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Birth Control Pill Yaz and Cardiovascular Side Effects

YAZ (3 mg drospirenone/20 mcg ethinyl estradiol) is an oral contraceptive (OC) which is the first pill to combine 20 mcg of ethinyl estradiol (EE) with the so-called “fourth generation” progestin drospirenone (DRSP). YAZ was approved by the FDA in March 2006.

A company press release: “FDA Approves YAZ(R), The First Oral Contraceptive To Offer Drospirenone In A 24-Day, Active-Pill Regimen”, issued at the time of FDA approval.

File a report of side effects of YAZ/YASMIN to the FDA here.


YAZ contains 3 mg of the progestin drospirenone that has antimineralocorticoid activity, including the potential for hyperkalemia in high-risk patients, comparable to a 25-mg dose of spironolactone.

YAZ should not be used in patients with conditions that predispose to hyperkalemia (i.e., renal insufficiency, hepatic dysfunction, or adrenal insufficiency).

Medications that may increase serum potassium include ACE inhibitors, angiotensin-ll receptor antagonists, potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplementation medications, aldosterone antagonists and NSAIDs.

According to a May 11, 2009 article, “ACOG 2009: Preliminary Findings Favor 24-Day Regimen of Drospirenone and Ethinyl Estradiol for Contraception”, published online by Medscape:

“The INAS study is a transatlantic prospective cohort study that was requested by the [US Food and Drug Administration] to investigate the safety of a 24-day regimen of 3 mg DRSP and 20 μg ethinyl estradiol (24/4 regimen),” according to Dr. Dinger. To date, the INAS study has enrolled 52,219 women….

The study’s objectives are to compare the cardiovascular safety of the 24/4 regimen of DRSP/EE to established oral contraceptives (OCs) during standard clinical practice (eg, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, acute myocardial infarction, stroke); to investigate the incidence of rare serious adverse events associated with the use of 24/4 and established OCs; and to investigate contraceptive failure rates associated with the use of the 24-day and 21-day regimens of DRSP/EE and all other OCs.

If you or someone you know has developed a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), heart attack, or stroke while using YAZ call the Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm. We are currently evaluating and accepting Yaz/Yasmin users who have developed side effects of DVT, PE, HEART ATTACK OR STROKE.

If you or a family member has been personally injured because of the fault of someone else: by the use of dangerous drugs, bad products, or toxic injury etc then please contact the Fort Worth Texas Defective Drugs Product Liability Attorney Dr. Shezad Malik. For a no obligation, free case analysis, please call 817-255-4001 or Contact Me Online.

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