Blood Clot Side Effects Have Long Been A Safety Issue For Yasmin And Its Generic Version, Ocella
Soon After The Yasmin Birth Control Pill Was Approved In 2000 There Were Reports Of Pulmonary Embolism (PE) And Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
Yasmin is an oral contraceptive, or birth control pill, which contains 30 mcg ethinylestrdiol and 3 mg drospirenone.
Ocella is a generic version of the Yasmin birth control pill.
YAZ is a newer but very similar birth control pill that also contains the so-called "fourth generation" progestin drospirenone (DRSP).
Because of its association with blood clots, Yasmin was the subject of safety concerns right from the start in Europe as seen by the following 2002 medical journal article -- which was published the week before the Yasmin birth control pill was going to become available to women in the United Kingdom.
From this April 13, 2002 BMJ article, "Dutch GPs warned against new contraceptive pill”:
Dutch GPs are being advised by their own professional body not to prescribe a new low dose, monophasic oral contraceptive, marketed under the trade name Yasmin, until studies have established whether it is as safe as other contraceptive pills.
The new contraceptive, which is a combination of drospirenone (a progestogen) and ethinylestradiol, has been available in several European countries since 2000 and was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last May. It is licensed for use in the United Kingdom, where it is being launched next week.
Last year a 17 year-old Dutch girl who had been taking Yasmin died from a venous thrombosis. Although no direct link with Yasmin has ever been shown, 40 cases of venous thrombosis among women taking Yasmin, two of which were fatal, have now been reported in Europe.
The Dutch College of General Practitioners has now reiterated its position that GPs should continue to choose the second generation pill, because of the lack of epidemiological data on the risk of thrombosis from Yasmin.
About a year later there was another medical journal article which provided some details about several cases of serious blood clot side effects in women using the Yasmin birth control pill.
From the medical journal article "Thromboembolism associated with the new contraceptive Yasmin", which was published in the February 1, 2003 edition of BMJ:
Our centre, the Dutch spontaneous reporting system for adverse drug reactions, recently received five reports of thromboembolism as a suspected adverse drug reaction to the new oral contraceptive Yasmin (ethinylestradiol and drospirenone).
A 17 year old woman suddenly collapsed and died after taking the contraceptive [pill Yasmin] for six months. Autopsy showed that she had had a massive pulmonary embolism [(PE)]. No obvious risk factors for thromboembolism, such as smoking, a period of long immobilisation, air flights, or concomitant medication, were evident....
A 28 year old woman changed her oral contraceptive from ethinylestradiol with desogestrel (Marvelon) to ethinylestradiol with drospirenone [(Yasmin)]. Four months later she had thrombosis in one leg and was treated with acenocoumarol. Risk factors or concomitant drugs were unknown.
Another patient, a 45 year old woman, had deep vein thrombosis [(DVT)] in one leg after taking ethinylestradiol with drospirenone [(Yasmin)] for two months, as did a 50 year old woman who took the contraceptive for three months.
A 35 year old woman had pulmonary thrombosis 17 days after she started taking the contraceptive [pill Yasmin]. She had given birth four months earlier.
In the U.S., personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits are starting to be filed on behalf of women who took Yasmin or Ocella and then developed a blood clot that went on to cause a pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), stroke, or heart attack.
Go to Free YAZ / Yasmin / Ocella Case Evaluation form >>
Read more on the YAZ / Yasmin / Ocella Information Page >>
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