Nurse Sues Bayer Over Yaz Side Effects

Rock Hill, SCA South Carolina woman has launched a lawsuit alleging Yaz side effects severely impacted her life. Candice Atkinson claims that Yasmin birth control side effects not only left her with life-threatening injuries, but the side effects of Yasmin are more dangerous than previous generations of oral contraceptives.

The plaintiff's legal team notes the high number of serious adverse reactions profiled in the adverse events database for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—among them strokes, heart attacks, blood clot formation, gallbladder and kidney disease—and sometimes death. Bayer, the manufacturer of Yaz and Yasmin, is accused of failing to warn doctors and consumers about the kind of adverse reactions that affected patients like Atkinson in such a negative manner.

Identified by Pharma Investments, Ventures & Law Weekly as a nurse, the 33-year-old plaintiff who hails from Rock Hill, SC, cites Bayer for promoting Yaz, "with the slogan 'the difference a little chemistry can make'," Ms. Atkinson states in her action. "What Bayer did not disclose was how negative that difference can be. Yaz gave me life-threatening injuries that have forever altered my life."

Yasmin Birth Control Side Effects

Atkinson goes on to say that her prescription for Yaz was not even for birth control. "My dermatologist prescribed me Yaz in March, 2008, to treat my acne," stated the plaintiff. "At the time, I was unaware that Yaz had not been approved by the FDA to treat skin conditions for women who were not already using it as birth control, even though Bayer advertised it for preventing or reducing acne."

Several months later, Atkinson started experiencing Yasmin birth control side effects including pain in her left shoulder. She also began to have difficulty breathing.

"I went to my doctor for an examination. Testing revealed multiple blood clots in both lungs. I was hospitalized immediately. Fortunately, the treatments eliminated the blood clots, but only one month later I was diagnosed with gallstones. I then had to undergo gall bladder surgery in January, 2009. I have suffered months of anxiety and nausea related to these medical procedures and drugs given to treat the adverse side effects I developed from taking Yaz."

The complaint holds that Ms. Atkinson would never have developed Yaz side effects, blood clots, been hospitalized, or forced to undergo numerous medical tests, procedures and gall bladder surgery if Bayer had properly warned patients of the side effects of Yasmin and dangers of using Yaz solely as acne medication. The suit alleges that Ms. Atkinson never used Yaz for birth control. Instead, as a result of Bayer's misleading advertisements to doctors and consumers, her dermatologist gave her Yaz solely for her acne.

The action was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey.