American women trust pharmaceutical companies to protect their bodies when they need a prescription filled. Tragically, some drug makers fail them. One is Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which produces the oral contraceptive pill Yasmin. That drug has been linked to such side effects as strokes, blood clots and heart attacks and even has caused death. Also risky is a lower-dose version of Yasmin called Yaz, as well as a generic version of Yasmin called Ocella.

Women who have suffered stroke, heart attack or other injury after using these drugs should contact a medical professional immediately. They also should consider alerting a Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella defective drugs lawyer or attorney provided by Jim S. Adler & Associates. Such a personal injury lawyer will fight for victims' rights in the legal realm in the form of a Yasmin lawsuit, Yaz lawsuit or Ocella lawsuit.

The Food and Drug Administration approved of Yasmin in 2006. Five years earlier, a lower-dose version named Yaz from Bayer had been approved by the FDA. The drugs are essentially the same, and both contain DRSP, or drospirenone, which can increase potassium levels in the body. That, in turn, can lead to serious health maladies in women with cardiovascular conditions or kidney (renal) disease. Alarmingly, Yasmin can cause serious injuries to the heart.

Despite these dangers, Bayer overstated the efficacy of Yasmin and Yaz in television commercials. The FDA says ads incorrectly claimed that the drug had been approved for treating mild acne and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Yaz, in fact, has only been approved for pregnancy prevention.

Yaz ads also failed to emphasize significant possible side effects. Yaz has been shown to lead to serious gallbladder disease, as well as the strokes, heart attacks and blood clots also associated with Yasmin.

After complaints by the FDA and the attorneys general of 27 states, Bayer committed $20 million to TV ads to correct the false claims of previous ads for Yaz.

Women who take Yaz birth control should seek immediate medical help if they have sudden dizziness, fainting, slurred speech, severe headaches, confusion, sudden shortness of breath, weakness, tingling or numbness in the legs or arms, vision problems, weakness on one side of the body, coughing up blood, pain in the chest or jaw or left arm, or pain, warmth or swelling in the calf or groin.

Yaz also has been known to lead to deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Ocella, a generic version of Yasmin or Yaz, is a birth control pill used to prevent pregnancy. As a generic drug, Ocella has gained usage due to health insurance companies wanting to replace use of Yasmin or Yaz with Ocella.

Like those drugs, Ocella contains the ingredient drospirenone. This element increases a woman's risk of stroke, heart attack, blood clots, high blood pressure, pulmonary embolism, migraines, depression, vision problems, breast lumps, confusion, numbness and death. Drospirenone also raises potassium levels in the body, leading to abnormal heart rhythms.

Of all birth control drugs marketed in America, only Ocella, Yasmin and Yaz contain drospirenone, which has a direct link to heart attacks and sudden death. Young women have an extremely low likelihood of heart attacks or strokes otherwise.

DISCLAIMER: Although it is licensed to practice law in the state of Texas, Jim S. Adler & Associates, based at 3D/International Tower, 1900 West Loop South, 20th Floor, Houston, Texas 77027, also works, as appropriate, with local attorneys and outside lawyers to litigate claims in other states, including the states of:

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