New Warning: Morning-After Pill Doesn't Work for Women Over 176 Pounds
Source: Mother Jones
The European manufacturer of an emergency contraceptive pill identical to Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, will warn women that the drug is completely ineffective for women who weigh more than 176 pounds and begins to lose effectiveness in women who weigh more than 165 pounds.
<snip>
This development has implications for American women. Some of the most popular emergency contraceptive pills sold over the counter in the United Statesincluding the one-pill drugs Plan B One-Step, Next Choice One Dose, and My Way, and a number of generic two-pill emergency contraceptiveshave a dosage and chemical makeup identical to the European drug. Weight data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that, at 166 pounds, the average American woman is too heavy to use these pills effectively.
<snip>
Data for the years 2007 to 2010 show the average weight of American women 20 years and older is 166.2 poundsgreater than the weight at which emergency contraceptive pills that use levonorgestrel begin to lose their effectiveness. The average weight of non-Hispanic black women aged 20 to 39 is 186 pounds, well above the weight at which these pills are completely ineffective. A CDC survey published in February found that 5.8 million American women used emergency contraceptive pills from 2006 to 2010.
<snip>
It is not clear whether drugmakers can formulate an effective levonorgestrel pill for women who weigh more than 165 pounds. "A dose increase of levonorgestrel is not proven to be a solution for this problem," notes Gajek, the HRA Pharma spokeswoman.
Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/11/plan-b-morning-after-pill-weight-limit-pounds
Cross-posted from GD
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)maxsolomon
(33,345 posts)What could go wrong?
olddad56
(5,732 posts)leftyladyfrommo
(18,868 posts)petronius
(26,602 posts)product info than the brand-name manufacturer? Seems more important that the advice and product info be accurate, regardless of who made the drug...
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)Just curious ??
kiva
(4,373 posts)after reading this article.
christx30
(6,241 posts)Children's medications are dosed by the child's weight.
politicat
(9,808 posts)Not that heavier people always get the higher dosages. It's been linked to lower survival rates.
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-23/national/42316561_1_chemo-cancer-treatment-clinical-oncology
And I use heavier there specifically -- someone who is tall and/or heavily built falls into the same dosage problem.
All meds should be administered by mg/kg. It's how they're tested, it's how they should be used.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)have unprotected sex?
Usually, the heavier women are older, more likely to be married and far less likely to have an "oops" moment than teenyboppers because they are more mature and are able to control impulses better.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)cosmicone
(11,014 posts)Paulie
(8,462 posts)And emergency contraception. As in use by rape victims.
So the question remains, and you for real?????
thesquanderer
(11,986 posts)and probably (I hope!) not even the main market for it.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)They sell millions of these pills and surely (I hope) there aren't millions of rapes.
Those pills are mainly used by women who succumb to moments of extreme temptation when all caution is thrown to the wind.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)bananas
(27,509 posts)winter is coming
(11,785 posts)The women I know have purchased it to have around in case a condom breaks/slips.
Response to cosmicone (Reply #6)
cosmicone This message was self-deleted by its author.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)I have first hand knowledge. Sometimes we even go on dates and then get an engagement ring! Shocking, yes I know...but it happens.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)get out in the real world much?
bananas
(27,509 posts)Have we been selecting genes associated with obesity?
The CDC says obesity is an epidemic:
CDC-TV
The Obesity Epidemic
Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
Running Time: (7:13) Release Date: 07/22/2011
This video explains the many factors that have contributed to the obesity epidemic, and showcases several community initiatives taking place to prevent and reduce obesity. Obesity is a national epidemic and a major contributor to some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer. We need to change our communities into places that strongly support healthy eating and active living.
But it's not just the US, it's global:
Global report: Obesity bigger health crisis than hunger
By Danielle Dellorto, CNN
updated 5:41 AM EST, Fri December 14, 2012
(CNN) -- Obesity is a bigger health crisis globally than hunger, and the leading cause of disabilities around the world, according to a new report published Thursday in the British medical journal The Lancet.
Nearly 500 researchers from 50 countries compared health data from 1990 through 2010 for the Global Burden of Disease report, revealing what they call a massive shift in global health trends.
"We discovered that there's been a huge shift in mortality. Kids who used to die from infectious disease are now doing extremely well with immunization," said Ali Mokdad, co-author of the study and professor of global health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, which led the collaborative project.
"However, the world is now obese and we're seeing the impact of that."
The report revealed that every country, with the exception of those in sub-Saharan Africa, faces alarming obesity rates -- an increase of 82% globally in the past two decades. Middle Eastern countries are more obese than ever, seeing a 100% increase since 1990.
<snip>
dflprincess
(28,075 posts)As my friend's niece found out. Though this was something her doctor should have known - had he read the pamphlet that came with the drug (or said niece should have read it as well).
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)I had one doctor prescribe a NuvaRing for me. When he suggested it, I specifically reminded him of the medications I was taking and asked if that would be a problem. He said it wouldn't. I went home, read the prescribing information included with the NuvaRing and discovered that the med I was concerned about was mentioned, not just by drug category, but by its specific name, as something that would render the NuvaRing useless. And the drug was associated with birth defects, which is why I wanted contraception in the first place.
dflprincess
(28,075 posts)and it's why he encourages his patients to have all their prescriptions filled at one pharmacy (of the patient's choosing) - especially patients who have more than one doctor prescribing and may not remember their complete drug list. He says pharmacists are much more apt to pick up that a new prescription shouldn't be mixed with an old one.
JI7
(89,249 posts)marshall
(6,665 posts)The article says the average American woman is 166 pounds. Shouldn't drugs be designed for the average, so that the upper limit of its effectiveness isn't right at the average?
I remember a few years ago cruise ships, which are mostly Scandinavian, had to be American-sized, with wider chairs and other items to accommodate the larger average size of Americans. If cruise ships can do it, why can't pharmaceutical companies?
LisaL
(44,973 posts)It's not designed for average American woman.