Gedarel Pill - 20/150 & 30/150

Make sure this medicine is taken as instructed by your doctor.  

You should take one tablet each day for 21 days until the strip is empty. Then you have 7 days when you do not take a tablet.  

During the 7 tablet-free days, on day 2 or 3, you will have menstruation-like withdrawal bleeding, i.e., your “monthly period”. Start your next strip on the 8th day (following the 7 tablet-free days) – even if the bleeding has not yet ended.  

Try and take your tablet at the same time each day. This could be either last thing at night or first thing in the morning.  

Tablets should be swallowed whole with water.

You should not use Gedarel if you have any of the conditions listed below. If you have any of the conditions below, discuss this with your doctor as they may recommend an alternative medication. 

• if you have (or have ever had) a blood clot in a blood vessel of your legs (deep vein thrombosis, DVT), your lungs (pulmonary embolus, PE) or other organs; 
• if you know you have a disorder affecting your blood clotting – for instance, protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, antithrombin-III deficiency, Factor V Leiden or antiphospholipid antibodies;  
• if you need an operation or if you are off your feet for a long time;  
• if you have ever had a heart attack or a stroke;  
• if you have (or have ever had) angina pectoris or transient ischaemic attack;  
• if you have any of the following diseases that may increase your risk of a clot in the arteries: - severe diabetes with blood vessel damage - very high blood pressure - a very high level of fat in the blood (cholesterol or triglycerides) - a condition known as hyperhomocysteinaemia.  
• if you have (or have ever had) a type of migraine called ‘migraine with aura’;  
• if you have (had) an inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis);  
• if you have or have had in the past a liver disease and your liver function is still not normal;  
• if you have or have had a tumour in the liver;  
• if you have (had) or if you are suspected of having breast cancer or cancer of the genital organs;  
• if you have any unexplained bleeding from the vagina; if you are pregnant or think you might be;  
• if you have endometrial hyperplasia (a condition characterised by overgrowth of the lining of the uterus);  
• if you are allergic to ethinylestradiol or desogestrel, or any of the other ingredients of this medicine.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. If you get any side effects, particularly if severe and persistent, or have any change to your health that you think may be due to Gedarel, please talk to your doctor. An increased risk of blood clots in your veins or blood clots in your arteries is present for all women taking combined hormonal contraceptives. 
 
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): irregular bleeding.  
 
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): depression, mood altered, headache, dizziness, nervousness, nausea, abdominal pain, acne, tender breasts, breast pain, absence of menstruation, painful menstruation, pre-menstrual syndrome (physical and emotional problems before the start of menstruation), weight gain.  
 
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): fluid retention, decreased sexual desire, migraine, impaired hearing (otosclerosis), high blood pressure, diarrhoea, vomiting, rash, nettle-rash (urticaria), breast enlargement.  
 
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people): hypersensitivity, increased sexual desire, eye irritation due to contact lens, skin disorders (erythema nodosum - a skin disease associated with joint pain, fever, hypersensitivity, or infection, and characterized by small, painful, pink to blue nodules under the skin and on the shins that tend to recur, erythema multiforme - a skin disease characterized by solid raised spots on the skin or fluid-filled blisters lesions and reddening or discolouration of the skin often in concentric zones about the lesions), chloasma (discolouration of the skin, so-called “pregnancy patches”,) vaginal discharge, breast discharge and weight loss.
Harmful blood clots in a vein or artery for example:  in a leg or foot (i.e., DVT),  in a lung (i.e., PE),  heart attack,  stroke,  mini-stroke or temporary stroke-like symptoms, known as transient ischaemic attack (TIA),  blood clots in the liver, stomach/intestine, kidneys, or eye. The chance of having a blood clot may be higher if you have any other conditions that increase this risk.