Are The Current Warnings About Blood Clot Side Effects Associated With YAZ, Yasmin, and Ocella Sufficient?
YAZ, Yasmin, and Ocella are oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, that contain ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone. Yasmin and Ocella each contain 30 mcg of ethinyl estradiol and 3 mg of drospirenone, whereas YAZ contains 20 mcg of ethinyl estradiol and the same 3mg of drospirenone. Both YAZ and Yasmin are manufactured by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Ocella, the generic version of Yasmin, is manufactured by Barr Laboratories. Yasmin was approved by the FDA in May 2001; the generic pill Ocella became available in 2008. YAZ was approved by the FDA in 2006. Case reports made by women and their doctors show that use of YAZ, Yasmin, and Ocella birth control pills is associated with serious side effects involving blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) as well as strokes and heart attacks. Unfortunately, some of these adverse reactions have resulted in death. YAZ, Yasmin, and Ocella pills contain the new progestin drospirenone (DRSP), whi
