Safyral Gallbladder Disease Lawsuit

Safyral birth control pills can increase the risk of gallstones and gallbladder disease. This severe, painful disorder may affect women with no history or risk factors for the disease. Gallbladder attacks are often extremely painful, and can last for several hours. Many women must have surgery to remove the gallbladder. Fortunately, the gallbladder is not essential for survival. However, this disorder can be painful, debilitating, and expensive to treat.

Safyral Overview

Safyral is a birth control pill that contains the same active hormonal ingredients as Yasmin, but Safyral also contains an additional folate B-vitamin. The hormones in Safyral are drospirenone, a new type of synthetic progestin, and ethinyl estradiol, a synthetic estrogen. Safyral also contains 0.451-mg of levomefolate calcium.

The reason Safyral contains a folate vitamin is to prevent birth defects when the birth control fails. Experts know that many women do not take Safyral exactly as directed — one pill at the same time every day. When Safyral (and other birth control pills) are not taken exactly as directed, about 9 women per 100 will get pregnant.

The manufacturers of Safyral included folate to reduce the risk of birth defects in these accidental pregnancies. Experts know that low folate levels are associated with most neural tube birth defects, which are often extremely debilitating or deadly for an infant. These birth defects include spina bifida, anencephaly, iniencephaly, and more.

Safyral Gallbladder Disease

Safyral contains a combination of hormones, which are responsible for the increased risk of gallstones and gallbladder disease. Researchers have discovered that women have a doubled risk of gallbladder disease compared to men. This is because women frequently ingest excess hormones in the form of birth control or hormone replacement therapy. High levels of estrogen also frequently follow pregnancy.

Safyral gallbladder disease may be caused by several mechanisms. It is possible that the hormones in Safyral have a mild diuretic effect, which increases the risk of gallbladder disease. Safyral may increase the amount of calcified particles in the gallbladder, which may form gallstones. It may also decrease the flow of bile from the gallbladder, which increases the risk that a gallstone will get stuck in the bile duct and cause severe inflammation.

What is Gallbladder Disease?

Gallbladder disease is a painful, debilitating condition that occurs when the gallbladder becomes suddenly and severely inflamed, usually due to gallstones. The gallbladder is a digestive organ that is located on the right side of the body, just below the ribcage. Internally, it is located just below the liver. The liver produces a substance called bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. The gallbladder also removes water from bile and concentrates it. Then, when a person eats a fatty meal, the gallbladder releases the bile into the intestines, where it is responsible for breaking down fatty foods.

Inflammation of the gallbladder usually causes severe pain in the abdomen, also known as a gallbladder attack. Inflammation is often due to gallstones. Gallstones are hard accretions of calcified particles in the gallbladder. They may be as large as a golfball. There may also be many gallstones that entirely fill the gallbladder and cause severe damage to the organ.

Approximately half of cases of gallbladder disease must be treated with surgical removal of the gallbladder. This surgery is called a cholecystectomy.

Signs & Symptoms of Gallbladder Disease

It is common for diagnosis of Safyral gallbladder disease to be delayed, because it often occurs in young women who have no history of gallbladder problems or risk factors for the disease. Gallbladder disease is typically diagnosed after it begins causing severe, prolonged pain.

• Abdominal pain, located just beneath the ribcage on the right side of the body
• Pain that becomes intense over several minutes or hours
• The pain may be most intense at night or after eating a fatty meal
• Nausea, vomiting
• Bloating, gas
• Indigestion
• Burping, belching