes or even sudden death, contact us immediately at 800-966-4999 to see why our law firm has recovered over $100 million on behalf of our clients.