Prescription Logynon ED (value) Drug Information

The pill is one of the most effective contraceptives apart from sterilisation. What does Logynon contain? Each memo strip of Logynon contains 6 light-brown tablets containing 50 micrograms levonorgestrel and 30 micrograms ethinyloestradiol, 5 white tablets containing 75 micrograms levonorgestrel and 40 micrograms ethinyloestradiol and 10 ochre tablets containing 125 micrograms levonorgestrel and 30 micrograms ethinyloestradiol. All tablets are sugar-coated. Levonorgestrel is a progestogen and ethinyloestradiol is an oestrogen. Progestogen and oestrogen are both female types of hormone. Before taking Logynon, tell your doctor if you have any of these: you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant. blood clots in the legs, lungs, eyes, or anywhere else or have ever had these. If you have had a heart attack or if you have any medical condition which makes you more at risk of developing blood clots. abnormal red blood cells (sickle-cell anaemia). disorders of blood fat (lipid) metabolism. cancer of the breast or of the lining of the womb (mammary or endometrial carcinoma) or have ever had either of these conditions. abnormal bleeding from your vagina of unknown cause. certain types of jaundice (Dubin-Johnson or Rotor syndromes). severe diabetes with changes to the blood vessels. liver tumours or have ever had these. any other long or short-term liver disease. allergy to any of the ingredients of Logynon. Do not take Logynon if you have had any of these conditions when you were pregnant: itching of your whole body (pruritus of pregnancy. the rash known as herpes gestationis. worsening of inherited deafness (otosclerosis). yellowing of the skin ( jaundice). The following conditions need watching carefully while you are taking the pill: If you have: severe depressive states, past or present. varicose veins. diabetes (diabetes mellitus) or a tendency towards diabetes. high blood pressure (hypertension). fits (epilepsy). the inherited form of deafness known as otosclerosis. the disease of the nervous system called multiple sclerosis. the inherited disease called porphyria. calcium deficiency with cramps (tetany). the movement disorder called Sydenham's chorea. - breast problems, past or present. diseases of the heart and blood vessels (cardio vascular diseases).kidney diseases. disturbed liver function. you are very overweight (obese). an intolerance of contact lenses. systemic lupus erythematosus-SLE (inflammation of connective tissue). asthma. uterine fibroids (benign tumour of the womb). gallstones. migraine. brown patches on the face and body (chloasma). This may be reduced by avoiding too much sunlight. any disease that is prone to worsen during pregnancy. or, if: you have had inflamed veins (phlebitis). anyone in your family has had breast cancer. anyone in your family has had any illness caused by blood clots, or a heart attack or stroke at a young age. If any of these conditions gets worse or you have them for the first time, this may be a sign that you should stop taking Logynon. Medicines which can sometimes stop Logynon from working properly are antibiotics {such as ampicillin and rifampicin); griseofulvin (which is used to treat fungal infections); phenylbutazone (which is used as an anti-inflammatory drug to treat some types of joint diseases) phenytoin, primidone, phenobarbitone and some other medicines used in people with epilepsy, and carbamazepine (which can be used to treat epilepsy or other illnesses). If you are taking any of these medicines you might still be able to use Logynon, but you will also need to use an extra contraceptive method Condoms or cap plus spermicide) while you are taking the other medicine and for 7 days after you stop taking it. If your present pack ends before these 7 days, start the next pack the next day without a break. This means taking a pill every day during your normal 7 pill-free days. If you run two packs together you may not have a period until the end of two packs, but this is not harmful. If you do not have a period after the second pack, you must talk to your doctor before you start the next pack. If you are taking rifampicin you will need to use another method of contraception as well as Logynon. You should do this while you are taking the rifampicin and for 4 weeks after you stop. If you are diabetic your doctor may alter the dose of medicine required to treat your diabetes. If you are in doubt check with your doctor, pharmacist or Family Planning clinic. Stomach upsets Being sick or having very bad diarrhoea may stop Logynon from working properly and make it less effective. Carry on taking Logynon as usual, and also use another method of contraception, Warnings It has been suggested, on the basis of statistical evidence, that the risk of developing various disorders of the circulation of the blood is slightly greater in women who take the combined pill than in those who do not. This can lead to, for example, deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in the leg), strokes (blood clots and haemorrhages from the blood vessels of the brain), heart attacks or pulmonary embolism (blood clots blocking the arteries of the lungs. Certain conditions increase the risk of thrombosis. They include: smoking. obesity. some diseases of the heart and blood vessels. diabetes. migraine. a major operation or period of immobilisation (e.g. you are in bed after an accident or operation or you have a plaster cast on a broken leg). if any members of your family have suffered from thromboembolic diseases {e.g. deep vein thrombosis, stroke or heart attack) at a young age. varicose veins. The risk of arterial thrombosis (e.g. heart attack and stroke) associated with the pill increases with age and this risk is increased by cigarette smoking. For this reason, the use of combined pills by women in the older age-, especially those who also smoke, is discouraged. The pill does give a substantial degree of protection against cancers of the ovary and the lining of the womb. An increased risk of cervical cancer in long-term users of the pill has been reported in some studies. It is uncertain whether this increased risk is caused by the pill as it could be due to the effects of sexual behavior and other factors. The evidence linking use of the pill and breast cancer is unclear.