Wrongful Death Lawsuit Alleges Suicide From Yaz and Claravis

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Published: November 3rd, 2009

The parents of an Ohio girl have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the makers of Yaz birth control and Claravis acne medication, saying that side effect of the drugs caused her to commit suicide.

The Claravis and Yaz lawsuit was filed in Mahoning County Court by Christopher and Shirley Plevniak, the parents of Autumn Plevniak, according to a report by Courthouse News Service. The complaint alleges that Barr Laboratories, the maker of Claravis, and Bayer Healthcare, the maker of Yaz, are liable for Autumn’s suicide in October 2007.

Yaz (ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone) is a leading oral contraceptive, which uses a new type of progestin, drospirenone, in combination with ethinyl estradiol to prevent unwanted pregnancy. However, the drug was also heavily advertised for the benefits it provides in treating acne.

Bayer currently faces a number of Yaz birth control lawsuits that allege the drug increases the risk of injuries like strokes, heart attacks, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), gallbladder disease and sudden death. While the precautions section of the warning label does discuss the possibility of depression, the Plevniak’s lawsuit is believed to be the first Yaz case to allege that side effects of the birth control pill caused a user to commit suicide.

Claravis (isotretinoin) is used to treat severe acne in patients who have not responded to other treatments. It reduces the amount of skin oil the body produces and changes the chemistry of the skin oil to prevent hardening of the skin. It has been linked to a number of psychiatric side effects including thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts, depression, nervousness, psychosis, aggression and violent behaviors.

The Plevniaks said their daughter was prescribed Yaz and Claravis to combat her acne. The lawsuit alleges that both Barr and Bayer failed to give adequate warning that their medications could cause suicidal tendencies, and knew, or should have known, about the psychiatric side effects.

There Are 6 Comments So Far • (Add Your Comments)

  1. Comment by annette on 4 November 2009:

    I am a clinical psychologist. In 2008 I wrote an article entitled “Medicine and Menatl Health – the Isotretinoin Issue” which was published in the New Zealand Clinical Psychologist Journal. If anyone would like a copy email me on: fea@xtra.co.nz

  2. Comment by Loretta on 3 March 2010:

    Oh my God, I cannot believe what I just read about this case. My husband and I have been going through the worst nightmare with our teenage daugter. The past two weeks have been the worst. My Daugter started taking Yaz in May of 2008. She went her whole Freshman year very sad, emotional and would get very angry easily. She started seeing a Phyciatrist and was then prescribed Prozac in July of 2009. The Prozac worked for about a month then stopped working. The Doctor kept increasing the dosage. As the dosage increased her suicide thoughts increased.

    We have been monitoring her constanly. I decided to create a time-line to try to figure out what may have caused the change in her life. She never had mental problems and was extremely happy with life and did very well in school. She has since then missed so much school and cannot get out of bed and talks constantly about the pain she is in and how she wants to end her life.

    Two weeks ago we stopped the Prozac. Two days ago we stopped the Yaz. I truly believe this all started because of the Yaz. I am deeply sorry to read about Autumn’s suicide. I cannot imagine going through the pain of losing a child. Just reading my daughter’s suicide letter was painful enough.

    I truly hope that the word gets out and Doctors stop prescribing this drug.

  3. Comment by Janet on 28 May 2010:

    I am very sorry to hear of your daughter’s suicide and the unbearable time she had prior to it. It sounds just like my daughter’s like for the past year. She has been taking Yaz for about 2-1/2 years. At first, it was wonderful and her acne completely resolved, but over the past nine months or so, she has become mean, unreasonable, terrible at school, doing terrible in school, constantly screaming at me or her brother about something. Her periods became non-existent and last Friday, she saw her PMP, who stopped the Yaz, telling my daughter that it was making her hormones worse instead of better.

    Last night, my son found my daughter on our bathroom floor passed out after she had taken an overdose of medication to kill herself. She is only 14 years’ old. She has never done anything like this before, and I hope she never does again.

    I need to know if this medication is connected to my daughter’s actions. Does anyone out there know?

  4. Comment by Joianne on 25 September 2010:

    I was on Yaz for a few months combined with Celexa for depression(I had been taking the Celexa for a year with no problem). I was 27. After just a month of taking Yaz I was in the hospital because I tried to commit suicide. My relationship with my husband and friends sufffered drastically through this time. Because of how depressed and Moody Yaz made me I almost lost everyone close to me. I keep hearing about lawsuits regarding the other health problems regarding Yaz and I feel deep sorrow for those families. Something needs to be done about this too. Its not about money, put a better warning on the label so parents and patients can be aware that SEVER depression is possible and they know the signs. I have an 8 year old son (he was 6 at the time) where would he of been if I never got help that night?

  5. Comment by Cathy on 18 October 2010:

    My friend just linked me to this web page, because my 15 yr old daughter committed suicide 3 months after starting YAZ.
    Her personality became volatile when she began taking YAZ. I didn’t connect the mood swings and temper to it until after she hung herself. But looking back now, I see it was all at the same time. There needs to be a better warning label.

    My heart goes out to you others who have lost your loved ones to suicide. It is the most devastating thing–to know that your loved one died of sadness.

  6. Comment by Angel on 24 July 2011:

    I have been on birth control for 3 weeks and I wanted to commit suicide, I have never felf this way before, I tryed go to sleep and not wake up by taking 10 sleeping pills but it didn”t work because I woke up the next day, I was still very depressed so and I tried to take another sleeping pill to go back to sleep, I was sleepy and depressed and couldn’t think straight. I got into the cupboard lookiing for something to go back to sleep and I accidently took a pill that had been in the cuppboard in a pill container that someone had left there and I thought that it was another sleeping pill. I normally would never do something like this but I wasn’t myself. I felt normal within 3 hours so I looked up the medication and it was a antidepressant anti psychotic. I had put in a call last week to the doctor. Monday I will talk to them and find out iwhat to do. I can”t believe that no one said suicide can be a side effect to birth control. I am very lucky that I accidently took something that helped me think straight again. I am very lucky

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