Yaz - More than Just Blood Clots
The primary focus of current lawsuits against Bayer for its popular birth control pill Yaz has been the medication’s potential to cause increased blood clotting, a side effect that has been alleged to cause heart damage and strokes in a number of patients. However, certain new cases being filed against Bayer have been alleging that the pill also is causing damage to patients' gallbladders, in some cases resulting in the removal of said organ. While it is true someone can live without their gallbladder, the organ plays an important role in managing the presence of oils in the body, and having surgery to remove it is an expensive and painful option that no one should be forced to bear needlessly.
The suits, several having originated in Canada, allege that Bayer's birth control pill is disrupting the hormone levels in women's bodies, leading to a rise in cholesterol in the bile that the gallbladder regulates. This results in reduced function in the bladder, which allows hard deposits to form, eventually causing gallstones. Gallstones are an intensely uncomfortable and painful condition, with many patients reporting them as more painful than kidney stones; the pain is often so intense that it requires strong medication to bring under control.
Gallstones also cause infection in the gallbladder through the irritation they cause. These infections require strong antibiotic treatments to eliminate, and must be controlled before surgery can happen. A laparoscopy, the procedure to remove the gall bladder, can be a difficult process to recover from as well, though it is generally not a risky surgery.
In short, if the link between taking Yaz and the irritation of the gallbladder to the point of gallbladder disease can be established, Bayer will continue to have difficulty insisting that this high-earning medicine is just as safe as other forms of birth control.
