Medroxyprogesterone and Estradiol (Systemic)

Brand Names : Lunelle

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. If you are using injectable contraceptives you should understand how their benefits and risks compare to those of other birth control methods. This is a decision you, your sexual partner, and your doctor will make. For medroxyprogesterone and estradiol combination, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to progesterones or estrogens. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Contraceptives are not recommended for use during pregnancy and should be discontinued if you become pregnant or if you think that you are pregnant. In rare cases when oral contraceptives have been taken early in a pregnancy, problems in the fetus have not occurred.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether monthly injectable contraceptives pass into breast milk, but oral contraceptives do pass into the breast milk and can change the content or lower the amount of breast milk. Injectable contraceptives may be used by women who are breast-feeding and they may begin their contraceptive six weeks after having their baby.

Adolescents - This medicine can be used for birth control in teenage females and is not expected to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults. Some teenagers may need extra information on the importance of taking this medication exactly as prescribed.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking medroxyprogesterone and estradiol, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Aminoglutethamide (e.g., Cytadren) - These medicines may decrease the effectiveness of the contraceptive

• Carbamazepine (e.g., Tegretol) or
• Phenobarbital (e.g., Luminal) or
• Phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin) - These medicines may increase the removal of medroxyprogesterone and estradiol from the body, resulting in a decrease in the ability to protect against pregnancy.

• Rifampin (e.g., Rifadin) - These medicines may increase the removal of medroxyprogesterone and estradiol from the body, resulting in a decrease in the ability to protect against pregnancy

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of medroxyprogesterone and estradiol. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Abnormal changes in menstrual or uterine bleeding
• Blood clots (or history of) or
• Gallbladder disease or gallstones (or history of) or
• Heart or circulation problems or
• High blood cholesterol or
• High blood pressure (hypertension) or
• Liver disease (or history of) or
• Mental problems - Combination contraceptives may make these conditions worse or, rarely, cause them to occur again.
• Cancer, including breast cancer - Contraceptives may worsen some cancers, especially when breast, cervical, or uterine cancers already exist. Use of monthly injectable contraceptives is not recommended if you have any of these conditions. If you have a family history of breast disease, injectable contraceptives may still be a good choice but you may need to be tested more often

• Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) - Use of combination contraceptives may cause an increase, usually only a small increase, in your blood sugar and usually does not affect the amount of diabetes medicine that you take.
• Migraine headaches - Combination contraceptives may cause fluid build-up and may cause these conditions to become worse; however, some people have fewer migraine headaches when they use contraceptives