Do not use this medication if you smoke cigarettes/use tobacco and are over 35 years old. Smoking raises your risk of stroke, heart attack, blood clots, and high blood pressure from hormonal birth control (such as the pill, patch, ring). The risk of these serious problems increases with age and with the number of cigarettes you smoke. Do not smoke or use tobacco.

Nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal cramps/bloating, breast tenderness, swelling of the ankles/feet (retaining fluid), or weight change may occur. Vaginal bleeding between periods (spotting) or missed/irregular periods may occur, especially during the first few months of use. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. If you miss 2 periods in a row (or 1 period if the pill has not been used properly), contact your doctor for a pregnancy test. Remember that this medication has been prescribed because your doctor has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects. This medication may raise your blood pressure. Check your blood pressure regularly and tell your doctor if the results are high. Tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, including: a lump in your breast, mental/mood changes (such as new/worsening depression), unusual changes in vaginal bleeding (such as continuous spotting, sudden heavy bleeding), symptoms of a high level of potassium in the blood (such as muscle weakness, slow/irregular heartbeat), severe stomach/abdominal pain, yellowing eyes/skin, dark urine. This medication may rarely cause serious (sometimes fatal) problems from blood clots (such as heart attack, stroke, blood clots in the lungs or legs). Get medical help right away if you have: shortness of breath/rapid breathing, chest/jaw/left arm pain, unusual sweating, confusion, sudden dizziness/fainting, pain/swelling/warmth in the groin/calf, sudden/severe headaches, trouble speaking, weakness on one side of the body, sudden vision changes. A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, get medical help right away if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including: rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing. This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist. In the US - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch. In Canada - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345.

Some products that may interact with this drug include: aromatase inhibitors (such as anastrozole, exemestane, letrozole), atazanavir/cobicistat, fezolinetant, ospemifene, tamoxifen, tranexamic acid, certain combination products used to treat chronic hepatitis C (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir with or without dasabuvir). Drospirenone may raise your potassium blood level. Tell your doctor if you are regularly taking other drugs/products that can also raise your potassium level (including aliskiren, ACE inhibitors such as enalapril/lisinopril, angiotensin receptor blockers such as losartan/valsartan, heparin, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen/naproxen, potassium-sparing "water pills"/diuretics such as eplerenone/spironolactone/triamterene). Some drugs may cause hormonal birth control to work less well by decreasing the amount of birth control hormones in your body. This effect can result in pregnancy. Examples include griseofulvin, modafinil, rifamycins (such as rifampin, rifabutin), ritonavir, St. John's wort, drugs used to treat seizures (such as barbiturates, carbamazepine, felbamate, phenytoin, primidone, topiramate), HIV drugs (such as nelfinavir, nevirapine), among others. Tell your doctor when you start any new drug, and discuss if you should use reliable backup birth control. Also tell your doctor if you have any new spotting or breakthrough bleeding, because these may be signs that your birth control is not working well. This medication may interfere with certain lab tests (such as blood tests for clotting factors, thyroid), possibly causing false test results. Make sure lab personnel and all your doctors know you use this drug.