Countdown Begins to Yaz Bellwether Trials

2011 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for those affected by the birth control brands Yaz and Yasmin, brands produced by the Bayer Corporation. The side effects of these drugs can be extremely severe, and lawsuits filed by women who have suffered from them have been piling up, leading to multidistrict litigation that groups trials together based on complaint.
The first of these trials, one whose plaintiff is the victims of Yaz pulmonary embolism from the pill, is set to take place in September 2011, kicking off several more bellwether trials for gallbladder disease and deep vein thrombosis, both of which will take place in 2012 but whose discovery period will conclude in September and November of 2011 respectively.
Some of the complaints filed by women who had been taking the medication include gallbladder disease, stroke, blood clot, and pulmonary embolism – all of which can be severely debilitating, and in some cases even fatal. The multidistrict form of litigation consolidates victims into groups based on complaint, streamlining pretrial research. These individual trials based on side effect will go through the Southern District of Illinois and be presided over by Judge Herndon.
24 “test trials” have been chosen from a pool of all of the cases, eight of which involve pulmonary embolism as a complaint. These trials will allow plaintiffs to get a feel for the kind of compensation they will receive as well as the trial process itself.
All of the cases will deal with Yaz, Ocella, and Yasmin, birth control pills that contain the hormone drospirenone, a controversial ingredient that is suspected to be the culprit for the more serious side effects women are experiencing while taking the drug. The Bayer Corporation is likely to see many more Yasmin lawsuits being filed in 2011, increasing the already thousands of lawsuits against them.

Bayer Used Underhanded Tactics in Order to Sell Yaz

Since the beginning, Yaz was marketed as the “pill that could do more.” More of what exactly? The pill came loaded to the brim with deadly side effects such as heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, gallbladder problems, loss of consciousness, increased blood pressure, and even anxiety. Of course, none of these were adequately mentioned by Bayer. Instead, the pill was touted as a cure all, supposedly a cure for acne, stress, cramping, you name it.
With the catch slogan of “beyond birth control,” Yaz was ready to dominate the birth control pill market, and make it’s way into the lives of thousands upon thousands of unsuspecting women.

Underhanded Tactics Lead to Lawsuits against Yaz

Fast forward a few years, and now those same thousands of unsuspecting women are suing Bayer for failing to clearly specify the Yaz side effects. Bayer knew that the drug Yaz contained risks, but never truly informed the public.
The problem is, even though lawsuits against Bayer are currently under way, for some parents they didn’t come soon enough.
Joan Cummins, mother of Michelle Cummins, watched her daughter pass away after having a pulmonary embolism caused by Yaz. Michelle, an 18 year old, was “completely healthy, at college, with the world at her fingertips.”
If Joan even had the slightest clue that Yaz could kill her child, she would never have let her daughter take the pill.

The FDA Takes Action

The FDA has since forced Bayer to stop running the most underhanded of it’s ads. However, Bayer still markets Yaz with full force even though a number of safer alternatives have been launched.
These safer alternatives do not include Beyaz, the new rebranding of Yaz with a folate additive. This additive is being marketed as having a healthy dose of vitamin B that every body needs. However, again Bayer is sidestepping the obvious truth, which is the fact that Beyaz has some of the same exact side effects as Yaz!
Clearly, one should take care when choosing what to put inside their own body.

Penalty to Bayer for Misleading Advertisements Despite Lawsuits

The closest the controversial birth control pill Yaz ever came to a total recall by the Food and Drug Administration was in late 2009, when the drugmaker Bayer was forced to recall nearly 33,000 boxes of the pills after it was revealed that they were using unsafe production processes in creating the drug. Ocella, the generic form of the drospirenone-based contraceptive, was hit even harder by the Yaz recall – 120,000 boxes were pulled from the market due to faulty processes used by the Bayer manufacturing company.
Previously, Yaz has been slapped with two separate warnings from the Food and Drug Administration due to their marketing methods. In the first case, which took place in 2003, Bayer was putting out ads making claims that the synthetic hormone drospirenone was a more effective hormone than those in most birth control pills already on the market. The Food and Drug Administration contacted them to let them know that there was no scientific evidence that this was the case – and to this day, there have been no studies that show drospirenone to be any better than another hormone for birth control purposes. Then again in 2008, when Bayer was running an ad campaign that claimed Yaz was not only a birth control pill but a way of controlling acne and symptoms associated with severe PMS such as moodiness, bloating, and anxiety, the Food and Drug Administration gave them another warning, this time because Bayer was advertising their product as a cure for conditions that it was not approved to treat.
However, this is not the only concern that women have with Yaz – the birth control has been linked to serious side effects such as pulmonary embolism, Yaz heart attack, and stroke. These conditions can even be fatal in some cases. Therefore, it is no wonder why dozens of women have already filed lawsuits against the Bayer Corporation, while many more are following suit.

Gallbladder Disease a Dangerous Yaz Side Effect

Although they have more frequently been in the news due to its usage being connected with such pulmonary issues as heart attack, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and arrhythmia, the drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol-based Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills also increase patients’ risk of another serious condition – gallbladder disease. The fourth-generation pill, manufactured by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, as well as a generic form of the same medication called Ocella, has been shown to increase the risks of gallbladder disease on many patients.
The hormones in birth control pills, as with the medication in most other drugs, are processed by the liver, the organ that makes bile. Bile helps the body digest fat and moves from the liver to the gallbladder. However, the hormones in Yaz and Yasmin as well as Ocella change the make-up of the bile and when it reaches the gallbladder, it is no longer as effective as it should be at breaking down gallstones. Cholecystitis and cholelithiasis are both diseases of the gallbladder that mainly effect menopausal and post-menopausal women – and women are already at twice as much risk as men for gallbladder disease – but now thanks to these oral contraceptives, women who have not yet reached menopause are developing these diseases without any other risk factor. Although these diseases are normally relatively rare, women who simply should not have developed them are doing so. Gallbladder disease is extremely unpleasant and can cause symptoms such as serious pain, fever, jaundice, and vomiting among other side effects.
Over one thousand Yaz and Yasmin-related lawsuits have been filed against Bayer Pharmaceuticals, with an untold number still to come. One of the major complaints from plaintiffs is that the drugmaker neglected to mention the serious risks that come with taking these medications and that prospective patients and even doctors were not warned enough about Yaz and Yasmin risk factors.

Updated Yaz Warning Label Reveals Risks

Responding to pressure from the general public as well as from the FDA, Bayer HealthCare has provided new information for their Yaz warning labels. The newly produced warning informs women and their doctors of some serious dangers such as blood clots which are known to be associated with Yaz (Yasmin) oral contraceptives.
This latest development surfaced after thousands of Yaz lawsuits and reports detailed the injuries and deaths suffered by women taking this new form of birth control. Yaz contains a hormone called ‘drospirenone,’ which has been touted as a successful remedy for adult acne.
The disclaimer as given on the Yaz website:
‘In Addition, Who Shouldn’t Take YAZ? YAZ contains drospirenone, a different kind of hormone that for some may increase potassium too much. Therefore, you should not take YAZ if you have kidney, liver, or adrenal disease because this could cause serious heart and health problems. Tell your doctor if you are on daily long-term treatment for a chronic condition such as cardiovascular disease or chronic inflammatory disease. Women who take certain drugs (see below) should have their potassium level checked in the first month of taking YAZ.’

New Yaz label excludes certain risks

The improved disclaimer is a positive development made by Bayer HealthCare, however it is evident that drospirenone continues to represent a grave risk to many women. Further testing and investigation is needed in order to minimize future injuries and deaths among consumers of the drug.
The information on the website fails to inform readers that elevated levels of potassium in the blood can be a direct cause of heart attack. High potassium levels can also require numerous hospital visits for invasive treatments such as dialysis and/or administration of intravenous medications.

Yaz can cause gallbladder complications

Yaz safety information includes no mention of the fact that some women who take Yaz birth control pills develop gallbladder disease issues as a result. Inflammation of the gallbladder and the formation of gallstones have been known to occur in Yaz users, and this oftentimes requires a surgical procedure to take out the entire gallbladder.
Removal of the gallbladder calls for permanent changes in diet, and also exposes the victim to additional health problems. This is doubtless an unwarranted risk to women at a time when the marketplace teems with safer oral contraceptive options.
Those following the issue remain largely unsurprised by the failure of Bayer to fully disclose the health risks associated with Yaz. In 2009, the Yaz family of contraceptives garnered profits of $1.74 billion, and saw an increase of 4.7% compared to 2008.

Thousands of Yaz Gallbladder Lawsuits Filed

Among the more than 4,000 Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits that have already been filed in both federal and state courts throughout the country, more than 1,500 of these contain allegations of gallbladder disease stemming from use of these birth control pills.
So-called, “fourth generation” oral contraceptives, both Yasmin and Yaz include a contentious synthetic form of progestin named drospirenone. This hormone has been found to produce both gallstones (cholelithiasis) and inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) as side effects.
Physicians haven’t yet been able to precisely determine just how gallbladder disease arises from Yaz or Yasmin consumption, but one strong theory is that drospirenone causes dehydration that leads, in turn, to gallbladder disease.
Some of the more recent lawsuits involve claims that drospirenone prevents the uptake of the hormone aldosterone by the kidneys, which makes the gallbladder more susceptible to forming infection or disease-causing gallstones. Many victims of Yaz gallbladder disease are compelled to have their gallbladders removed via cholecystectomy.

Yasmin Gallbladder Disease Lawsuits Under Multidistrict Litigation

In the Southern District of Illinois, U.S. District Judge David Herndon has been placed in control of the 4,000-plus Yaz lawsuits that have been consolidated under multidistrict litigation. Upon analysis of the claims, it has been found that 43 percent of them contain claims of Yaz gallbladder issues. A further 41 percent of the Yaz lawsuit allegations involve serious injuries caused by blood clots, for example pulmonary embolism. Ten percent of the lawsuits make allegations of stroke and heart attack provoked by Yaz use.
In January 2012, the first Yaz gallbladder lawsuit will go to trial. The conclusion reached by this first trial will greatly affect the hundreds of victims who have filed lawsuits involving similar allegations.

Yaz Gallbladder Disease Lawsuits Grow In Number

Not a week goes by without more Yaz gallbladder disease lawsuits being filed. Recently, at the end of January 2011, Amie Nardone of New Jersey filed a Yaz gallbladder disease lawsuit. Another victim, Lana Speck of Galveston Texas, also filed a lawsuit involving Yaz gallbladder disease on January 31. Speck alleges that taking Yaz lead directly to the required removal of her gallbladder, and that she currently experiences severe abdominal pain and chronic indigestion because of this.
In 2008, Bayer Corporation (the maker of Yaz) received almost $1 billion in revenue from Yaz and Yasmin sales. That same year it was estimated that Yaz and Yasmin made up 30 percent of the total birth control pill sales in the United States. There have been repeated requests for a Yaz recall, with no results thus far.

Which Yaz and Yasmin Side Effects Lead to Lawsuits?

Many women, including current and former Yaz users, have experienced one or more side effects of Yaz and may be confused by headlines talking about Yaz side effects lawsuits. Is every woman who had side effects from Yaz or Yasmin birth control pills eligible to file a lawsuit? First, it’s good to be familiar with the numerous types of side effects these pills can cause. In addition, it’s important to understand that the consequences of these side effects for patients vary widely and depend on many different considerations.

Yaz Advertising and Lawsuits

Yasmin and Yaz are produced by a company named Bayer Pharmaceuticals. There is also a generic form of Yasmin marketed by Teva Pharmaceuticals. Yasmin and Yaz make use of both ethinyl estradiol as well as a new progestin, drospirenone. The pills were promoted as effective birth control for young women, and some additional benefits of taking these pills were also featured prominently in print and television ads. The ads touted Yaz and Yasmin’s acne-clearing ability, as well as its tendency to alleviate the physical symptoms of PMDD. PMDD, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, is a severe type of PMS that some women suffer from.
Critics of Yaz and Yasmin quickly challenged the ads and marketing, saying that the FDA had not approved the pills for the treatment of acne or PMDD. Even worse, it was alleged, Bayer Pharmaceutical did not include proper warning about the potential side effects of these oral contraceptives. Many of the currently pending Yaz lawsuits mention Bayer’s lack of warning about side effects, and some even place the blame for this dearth of information on the physician who prescribed the pills.

Who Can File a Yaz Lawsuit?

Anyone who has undergone suffering or injury stemming from the use of Yaz birth control may have the right to file a Yaz lawsuit. The medicine may also have been described as Yasmin or Ocella.
There are no regulations stating how long an individual consumed Yaz in order to be eligible to file a Yaz lawsuit.
At the present time there are no regulations regarding the age of potential Yaz lawsuit plaintiffs.
Yaz Lawsuits Have Been Filed Based on Claims of:

• Gallbladder disease
• Heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Blood clots
• Pulmonary embolism
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
• Sudden death

Because of the high number of Yaz lawsuits being filed by and for the women who have suffered from severe Yaz or Yasmin side effects, it is expected that class action lawsuits will be brought against the manufacturer of these medications. There are also women who have died as a result of taking Yaz birth control, and their families are now eligible to file a Yaz wrongful death lawsuit. Individual lawsuits are now being centralized under multidistrict litigations. Legal experts predict that the earliest cases will go to trial sometime in the first half of 2012.

Pulmonary Embolisms a Deadly Side Effect of Yaz Birth Control

The Food and Drug Administration has already had to give Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceuticals corporation behind drospirenone-based birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin, a warning regarding their advertising of the oral contraceptive. Yaz and Yasmin were both originally touted as safe, effective birth control methods with added benefits, including properties that could help clear skin and reduce severe PMS symptoms. However, Bayer neglected to mention most of the laundry list of severe side effects the pills have been known to come with, including stroke, gallbladder disease, blood clotting problems such as deep vein thrombosis, and among the most life-threatening, pulmonary embolism.
A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot travels through the bloodstream and lodges in one of the major arteries in the lung. Pulmonary embolism can be fatal, and around 60,000 people die every year due to pulmonary embolism. Although it is unclear how many of these deaths can be tied to the patient’s use of Yaz or Yasmin birth control, it is worth nothing that any of the Yaz or Yasmin-related pulmonary embolism deaths could – and should – have been prevented. A study published by the British Medical Journal in 2009 showed that women taking Yaz and Yasmin birth control as opposed to another hormone-based oral contraceptive were six times more likely to develop a blood clot, and therefore much more likely to suffer a pulmonary embolism as well.
Pulmonary embolisms related to Yaz are caused by two factors, which can either stand on their own or combine to form an extra-deadly combination. Hyperkalemia, which causes excess potassium to be retained in the blood, can cause the condition, and so can hypercoagulability, which is the increased tendency for blood to clot. Both of these conditions have been linked to Yaz and Yasmin birth control as well as other forms of drospirenone-based oral contraceptive.

Is Birth Control Just Another Yaz Side Effect?

When women decided to take Yaz, they were doing so because it was supposed to be a safe form of birth control. Now that the drug has had time in the market to show how dangerous it truly is, was birth control just another side effect of taking Yaz? Yaz has side effects such as pulmonary embolism, gallbladder disease, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, and many more. These side effects were not rare either. In fact, they happened pretty commonly.
So the question remains: when signing up to take Yaz, were users signing up to get a birth control pill or a gallbladder disease pill?
Drugs like Yaz work by introducing hormones into the users body that make pregnancy impossible. However, the hormones which help to avoid pregnancy also cause a host of lethal side effects. The hormones drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol cause terrible side effects in women who are otherwise completely healthy. When the hormones are ingested, they make their way to the liver, and while they are there they completely alter the natural bile that the liver produces and sends to the gallbladder. This altered bile can not break down gallstones, and this leads to gallbladder disease.
Some critics have retorted by saying that women are naturally more likely than men to develop gallbladder disease, but this is only true in women that have become post-menopausal. Because all of the users of Yaz and similar drugs are have obviously not reached that stage in their lives, the fact that they are coming down with so much gallbladder disease is a telling sign for Yaz. It is solid evidence which shows that the drug has serious side effects.
The time has now come for payback. Although it comes many years later, it is still not too late for those negatively affected by the drug Yaz. More than one thousands cases have already been filed against the makers of Yaz in court. The cases claim that Bayer, the ones who made Yaz, did not warn users of the drug about all of the side effects. The Yaz lawsuit cases are being consolidated in a process known as multidistrict litigation, which will take place in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
These cases are the first step towards a conclusion for those affected by the drug Yaz. Many young women have been affected by the drug since it was released. Hopefully they will soon be able to find some peace in their lives.

Settlement Amounts for Yaz Lawsuits Pending

Women throughout the country have suffered serious side effects from taking Yaz birth control pills, and many are now choosing to file lawsuits to claim compensation. They are seeking damages for time lost from work, medical costs, and critical permanent injuries. AnyYaz settlement amounts are currently pending, as the litigation process continues. The side effects linked to Yaz use include blood clots that can lead to circulatory issues, vein problems, and a whole host of other ailments.

Critical Yaz Side Effects

The most serious side effects that can come from use of Yaz or Yasmin oral contraceptives include:

• Heart attack
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Liver bleeding, liver tumors, liver cancer
• Breast cancer
• Formation of blood clots
• Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT
• Pulmonary embolism
• Cerebral hemmorage
• Blindness

Women with no personal or family history of blood clots have also developed the life-threatening side effects of Yaz that come from blood clots. Such clots often originate in the legs, and are then called DVT or deep vein thrombosis. But blood clots can happen in many other parts of the body too, including the head, pelvis, arms, lungs, and eyes, all of which can lead to serious health troubles.

Symptoms of Yaz Side Effects

Severe health problems produced by the formation of blood clots can cause symptoms such as the following in Yaz users:

• Pain in the lower leg
• Blurred vision, double vision, loss of vision
• Swelling and pain in the limbs
• Elevated blood pressure
• Sudden, sharp headaches
• Sharp or heavy chest pain
• Coughing up blood

The product information booklets and warning labels on oral contraceptives do provide some warning. Nevertheless, Bayer, the maker of Yaz and Yasmin, is accused of such irresponsible acts as:

• Failing to conduct proper research and testing on their drugs
• Failing to recall the medication once there were increased reports of life-threatening side effects among users (while the market was filled with a variety of safer alternatives)
• Providing misleading information to doctors and consumers by touting the acne-curing benefits and neglecting to mention the most serious side effects patients experience when taking Yaz for its skin-clearing ability

Irresponsible Reporting of Yaz Risks

In 2008, the FDA announced that Bayer had improperly represented their oral contraceptive’s risks and benefits to users, warning the company to take down all misleading advertisements and commercials. Since that time there has been a great increase in the number of cases filed against the manufacturer. Many women allege they should have continued to enjoy perfect health were it not for the severe side effects caused by Yaz.

A Side Effect of Using Yaz and Yasmin – Heart Attack

An increased incidence of heart attacks is one of the more serious side effects of using the Yaz and Yasmin contraceptive drugs. Of course, this has led to a large number Yaz lawsuits filed by aggrieved parties. Yaz and Yasmin birth control drugs can lead to excess potassium in the blood because they contain the progestin “drospirenone”. In women who have taken Yaz birth control, this significant Yaz side effect may cause heart attacks, stroke, and even death. The increased potassium levels may easily go completely undetected and untreated because they commonly don’t have noticeable symptoms, and as a result may substantially increase the risk to women using the Yaz and Yasmin birth control products.

The importance of understanding the symptoms of a Yaz heart attack

It’s critically important that women who use Yaz and Yasmin birth control learn to recognize the symptoms of heart attacks (and also of the risk factors for developing a heart attack in the first place) so that they may know to seek immediate emergency medical care in the event of a Yaz and Yasmin-induced heart attack. And, perhaps most importantly, understanding will help them make an intelligent decision about finding an alternate birth control method. This is especially important if there’s a family history of heart problems, or they’re otherwise at high risk of developing heart trouble.

Recognize the symptoms of a Yaz heart attack

If women who use the Yaz and Yasmin contraceptive products exhibit any of the following symptoms, they may be developing a Yaz heart attack and should seek emergency medical help immediately. Symptoms include; abdominal pain, heartburn, chest pain or chest pressure, discomfort or pain in the neck, jaw, shoulder or upper back, dizziness, faintness or lightheadedness, feelings of extreme anxiety or nervousness, inexplicable fatigue or weakness, nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath, or excessive sweating. If these symptoms occur, call 911 immediately.

Increased risk factors for Yaz-related heart attacks

As with any drug, some women with additional risk factors will be in greater danger than others of developing a Yaz-related heart attack. Women with the highest risk include those who have the following aspects in their medical history: a previous heart attack or any heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, depression, menopause (or low levels of estrogen), metabolic syndrome (a condition whose symptoms include abdominal fat and high blood sugar), or unhealthy lifestyle habits that include diets high in fat, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and not exercising regularly.

What to do in case of a Yaz heart attack

If you believe you are having a heart attack, you must get medical care immediately to save your life! Call 911, go to the hospital, and call your doctor. Afterwards, exactly adhere to your follow-up recommendations, including all lifestyle changes, prescriptions, and treatments so that you may restore your good health, and lower the possibility of future heart-related issues.
Innocent young women all over the country continue to be exposed to these perilous, even life-threatening adverse side effects of taking Yaz and Yasmin contraceptive drugs. How many more women who put their trust in these birth control products will get desperately sick?

Life Threatening Yaz Side Effects

All across the United States, young women report severe life-threatening side effects caused by the “fourth-generation” birth control products Yaz and Yasmin. This prescription medication marketed primarily to teenage girls has been clearly associated with these dangerous Yaz side effects, which include:

• Blood clots
• DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Pulmonary embolism
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Serious Yaz gall bladder problems
• Breast cancer
• Liver cancer, liver tumors, severe liver bleeding
• Cerebral hemorrhage
• Total loss of vision

One of the more significant side effects from the use of Yaz and Yasmin is blood clots. Yaz blood clots have manifested in healthy young women that have shown no prior history of clots. They often develop in the legs, which is known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. Blood clots that form in one area can break loose and move to other areas of the body, especially the lungs. Blood clots can cause serious health problems, including heart attack or stroke.

Yaz and Yasmin side effects symptoms to watch out for

The following symptoms could indicate serious heath issues caused by blood clots:
• Sharp or heavy chest pain
• Severe headaches that come on quickly
• High blood pressure
• Pain or swelling in the legs and arms
• Back of lower leg pain
• Blurred or double vision
• Total loss of vision
• Coughing blood

Additional risk factors for Yaz and Yasmin side effects

These risk factors can increase the likelihood and severity of the Yaz and Yasmin side effects:
• Smoking cigarettes, especially more than 15 cigarettes a day
• High blood cholesterol
• Excess body weight
• Age over 35 years old

Public Citizen, the valuable “consumer watchdog” organization, has long pushed for an FDA ban on third-generation contraceptives, due to insufficient clinical studies researching their serious side effects and the resulting impact on the health of the women who put their trust in these birth control drugs. Both Yaz and Yasmin are fourth-generation contraceptives and use a combination of hormones that the third-generation contraceptives do, but also use drospirenone, a new synthetic hormone.

On their web site, Public Citizen states: “There is no medical reason you should be using Yasmin rather than one of the older pills containing the progestins norgestrel, levonorgestrel or norethindrone.”

Many young women find themselves suffering devastating injuries from the significantly perilous side effects and potential health risks ascribed to these drugs. Are the life-threatening side effects worth the risk of using these unsafe contraceptives?

Yaz Side Effects: Two Different Women with One Terrible Thing in Common

Brenda Hamilton and Susan Gallenos are two of the over three thousand woman who are filing Yaz lawsuits against Bayer Pharmaceuticals because they have suffered negative side effects after taking their popular birth control method, Yaz. Both Brenda and Susan suffered strokes, but other serious side effects have been reported, including pulmonary embolism, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, and gallbladder disease.

The Bayer Pharmaceuticals company received a warning from the Food and Drug Administration regarding their advertising, which portrayed the product as a safe and effective birth control method that could help fight mild to moderate acne. The ads did not mention that side effects could be severe and life threatening, even though 64 percent more women suffered a serious blood clot issue while on Yaz than while on other oral contraceptives.

Brenda Hamilton, a Broadway actress, was only twenty-seven when she suffered her stroke, and had been taking Yasmin for two years. Susan Gallenos was a young mother who had only been taking Yaz for a month when she had hers. Brenda has luckily since made a full recovery, but Susan has suffered complications from her stroke, such as a diminished IQ and a changed personality. Physical rehabilitation and medical treatment can help stroke victims recover, but a full recovery is not guaranteed, and strokes can be fatal.

Both of these women consulted a Yaz lawyer in order to recover damages from Bayer Pharmaceutical.  If you've been injured, it's important to find out if you have a claim for damages against the manufacturer.

Yaz and Yasmin Side Effects Result in Lawsuit Filings

Fourth-generation drospirenone-based birth control methods Yaz, Yasmin, and the generic Ocella have been hit with several thousand Yaz lawsuits from women who have suffered from severe side effects of the medication since its launch in 2006. The Food and Drug Administration of the United States previously issued a warning to Bayer Pharmaceuticals, makers of Yaz and Yasmin, regarding its methods of advertisement for the products. TV and print ads claimed that Yaz and Yasmin were effective, safe birth control pills that came with the added bonus of helping to clear acne and deal with some of the more symptoms of PMS.

Some of the more serious side effects that women have been experiencing while on Yaz and Yasmin oral contraceptives include gallbladder disease, heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and even death. Less serious side effects can include decrease in sex drive, weight gain, vaginal discharge, headaches, yeast infections, spotting between periods, nausea, and vomiting. It is for these reasons and others that women have been filing lawsuits by the thousands against Bayer Pharmaceuticals and other manufacturers of drospirenone based birth control pills, hoping to seek compensation for hours of work missed, out-of-pocket medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other costs of these side effects.

As the side effects of Yaz and Yasmin are becoming more known worldwide, more and more women are filing lawsuits, some due to the fact that some of the conditions Yaz and Yasmin induce are chronic and can affect women for the rest of their lives or cause serious complications with their health. However, the Bayer healthcare corporation maintains that Yaz and Yasmin are safe and effective products and do not seem to have any plans to pull them from the market, despite mounting concerns for the safety of consumers and the possibility of putting million more lives at risk.

Yaz lawyers are evaluating cases all over the country from young women who have suffered permanent and life-threatening side effects of Yaz and Yasmin.  If you've been injured, understand your rights.