Birth Control Pills
In recent years, the birth control medications Yaz and Yasmin have been used by more than 100 million women. Yasmin was first approved by the FDA in 2001 and Yaz, later, in 2006. They are manufactured and sold by Bayer Healthcare, a German drug company.
However, you may know that the FDA and leading health safety groups have warned about the risk of blood clots associated with these medications, and Bayer has paid nearly $1.75 billion to settle injury claims.
Yaz and Yasmin first became widely used when the drugs were marketed as birth control alternatives that promised women relief from PMS, bloating, and acne when compared to traditional oral contraceptives.
WHAT IS YAZ?
What makes Yaz and Yasmin different from other birth control medications is that others contain only one hormone, progestin, while Yaz and Yasmin are combination pills that use both estrogen and progestin to prevent ovulation and pregnancy.
What's more, the type of progestin used in Yaz and Yasmin is different from other pills. And, in recent studies, this synthetic progestin hormone -- drospirenone -- has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots.
A blood clot can break loose, and move through the body to the lungs, leg or thigh, or brain, causing serious or even fatal problems including stroke, deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism.
The FDA, European Medicines Agency, British Medical Journal and New England Journal of Medicine have issued warnings against Yaz and Yasmin because of their link to blood clots.
If you have suffered a blood clot, stroke, pulmonary embolism, or DVT after taking Yaz, it is important to speak with a lawyer about your legal options. Substantial compensation may be available through a Yasmin or Yaz settlement from Bayer.
YAZ SIDE EFFECTS.
The progestin hormone drospirenone, used in the popular birth control drugs Yaz and Yasmin, has been linked to serious health problems. Research has revealed that this chemical can raise levels of potassium in the blood, which increases the risk of blood clots.
Blood clots can lead to serious and life-threatening conditions, including:
- stroke
- deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- pulmonary embolism
- heart attack
Blood clots are hardened clusters of blood, and are the body’s natural defense mechanism in healing wounds and repairing injured blood vessels. However, they can also form as a result of drug side effects, as with Yasmin or Yaz blood clots.
When a blood clot breaks free, it travels through the bloodstream, reaching the heart, lungs, brain, or other organs. Serious injury or even death can result.
If you think that you are experiencing symptoms related to any of these conditions, call your doctor right away.
WARNINGS
In 2011, the British Medical Journal and the FDA both published studies that showed a link between the hormone in Yaz and a substantially increased risk of blood clots, DVT, and/or pulmonary embolism.
Then, on May 31, 2012, the QuarterWatch report from the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices ranked Yaz and Yasmin second highest for the number of complications reported to the FDA in the previous year.
In October of 2012, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued warnings that birth control pills containing drospirenone may have a higher risk of causing blood clots.
Since Bayer did not properly warn women of these risks, the company has paid nearly $1.75 billion so far to compensate women who have been injured; Bayer continues to settle cases.
