By Reader Request - More info on YAZ

One of my alert readers (one of the five of you) has requested additional information about the birth control pill called Yaz that I mentioned ealier. Legal Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or pharmacist but I can use google and have a good feel for statistics.
Apparently Self magazine had an article on Yaz this month (link not available because Self's Conde Nast website does not rock the house...in fact it sucks).

Drugs.com has this to say about the progesterone used in Yaz:

Drospirenone may raise potassium levels in your blood. Other medical
conditions can also affect potassium levels, including liver disease, kidney
disease, and adrenal gland disorders. Before using Yaz, tell your doctor if you
have any of these conditions.
•
Certain medicines can also affect
potassium levels. Tell your doctor if you use any of the following
drugs:
·
heparin;
·
aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs) such as celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac (Voltaren),
ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), indomethacin, naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), piroxicam
(Feldene);
·
a diuretic ("water pill") such as spironolactone (Aldactone),
triamterene (Dyrenium, Dyazide, Maxzide), amiloride (Midamor), or eplerenone
(Inspra);
·
a potassium supplement such as Klor-Con, K-Dur,
K-Tab;
·
an ACE inhibitor such as benazepril (Lotensin), lisinopril
(Prinivil, Zestril), enalapril (Vasotec); or
·
blood pressure medicine
such as candesartan (Atacand), losartan (Cozaar), telmisartan (Micardis

So, what I think this means is if you have arthritis and are on long-term durg therapy, don't use Yaz. Also, if you have serious diseases of the kidneys or liver, don't use Yaz. If you are going to be taking a lot of painkillers, you might want to take Tylenol (acetominophen) instead of ibuprofen. IF you get sick and need a prescription for antibiotics, make sure to tell the prescribing physician because there are a lot of interactions with this drug (but honestly, if you have ever read the drug warnings on any drug, it's pretty standard). Just to make sure I'm not under-reacting, I looked up the interactions on a few other drugs I have taken.

My Seasonale birth control pills have interactions with Vitamin C, antibiotics, and tylenol. Huh. Who knew? I often down my tylenol with a glass of orange juice, so there's that. The biggest risks with Seasonale are blood clots and strokes (which is a possible, rare, serious side effect with all hormonal contraceptives).

Albuterol which I have given to Chuckles and is often given to children with asthma can alter blood sugar (causing dangerous conditions for some), can increase heartrate, can give you trouble urinating, mental problems, weakness, etc. Overall, this drug has been used a lot but needs to be used cautiously (especially in pregnant and nursing women...like all drugs)>

So, bottom line, if you are healthy, Yaz is probably fine. Just don't take it with St. John's Wort.