DebnLeo117

I am a healthy 35 year old woman who has never smoked. I also have no family history of any major diseases (heart attack, cancer, etc.). Despite all this, I HAD A STROKE DUE TO THE ORTHO EVRA PATCH!

I had used the patch for about two months to help regulate my periods. My OB/GYN recommended it, she said it is the same as the pill but easier to use. She gave me a sample and I liked it and kept using it. After the second month, I removed the patch for my week off Sunday night (June 16th, 2005). Monday morning, I woke at 5 am to start my day and get a shower before the kids woke up. As I was getting dressed, my right arm started to swing violently and felt detached from my body. I noticed my vision blurred and my right leg felt numb. I tried to stop my arm from moving but it took several minutes before it did. When I looked in the mirror my mouth was drooping on the right side. I tried to talk and could not make ANY sound. I became confused about where I was and why I couldn't talk. Several minutes later I realized something was wrong and started to panic. I called my husband but could not speak, I could only make a few sounds. He knew something was wrong and told me to call 911 and that he was on his way home. I called 911 and they took me to the hospital, where I spent the next 6 days being probed and tested and re-tested. I had every test done and everything looked good, except for the left side of my brain which had a blood clot. I have low cholesterol and blood pressure. The doctors were extremely puzzled as to why a healthy, 34 year old would have a stroke! Everyone else in the stroke unit of the hospital was over 75!! The cause was the patch.

A year later, I still struggle with speech and swallowing difficulties, pain and numbness on the entire right side of my body, panic attacks and mood swings, confusion, writing difficulties and depression. I relive the moment the stroke happened almost daily.

The bottom line is that the makers of the patch knew how dangerous it was from the very beginning. They did a good job of covering up the negative test results in order to get the patch approved. They refused to do further testing because they felt it would negatively impact the patch. There was one FDA reviewer who blatantly disagreed with the findings and said so in his report. Read the proof here: [url]http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/ortho_evra[/url]

I am not alone in this. So far, 23 women have died as a direct result of using the patch. One was only 14 years old and she had several blood clots in her pelvis. Another 37 yr old mother of two young children is now a quadraplegic. Despite all this, Ortho MacNeil and Johnson & Johnson continue to sell this fatally defective product. What do you think they really care about?

Please pass this warning on to every woman you know. If you use the patch, please stop immediatly and use something else!! Your life is at risk, it has been proven. I am so thankful to be alive and be here for my son and daughter, and that my husband does not have to raise them alone. Don't let it happen to you or someone you love!