Karina Basso  |  April 27, 2015

Category: Legal News

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Ocella gallbladder settlement

During the last 20 years, researchers have been studying the potential causes of pseudotumor cerebri and have found that birth control pills like Ocella may be a likely cause of this neurological condition.

Pseudotumor cerebri is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening brain injury that can also cause secondary pseudotumor cerebri complications like blindness and migraine headaches.

Many women are now filing birth control pseudotumor cerebri lawsuits against various drug manufacturers, including the pharmaceutical company that makes Ocella, for compensation for the women who have undergone severe pain and suffering from this condition.

Ocella is a birth control that was approved by the FDA in 2008. It is technically the generic version of another popular birth control product known as Yasmin. Both Ocella and Yasmin contain a combination of estrogen and progestin to help prevent pregnancy.

Although this neurological condition has no known cause, experts have warned consumers and doctors that pseudotumor cerebri may be caused by certain birth control pills like Ocella. Since pseudotumor cerebri is a condition in which the excess amount of cerebrospinal fluid buildup puts immense pressure on the brain, this possible Ocella birth control side effect acts a lot like a brain tumor. To treat birth control pseudotumor cerebri, a patient may have to undergo surgery to drain the fluid from the brain.

According to reports, over 10 percent of women on Ocella have been known to develop migraine headaches; migraine headaches are also the most common pseudotumor cerebri symptom. Again, while this is not conclusive evidence that Ocella and other birth control pills cause this brain injury, it does indicate that more study in necessary to determine the relationship between Ocella use and the development of pseudotumor cerebri.

What is Pseudotumor Cerebri?

Pseudotumor cerebri (also known as intracranial hypertension) is a painful neurological condition where increased brain pressure causes symptoms similar to a brain tumor. Although researchers are still searching for what exactly causes this fake brain tumor, many doctors and researchers hypothesize that Ocella and other hormonal birth control may increase a patient’s risk of developing pseudotumor cerebri, as these drugs may be causing the poor absorption of cerebrospinal fluid.

Based on recorded incidences of pseudotumor cerebri, some symptoms include:

  • Frequent headaches/migraines that start behind the eyes and increase in intensity with eye movement
  • Pulsatile tinnitus
  • Dizziness or nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Blurred vision, double vision, blind spots
  • Vision loss in one or both eyes
  • Difficulty seeing to the side (decreased peripheral vision)
  • Seeing light flashes (photopsia)
  • Neck stiffness
  • Neck, shoulder or back pain
  • Problems walking
  • Forgetfulness
  • Depression
  • More

Ocella is not the only birth control to allegedly increase the risk of developing pseudotumor cerebri. Other popular birth control products allegedly found to cause intracranial hypertension include:

  • Yaz
  • Yasmin
  • Beyaz
  • Mirena IUD
  • Depo-Provera
  • Implanon
  • Nexplanon
  • NuvaRing
  • Ortho Evra
  • ParaGard

As a result of the pain and suffering experienced by intracranial hypertension victims, many individuals have filed Ocella pseudotumor cerebri lawsuits. They can also join an Ocella pseudotumor cerebri class action lawsuit.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or birth control class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, birth control lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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Join a Free Pseudotumor Cerebri Birth Control Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri or intracranial hypertension after using birth control, you may have a legal claim.  Submit your information now for a free case evaluation.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.

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Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.