If I remember correctly, you should get in touch with Hopper69...

I don't mean to be rude, so sorry if anyone takes it that way, but can someone please explain to me exactly how it is that you legally prove that BC was the cause of clots? Considering clots are usually the result of some kind of perfect storm within our bodies, with not just one, but multiple factors, some of which we may not even know? And when every BC pill comes with warnings that blood clots are a possible complication and even most doctors will again mention that before prescribing then, but women decide to ignore that risk because they think it wouldn't happen to them...how is it that the problem is the fault of the BC and not one's own responsibility??

I feel the same way.

Also, I know that there are lawsuits for specific birth control pills, like Yaz, I think, and I've asked here why that pill is being targeted for lawsuits and no one seems to be able to tell me. I wonder if the materials that come with that particular pill are not clear on the risks.

Anyway, I was on BC pills for almost 25 years before the PE; not only does the packet of pills from the manufacturer state that blood clots are a risk, but so does the print out from the pharmacy that comes with your prescription, if I remember correctly. I knew the risks, but I LOVED being on the pill, which is why I continued to take it into my 40s. Personal choice for sure. And Shilosmommy is so right. You don't think the bad side effects are ever going to happen to you. So many meds can have really dangerous risk factors. Hello, warfarin? If I almost bleed to death, I'm not going to sue the manufacturer, as I understand the risks and am willing to take them.

Sorry for the rant and LesaP, this is a valid question so it's not meant to poopoo you. I just don't really get how many lawsuits are valid, in my world of personal responsibility.

My original two DVTs were blamed on BC, but my PEs in January arrived with no hormonal influence at all ... which makes me doubt that the original diagnosis was completely correct.

I'm not sure that there is a way to prove conclusively that the clots were or were not caused by BC, so I would feel weird about a lawsuit alleging just that.

And I'm not sure also how BC manufacturers are liable for this. What could they have done differently? A lot of meds have possible severe side effects. They give us warnings, hope our docs will talk to us about the effects, and we have to make our own decisions. Short of trying to get the medicine off the market, I'm not sure what the goal of a lawsuit would be ...

I need to find the study, but I did a lot of research when I got out of the hospital, and remember reading that due to the synthetic hormone in Yaz, which is not in the other birth control pills, a woman is 7 times mre likely to develop a blood clot. I'm not sure if this is 7 times more likely than on the other pills, or just 7 times more likely in general, but this is the most popular one out there right now, and it carries a greater risk, and this is not being communicated.

Thanks for explaining that.

If that were disclosed, would it have made you not take the pills? I know I would have still taken them, if it were me.

I would have taken a different pill. I was looking to switch to a pill because I was getting infections from the NuvaRing, i.e. I couldn't even look at an antibiotic (if you know what I mean). My gynecologist happened to have free samples of Yaz, and said that this pill was a new one that had less side effects and they had heard all good things from everyone who has taken it. There are so many pills out there, I would have definitely requested something different w/ a lower risk of the serious side effects. I never complained of PMDD, which seems to be what Yaz addresses.

Ok, my question is, who do you sue? The drug maker or the doc who prescribed it? Hmmmm.....the deep pockets are with the manufacturer, but your doc sounded like he/she was doing a pretty bang-up sales job. If your doc had laid out all the info on all your pill options and let YOU choose....so it's the doc at fault.
Or you could sue the FDA for allowing YAZ to be on the market.
You could say in a perfect world, dangerous drugs would not be sent to market. But then, you wouldn't be able to take warfarin either.

No comment on the should you sue issue, but if you do, especially with an issue such as this, be prepared for every aspect of your life to be intensely scrutinized and delved into by strangers. Medical privacy is no longer an option. Suing a company in a case like this can be very difficult for plaintiffs.

Just something you should know going in...

Chris

I may have a mal-practice suit for my PEs because I was in the hospital 1 month before I was diagnosed with my PEs. My first trip to the hospital was for a kidney stone/infection for 5 days. The dr. ordered the compression machine for my legs, the machine was brought in my room, but the nurses never put on my legs! The worst part was that I asked if I could have them on or could I have a Lovenox shots while I was there. The Dr. said he didn't feel the shot was necessary, but the compression machine for my legs were.

So I don't know if it's worth it to have a law suit since I was also taking BC too.

I'm actuall waiting to see if I have permanent lung damage before I talk to a lawyer.

Was also considering a malpractice suit. I'm just coming off my second bout with PEs. After feeling severe SOB for about 4 weeks (and thinking it was my asthma) I started coughing blood. Went to a Pulmonologist, gave him my symptoms and history and he said it was probably bronchitis. He scheduled a CT scan I requested to do a followup on a nodule they found in my lung the first time around (three years ago) and never bothered to add contrast to the CT to check for current PE. Three days after the CT scan I'm in the ER/ICU with massive bilateral PEs. Thankful the doc in the hospital was more on the ball.

The problem I think is that I'm still here, haven't lost a lot of money due to this and the long term effects are not clear. It does look like I have some lung damage from this.

I haven't talked to a lawyer but I'm thinking most probably won't want the case since there's not an immediate large payout visible.

Wonder if your case would be similar since it seems like your recovering. Wonder how they would quantify the monetary impact of long-term lung damage.

My PE's were alco caused by BC pills...not YAZ. And most docs say that the risk is associated with smoking and being over 35.I got my PE's and I don't smoke and am not over 35....so who knows. I do know there is a lawsuit with YAZ because there have been an unusually high incidence of blood clots with this drug.

I started on another birth control and was switched to Yaz without any discussion or prior consultation because the pill I was originally prescribed gave me a sinus infection. I asked to switch to another pill because of this side effect, only to get multiple UTIs and finally, 6 months after the switch, I collapsed on vacation with multiple bilteral PEs and was hospitalized for a week.

I am a 35 year old former smoker who completed my first half marathon just 2 1/2 months prior to my collapse. I never had a conversation with my doctor or nurse practitioner about the possibility of blood clots. I didn't even know I had one, despite the fact that I'd developed a horrible cramp in my calf during a 12 hour car ride. I had no information about symptoms to watch out for and it wasn't until a runner friend of mine mentioned the possibility of a DVT when I complained about my calf pain 5 days after the onset, that I heard about the possibility of a blood clot. 5 hours later I passed out from poor oxygen flow and was hospitalized.

I can safely say that if I'd had any knowledge of this possible side effect, and the increased likelihood using Yaz, I'd have exercised different birth control options.