[auntie_awesome]

Why are you taking Yaz or a generic for balance? Yaz and the like are normally prescribed for balance when PCOS is a health option. Have you had your hormones checked?

Just because there is a lawsuit does not mean anything is wrong with it. I'm a Yaz user for PCOS and it has had a wonderful effect on my life. Between that and Metformin, all but one of my hormone levels are now normal!

If you are worried, go on a different birth control. Ortho is normally offered for 11 dollars at Target, and I think 4 dollars at Walmart. BUT, if you are on Yaz for a hormonal reason, another birth control may not work the same. Just because it is birth control does not mean they all have the same levels of hormones in it. If you have excessively low estrogen for example, you do not want to go on a pill with low estrogen...you want your estrogen levels to be normal.

[Guest]

Depending on how you look at it, there could be "validity" to every law suit that was ever filed. Is it accurate? Probably not.

I wonder how many of these "valid" lawsuits would be filed in the U.S., the most "lawsuit happy" country in the entire world, IF there was no enormous financial gain to be made OR if the loser had to pay the legal fees?

Tort law is responsible for an enormous percentage of the lawsuits that are filed in the U.S. If you don't believe it, check the number of lawsuits filed in countries where tort law is not practiced....

The U.S. is the only country that practices the 4As...Anyone can sue Anybody for Any reason at Anytime.

[ItsASecret]

Some lawsuits ARE valid. And if those particular lawsuits concern the OP, she should voice that to her doctor and insist on a different birth control.

Absolutely there are valid lawsuits, most of them involve death or very extreme side effects like losing an organ due to complications-NOT previous complications like an alcoholic who loses a liver who just so happens to be on bc when they should not have been. The real lawsuits are big, complicated, and involve a heck of a lot of money. The ones that end up in court for years because "my tummy hurt when I took this"...going nowhere.

If a patient is worried about some birth control there is no reason they cannot ask their doctor for a list of new ones. That list is big and it is still growing. All doctors know, just like a patient should not, that each pill will react differently. One person who loathes a particular brand will be the only one that works in another individual and so on. The one that just does not seem to agree with a patients body for the first month does not warrant a legal action but a lot do it anyway.

I wonder how many of these "valid" lawsuits would be filed in the U.S., the most "lawsuit happy" country in the entire world, IF there was no enormous financial gain to be made OR if the loser had to pay the legal fees?

That would be a curious thing. My assumption is that they would take the Advil like their doctor advises when they have a headache or are cramping thereby leaving them at home and not planning a lengthy court case. If they actually had to pay when they do lose?-I think it would likely only be the completely verifiable medical cases that make it into the court room. The family of the patient who died, the one missing a kidney because of the pill and so on...cases that deserve giant settlements over fractional errors in the pill.

[Ashlee T.]

Yamimi - You are the only one who can decide how seriously you want to take ANY lawsuit regarding a drug you are putting into your body. There are frivolous lawsuits. There are very valid lawsuits. There are posts on this site of horrible reactions to Yaz that mirror those in the lawsuit claims. There are others on here who have taken Yaz and Yasmin (When I was on BC I tried both of them), and have no side effects other than what is just typical for bc pills.

The bottom line is you should never take something you're not comfortable with. You should ALWAYS observe side effects, listen to your body, pay attention to what you're taking and how it's effecting you and demand that your doctor listen to your concerns. If he/she doesn't, find a new doctor. It is your body, you only have one. It is your life...you only have one of those too. Don't be afraid to speak up.

[Yamimi]

Wow, people thanks for all the answers! To the one who asked about Hormone check - I don't think I had one.. how do they do that? I mention it's for "balance" because my periods are too heavy. Since I started on BC pills, they've been much better.

And..I still don't have money, so perhaps I'll consider the hormone check when I get some cash together.

Also, I'm not letting the lawsuits bother me. I just didn't know if that coincided with how prescribtions were given. Otherwise, I assume if that I'm having no probs with it, I'm okay.