Drospirenone
Also sold as: Yaz
Related Medications
These drugs share a pharmacologic classification but are NOT interchangeable. Listing here does not imply clinical equivalence. A physician must evaluate each drug individually for the patient's specific condition.
Classification: Progesterone Congeners (source: RxClass/NLM)
- etonogestrelProgestinSame Class
- segesteroneProgestinSame Class
- desogestrelProgestinSame Class
- dienogestProgestinSame Class
- ethynodiolProgestinSame Class
- norgestimateProgestinSame Class
- norelgestrominProgestinSame Class
- 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesteroneProgestinSame Class
- medroxyprogesteroneProgestinSame Class
- megestrolProgestinSame Class
- norethindroneProgestinSame Class
Insurance Coverage User-Reported
No community coverage data yet for drospirenone.
Coverage data submission coming soon.
Drug Information
Mechanism of Action
12.1 Mechanism of Action COCs lower the risk of becoming pregnant primarily by suppressing ovulation.
Indications & Uses
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Yaz is a combination of drospirenone, a progestin, and ethinyl estradiol, an estrogen, indicated for use by females of reproductive potential to: • Prevent pregnancy. ( 1.1 ) • Treat symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) for females of reproductive potential who choose to use an oral contraceptive for contraception. ( 1.2 ) • Treat moderate acne for women at least 14 years old only if the patient desires an oral contraceptive for birth control. ( 1.3 ) 1.1 Oral Contraceptive Yaz ® is indicated for use by females of reproductive potential to prevent pregnancy. 1.2 Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) Yaz is also indicated for the treatment of symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in females of reproductive potential who choose to use an oral contraceptive as their method of contraception. The effectiveness of Yaz for PMDD when used for more than three menstrual cycles has not been evaluated. The essential features of PMDD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-4th edition (DSM-IV) include markedly depressed mood, anxiety or tension, affective lability, and persistent anger or irritability. Other features include decreased interest in usual activities, difficulty concentrating, lack of energy, change in appetite or sleep, and feeling out of control. Physical symptoms associated with PMDD include breast tenderness, headache, joint and muscle pain, bloating and weight gain. In this disorder, these symptoms occur regularly during the luteal phase and remit within a few days following onset of menses; the disturbance markedly interferes with work or school, or with usual social activities and relationships with others. Diagnosis is made by healthcare providers according to DSM-IV criteria, with symptomatology assessed prospectively over at least two menstrual cycles. In making the diagnosis, care should be taken to rule out other cyclical mood disorders. Yaz has not been evaluated for the treatment of premens
Dosage & Administration
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION • Take one tablet daily by mouth at the same time every day. ( 2.1 ) • Tablets must be taken in the order directed on the blister pack. ( 2.1 ) 2.1 How to Take Yaz Take one tablet by mouth at the same time every day. The failure rate may increase when pills are missed or taken incorrectly. To achieve maximum contraceptive and PMDD effectiveness, Yaz must be taken exactly as directed, in the order directed on the blister pack. Single missed pills should be taken as soon as remembered. 2.2 How to Start Yaz Instruct the patient to begin taking Yaz either on the first day of her menstrual period (Day 1 Start) or on the first Sunday after the onset of her menstrual period (Sunday Start). Day 1 Start During the first cycle of Yaz use, instruct the patient to take one light pink Yaz daily, beginning on Day 1 of her menstrual cycle. (The first day of menstruation is Day 1.) She should take one light pink Yaz daily for 24 consecutive days, followed by one white inert tablet daily on Days 25 through 28. Yaz should be taken in the order directed on the package at the same time each day, preferably after the evening meal or at bedtime with some liquid, as needed. Yaz can be taken without regard to meals. If Yaz is first taken later than the first day of the menstrual cycle, Yaz should not be considered effective as a contraceptive until after the first 7 consecutive days of product administration. Instruct the patient to use a non-hormonal contraceptive as back-up during the first 7 days. The possibility of ovulation and conception prior to initiation of medication should be considered. Sunday Start During the first cycle of Yaz use, instruct the patient to take one light pink Yaz daily, beginning on the first Sunday after the onset of her menstrual period. She should take one light pink Yaz daily for 24 consecutive days, followed by one white inert tablet daily on Days 25 through 28. Yaz should be taken in the order directed on the package at the same time each day, preferably after the evening meal or at bedtime with some liquid, as needed. Yaz can be taken without regard to meals. Yaz should not be considered effective as a contraceptive until after the first 7 consecutive days of product administration. Instruct the patient to use a non-hormonal contraceptive as back-up during the first 7 days. The possibility of ovulation and conception prior to initiation of medication should be considered. The patient should begin her next and all subsequent 28-day regimens of Yaz on the same day of the week that she began her first regimen, following the same schedule. She should begin taking her light pink tablets on the next day after ingestion of the last white tablet, regardless of whether or not a menstrual period has occurred or is still in progress. Anytime a subsequent cycle of Yaz is started later than the day following administration of the last white tablet, the patient should use another method of contraception until she has taken a light pink Yaz daily for seven consecutive days. When switching from a different birth control pill When switching from another birth control pill, Yaz should be started on the same day that a new pack of the previous oral contraceptive would have been started. When switching from a method other than a birth control pill When switching from a transdermal patch or vaginal ring, Yaz should be started when the next application would have been due. When switching from an injection, Yaz should be started when the next dose would have been due. When switching from an intrauterine contraceptive or an implant, Yaz should be started on the day of removal. Withdrawal bleeding usually occurs within 3 days following the last light pink tablet. If spotting or breakthrough bleeding occurs while taking Yaz, instruct the patient to continue taking Yaz by the regimen described above. Counsel her that this type of bleeding is usually transient and without significance; however, advise her that if the bleeding is persistent or prolonged, she should consult her healthcare provider. Although the occurrence of pregnancy is low if Yaz is taken according to directions, if withdrawal bleeding does not occur, consider the possibility of pregnancy. If the patient has not adhered to the prescribed dosing schedule (missed one or more active tablets or started taking them on a day later than she should have), consider the possibility of pregnancy at the time of the first missed period and take appropriate diagnostic measures. If the patient has adhered to the prescribed regimen and misses two consecutive periods, rule out pregnancy. Discontinue Yaz if pregnancy is confirmed. The risk of pregnancy increases with each active light pink tablet missed. If breakthrough bleeding occurs following missed tablets, it will usually be transient and of no consequence. If the patient misses one or more white tablets, she should still be protected against pregnancy provided she begins taking a new cycle
Side Effects (Adverse Reactions)
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following serious adverse reactions with the use of COCs are discussed elsewhere in the labeling: • Serious cardiovascular events and stroke [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Vascular events [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Liver disease [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] • The most frequent adverse reactions (≥ 2%) in contraception and acne clinical trials were: headache/migraine (6.7%), menstrual irregularities (4.7%), nausea/vomiting (4.2%), breast pain/tenderness (4.0%) and mood changes (2.2%). ( 6.1 ) • The most frequent adverse reactions (≥ 2%) in PMDD clinical trials were: menstrual irregularities (24.9%), nausea (15.8%), headache (13.0%), breast tenderness (10.5%), fatigue (4.2%), irritability (2.8%), decreased libido (2.8%), increased weight (2.5%), and affect lability (2.1%). ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. at 1-888-842-2937 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Contraception and Acne Clinical Trials The data provided reflect the experience with the use of Yaz in the adequate and well-controlled studies for contraception (N=1,056) and for moderate acne vulgaris (N=536). For contraception, a Phase 3, multicenter, multinational, open-label study was conducted to evaluate safety and efficacy up to one year in 1,027 women aged 17 – 36 who took at least one dose of Yaz. A second Phase 3 study was a single center, open-label, active-controlled study to evaluate the effect of 7 28-day cycles of Yaz on carbohydrate metabolism, lipids and hemostasis in 29 women aged 18–35. For acne, two multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies, in 536 women aged 14–45 with moderate acne vulgaris who took at least one dose of Yaz, evaluated the safety and efficacy during up to 6 cycles. The adverse reactions seen across the 2 indications overlapped, and are reported using the frequencies from the pooled dataset. The most common adverse reactions (≥ 2% of users) were: headache/migraine (6.7%), menstrual irregularities (including vaginal hemorrhage [primarily spotting] and metrorrhagia (4.7%), nausea/vomiting (4.2%), breast pain/tenderness (4%) and mood changes (mood swings, depression, depressed mood and affect lability) (2.2%). PMDD Clinical Trials Safety data from trials for the indication of PMDD are reported separately due to differences in study design and setting in the Contraception and Acne studies as compared to the PMDD clinical program. Two (one parallel and one crossover designed) multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials for the secondary indication of treating the symptoms of PMDD evaluated safety and efficacy of Yaz during up to 3 cycles among 285 women aged 18–42, diagnosed with PMDD and who took at least one dose of Yaz. Common adverse reactions (≥ 2% of users) were: menstrual irregularities (including vaginal hemorrhage [primarily spotting] and metrorrhagia) (24.9%), nausea (15.8%), headache (13.0%), breast tenderness (10.5%), fatigue (4.2%), irritability (2.8%), decreased libido (2.8%), increased weight (2.5%), and affect lability (2.1%). Adverse Reactions (≥1%) Leading to Study Discontinuation: Contraception Clinical Trials Of 1,056 women, 6.6% discontinued from the clinical trials due to an adverse reaction; the most frequent adverse reactions leading to discontinuation were headache/migraine (1.6%) and nausea/vomiting (1.0%). Acne Clinical Trials Of 536 women, 5.4% discontinued from the clinical trials due to an adverse reaction; the most frequent adverse reaction leading to discontinuation was menstrual irregularities (including menometrorrhagia, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia and vaginal hemorrhage) (2.2%). PMDD Clinical Trials Of 285 women, 11.6% discontinued from the clinical trials due to an adverse reaction; the most frequent adverse reactions leading to discontinuation were: nausea/vomiting (4.6%), menstrual irregularity (including vaginal hemorrhage, menorrhagia, menstrual disorder, menstruation irregular and metrorrhagia) (4.2%), fatigue (1.8%), breast tenderness (1.4%), depression (1.4%), headache (1.1%), and irritability (1.1%). Serious Adverse Reactions Contraception Clinical Trials : migraine and cervical dysplasia Acne Clinical Trials: none reported in the clinical trials PMDD Clinical Trials: cervical dysplasia 6.2 Postmarketing Experience Five studies that compared breast cancer risk between ever-users (current or past use) of COCs and never-users of COCs reported no association between ever use of COCs and breast cancer risk, with effect estimates ranging from 0.90 - 1.12 (Figure 3). Three studies compared breast cancer risk
Drug Interactions
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS Consult the labeling of all concurrently-used drugs to obtain further information about interactions with hormonal contraceptives or the potential for enzyme alterations . Drugs or herbal products that induce certain enzymes (for example, CYP3A4) may decrease the effectiveness of COCs or increase breakthrough bleeding. Counsel patients to use a back-up or alternative method of contraception when enzyme inducers are used with COCs. ( 7.1 ) 7.1 Effects of Other Drugs on Combined Oral Contraceptives Substances diminishing the efficacy of COCs: Drugs or herbal products that induce certain enzymes, including cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), may decrease the effectiveness of COCs or increase breakthrough bleeding. Some drugs or herbal products that may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives include phenytoin, barbiturates, carbamazepine, bosentan, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, rifampin, topiramate and products containing St. John's wort. Interactions between oral contraceptives and other drugs may lead to breakthrough bleeding and/or contraceptive failure. Counsel women to use an alternative method of contraception or a back-up method when enzyme inducers are used with COCs, and to continue back-up contraception for 28 days after discontinuing the enzyme inducer to ensure contraceptive reliability. Substances increasing the plasma concentrations of COCs: Co-administration of atorvastatin and certain COCs containing EE increase AUC values for EE by approximately 20%. Ascorbic acid and acetaminophen may increase plasma EE concentrations, possibly by inhibition of conjugation. Concomitant administration of moderate or strong CYP3A4 inhibitors such as azole antifungals (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole), verapamil, macrolides (e.g., clarithromycin, erythromycin), diltiazem, and grapefruit juice can increase the plasma concentrations of the estrogen or the progestin or both. In a clinical drug-drug interaction study conducted in premenopausal women, once daily co-administration of DRSP 3 mg/EE 0.02 mg containing tablets with strong CYP3A4 inhibitor, ketoconazole 200 mg twice daily for 10 days resulted in a moderate increase of DRSP systemic exposure. The exposure of EE was increased mildly [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ) and Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ Hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors: Significant changes (increase or decrease) in the plasma concentrations of estrogen and progestin have been noted in some cases of co-administration with HIV/HCV protease inhibitors or with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Antibiotics : There have been reports of pregnancy while taking hormonal contraceptives and antibiotics, but clinical pharmacokinetic studies have not shown consistent effects of antibiotics on plasma concentrations of synthetic steroids. 7.2 Effects of Combined Oral Contraceptives on Other Drugs COCs containing EE may inhibit the metabolism of other compounds. COCs have been shown to significantly decrease plasma concentrations of lamotrigine, likely due to induction of lamotrigine glucuronidation. This may reduce seizure control; therefore, dosage adjustments of lamotrigine may be necessary. Consult the labeling of the concurrently-used drug to obtain further information about interactions with COCs or the potential for enzyme alterations. COCs Increasing the Plasma Concentrations of CYP450 Enzymes : In clinical studies, administration of a hormonal contraceptive containing EE did not lead to any increase or only to a weak increase in plasma concentrations of CYP3A4 substrates (e.g., midazolam) while plasma concentrations of CYP2C19 substrates (e.g., omeprazole and voriconazole) and CYP1A2 substrates (e.g., theophylline and tizanidine) can have a weak or moderate increase. Clinical studies did not indicate an inhibitory potential of DRSP towards human CYP enzymes at clinically relevant concentrations [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . Women on thyroid hormone replacement therapy may need increased doses of thyroid hormone because serum concentration of thyroid-binding globulin increases with use of COCs. Potential to Increase Serum Potassium Concentration : There is a potential for an increase in serum potassium concentration in women taking Yaz with other drugs that may increase serum potassium concentration [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ) and Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . 7.3 Concomitant Use with HCV Combination Therapy – Liver Enzyme Elevation Do not co-administer Yaz with HCV drug combinations containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, due to potential for ALT elevations [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] . 7.4 Interference with Laboratory Tests The use of contraceptive steroids may influence the results of certain laboratory tests, such as coagulation factors, lipids, glu
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS Yaz is contraindicated in females who are known to have or develop the following conditions: • Renal impairment • Adrenal insufficiency • A high risk of arterial or venous thrombotic diseases. Examples include women who are known to: • Smoke, if over age 35 [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Have deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, now or in the past [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Have cerebrovascular disease [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Have coronary artery disease [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Have thrombogenic valvular or thrombogenic rhythm diseases of the heart (for example, subacute bacterial endocarditis with valvular disease, or atrial fibrillation) [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Have inherited or acquired hypercoagulopathies [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Have uncontrolled hypertension [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] • Have diabetes mellitus with vascular disease [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.8 )] • Have headaches with focal neurological symptoms or have migraine headaches with or without aura if over age 35 [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.9 )] • Undiagnosed abnormal uterine bleeding [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.10 )] • Current diagnosis of, or history of, breast cancer, which may be hormone-sensitive [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] • Liver tumors, benign or malignant, or liver disease [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 ) and Use in Specific Populations ( 8.7 )] • Use of Hepatitis C drug combinations containing ombitasvir, paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir due to the potential for ALT elevations [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 ) and Drug Interactions ( 7.3 )] . • Renal impairment ( 4 ) • Adrenal insufficiency ( 4 ) • A high risk of arterial or venous thrombotic diseases ( 4 ) • Undiagnosed abnormal uterine bleeding ( 4 ) • Breast cancer ( 4 ) • Liver tumors or liver disease ( 4 ) • Co-administration with Hepatitis C drug combinations containing ombitasvir, paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir ( 4 )
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Medical Disclaimer: Information on this page is sourced from FDA-approved labeling data and is for educational reference only. It does not constitute medical advice. This information does not establish a provider-patient relationship. Always verify with current prescribing information and consult a licensed healthcare professional before any clinical decision. Read full disclaimer.
Data sourced from RxNorm (NLM/NIH), FDA Orange Book, OpenFDA, DailyMed. Last updated: 2026-03-02.