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Before Using
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:
Allergies
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.
Pediatric
This medicine is not intended for use in children or teenagers who have not yet started menstruating. This medicine is frequently used for birth control in teenage females and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults. Some teenagers may need extra information on the importance of taking this medication exactly as prescribed.
Pregnancy
| Pregnancy Category | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|
| All Trimesters | X | Studies in animals or pregnant women have demonstrated positive evidence of fetal abnormalities. This drug should not be used in women who are or may become pregnant because the risk clearly outweighs any possible benefit. |
Breastfeeding
Studies in women breastfeeding have demonstrated harmful infant effects. An alternative to this medication should be prescribed or you should stop breastfeeding while using this medicine.
Studies suggest that this medication may alter milk production or composition. If an alternative to this medication is not prescribed, you should monitor the infant for side effects and adequate milk intake.
Drug Interactions
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Felbamate
- Isotretinoin
- Paclitaxel
- Paclitaxel Protein-Bound
- Theophylline
- Tizanidine
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Alprazolam
- Amoxicillin
- Ampicillin
- Amprenavir
- Aprepitant
- Bacampicillin
- Betamethasone
- Bexarotene
- Bosentan
- Carbamazepine
- Colesevelam
- Cyclosporine
- Darunavir
- Doxycycline
- Fosamprenavir
- Fosaprepitant
- Fosphenytoin
- Ginseng
- Griseofulvin
- Lamotrigine
- Licorice
- Minocycline
- Modafinil
- Mycophenolate Mofetil
- Mycophenolic Acid
- Nelfinavir
- Nevirapine
- Oxcarbazepine
- Oxytetracycline
- Phenobarbital
- Phenytoin
- Pioglitazone
- Prednisolone
- Primidone
- Rifabutin
- Rifampin
- Rifapentine
- Ritonavir
- Rosuvastatin
- Rufinamide
- Selegiline
- St John's Wort
- Tetracycline
- Tipranavir
- Topiramate
- Troglitazone
- Troleandomycin
- Valdecoxib
- Voriconazole
- Warfarin
Other Interactions
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.
Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.
- Caffeine
- Grapefruit Juice
Other Medical Problems
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
- Abnormal changes in menstrual or uterine bleeding or
- Fibroid tumors of the uterus—Oral contraceptives usually improve these female conditions but sometimes they can make them worse or make the diagnosis of these problems more difficult.
- Adrenal insufficiency or
- Liver problems or
- Kidney problems—These conditions may increase the risk of retaining too much potassium in the blood.
- Blood clots (or history of) or
- Heart or circulation disease or
- Stroke (or history of)—If these conditions are already present, oral contraceptives may have a greater chance of causing blood clots or circulation problems, especially in women who smoke tobacco. Otherwise, oral contraceptives may help prevent circulation and heart disease if you are healthy and do not smoke.
- Cancer, including breast cancer (or history of or family history of)—Oral contraceptives may worsen some cancers, especially when breast, cervical, or uterine cancers already exist. Use of oral contraceptives is not recommended if you have any of these conditions. If you have a family history of breast disease, oral contraceptives may still be a good choice but you may need to be tested more often.
- Gallbladder disease or gallstones (or history of) or
- High blood cholesterol or
- High blood potassium or
- Liver disease (or history of, including jaundice during pregnancy) or
- Mental depression (or history of)—Oral contraceptives may make these conditions worse or, rarely, cause them to occur again. Oral contraceptives may still be a good choice but you may need to be tested more often.
- High blood pressure (hypertension) or
- Migraine headaches—Oral contraceptives may cause fluid build-up and may cause these conditions to become worse; however, some people have fewer migraine headaches when they use oral contraceptives.
