Yaz Blood Clots Caused by High Potassium Levels
Millions of American women have taken the birth control pill Yaz in the decade that it’s been available. What most of them didn’t know is that one ingredient in Yaz, drospirenone, can cause serious health problems. Drospirenone is a synthetic version of progesterone, a naturally-occurring hormone that affects whether a woman is fertile at any given time. The drug also causes unnaturally-high levels of potassium to build in the blood. Too much potassium can result in Yaz blood clots, which in turn can cause stroke, thrombosis and heart attack. Bayer’s marketing campaign for Yaz made claims that the drug was superior to other birth control pills, but it turns out it is worse. Yaz is the only oral contraceptive that contains this unique combination of chemicals that leads to blood clots. Yaz is still available as a prescription drug in the U.S., but its use has dropped dramatically over the past five years. Bayer has been forced to renege on its dishonest marketing campaign and add stronger language to the warning that accompanies each prescription.
