Yaz or Yasmine is an oral birth control pill made by Bayer Healthcare, which is a business unit of Bayer AG. Yaz is popular in the US and abroad because not only is it supposed to prevent pregnancies, but also treat premenstrual syndrome, as well as some forms of acne. However, recent lawsuits claim that Yaz is no wonder drug, but instead causes serious side effects.

The Lawsuits

As of now, well over 100 lawsuits have been filed against Bayer, and more suits are being filed each day. For the most part, the suits claim that using Yaz has serious side effects, such as blood clots and gall bladder and kidney damage. Some of the lawsuits claim that women have suffered from and even died because of these injuries.

Many of the lawsuits focus on the blood clot side effect. These suits claim that one of the drug's ingredients causes an increase in potassium, which eventually leads to the formation of blood clots. Blood clots can form anywhere in the body and can block the flow of blood and oxygen in your body. Many lawsuits claim that women have developed blood clots, which in turn led to serious health conditions, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), stroke, and heart attack.

At least one recently filed lawsuit goes a step further and claims that Bayer didn't tell the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about a test the company ordered or the test results. Specifically, it's alleged that the test, involving 67,000 patients, showed that one ingredient in Yaz increased the risk of kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke.

What to Do

If you're using Yaz now or have taken it in the past, talk to your doctor immediately. It's possible that any side effects can be detected early and so you may be able to avoid serious and even long-term medical problems. You may also want to ask your doctor about an alternative pill. Be sure to ask if there are any known side effects to the new medication, and do some research on your own, too.

Contact your doctor immediately if you think you've been injured by taking Yaz. After you and your doctor decide on the proper medical treatment, you may want to contact an attorney. Many of the health problems allegedly caused by Yaz are very serious.

It's possible that you'll miss work and have medical bills that may not be covered fully by your insurance or not at all. And what if you don't have health or medical insurance? An experienced attorney may be able to help you. You may also want to file a complaint with the FDA.

Aside from paying for your injury and medical bills, another reason to contact an attorney is to make sure that Bayer and other pharmaceutical companies don't do things like this in the future. Injured consumers have been successful in getting many dangerous drugs taken off the shelves, such as Vioxx and Ephedra, just to name a couple. Help keep yourself and others safe by keeping the drug companies honest.

Questions for Your Attorney

• I think my daughter has been harmed by using Yaz. Can I file a lawsuit against Bayer on her behalf?  Can we sue her doctor for telling her that Yaz was safe?
• I received a notice in the mail inviting me to join a class action lawsuit against Bayer. Should I join the lawsuit? What happens if do? What if I don't?
• How can I even compete with Bayer in lawsuit? It's a huge company with unlimited money to fight me in court.

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Related Web Links

- Drug Information for Consumers from the US Food and Drug Administration