As noted, the NWHN believes that
drospirenone should be taken off the market, for the reasons presented above.
PMS/PMDD appears to be best regulated with OCPs containing
drospirenone, (7) and using either a shortened course of the placebo phase or a continuous regimen appears to be the most beneficial.
Drospirenone (DRP), another steroidal progestin, has antiandrogenic and antimineralocorticoid activities which other progestins lack.
During usage of
drospirenone the metabolic effects appear to be much less severe or entirely nonexistent when women with PCOS are treated with
drospirenone containing OCPs.
Desogestrel and cyproterone each contributed 14 additional cases of VTE each year per 10,000 treated women aged 15-49, and
drospirenone, desogestrel, and cyproterone each contributed to an extra 17 cases of VTE each year per 10,000 women aged 25-49.
Women using newer pills, containing
drospirenone, desogestrel, gestodene, and cyproterone, had around a four times increased risk of VTE.
After 3 months of using an OCP containing 30 [micro]g EE and 3 mg
drospirenone, the labia minora thickness and the vaginal introitus area significantly decreased in comparison with the baseline values.
Drospirenone (DRS), chemically (6R,7R,8R,9S,10R,13S,14S, 15S,16S,17S) 1,3',4',6,6a,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,15a,16-hexadecahydro-10,13-dimethylspiro-[17H-dicyclopropa [6,7:15,16]cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene-17, 2'(5'H)-furan]-3,5'(2H)-dione (Figure 1), is used in contraception and hormone replacement therapy after menopause [1, 2].
See also Grigg-Spall's Network article on Diane-35 [5], an acne medication containing
drospirenone that is prescribed off label as a contraceptive).
thousands of women have taken legal action in the form of class-action lawsuits against pharmaceutical giant Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the birth control pills Yaz, Yasmin and others that contain the synthetic hormone
drospirenone (DRSP).
Furthermore, cycle control with the combined vaginal contraceptive ring has been shown to be superior to that with a combined OCP containing 30 [micro]g ethinyl estradiol and 150 [micro]g levonorgestrel (10, 11) or 3 mg
drospirenone (12).
Yaz contains
drospirenone (a progestin) and ethinyl estradiol (a form of estrogen) and has been shown to be clinically effective at treating the emotional and physical symptoms of PMDD.
