Teen's warning after contraceptive pill almost kills her
A teenager who claims she almost died from taking the contraceptive pill after it allegedly caused multiple blood clots to form in her brain is sharing her story to warn others.
Lexie Nash, 16, was sent home from school with a severe headache and neck pain in December 2017 just four weeks after being prescribed a new brand of contraceptive pill – but 24 hours later, she was violently vomiting and had double vision.
Doctors first thought it was meningitis, but a CT scan discovered the cause was actually Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis – where blood clots form in the sinuses which drain blood from the brain.
Her parents, Caroline, 38 and Paul, 47, were told to prepare themselves for the worst as medics battled to stabilise the teenager’s blood pressure and heart rate but after four weeks in hospital she miraculously recovered and was allowed home – although is still suffering with fatigue, dizziness, headaches and slurred speech.
Lexie, from Churchdown, in England, had been taking the contraceptive pill for nine months to control her heavy periods but had recently been prescribed a new brand called Marvelon, with her doctors allegedly linking this pill to the clots.
“I was advised to take the pill to control my periods, but I never in a million years thought I could end up in hospital,” Lexie said.
“I am an active person and never had any health complications before and was not made aware of any risks of the pill when it was prescribed until I fell ill with a critical condition.
"When it all started, it felt like my head was going to explode so my mum picked me up from school and as the pain continued, she took me to out of hours.
“I had never had a migraine before, so I assumed, they were right when they sent us home, but the pain was getting worse.”
Lexie was unable to communicate for four days after being diagnosed with the blood clots and and medics reduced the clots using a blood thinner infusion.
The teen couldn’t attend school for four months.
As her intracranial pressure – a build-up of pressure around the brain – was five times higher than the average person’s, she also needed two lumbar punctures.
But tests in January 2019 showed the intracranial pressure in her skull was still too high, meaning she must take medication to prevent migraines.
A spokesman for Marvelon manufacturer MSD (Merck, Sharp & Dohme) Limited said the combined oral contraceptive pill was licensed as a contraceptive only.
“Its safety and efficacy was established in clinical trials in women aged 18 years and over,” the spokesman said.
"As with all medications, there can be side effects for some, and these are outlined in the accompanying patient information leaflet, which can be found in the Marvelon pill package.
"In the package leaflet for Marvelon, there is information on important things to know about hormonal contraception, including; what it is used for, what the user should know before she starts using Marvelon, when should she not use Marvelon, any warning and precautions regarding use, and potential side effects.
“This includes information outlining less common side effects such as blood clots which is listed as ‘rare’, based on reports from both clinical trials and observational studies, i.e. real world data. The package leaflet also encourages users to report any side effects.
"The safety and efficacy of our products is paramount to MSD.”
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