Novelon Contraceptive pills – Product Information
Novelon is a combined oral contraceptive pill (the pill) for the prevention of pregnancy. Novelon Tablets are one of the most reliable, reversible methods of contraception available. In clinical trials it showed a very low pregnancy rate of 0.1% within the first year of use. As a result of taking Novelon Tablets, you may notice an improvement in the appearance or your skin, especially if you suffer from acne. Also, if used over the long term, this contraceptive can also reduce a woman’s risk of developing cancer of the ovaries and womb. Novelon Contraceptive Pills are manufactured by Organon® / Merck® the manufacturer of Marvelon® Tablets which has the same pharmaceutical ingredients, Desogestrel 0.15 mg, ethinyl estradiol 0.03 mg.
We also stock Diane-35 (Ethinyl Estradiol and Cyproterone Acetate tablets) which is an oral contraceptive. Diane-35 Pills are also used to treat dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and moderate acne in women above the age of 14 years.
Name of Drug
Novelon better known as Generic Marvelon® It is also known as Desogestrel & Ethinyl Estradiol Birth Control Pills.
Manufacturer of Novelon pills
Organon® a division of Schering-Plough® / Merck® & Co. Inc.
Website: merck.com
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Novelon Contraceptive Pills
Desogestrel 0.15 mg, ethinyl estradiol 0.03 mg
How do Desogestrel & Ethinyl Estradiol Birth Control Pills work?
The oestrogen contained in each Novelon tablet stops the ovaries from releasing a mature egg because it tricks the body into thinking that ovulation has already occurred. The progestogen in every Novelon pill thickens the mucous in the cervix and stops the womb lining from thickening.
These three actions make it almost impossible to conceive: if the sperm manage to travel through the thickened mucous and reach the womb, there wouldn’t be an egg to fertilize. If, somehow, an egg was present and the sperm could reach and fertilize it, conception is prevented because there’s nowhere for the egg to plant itself and develop.
Dosage and Administration – How to take Novelon Contraceptive Pills?
One tablet of Novelon is taken daily at the same time,(preferably in the evening) without interruption for 21 days, followed by a break of 7 tablet free days. Each subsequent pack is started after the 7 tablet free days have elapsed. Additional contraceptive precautions are not then required.
How to start Novelon Tablets?
It is preferable that tablet intake from the first pack is started on the first day of menstruation in which case no extra contraceptive precautions are necessary.
If menstruation has already begun, (that is 2, 3, or 4 days previously), tablet taking should commence on day 5 of the menstrual period. In this case additional contraceptive precautions must be taken for the first 7 days of tablet taking.
If menstruation began more than 5 days previously then the patient should be advised to wait until her next menstrual period before starting to take Novelon.
Post-Partum Administration
Following childbirth oral contraceptive administration to non-breast feeding mothers should be started 21 days post-partum in which case no additional contraceptive precautions are required.
If intercourse has taken place post-partum, oral contraceptive use should be delayed until the first day of the first menstrual period.
If post-partum administration of Novelon begins more than 21 days after delivery then additional contraceptive precautions are required for the first 7 days.
N.B. Mothers who are breast feeding should be advised not to use the combined pill since this may reduce the amount of breast-milk, but may be advised instead to use a progestogen-only pill (POP).
After miscarriage or abortion administration should start immediately in which case no additional contraceptive precautions are required.
Changing from a 21 day pill or another 22 day pill to Novelon:
All tablets in the old pack should be finished. The first Novelon tablet is taken the next day i.e. no gap is left between taking tablets nor does the patient need to wait for her period to begin. Tablets should be taken as instructed in ‘How to take Novelon’. Additional contraceptive precautions are not required. The patient will not have a period until the end of the first Novelon pack, but this is not harmful, nor does it matter if she experiences some bleeding on tablet-taking days.
Changing from a combined Every Day Pill (28 day tablets) to Novelon:
Novelon should be started after taking the last active tablet from the ‘Every Day Pill’ pack (i.e. after taking 21 or 22 tablets). The first Novelon tablet is taken the next day i.e. no gap is left between taking tablets nor does the patient need to wait for her period to begin. One tablet is taken daily at the same time, without interruption for 21 days, followed by a 7 day tablet-free period. Each subsequent pack is started after the 7 day tablet-free period has elapsed. Additional contraceptive precautions are not required. Remaining tablets from the Every Day (ED) pack should be discarded. The patient will not have a period until the end of the first Novelon pack, but this is not harmful, nor does it matter if she experiences some bleeding on tablet-taking days.
Changing from a Progestogen-only Pill (POP or Mini Pill) to Novelon:
The first Novelon tablet should be taken on the first day of the period, even if the patient has already taken a mini pill on that day. One tablet is taken daily at the same time, without interruption for 21 days, followed by a 7 day tablet-free period. Each subsequent pack is started after the 7 day tablet-free period has elapsed. Additional contraceptive precautions are not then required. All the remaining progestogen-only pills in the mini pill pack should be discarded.
If the patient is taking a (mini) pill, then she may not always have a period, especially when she is breast feeding. The first Novelon tablet should be taken on the day after stopping the mini pill. All remaining pills in the mini pill packet must be discarded. Additional contraceptive precautions must be taken for the first seven days.
What to do in Case of a Missed Dose
The five small tablets immediately before the green starting zone and the first two (small) tablets in the green starting zone of the blister pack contain placebo tablets and can thus be disregarded if missed. However, they should be discarded to avoid unintentional prolonging of the placebo tablet phase. These rules for the management of missed tablets refer to missed ‘active’ tablets, i.e. the 21 large tablets starting with ‘Saturday’ in the green section.
If the user is less than 12 hours late in taking any tablet, contraceptive protection is not reduced. The woman should take the tablet as soon as she remembers and should take further tablets at the usual time. If she is more than 12 hours late in taking any active tablet, contraceptive protection may be reduced. The management of missed tablets can be guided by the following two basic rules:
- Active tablet’-taking must never be discontinued for longer than 7 days.
- 7 days of uninterrupted ‘active tablet’-taking are required to attain adequate suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian-axis.
Accordingly the following advice can be given in daily practice:
- The user should take the last missed tablet as soon as she remembers, even if this means taking two tablets at the same time. She then continues to take tablets at her usual time. In addition, a barrier method such as a condom should be used for the next 7 days. If these 7 days extend beyond the last ‘Friday’ -tablet in the pack, the user should take the tablets up to and including that Friday, discard the pack and start a new pack next day with the Saturday tablet in the green starting zone. The user is unlikely to have a withdrawal bleed until the placebo tablet interval of the second pack, but she may experience spotting or breakthrough bleeding on ‘active tablet’-taking days.
- If the user has missed any of the first 7 active tablets (counting from ‘Saturday’ in the green starting zone onwards) and intercourse took place in the preceding 7 days, the possibility of a pregnancy should be considered. The more tablets missed and the closer they are to the regular placebo tablet interval, the higher the risk of a pregnancy.
Use Novelon Contraceptive Pills with caution in
- Women aged over 35 years.
- Women whose parent, brother or sister had a stroke caused by a blood clot or a heart attack before the age of 45.
- Obesity.
- Smokers.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- High blood pressure (hypertension).
- Varicose veins.
- History of inflammation of a vein caused by a superficial blood clot (thrombophlebitis).
- Women who use a wheelchair.
- Anemia caused by a hereditary blood disorder where abnormal hemoglobin is produced (sickle cell anemia).
- History of severe depression.
- History of migraines.
- Inflammatory bowel disease, eg Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
- History of liver disease.
- Decreased kidney function.
- Heart failure.
- Personal or family history of raised levels of fats called triglycerides in the blood (hypertriglyceridaemia).
- History of gallstones.
- Close family history of breast cancer (eg mother or sister has had the disease), or women with gene mutations that are associated with breast cancer, eg BRCA1.
- History of irregular brown patches appearing on the skin, usually of the face, during pregnancy or previous use of a contraceptive pill (chloasma). Women with a tendency to this condition should minimize their exposure to the sun or UV light while taking this contraceptive.
Using Novelon Contraceptive Pills in combination with other drugs.
It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start taking this contraceptive. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while using this one, to ensure that the combination is safe.
The following medicines speed up the breakdown of the hormones in this contraceptive by the liver, which makes it less effective at preventing pregnancy:
- aprepitant
- bosentan
- barbiturates
- carbamazepine
- eslicarbazepine
- modafinil
- nevirapine
- oxcarbazepine
- phenobarbital
- phenytoin
- primidone
- rifampicin
- rifabutin
- ritonavir
- the herbal remedy St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)
- topiramate.
If you regularly take any of these medicines they are likely to make this contraceptive ineffective at preventing pregnancy. It is important that you talk to your doctor about this. Your doctor may recommend that you use a different form of contraception altogether. However, if you want to use the pill (and you are not taking rifampicin or rifabutin – see below), your doctor can prescribe you an additional pill to take in combination with this one, which would give you a higher dose of hormones. (This is unlicensed). If you do this, your doctor will also ask you to take three packets back to back without a break, have only a four day pill-free break and then take three packets back to back again. (This is called tricycling and is also unlicensed.) The purpose of this is to reduce the number and duration of hormone free periods in which ovulation could happen and thus minimize the chances of the pill failing.
If you are prescribed a short course (up to two months) of any of the above medicines they will also make this contraceptive less effective. Your doctor will probably recommend that you temporarily use a different form of contraception to prevent pregnancy, or a different pill that contains a higher dose of hormones. You will also need to use an additional method of contraception (eg condoms), while you take the liver-affecting medicine and for at least four weeks after stopping it. Alternatively, your doctor could prescribe an additional pill to take in combination with this one, as above. Discuss your options with your doctor.
If you are prescribed rifampicin or rifabutin, an alternative method of contraception will always be recommended, because these two antibiotics make the pill so ineffective.
In the past, if you were prescribed an antibiotic other than rifampicin or rifabutin (eg amoxicillin, erythromycin, doxycycline) while taking the pill, the advice used to be that you use an extra method of contraception (eg condoms) while you were taking the antibiotic and for seven days after finishing the course. However, this advice has now changed. You no longer need to use an extra method of contraception with the pill while you take a course of antibiotics. This change in advice comes because to date there is no evidence to prove that antibiotics (other than rifampicin or rifabutin) affect the pill. This is the latest guidance from the Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare. However, if you experience vomiting or diarrhoea as a result of taking an antibiotic you should follow the instructions for vomiting and diarrhoea described in the warning section above.
The emergency contraceptive ulipristal (Ellaone) has the potential to make the pill less effective. If you take Ellaone as an emergency contraceptive while you are taking Novelon, you should use an additional method of contraception such as condoms for 14 days after you take it.
The weight loss medicine orlistat (bought without a prescription as Alli® and prescribed as Xenical®) can cause severe diarrhea. If you take either of these medicines while taking Novelon and get diarrhea that lasts for more than 24 hours, you should follow the instructions for missed pills described above.
The pill may antagonize the blood sugar lowering effect of medicines for diabetes. If you have diabetes you should monitor your blood sugar and seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist if your blood sugar control seems to be altered after starting this contraceptive.
The pill may antagonize the effect of medicines used to lower high blood pressure. Your blood pressure will usually be checked periodically while you are taking the pill, but this is particularly important if you are also taking medicines for high blood pressure.
The pill may also antagonize the fluid-losing effect of diuretic medicines.
If you have an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) you may need an increased dose of your thyroid hormones while taking the pill. Your thyroid hormone levels should be regularly checked.
The pill may decrease the amount of the antiepileptic medicine lamotrigine in the blood. As this could increase the risk of seizures coming back or getting worse, the pill may not be recommended for women who take lamotrigine on its own for epilepsy.
The pill may increase the blood levels of the following medicines and this could possibly increase the risk of their side effects:
- melatonin
- selegiline (should be avoided in combination with the pill)
- tacrolimus
- theophylline (reduced dose of theophylline may be needed)
- tizanidine
- voriconazole.
Side Effects of Novelon Contraceptive Pills
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the possible side effects that are known to be associated with Desogestrel & Ethinyl Estradiol birth control tablets. See also the warnings above. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Headache/migraine.
- Breast tenderness, enlargement.
- Weight changes.
- Retention of water in the body tissues (fluid retention).
- Vaginal thrush (candidiasis).
- Change in menstrual bleeding.
- Menstrual spotting or breakthrough bleeding.
- Depression.
- Skin reactions.
- Decreased sex drive.
- Rise in blood pressure.
- Irregular brown patches on the skin, usually of the face (chloasma).
- Steepening of corneal curvature which may make contact lenses uncomfortable.
- Disturbance in liver function.
- Gallstones.
- thrombophlebitis
- hypertension
- benign hepatic tumours
- gallbladder disease
- congenital anomalies
- Blood clots in the blood vessels (eg, DVT, pulmonary embolism, mesenteric thrombosis, neuro-ocular lesions (e.g., retinal thrombosis), heart attack, stroke – see warnings above).
Storage Instructions for Novelon Tablets
Store Novelon Contraceptive pills at room temperature. Keep away from heat, moisture, children and pets.
Novelon Pills – Contraindications
Novelon tablets are contraindicated in patients having hypersensitivity to Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol or to any ingredient in the formulation.
Novelon Tablets (Desogestrel & Ethinyl Estradiol Birth Control Pills) Warnings and Precautions
Before using Novelon Tablets please inform your doctor all the medicines that you take including no prescription medications, over the counter medicines and herbal remedies.Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels in oral contraceptive users . This risk increases with age and becomes significant in patients older than 35 years of age.
Buy Novelon Tablets(Desogestrel & Ethinyl Estradiol Birth Control Pills) Online
You can buy Cheap Novelon Contraceptive pills online from the Swiss Pharmacy. Desogestrel & Ethinyl Estradiol Birth Control pills are priced at only $0.54 per unit if you place an order for 252 tablets.
