Mercilon must be taken as directed in order to prevent pregnancy.

Take a Mercilon contraceptive pill every day for 21 days. You must follow the direction stated on a single Mercilon strip, each marked with a day of the week.

• Take your pill at the same time every day.

• Begin your Mercilon cycle by taking a pill marked with the correct day of the week.

• Follow the direction of arrows seen on each strip.

• Take one pill each day, until you have finished all 21 pills

• Do not chew Mercilon pills, swallow whole with water if needed

• Take seven pill-free days between each Mercilon strip

If you take the last Mercilon pill of one pack on a Friday, you will take the first pill of your next pack on the Saturday of the following week.

After a few days of taking the last pill from the strip, you should have a withdrawal bleed like a period. Do not worry if this bleed has not finished when it is time to start your next strip of pills. As long as you have taken the Mercilon contraceptive pill correctly you will not need to use extra contraception during the seven pill-free days.

You must start the next strip of Mercilon on the correct day. As long as you take Mercilon correctly, you will always start each new strip on the same day of the week.

If you require further information on taking Mercilon please consult the Patient Information Leaflet.

Each box of Mercilon contains three strips of 21 tablets.

Each strip of Mercilon contains 21 white tablets.

Each tablet is round, measures 6mm across, has TR4 marked on one side and ORGANON * on the other side.

Each Mercilon contraceptive pill contains: 150 micrograms of the progestogen desogestrel, and 20 micrograms of the oestrogen ethinyl estradiol. Mercilon also contains the inactive ingredients: dl-alpha-tocopherol, potato starch, povidone, stearic acid, aerosol and lactose.

Before starting Mercilon, it is particularly important to read the symptoms of a blood clot section in the the Patient Information Leaflet. It’s important that you understand the benefits and risks of taking Mercilon before taking it or when deciding whether to carry on taking it. Although Mercilon is suitable for the vast majority of women, it is not suitable for all.

Do not take Mercilon if any of the following apply to you:

• If you have moderate or severe high blood pressure (hypertension)

• If you have ever had a heart attack or stroke

• If you have ever had a condition that may be a first sign of a heart attack (such as angina pectoris or chest pain) or stroke (such as transient ischaemic attack or small reversible

• stroke)

• If you have more than one risk factor for a blood clot

• If you have ever had a problem with your blood circulation. This includes a blood clot (thrombosis) in the legs (deep vein thrombosis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), or any other

• parts of the body

• If you have had a migraine with aura

• If you have diabetes with blood vessel damage

• If you have ever had the disease systemic lupus erythematosus

• If you have or have recently had a severe liver disease

• If you have ever had a liver tumour

• If you have cancer affected by sex hormones – such as some cancers of the breast, womb lining or ovary

• If you have vaginal bleeding that has not been explained by your doctor

• If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to any of the ingredients in Mercilon

Tell your doctor, pharmacist or dentist that you’re taking Mercilon if you need to take another prescription medication. Some medicines can stop Mercilon from working properly, for example:

• Some medicines used to treat epilepsy (primidone, phenytoins, barbiturates, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, topiramate, felbamate)

• Medication to treat tuberculosis (rifampicin)

• Specific HIV medicines (ritonavir)

• Certain antibiotics (penicillins, tetracyclines)

• St. John’s Wort (a herbal remedy)

• Griseofulvin (an antifungal drug)

If you do need to take one of these medicines, Mercilon may not be suitable for you, or you may be able to take Mercilon and use extra contraception for a while. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you if this is necessary and for how long.

Mercilon can also affect how well other medicines work. For example, Ciclosporin and Lamotrigine. Remind your doctor if you are taking these in case your treatment needs to be adjusted.

Mercilon contains lactose - if you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before you buy Mercilon online.