Ortho Evra
November 29, 2006Heat may increase risk of Ortho Evra side effects
Johnson & Johnson, the maker of the Ortho Evra patch, is adding a new warning to the patch because of health risks revealed by the Canadian manufacturer of the patch. The new warnings advise women to avoid exposing the Ortho Evra patch to heat because of the increased risk of birth control patch injuries which this poses.Health officials in Canada say that heating the Ortho Evra patch can cause it to release an higher dose of estrogen into the bloodstream. Because estrogen is known to increase blood clotting, this can place women at a significantly greater risk of birth control patch side effects and injuries, which, in addition to blood clots, include heart attack and stroke. Saunas, hot tubs and exercising on a treadmill can all heat the patch and increase the risk of side effects of Ortho Evra.
Previous studies have shown that the risk of Ortho Evra side effects is much higher than those associated with birth control pills. The Ortho Evra patch releases about 60% more estrogen into a woman’s bloodstream than the pill, and some have theorized that this may explain the higher rate of birth control patch side effects. Studies have shown that women using the Ortho Evra patch face four times the risk of stroke and other birth control patch injuries than with the pill.
Johnson & Johnson updated the US-warning label for the Ortho Evra patch in September. This update mentions that heating the patch can increase a woman’s risk of birth control patch side effects. It also warns of the increased risk of blood clots presented by the Ortho Evra patch.
Ortho Evra lawyer John David Hart says that while many women may be lured by the convenience of the once-a-week Ortho Evra patch, its risk for birth control patch injuries outweighs any potential benefits. “It’s an easy method to use because you don’t have to deal with the daily pill,” says Hart. “But just don’t use it, period. It’s not worth you going through hell for the rest of your life.”
Former user Elizabeth Barroso says that she nearly died because of birth control patch side effects that she suffered while using the Ortho Evra patch. The Texas woman says that three weeks after using the patch, she experienced a painful blood clot in her lung. “It was very painful to breathe and I had a very bad pain in my lungs,” Barroso says.
Many women who have experienced birth control patch side effects similar to Barroso’s will be unable to use hormone-containing drugs such as birth control or hormone replacement therapy because of the risk that it may aggravate their birth control patch injuries. Many others will also be at an increased health risk because of the possibility that they may re-experience the birth control patch side effects that they suffered.
So far, hundreds of women who used the patch have filed Ortho Evra lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson or Ortho-McNeil, its subsidiary company. The women allege that the companies knew or should have known about the risk of birth control patch side effects. These Ortho Evra lawsuits contend that by failing to warn consumers about the dangers of the patch, the companies are liable for the birth control patch injuries suffered by the women who used the Ortho Evra patch.