Women taking recalled birth control were kept in the dark for five days after the problem was discovered, prompting fears of unplanned pregnancies and panic on social media.

Apotex, the maker of Alysena 28 contraceptive pill, issued a voluntary recall to wholesalers, retailers and distributors on April 3 after it discovered some packs contained 14 sugar pills instead of seven. This Type II recall pulled the drug from the shelves but did not require contacting patients.

Health Canada upgraded the recall five days later on Monday, issuing the most serious, Type I recall of the drug, which obligates retailers to contact women who were sold the pill.

As news of the recall spread Tuesday, hundreds of women across Canada took to social media, expressing outrage, worry and consternation, many of them saying they still hadn’t been contacted.

One Twitter user, calling herself Mademoiselle Titam, summed up much of the outcry, writing “In Canada, taking the pill is like playing Russian roulette, especially with Alysena-28.”

Health Canada says a Type I recall occurs in “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”

“By taking the birth control pill, a woman has made the decision that she doesn’t want to get pregnant,” said Sarah Hobbs-Blyth, executive director of Planned Parenthood Toronto. “When a mistake like this happens, that decision has been taken away from them.”

Carolyn Egan at the Birth Control Venereal Disease Information Centre says women unknowingly taking placebos are no longer protected from unwanted pregnancies.

“You think you’re protected, but you aren’t,” she said. “You’re in a pretty vulnerable situation until you’re on your new package and you’re on it for seven days.”

The sexual health centre, like many others across the city, received calls from worried women on Tuesday. They recommend women who are unsure if they’re affected check the lot number on their pills — the affected lot is labelled with the code LF01899A — and call their pharmacy.

A packet of 28 pills, to be taken daily, normally includes one week of white placebo pills and three weeks of pink active tablets. The affected lot may contain up to two rows of white placebo pills.

“Ingestion of only 14 tablets of active instead of intended 21 of oral contraceptive would most likely result in reduced efficacy for contraception and therefore possibility of unplanned pregnancy cannot be ruled out,” wrote Apotex in its urgent drug recall issued last week.

The affected birth control was sold in all provinces except Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba since early December 2012.

Alysena 21, a version of the contraceptive that doesn’t include the placebo pills, isn’t included in the recall.

Women prescribed Alysena-28 were only required to be informed of the error when Health Canada issued its drug recall Monday afternoon.

Apotex posted its first mention of the recall on their website late Tuesday.

Pharmacies had already begun calling affected customers.

Shoppers Drug Mart representative Tammy Smitham said the pills were pulled from shelves last week when the first recall was issued. Pharmacists began calling patients Monday after receiving the second recall.

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London Drugs, a chain of pharmacies in western Canada, is offering two free pregnancy tests and a morning after pill to anyone affected. Normally, morning after pills cost $40.

Pharmacy Vice President John Tse said they also identified 350 women in British Columbia who received the affected lot and had pharmacists call them over the weekend — before the Health Canada recall was issued.

In its recall, Health Canada advises patients to “use a nonhormonal method of contraception as an interim measure until you speak with your physician and obtain medical advice.”

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