In the midst of a 15 percent drop in sales of its birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin last quarter, Bayer Pharmaceutics finds itself facing an increasing number of lawsuits filed by former customers who suffered side effects after using the drugs. As of August 2010, the total number of Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits had grown to approximately 2,000 and is expected to increase as Yaz lawyers review and file additional cases throughout the country.

Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits involve allegations that Bayer failed to adequately warn about the risk of side effects faced by women who used Yaz or Yasmin birth control pills. Former patients have alleged that they suffered blood clots, heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or side effects after using the two birth control pills.

Yaz and Yasmin both contain a combination of ethinyl estradiol and a new type of progestin, drospirenone, which has the potential to increase potassium levels and cause serious heart and health problems. According to study published by the British Journal of Medicine patients who take either of the two drugs are twice as likely to suffer blood clots as those who take other popular forms of birth control.

The consumer group Public Citizen has called on the Food and Drug Administration to issue a Yasmin and Yaz recall due to the risk of side effects. As of today’s date, the FDA has not announced any upcoming plans to recall the two medications.