Watch the video to find out more about her story below.
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Video credit: Rumble
Lexie Nash, 16, was on contraceptives in order to manage her heavy periods but when she was prescribed with a new one, she almost died after the new medicine allegedly caused blood clots to form in her brain.
Four weeks after she started taking the new contraceptive, Lexie had to be sent home from school in December 2017 because of neck pain and a severe headache. Next day, she suffered double vision and was vomiting violently.
At first, doctors thought the teen had meningitis but a CT scan revealed that she actually had Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis, a condition where the sinuses which drain blood from the brain are clogged by blood clots.
The GCSE student said: “I was advised to take the pill to control my periods, but I never in a million years thought I could end up in the hospital.
“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 mom 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.
“I was projectile vomiting and could see two of everything, it was terrifying.
“My mom and dad rushed me to the hospital again and I held it together until I noticed my dad crying and then I knew it must be bad.
“I had blood clots on my brain and down my neck and multiple hemorrhages behind my eye which had caused the double vision.
“I am so shocked this has happened to me from taking the pill, I wasn’t warned by the doctors who prescribed it to me.”
At the time of her hospitalization, Lexie was unresponsive and her parents Caroline, 38 and Paul, 47, were told to brace for the worst and say their goodbyes.
Doctors at Bristol Children’s Hospital used blood thinners and Lexie miraculously recovered after spending four weeks in the hospital. However, she still suffers from dizziness, fatigue, slurred speech, and headaches.
Lexie had to take four months off school. She needed two lumbar punctures to relieve her intracranial pressure (pressure around the brain) as it was five times higher than normal. As late as January 2019, she was still suffering from higher-than-normal intracranial pressure and needs to take medications to prevent migraines.
The teen, from Churchdown, Gloucs, said: “After being discharged, I still suffered severe headaches and was admitted again to Gloucester Hospital where a lumbar puncture was my only option, but it failed twice.
“On the third time it was successful – but after a couple of weeks, I was admitted to Gloucester Hospital for reflex issues, muscle weakness, vision problems, and terrible head pains.
“Doctors found out the pressure in my skull had again risen and over the next three months, I had four more lumbar punctures as the pressure around my brain kept rising.
“After that, it was decided it was getting risky performing lumbar punctures to often and I was put on medication to reduce the pressure, which gradually started working and improved my sight too.
“This gave me a chance to focus on strength.
“Now, a year later I am still not 100 percent, I suffer from fatigue and dizziness, short-term memory loss and I have problems with my speech, terrible head pains, and body twitches.”
Lexie’s mom said: “I had a feeling it was more than a migraine as she was in so much pain.
“Her heart rate was dangerously low and blood pressure high, the CT scans showed that Lexie had a rare condition that we had never even heard of.
“I was heartbroken, I was so scared we might lose her.
“I was worried sick, I didn’t think she would ever be the same again, she was unable to talk and could only communicate with thumbs up or down.
“When we were told to ‘be prepared’ at the prospect of losing her I was scared and couldn’t hold it together, it was a horrific experience.
“I want all moms to always trust their mother’s instinct and if something doesn’t seem right, go straight to the hospital.
“I was furious when the doctor told me Lexie’s clots were due to the pill, I had no idea it could be this dangerous.”
Doctors had linked Lexie’s condition to the new brand of contraceptive called Marvelon.
A spokesman for MSD (Merck, Sharp & Dohme) Limited, which manufactures Marvelon, said: “Marvelon is a combined oral contraceptive pill. It is licensed to be used as a contraceptive only. Its safety and efficacy were established in clinical trials in women aged 18 years and over.
“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.
“This includes information outlines less common side effects such as blood clots which are 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 are paramount to MSD. Therefore, MSD strongly recommends that if any patient is suffering an adverse reaction to any product or treatment, the patient or parent/guardian should speak with their healthcare professional or pharmacist to discuss their medicine use.
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