Yasmin
Yasmin is a low-dose combined contraceptive pill that utilizes a different progestin hormone, drospirenone, than most other low-dose pills. This progesterone is a synthetic version of the progestin that is naturally produced in women’s bodies, and it can help women avoid excess water retention and bloating during their menstrual cycles.
How Does Yasmin Work?
Yasmin combines the synthetic estrogen ethinyl estradiol and the synthetic progesterone drospirenone to mimic pregnancy. This stops ovulation and causes changes in the uterus that make conception very unlikely even if an egg is released.
Yasmin Dosage
Each active Yasmin pill contains 3 mg of drospirenone and 0.03 mg of ethinyl estradiol. The correct dosage is one active pill per day for the first 21 days of the menstrual cycle, and each Yasmin package contains 21 active pills. Some Yasmin packages also contain seven inert sugar pills to be taken during menstruation. Pills should be taken at the same time every day.
How Often is Cerazette Taken?
Bayer's Yasmin comes in packages with 21 active pills and seven sugar pills or with just the 21 active pills. Women who have difficulty remembering to take their pill every day may find the inert sugar pills helpful for maintaining their pill-taking routine.
Yasmin Side Effects
Every type of oral birth control pill, commonly known as “The Pill,” can have both mild and severe side effects. The mild side effects of Yasmin are not harmful and include:
- Changes to the menstrual cycle, including shorter and less painful periods
- Dizziness or headaches
- Breast tenderness
- Weight gain
- Changes in mood
Yasmin’s severe side effects can be dangerous. Women taking Yasmin should seek medical attention immediately if they experience any of the following side effects:
- A sharp chest pain
- Pain in the calf, which is a possible sign of a blood clot
- An allergic reaction, which may be indicated by swelling of the lips, tongue, face or throat, difficulty breathing and hives.
- Blurred vision, faintness, severe, sudden headache and numbness in an arm or leg, all of which are symptoms of a stroke
- Stomach pain or tenderness, fever, fatigue, dark-coloured urine and yellowing of the skin or eyes, all of which can indicate liver problems
What Other Medications Affect Yasmin?
Do not combine Yasmin with the following medications:
- Testolactone
- Metyrapone
- Letrozole
- Exemestane
- Bosentan
- Anastrozole
- Amprenavir, fosamprenavir
Yasmin can increase the amount of potassium in the blood, so women taking medication that affects their potassium levels should consult their doctors before starting Yasmin. These medications include:
- Potassium supplements
- Some medicines for pain and inflammation, such as ibuprofen or naproxen
- Heparin
- Diuretics
- Dietary salt substitutes
- Some medicines for blood pressure or heart disease, such as enalapril, losartan, eplerenone
Who Should Not Take Yasmin?
Women should not take Yasmin if they:
- Are allergic to any ingredient in Yasmin
- Are older than 35 years old and smoke cigarettes
- Are pregnant or think they may be pregnant
- Have a history of blood clotting problems or breast cancer
- Have a history of kidney disease, adrenal disease, liver disease or liver tumours
- Will be confined to a chair or a bed for an extended period of time
