Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol

• Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol is used as a birth control pill (oral contraceptive)
• Can also be effective in treatment of severe acne, and regularise painful and heavy periods

When should one not use Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol

• If you are allergic to dienogest and/or ethinyl estradiol or any other ingredient in Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol.
• If you have or ever have had blood clot in your legs (deep vein thrombosis),in your lungs (pulmonary embolism) or other organs
• If you have disorders that affect your blood clotting
• If you have undergone any surgery due to which you cannot walk
• If you have had heart attack or stroke or its symptoms like severe chest pain, jaw pain
• If you are suffering from disorders like high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high levels of homocysteine all of which make you prone for clots in your blood vessels
• If you suffer from a type of migraine known as migraine with aura
• If you have or ever had a liver tumour or any form of liver disease
• If you have breast cancer or cancer of the female reproductive organs
• If you have unexplained bleeding from the vagina( female reproductive part) or you lack periods (amenorrhea)

Common side effects of this drug are:

• Headache
• Untimely bleeding or spotting
• Abdominal pain
• Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Tiredness
• Mood swings
• Weight gain
• Breast pain, enlargement of breast

Other General Warnings

• You are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding
• You are planning any surgery
• You are prone to blood clots and/or you have a history or past medical condition of a blood clot.
• You have liver, kidney or gallbladder disease
• You have diabetes or jaundice
• You have heart disease or high blood pressure
• You have abnormal bleeding from the uterus
• You suffer from mood swings
• You are suffering from fits, inflammation of the intestines(inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis), inherited disease of red blood cells ( sickle cell anaemia), elevated levels of fat in the blood (hypertriglyceridemia) or positive family history for this condition, inflammation of the veins (superficial thrombophlebitis), a blood disorder that lead to blood clotting that leads to kidney failure (haemolytic uraemic syndrome), a disorder of body's immune system (systemic lupus erythematosus SLE), dark swollen veins (varicose veins)
• You have disease conditions like hearing loss, porphyria (a rare inherited metabolic disorder), gestational herpes (skin rash with blisters during pregnancy), Sydenham's chorea (a nerve disease causing sudden movements of the body), that developed on previous use of sex hormones
• You have suffered from a skin condition of golden white patches on the skin known as pregnancy patches (or chloasma when developed on the face)
• You are on the following medications carbamazepine, phenytoin, rifampicin, and St. John's wort, as these decrease the efficiency of Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol
• You have missed the dose for more than 7 days

How Does It Work?

Interactions with other medicines

• Concomitant use of Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol along with medicines used in treatment of fits (e.g. primidone, phenytoin, barbiturates, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, topiramate, felbamate), tuberculosis (e.g. rifampicin), HIV and Hepatitis C Virus infections (so-called protease inhibitors and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors such as ritonavir, nevirapine, efavirenz), fungal infections (e.g. griseofulvin, ketoconazole),products containing St. John's wort, verapamil, macrolides (for example, clarithromycin, erythromycin), diltiazem and penicillin antibiotics like ampicillin and dicloxacillin affect the serum concentration of Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol and increase the risk of untimely bleeding.
• Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol reduces the efficiency of medicine lamotrigine (used for fits) and increases the frequency of fits
• The efficacy of medicines used to suppress immune system (ciclosporins) is decreased when used along with Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol
• Women who are taking medicines for their thyroid hormone need an increase in dosage when concomitantly using Dienogest+Ethinylestradiol
• The use of contraceptive steroids may influence the results of certain laboratory tests, including biochemical parameters of liver, thyroid, adrenal and renal function, plasma levels of (carrier) proteins.

Interactions with food items

Overdose

Missed a Dose