Yaz linked to serious side effects

Injuries reported by users of prescription contraceptive Yaz include heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism and gallbladder removal.

Yaz, manufactured by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a combination birth control pill containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol. Yaz is marketed not only as a contraceptive pill, but as a proven treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a condition with severe emotional and physical premenstrual symptoms. Yaz also is marketed as an effective treatment for moderate acne.

These factors make Yaz an attractive choice for many young women, who are drawn to its multiple advertised benefits.

However, studies indicate that Yaz poses a particular health hazard because one of its two primary ingredients, drospirenone, is a diuretic, which can cause an increase in potassium levels in the blood and lead to hyperkalemia, which causes heart rhythm disturbances that can cause blood clots and leading to sudden cardiac death or pulmonary embolism or strokes. Diuretics also can cause significant problems with the gallbladder, leading to gallbladder removal.

Yaz is the only birth control currently sold in the U.S. that contains drospirenone.

Serious adverse events reported after use of Yaz include:

  • Heart attack
  • Cardiac arrhythmias
  • Stroke
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Blood clots
  • Kidney failure
  • Seizures
  • Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Hepaic adenomas
  • Sudden death

Yaz may also be known as Yasmin or by its generic name, Ocella. It is currently the top-selling birth control pill in the United States, generating more than $600 million in sales in 2008.

Free legal consultation

If you or a loved one have suffered serious side effects or had your gallbladder removed while taking Yaz, or if you are experiencing symptoms associated with any of its serious side effects, you may have a claim against the manufacturer of Yaz.

Please contact us today by filling out the brief questionnaire, or by calling our toll free number (1-800-898-2034) for a free, no-cost no-obligation evaluation of your case.


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