Though you would not necessarily know it by simply looking at it, the sad fact is that for all of the vaunted, celebrated “advancement” and “innovation” that occurs in civilized society, many of the things we look to as pinnacles of achievement often may be accompanied by a downside, or in the case of pharmaceuticals – side effects.
Though you would not necessarily know it by simply looking at it, the sad fact is that for all of the vaunted, celebrated “advancement” and “innovation” that occurs in civilized society, many of the things we look to as pinnacles of achievement often may be accompanied by a downside, or in the case of pharmaceuticals – side effects. Whether it is in technology, human social sciences or in medicine, more and more, the cures and treatments we seek offer the unintended consequence of ever more dire side effects. Everything from acne medications to heart defibrillators to antidepressants sometimes seem more dangerous than the maladies they were originally intended to treat. Perhaps the one recent innovation that best typifies this are two similar birth control pills known as Yasmin and Yaz.
What Is Yaz?
The Yasmin birth control system is a 21-day cycle of pills taken to prevent ovulation in women of childbearing age. It contains estrogen and drospirenone, a synthetic form of progestin. Women on the Yasmin birth control system must take one specific pill per day each and every day for an entire 21-day cycle, followed by a “placebo” cycle of seven days with pills that are devoid of any hormones. The pill works by tricking the female body that it is pregnant when it is not, thus preventing unwanted pregnancy in the women who take it.
The Yaz Side Effects
There are, though, a number of serious, potentially life threatening side effects that can result from the use of Yaz, and some of the worst of these side effects appear clearly in the warning literature and on the packaging itself. One of the problems, and a source of some lawsuits, is the fact that a number of women who took Yaz thought that the side effects of the medication where benign and generally mild. Some of the advertised side effects include muscle and leg pain, swelling in the joints and extremities, blurry vision and nausea.
Two of the side effects that getting attention due to women having suffered related problems are blood clots and gallbladder disease. Both of these are potentially life threatening and for many of the women who used Yaz birth control, the onset of either (or both) condition was rapid – many became afflicted within the very first 21 day cycle of taking Yaz birth control.
Other women who took Yaz reported that they experienced severe chest pain, upper respiratory problems, and loss of vision and headaches.
Yasmin Birth Control and Blood Clots
The problem with blood clots is that they can strike young women – of the age that would typically be using Yaz birth control – harshly, because they do not regularly get checked out for such a condition. A blood clot can be debilitating and life threatening if it reaches the brain or the heart. The actual number of deaths from complications resulting from taking Yaz is unknown, but the fact that many have reported the onset of blood clots should make users of the medication look into all of the potential side effects.
Resources:
Stanley Simons is the author of this article on Yaz lawsuit settlements.
Find more information about Yaz side effects here.






