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.
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