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Before Using This Medicine
- tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to estrogen, progestin, or any other medications.
- tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitami
ns, and nutritional supplements you are taking.
- tell your doctor what herbal products you are taking, especially St. John's wort.
- tell your doctor if you have or have ever had breast lump
s or cancer;
- do not take Ortho tricyclen if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking Ortho tricyclen, call your doctor immediately. <
br> - if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking Ortho tricyclen.
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Important Facts
No contraceptive method is 100 percent effective. Studies show that fewer than one of each one hundred women correctly using Ortho tricyclen becomes pregnant during the first year of use. Birth contro
l methods such as having surgery to become sterile or not having sex are more effective. Using condoms, diaphragms, progestin-only Ortho tricyclen, or spermicides is not as effective as using Ortho tr
icyclen containing estrogens and progestins. Discuss with your health care professional your options for birth control.
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What side effects may occur?
Healthy women who do not smoke cigarettes have almost no chance of having a severe side effect from taking Ortho tricyclen. For most women, more problems occur because of pregnancy than will occur fro
m taking Ortho tricyclen. But for some women who have special health problems, Ortho tricyclen can cause some unwanted effects. Some of these unwanted effects include benign (not cancerous) liver tumo
rs, liver cancer, or blood clots or related problems, such as a stroke. Although these effects are very rare, they can be serious enough to cause death. You may want to discuss these effects with your
doctor.
If you suspect that you may have become pregnant, stop taking this medicine immediately and check with your doctor.
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How should you take this medication?
Ortho tricyclen come in packets of 21 or 28 tablets to take by mouth once a day. To avoid upset stomach, take Ortho tricyclen with food or milk. Take the tablet routinely at the same time every day (e
.g., after dinner or at bedtime) to help you remember to take the tablet regularly. Missing doses increases your risk of becoming pregnant.
When first starting on this medicine, use an additi
onal method of birth control until you have correctly taken 7 days' worth of medicine.
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Other medical problems
Breast disease (not involving cancer)¡XOrtho tricyclen usually protect against certain breast diseases, such as breast cysts or breast lumps; however, your doctor may want to follow your condition mor
closely
- Cancer, including breast cancer (or history of or family history of)¡XOrtho tricyclen may worsen some cancers, especially when breast, cervical, or uterine cancers already exist. Use o
Ortho tricyclen is not recommended if you have any of these conditions. If you have a family history of breast disease, Ortho tricyclen may still be a good choice but you may need to be tested more o
ften
- Chorea gravidarum or
- Gallbladder disease or gallstones (or history of) or
- High blood cholesterol or
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Why is this medication prescribed?
Ortho tricyclen (birth-control pills) are used to prevent pregnancy. Estrogen and progestin are two female sex hormones. Combinations of estrogen and progestin work by preventing the release of eggs f
rom the ovaries (ovulation) and changing the cervical mucus and the lining of the uterus. Ortho tricyclen are a very effective method of birth control, but they do not prevent the spread of AIDS and o
ther sexually transmitted diseases.
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