norgestrel-oral contraceptive (cont.)
PRECAUTIONS: Before you take this medication, tell your doctor your medical history (including family medical history), especially if you have: asthma, high blood pressure, kidney or liver diseases, heart disease, history of jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes) or high blood pressure during pregnancy, excessive weight gain or fluid retention during your menstrual cycle, strokes, blood clots, heart attacks, seizures, migraine headaches, breast cancer, high blood level of cholesterol or lipids (fats), depression. It may take a long time for you to become pregnant after you stop taking birth control pills, especially if you have never had a baby or if you had irregular, infrequent, or complete absence of menstrual periods before taking birth control pills. This problem does not seem to be related to the duration of use of birth control pills. Discuss this with your doctor. Do not smoke cigarettes. Birth-control pills slightly increase your risk of strokes, blood clots, high blood pressure, heart attacks, gallbladder disease, vision problems, and liver tumors. Cigarette smoking (especially 15 or more cigarettes daily) and age (women older than 35 or 40 years of age) further increase the risk of stroke, blood clots, high blood pressure, and heart attacks. Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the patient labeling which explains these risks in more detail. Before having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor that you take birth control pills. Norgestrel must not be used during pregnancy. If you become pregnant or think you are pregnant, inform your doctor immediately. This medication is excreted into breast milk and may have undesirable effects on a nursing infants, consult your doctor before breast-feeding. Oral contraceptives should be stopped at least three months before becoming pregnant. Use another method of birth control during those three months.
DRUG INTERACTIONS: Tell your doctor of all prescription and nonprescription drugs you use, especially of: aminoglutethimide, certain seizure drugs (e.g., phenytoin, barbiturates, primidone, carbamazepine), rifamycins (e.g., rifampin), thyroid, nevirapine, theophylline, antibiotics such as penicillins and tetracyclines, griseofulvin, certain HIV protease inhibitors (e.g., amprenavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir), acitretin, troglitazone, modafinil, corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone). This product can affect the results of certain lab tests. Make sure laboratory personnel and your doctors know you use this drug. Do not start or stop any medicine without doctor or pharmacist approval.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
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