Yasmin and Yaz

Motley Rice is investigating cases involving users of the contraceptives Yasmin or Yaz who are non-smokers, under the age of 35 and have experienced adverse side effects. Yasmin and Yaz, are Bayer AG drugs and popular oral contraceptives that have been linked to serious heart-related health problems.

Symptoms

Both Yasmin and Yaz have been associated with symptoms that can include:

• blood clots
• pulmonary embolism
• heart attack or myocardial infarction
• stroke
• deep vein thrombosis (DVT) 
• death

If you or a loved one may have suffered any of the above or below side effects after or while using Yasmin or Yaz, contact attorney Fred Thompson or Carmen Scott by email or call +1 800.768.4026.

Drug History and Serious Adverse Reactions

Yasmin was initially developed by Berlex Laboratories (a U.S. affiliate of the German company Schering AG) and approved for use in the United States in 2001. Bayer AG acquired Berlex Laboratories in 2006 and began marketing Yaz, the newer version of Yasmin, in 2006. Like other oral contraceptives, Yaz contains a combination of the hormones estrogen and progestin. The difference between Yasmin and Yaz is the amount of ethinylestradiol, the estrogen component of the combination, in the drugs.  Yasmin contains 30 mcg while Yaz contains 20mcg.

Yasmin, followed by Yaz, was the first type of birth control to contain drospirenone, or drsp, a synthetic progestin. Drospirenone may cause hyperkalemia, or increased potassium levels, in high-risk users. Potassium helps control cardiac rhythm and hyperkalemia can cause rhythm disturbances.  Drospirenone may also act as a diuretic and cause dehydration which can cause:

• gallbladder disease
• kidney stones
• renal failure
• death
  

These drugs are, therefore, not recommended for women with renal insufficiency, adrenal insufficiency or hepatic dysfunction.

While the label for Yaz cites multiple benefits above and beyond contraception, it fails to highlight the serious potential side effects of the drug, including heart attack, blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, death and other injuries. The FDA has cautioned the manufacturer about misleading marketing tactics that minimize these serious side effects and overstate the effectiveness of the drug.

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