Norethisterone

When should one not use Norethisterone

• If you are allergic to norethisterone
• If you have a history of heart disorders like chest pain (angina), heart attack or stroke.
• If you have active or have a history of liver-related diseases such as jaundice.
• If you have blood clotting disorders such as thrombophlebitis and thromboembolism.
• If you have a history of jaundice or skin allergies such as pruritus during pregnancy.
• If you have disorders of lipid metabolism or abnormal cholesterol levels.
• If you often experience vaginal bleeding and it is not being diagnosed yet.
• If you have a history of breast or vaginal cancer.

Common side effects of this drug are:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Spotting
• Bleeding
• Swelling
• Injection site reactions

Other General Warnings

• You suffer from heart disease, disease related to blood vessels or high blood pressure.
• You have a history of gallstones, liver disease, kidney disease, impaired sugar tolerance or asthma.
• You suffer from muscle twitch (tetany) or diabetes.
• You may develop a cancerous or non-cancerous liver tumour on the long term use of the medicine.
• You have a history of a disease in which the immune system eats away the protective covering of nerves (multiple sclerosis).
• You develop vision impairment, inform the doctor.
• You are an older person or have a habit of smoking and high cholesterol.
• You have a history of porphyria (a rare inherited blood disease) and otosclerosis (an inherited form of deafness that gets worse during pregnancy).
• You have a history of varicose veins (enlarged veins and most commonly appearing in the legs and feet).
• You develop a migraine, headache, mood changes, rise in blood pressure or jaundice, a doctor must stop the medicine.
• You are undergoing surgery
• You need to be kept under observation during the treatment to check clots in blood vessels.

How Does It Work?

Interactions with other medicines

• Some medicines affect the way norethisterone works or the medicine itself reduce the effectiveness of other medicines taken at the same time.
• Inform the doctor regarding the medicines, supplements or herbals you take or might take to avoid possible interaction.
• Especially if you are taking medicines to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, high/abnormal cholesterol levels, blood thinners, anti-infectives, anti-asthmatics, pain killers, immunomodulatory medicines or medicines for the brain-related disorder.
• Norethisterone must not be taken along with medicines containing steroids like prednisone, prednisolone.