Product Details

Product Information Postpill Tablet

What you need to know before you take Postpill

Do not take Postpill: • if you are allergic to levonorgestrel or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Postpill. If any of the following applies to you, talk to your doctor before taking Postpill as emergency contraception may not be suitable for you. Your doctor may prescribe another type of emergency contraception for you. 2 • you are pregnant or think that you may already be pregnant. This medicine will not work if you are already pregnant. If you are already pregnant, Postpill cannot terminate pregnancy, so Postpill is not an “abortion pill”. You may already be pregnant if: • your period is more than 5 days late, or you have experienced unusual bleeding when your next period is due • you have had unprotected sex more than 72 hours ago, and since your last period Children and adolescents Postpill is not recommended for young women under 16 years of age without medical supervision. The use of Postpill is not advised if: • you have a disease of your small bowel (such as Crohn’s disease) that inhibits the absorption of the drug • you have severe liver problems • you have a history of ectopic pregnancy (where the baby develops somewhere outside the womb) • you have ever had a disease called salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes) A previous ectopic pregnancy or a previous infection of the fallopian tubes increases the risk of a new ectopic pregnancy. Your doctor may decide that Postpill is not suitable for you, or that another type of emergency contraception would be better for you. In all women, emergency contraception should be taken as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. There is some evidence that Postpill may be less effective with increasing body weight or body mass index (BMI), but this data was limited and inconclusive. Therefore, Postpill is still recommended for all women regardless of their weight or BMI. You are advised to speak to a healthcare professional if you are concerned about any problems related to taking emergency contraception. If you are worried about sexually transmitted diseases If you did not use a condom (or if it has been torn or slid down) during the intercourse, it might be possible that you have caught a sexually transmitted disease or the HIV virus. This medicine will not protect you against sexually transmitted diseases, only condoms can do this. Ask your doctor, nurse, family planning clinic or pharmacist for advice if you are worried about this. Other medicines and Postpill Tell your pharmacist or doctor if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines including medicines obtained without a prescription or herbal medicines. Some medicines may prevent Postpill from working effectively. If you have used any of the medicines below during the last 4 weeks, Postpill may be less suitable for you. Your doctor may prescribe another type of (non-hormonal) emergency contraceptive, i.e. a copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD). If this is not an option for you or if you are unable to see your doctor promptly, you can take a double dose of Postpill: • barbiturates and other medicines used to treat epilepsy (for example, primidone, phenytoin, and carbamazepine) • medicines used to treat tuberculosis (for example, rifampicin, rifabutin) • medicines used to treat HIV (for example, ritonavir, efavirenz) • a medicine used to treat fungal infections (griseofulvin) • herbal remedies containing St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) 3 Speak to your pharmacist or doctor if you need further advice on the correct dose for you. Consult your doctor as soon as possible after taking the tablets for further advice on a reliable form of regular contraception and to exclude a pregnancy. (See section 3 “How to take Postpill for further advice). Postpill may also affect how well other medicines work • a medicine called ciclosporin (suppresses the immune system). How often can you use Postpill You should only use Postpill in emergencies and not as a regular method of contraception. If Postpill is used more than once in a menstrual cycle, it is more likely to upset your menstrual cycle (period). Postpill does not work as well as regular methods of contraception. Your doctor, practice nurse or family planning clinic can tell you about long-term methods of contraception which are more effective in preventing you from getting pregnant. Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. Pregnancy You should not take this medicine if you are already pregnant. If you do become pregnant even after taking this medicine, it is important that you see your doctor. There is no evidence that Postpill will harm a baby that develops in your uterus/womb if you use Postpill as described. Nevertheless, your doctor may want to check that the pregnancy is not ectopic (where the baby develops somewhere outside the womb). This is especially important if you develop severe abdominal pain after taking Postpill or if you have previously had an ectopic pregnancy, Fallopian tube surgery or pelvic inflammatory disease. Breast-feeding Very small amounts of the active ingredient of this medicine may appear in your breast milk. This is not thought to be harmful to the baby, but if you are worried you can take your tablet immediately after a breast-feeding and avoid nursing at least 8 hours following tablet taking. In this way you are taking the tablet well before the next feed and reducing the amount of active ingredient your baby may take in with the breast milk. Fertility Postpill increases the possibility of menstruation disturbances which can sometimes lead to earlier or later ovulation date. These changes can result in modified fertility date, however there are no fertility data in the long term. Driving and using machines Your Postpill tablet is unlikely to affect your ability to drive a car or use machines. However, if you feel tired or dizzy do not drive or operate machinery. Postpill contains lactose If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicine.