Birth control patch caused woman to develop life-threatening blood clots
April 6th, 2010 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Alisha Gutcher was just 24 years old when she suffered from chest pains and lightheadedness. “My heart was just freaking out,” she said to the Sault Star. “You could see it jumping in my chest.” When she phoned a friend and complained that she couldn’t breathe, her friend took action, driving her to the emergency room where she was immediately admitted. Doctors told her that blood clots had formed in her lungs (pulmonary embolism) and leg (deep vein thrombosis), and she was on the verge of dying. But what would cause an otherwise healthy young woman to become so seriously ill? Doctors confirmed, it was her birth control patch.
Gutcher was one of thousands of women worldwide who use the Ortho Evra birth control patch. The contraceptive allows women to apply a patch once weekly as opposed to taking a pill every day. For a young woman with an active lifestyle, the patch seemed ideal. But what Gutcher says she didn’t know was that using the Ortho Evra patch put her at greater risk of developing life-threatening blood clots.
Ortho Evra makers Johnson & Johnson have spent millions settling lawsuits it faced against women who said they were injured by the birth control patch, and in 2006 changed its warning label to reflect a greater risk associated with use on the patch.
Inadequate warnings on birth control pills and patches has spurred another series of lawsuits for drug makers from women who claim they were never warned that by using the birth control they were at greater risk for serious complications such as blood clots. Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s popular Yaz birth control pill, also known by the brand name Yasmin and generic Ocella, is now the focus of numerous lawsuits from women who say they have suffered heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias, gallbladder problems and blood clots because of the meds but were not adequately warned.