Drospirenone is a progestin medication which is used in birth control pills to prevent pregnancy and in menopausal hormone therapy, among other uses. It is available both alone under the brand name Slynd and in combination with an estrogen under the brand name Yasmin among others. The medication is taken by mouth.Common side effects include acne, headache, breast tenderness, weight increase, and menstrual changes. Rare side effects may include high potassium levels and blood clots, among others. Drospirenone is a progestin, or a synthetic progestogen, and hence is an agonist of the progesterone receptor, the biological target of progestogens like progesterone. It has additional antimineralocorticoid and antiandrogenic activity and no other important hormonal activity. Because of its antimineralocorticoid activity and lack of undesirable off-target activity, drospirenone is said to more closely resemble bioidentical progesterone than other progestins.Drospirenone was patented in 1976 and introduced for medical use in 2000. It is available widely throughout the world. The medication is sometimes referred to as a "fourth-generation" progestin. It is available as a generic medication. In 2018, a formulation of drospirenone with ethinylestradiol was the 167th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 3 million prescriptions. Medical uses
Drospirenone (DRSP) is used by itself as a progestogen-only birth control pill, in combination with the estrogens ethinylestradiol (EE) or estetrol (E4), with or without supplemental folic acid (vitamin B9), as a combined birth control pill, and in combination with the estrogen estradiol (E2) for use in menopausal hormone therapy.
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"Drospirenone". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.