Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch Side Effects

Ortho Evra Side Effects- Serious

Increased risk of endometrial cancer development and gallbladder disease.
Blood Clot complications including deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks, stroke and pulmonary embolisms. These can cause symptoms such as: chest/jaw/left arm spreading pain or tightness, weakness allocated to one side of the body, confusion or sudden dizziness/fainting and slurred speech, pain or swelling/warmth in either the calf, feet, hand or groin, headaches that impair vision and balance including severe or worsening migraine headaches, unusual sweating and sudden nausea, rapid breathing or shortness of breath with wheezing and coughing up blood, and vision complications like blindness, bulging eyes and double vision.
Possible breast cancer development in the form of breast lumps
Liver complications that cause jaundice, dark colored urine and clay colored stools, nausea, upper stomach pain, loss of appetite and isolated itching
Large changes in vaginal bleeding including continuous spotting and sudden heavy bleeding
Melasma, skin rashes that include black or brown patches
Mental or mood changes including new or worsening depression and sleep complications
Extreme tiredness or weakness

Serious blood clots possibly caused by Ortho Evra:

Blood clot in the leg (deep vein thrombosis)
Blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
Blood clot in the brain (stroke)
Blood clot in the heart (heart attack)
Blood clot in the eyes (blindness)

Ortho Evra Side Effects- Common

Complications from hormone level fluctuations including breast tenderness/enlargement/discharge, acne, hair loss and weight gain/weight loss.
Rash near the site of patch application with irritation and redness
Changes in menstrual cycle including spotting between periods, painful periods or vaginal irritation, missed periods and white vaginal discharge.
Minor problems like nausea, vomiting and changes in appetite, minor headaches and fever
Stomach cramps and bloating or fluid retention
Complications with wearing contact lenses

Warnings & Recalls for Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch

Ortho Evra Complications and Lawsuits

As of yet, there hasn't been a recall by the FDA regarding the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch. However in 2005, a sealed FDA report obtained the the AP (Associated Press) under the Freedom of Information Act indicated that 12 women died from blood clots that had formed as a result of using this medication. The report also stated that dozens of other women were fortunate enough to survive their ordeals with blood clots, and the FDA also found that women who wore the patch while pregnant sustained increased risk of birth defects to their children.

Serious Warnings

Cigarette smoking greatly increases serious side effects from the Ortho Evra birth control patch, including blood clots, risk of stroke and risk of heart attack. These risks are higher for women over the age of 35 and who are heavy smokers (typically more than 15 cigarettes a day).Increased estrogen can increase risk of serious blood clots, especially in those who smoke, are obese or are older than 35 years of age. These risks can be at the highest level when first beginning to use the patch.

General Warnings

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you’re allergic to any estrogen or progestin medications. You should also tell them if you’re taking acetaminophen, antibiotics, anticoagulants, antifungals, Vitamin C, Lipitor, any HIV medications, cyclosporine, griseofulvin, medications for seizures, phenobarbital, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, Topamax, morphines, any oral steroids, any product containing St. John’s wort, methylprednisolone, prednisone, prednisolone, rifampin, Restoril, theophylline, and thyroid medications. Barbiturates, Bosentan, Carbamazepine, Felbamate, Topiramate, lamotrigine and grapefruit juice may also affect Ortho Evra.
If you’ve recently had surgery and are bed ridden, you should consult your doctor before taking the Ortho Evra patch. Also tell your doctor about any heart conditions, strokes, abnormal blood clotting in your legs, eyes or lungs, chest pain, breast cancer, cancer of the lining of the uterus, vagina, or cervix, vaginal bleeding between your periods, hepatitis, yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes especially during pregnancy or during use of other contraceptives, tumor of the liver, headaches, weakness, difficulty with vision or moving, high blood pressure, if you’re a diabetic and have problems with your kidneys, eyes, blood vessels, or nerves. You should also tell your doctor about heart valve disease, neurological headaches, oral contraceptive use and suspected pregnancy.
Ortho Evra might be affected if a patient: smokes, is recovering from the birth of a baby or a second trimester abortion/miscarriage, weighs more than 198 pounds, has ever had fibrocystic disease of the breast or history of breast cancer, high cholesterol levels, epilepsy, depression, irregular periods, and any diseases of the gallbladder, liver, heart or kidney.

Family Planning with Ortho Evra

Ortho Evra should not be used until 4 weeks after the delivery of a baby, or if a patient is recovering from a second trimester miscarriage or abortion.
This medication should not be used during pregnancy. In spite of the lack of evidence that the use in early pregnancy will cause birth defects, Ortho Evra should still be discontinued in any stage of pregnancy.
Breastfeeding mothers should wait to use the patch until after they have weaned their nursing child off breast milk. Use of the patch while breastfeeding can cause jaundice, breast enlargement and decreased amount and quality of breast milk.

Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch Treatment and Use

The Ortho Evra patch | ethinyl estradiol norelgestromin patch, is a contraceptive medication that is prescribed to women who wish to avoid pregnancy. Ortho Evra does not protect against HIV/AIDS or any other sexually transmitted diseases.

How does the Ortho Evra patch work?

Ortho Evra is a transdermal patch applied to the skin as it releases a combination of synthetic estrogen and progestin hormones to prevent pregnancy. It is shown that the success rate of women who use the Ortho Evra patch is significant compared to women who use oral contraceptives alone. In the US, the Ortho Evra patch is marketed by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical and is only available as a prescription.

Application of Use

A woman applies the first patch onto either her abdomen, thigh, posterior or the upper part of her arm on the first day of her menstrual cycle or the first Sunday following the first day. The date of the application is known as “patch change day”. About 7 days later, the patch change day comes again and the woman removes the patch and applies another patch on the aforementioned parts of the body. The process is repeated until the next patch change day. However on the following patch change day, the Ortho Evra patch is removed by the woman and is not replaced by a new patch. The woman waits 7 days without a patch on her body and by the time of the next patch change day, she applies a new patch.

It is strongly advisable that the area of the body where the patch is applied should completely clean, dry and intact and there shouldn’t be skin irritations or cuts on the skin prior to the patch being applied. Also one should avoid using lotions and other beauty products around the area where the patch is applied.

Other Names for Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch

Ethinyl Estradiol Norelgestromin