Beyond Clots – Yasmin and Gallbladder Symptoms

By May 21, 2010June 26th, 2019Uncategorized

The role of birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin in the formation of blood clots is well-documented, and many people are familiar with the lawsuits pertaining to heart damage and pulmonary embolisms resulting from these two Bayer flagship drugs. Now there are growing concerns that these two hormonal treatments also may have a role in the development of painful and potentially dangerous gallbladder symptoms, as well.

The hormones in Yaz and Yasmin are thought to contribute to the formation of gallbladder symptoms along two vectors. The first is through increasing the body’s production of cholesterol. Secondly, both medications are suspected to reduce the activity level of the gallbladder. Between higher cholesterol levels to deal with and a reduced capacity, the gallbladder then begins to form gallstones. While normally people can have gallstones without developing symptoms, these little deposits can and do cause severe inflammation to the organ. An inflamed gallbladder is a result of infection, which is never good for the body. In addition, it can result in excruciating levels of pain that are comparable to or even worse than kidney stones. This can leave people unable to work or function normally. This can sometimes be treated with antibiotics, but frequently a surgical procedure is needed to remove a stone-affected bladder. Of course, any surgical procedure is going to require a certain amount of time laid-up in bed, as well as cutting and rearranging.

If a patient has been on Yaz or Yasmin, which thicken the blood and can lead to clots, then the already-present danger of blood clots from being recumbent after surgery is potentially increased. Doctors are very good at what they do and often will make preparations for such eventualities, but they cannot anticipate everything so this additional risk is something to carefully consider. The issue of birth control-derived gallstones is not as present in the media as that of blood clots, but the two could be more intrinsically related than currently known, and the matter deserves further study and caution.