New Warning: Morning-After Pill Doesn't Work for Women Over 176 Pounds

[kiva]

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 States—including the one-pill drugs Plan B One-Step, Next Choice One Dose, and My Way, and a number of generic two-pill emergency contraceptives—have 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 pounds—greater 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]

1. That is fascinating -- and important to know.

[maxsolomon]

2. Just take 2!

What could go wrong?

[olddad56]

10. good idea, then you are good to about 330. After that, you are going need to add another.

[leftyladyfrommo]

15. Do they come in a six pack? n/t

[petronius]

3. OT, but what's the reason for prohibiting generics from having different

product info than the brand-name manufacturer? Seems more important that the advice and product info be accurate, regardless of who made the drug...

Because the Food and Drug Administration prohibits generic drug manufacturers from changing product information unless the brand name manufacturer makes a change, companies that manufacture generic versions of Plan B One-Step cannot update their packaging information unless Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the exclusive manufacturer of Plan B One-Step, acts first. (The FDA has proposed a rule change that would allow generic manufacturers to update drug information independently.)

[BlueJazz]

4. I wonder if there are other drugs that lose effectiveness as a person's weight rises.

Just curious ??

[kiva]

5. I was wondering that too,

after reading this article.

[christx30]

14. I would assume so.

Children's medications are dosed by the child's weight.

[politicat]

16. Yep. Chemotherapy is well known to require higher dosages.

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]

6. What percentage of women weighing more than 176 lbs

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]

7. Are you for real?

[cosmicone]

9. Please enlighten me if I'm wrong! n/t

[Paulie]

13. This is about the morning after pill

And emergency contraception. As in use by rape victims.

So the question remains, and you for real?????

[thesquanderer]

18. Rape victims are not the only market for it

and probably (I hope!) not even the main market for it.

[cosmicone]

19. The main market is not rape victims

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]

20. ~facepalm~

[bananas]

25. Says a lot, doesn't it? nt

[winter is coming]

23. And you would know this how?

The women I know have purchased it to have around in case a condom breaks/slips.

[Marrah_G]

11. Fat girls have sex too..........

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]

17. Shocking, I know.

[Skittles]

26. LOL

get out in the real world much?

[bananas]

12. Could that be a factor in the obesity epidemic?

Have we been selecting genes associated with obesity?

The CDC says obesity is an epidemic:

http://www.cdc.gov/cdctv/ObesityEpidemic/

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:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/13/health/global-burden-report/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

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]

21. The birth control patch is not as reliable on heavier women either

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]

24. Never, but never, count on a doctor to get it right where contraception is concerned.

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]

27. My internist admits this about drugs in general

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]

22. so height and muscle v fat weight doesn't matter ?

[marshall]

28. Are drugs designed for non-American size women?

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]

29. The article starts with "European manufacturer..." So the answer would be "NO."

It's not designed for average American woman.