Seasonale Drug Uses
Seasonale is used to prevent pregnancy or to regulate your menstrual cycle. Certain brands of birth control pills may be used for treating acne or as a "morning after" pill for emergency contraception. Consult your doctor or pharmacist. Use of Seasonale does not protect you or your partner against sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., HIV, gonorrhea).
How Seasonale Drug Works
Take Seasonale with food or immediately after a meal to prevent stomach upset. Try to take Seasonale at the same time each day. This may help you to remember to take it. Learn proper use of your particular brand of medication. Follow your dosing schedule carefully. Be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. Use a supplemental form of birth control during the first week of taking Seasonale since it takes a while to be effective. Follow your doctor's directions exactly if this drug is being used as a "morning after" pill.
How Seasonale Taken
Follow the directions for using Seasonale provided by your doctor. THIS MEDICINE COMES with a patient information leaflet. Read it carefully. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist any questions that you may have before using Seasonale. TRY TO TAKE THIS MEDICINE at the same time every day, not more than 24 hours apart. If you have any questions, contact your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.
Possible Seasonale Side Effects
Like other oral contraceptives, Seasonale is effective for prevention of pregnancy when used as directed. The risks of using Seasonale are similar to the risks of other conventional oral contraceptives and include an increased risk of blood clots, heart attack, and stroke. The labeling also carries the warning that cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from use of combination estrogen and progestin containing contraceptives. Birth control pills including Seasonale do not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases.
Seasonale Warnings/Precautions
Some women should not use the pill. You should not use the pill if you have any of the following conditions:
- A history of heart attack or stroke
- A history of blood clots in the legs (thrombophlebitis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), or eyes
- A history of blood clots in the deep veins of your legs
- Chest pain (angina pectoris)
- Known or suspected breast cancer or cancer of the lining of the uterus, cervix, vagina, or certain hormonally-sensitive cancers
- Unexplained vaginal bleeding (until a diagnosis is reached by your healthcare provider)
- Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or of the skin (jaundice) during pregnancy or during previous use of the pill
- Liver tumor (benign or cancerous)
- Known or suspected pregnancy
- Heart valve or heart rhythm disorders that may be associated with formation of blood clots
- Diabetes affecting your circulation
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Active liver disease with abnormal liver function tests
- Allergy or hypersensitivity to any of the components of Seasonale
- A need for surgery with prolonged bedrest
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the above conditions. Your healthcare provider can recommend a safer method of birth control.
Tell your healthcare provider if you or any family member has ever had:
- Breast nodules, fibrocystic disease of the breast, an abnormal breast X-ray or mammogram
- Diabetes
- Elevated cholesterol or triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- Migraine or other headaches or epilepsy
- Depression
- Gallbladder, liver, heart or kidney disease
- History of scanty or irregular menstrual periods
Women with any of these conditions should be checked often by their healthcare provider if they choose to use oral contraceptives. Also, be sure to inform your healthcare providerf you smoke or are on any medications.
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from oral contraceptive use. This risk increases with age and with the amount of smoking (15 or more cigarettes per day has been associated with a significantly increased risk) and is quite marked in women over 35 years of age. Women who use oral contraceptives should not smoke.
Seasonale Overdose
If overdose is suspected, contact your local poison control center or emergency room immediately. Symptoms of overdose may include nausea and vomiting. Females may experience vaginal bleeding.
Seasonale Drug Interactions
Antibiotics or medicines for infections, especially rifampin, rifabutin, rifapentine, and griseofulvin; aprepitant, a medicine used for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; barbiturate medicines for producing sleep or treating seizures (convulsions); bosentan; carbamazepine; caffeine; clofibrate; cyclosporine; dantrolene; grapefruit juice; hydrocortisone; medicines for anxiety or sleeping problems, such as or temazepam; medicines for mental depression; medicines for diabetes, including troglitazone and pioglitazone; mineral oil; modafinil; mycophenolate; nefazodone; oxcarbazepine; phenytoin; prednisolone; ritonavir or other medicines for the treatment of the HIV virus or AIDS; selegiline; soy isoflavones supplements; St. John's wort; tamoxifen or raloxifene; theophylline; topiramate; warfarin.
Tell your prescriber or health care professional about all other medicines you are taking, including non-prescription medicines, nutritional supplements, or herbal products. Also tell your prescriber or health care professional if you are a frequent user of drinks with caffeine or alcohol, if you smoke, or if you use illegal drugs. These may affect the way your medicine works. Check before stopping or starting any of your medicines.
Seasonale Missed Dose
If you miss 1 pink active pill then take it as soon as you remember. Take the next pill at your regular time. This means you may have to take 2 pills in one day.
If you miss 2 pink active pills in a row then take 2 pills on the day you remember, and 2 pills the next day. Then take 1 pill a day until you finish the pack. You could become pregnant if you have sex in the 7 days after you restart your pills so you must another birth control method (such as condoms) as a back-up on the 7 days after you restart your pills.
If you miss 3 or more pink active pills in a row then do not remove the missed pills from the pack as they will not be taken. Keep taking 1 pill every day as indicated on the pack until you have completed all of the remaining pills in the pack. You may experience bleeding during the week following the missed pills. You could become pregnant if you have sex during the days of missed pills or during the first 7 days after restarting your pills, so you must another birth control method (such as condoms or spermicide) as a back-up when you miss pills and for the first 7 days after you restart your pills. If you miss your period when you are taking the white pills, call your healthcare provider because you may be pregnant
Seasonale Storage
Keep out of the reach of children.
Store at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C (59 and 86 degrees F). Keep container tightly closed. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.
Seasonale More Information
The following information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist or other healthcare professional. It should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. Consult your healthcare professional before using this drug.
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