Young Mother Files Claim against Beyaz Birth Control Pill

Chenoa, ILThe birth control pill Beyaz is similar to the other drospirenone (DRSP) medications, namely Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella: they are all associated with serious side effects, from gallbladder problems to pulmonary embolisms. And the manufacturers are involved in thousands of DRSP personal injury claims.

The Beyaz official website lists the most serious risks of Beyaz, including blood clots (it also says that the risks are highest during the first year of use), stroke and heart attack. It then lists the most common side effects, including nausea/vomiting and fatigue.

The website does not list gallbladder problems amongst the side effects, but according to Karmyn and countless other women it should: just weeks after taking Beyaz, after suffering pain she says is worse than childbirth, Karmyn was rushed to the hospital and had her gallbladder removed. Now she has to live with irritable bowel syndrome and she is afraid to take any other form of birth control pill—ever again.

Karmyn first took Beyaz when she was 17 but stopped taking it because it made her feel nauseous and tired all the time—two of the common side effects. After she had her daughter, she went back on it, but just two weeks later, she wound up in the ER.

"The ER doctor told me I had a gallstone in my bile duct that was moving back and forth and several more in my gallbladder," Karmyn says. "Now I understood why I was in so much pain—it was so bad that I couldn't even pick up my three-month-old daughter. And after eating anything, I would get into a fetal position and wait for the pain to subside.

"When I was admitted, I was asked what meds I was taking. I told them about the Beyaz but the doctor said I hadn't been taking it long enough to cause any damage. But I know better.

"I stopped taking Beyaz the day before I went to ER because it was the only thing that had changed; there was no other reason to explain why I felt this way. I would wake up feeling fine, take the Beyaz and feel like crap about one hour after taking it.

"Since the surgery I don't feel sick anymore, but I am sickened with the knowledge that Bayer knows the dangers of its drugs yet still has it on the market. I have lost all faith in pharmaceutical companies, especially anything made by Bayer.

"I believe drug companies like Bayer are only out to make money and don't care about our safety. If I can be one of those people that helps remove these meds from the marketplace, and not let this happen to other women and their families, it would make me feel that I am making a difference.

"Right now I am in the process of getting all the paperwork, including my medical reports, to the attorney I found through LawyersandSettlements. I feel confident that he might be able to get me some closure with this Beyaz claim and get Bayer to recall it. There has to be a law that more clinical trials are done before we become their guinea pigs—these drug companies don't find out that their medication fails until someone is hurt or even dies. I am done with all new medications that are introduced to the market.

"I know I am one of the lucky ones because in my research I found out that some women almost died from DVTs and pulmonary embolism caused by these drospirenone drugs. Having my gallbladder removed is minor compared to what they have gone through, but Bayer has to take responsibility regardless."