Postinor 2 Composition, Side Effect, Use, Dose

Postinor 2 is an emergency contraceptive pill. It is an oral tablet manufactured by Gedeon Richter Plc., Hungary and marketed in Nigeria by Society for Family Health (SFH, Nigeria).

Postinor 2 composition, dose, use and side effects

Postinor 2 tablet

This post will answer information about postinor 2 such as:

1. What postinor 2 is and what it is used for

2. What you need to know before you take postinor 2

3. How to take postinor 2

4. Possible side effects

Composition Of Postinor 2

The active substance is 0.75 mg levonorgestrel in each tablet. The pack comes with 2 tablets in a sachet.

The other ingredients are colloidal anhydrous silica, potato starch, magnesium stearate, talc, maize starch, lactose monohydrate (71.25 mg).

Indication And Use Of Postinor 2

Postinor 2 is an emergency contraceptive that can be used within 72 hours (3 days) of unprotected sex or if your usual contraceptive method has failed. Postinor 2 tablet contains a synthetic luteal hormone-like active substance called levonorgestrel.

Read Also: Cause of gonorrhoea in children

It prevents about 84% of expected pregnancies when you take it within 72 hours (3 days) of having unprotected sex. It will not prevent a pregnancy in every time and is more effective if you take it as soon as possible after unprotected sex. It is better to take it within 12 hours rather than delay until the third day.

Postinor 2 tablet is thought to work by:

1. stopping your ovaries from releasing an egg

2. preventing sperm from fertilizing any egg you may have already released.

Postinor 2 can only prevent you becoming pregnant if you take it within 72 hours of unprotected sex. It does not work if you are already pregnant. If you have unprotected sex after taking Postinor 2, it will not stop you from becoming pregnant.

Postinor 2 is not indicated for use before the first menstrual bleeding (menarche).

Contraindications

Do not take Postinor 2:

- if you are allergic to levonorgestrel or any of the other ingredients of this medicine

Warnings And Precautions

If any of the following applies to you, talk to your doctor before taking Postinor 2 as emergency contraception may not be suitable for you. Your doctor may prescribe another type of emergency contraception for you.

• If you are pregnant or think that you may already be pregnant. This medicine will not work if you are already pregnant. If you are already pregnant, Postinor 2 cannot terminate pregnancy, because Postinor 2 is not an "abortion pill."

You may already be pregnant if:

- your period is more than 5 days late, or you have experienced unusual bleeding when your next period is due

• you have had unprotected sex more than 72 hours ago, and since your last period.

The use of Postinor 2 is not advised if:

• you have a disease of your small bowel (such as Crohn's disease) that inhibits the absorption of the medicine

• you have severe liver problems

• you have a history of ectopic pregnancy (where the baby develops somewhere outside the womb)

• you have ever had a disease called salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes).

A previous ectopic pregnancy or previous infection of the fallopian tubes increases the risk of a new ectopic pregnancy.

If any of these apply to you, Postinor 2 tablets may not be suitable for you, or other types of emergency contraception may be better for you.

In all women, emergency contraception should be taken as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. There is some evidence that Postinor 2 may be less effective with increasing body weight or body mass index (BMI), but these data were limited and inconclusive. Therefore, Postinor 2 is still recommended for all women regardless of their weight or BMI.

You are advised to speak to a healthcare professional if you are concerned about any problems related to taking emergency contraception.

Children And Adolescents

Postinor 2 is not indicated for use before the first menstrual bleeding (menarche).

If You Are Worried About Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)

If you did not use a condom (or if it has been torn or slid down) during the intercourse, it might be possible that you have caught a sexually transmitted disease or the HIV virus.

This medicine will not protect you against sexually transmitted diseases, only condoms can do this. Ask your doctor, your pharmacist or the family planning ("emergency contraception") clinic for advice if you are worried about this.

How Often Can You Use Postinor 2

You should only use Postinor 2 in emergencies and not as a regular method of contraception. If Postinor 2 is used more than once in a menstrual cycle, it is less reliable and it is more likely to upset your menstrual cycle (period).

Read Also: All about postpill

Postinor 2 does not work as well as regular methods of contraception. Your doctor or the specialist at the family planning clinic can tell you about long-term methods of contraception which are more effective in preventing you from getting pregnant.

Pregnancy, Breast-feeding And Fertility

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.

Pregnancy

You should not take this medicine if you are already pregnant. If you do become pregnant even after taking this medicine, it is important that you see your doctor. There is no evidence that Postinor 2 will harm a baby that develops in your uterus/womb if you use Postinor 2 as described. Nevertheless, your doctor may want to check that the pregnancy is not ectopic (where the baby develops somewhere outside the womb). This is especially important if you develop severe abdominal pain after taking Postinor 2 or if you have previously had an ectopic pregnancy, fallopian tube surgery or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

Breast-feeding

Very small amounts of the active ingredient of this medicine may appear in your breast milk. This is not thought to be harmful to the baby, but if you are worried you can take your tablet immediately after breast-feeding and avoid nursing at least 8 hours following tablet taking. In this way you are taking your tablet well before the next feed and reducing the amount of active ingredients your baby may take in with the breast milk.

Fertility

Postinor 2 increases the possibility of menstruation disturbances which can sometimes lead to earlier or later ovulation dates. These changes can result in modified fertility dates; however, there is no fertility data in the long term.

Driving And Using Machines

No studies on the effects on the ability to drive and use machines have been performed.

Postinor 2 Contains Lactose

In case of milk sugar (lactose) intolerance it should be considered that each Postinor 2 tablet also contains 71.25 mg milk sugar (lactose). If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicine.

How to take Postinor 2 (Dose)

Always use this medicine exactly as described here or as your doctor has told you. Check with your pharmacist or medical doctor if you are not sure.

Take both tablets at the same time as soon as possible, preferably within 12 hours, and no later than 72 hours after you have had unprotected sex. Do not chew but swallow the tablets whole, with water if necessary. Do not delay taking the tablets. The tablets work better the sooner you take them after having unprotected sex.

Postinor 2 can be taken at any time in your menstrual cycle assuming you are not already pregnant or think you may be pregnant.

If you are using one of the medicines that may prevent Postinor 2 from working properly or if you have used one of these medicines in the past 4 weeks, Postinor 2 may work less effectively for you. Your doctor may prescribe another type of (non-hormonal) emergency contraceptive, i.e. a copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD). If this is not an option for you, contact your doctor promptly to take a double dose of Postinor 2 (i.e. 4 tablets taken together at the same time).

Read Also: How to use female condom

If you are already using a regular method of contraception such as the contraceptive pill, you can continue to take this at your regular times.

How Often Can You Use Postinor 2?

You should only use Postinor 2 tablets in emergencies and not as a regular method of contraception. If the Postinor 2 tablet is used more than once in a menstrual cycle, it is more likely to upset your menstrual cycle (period). The Postinor 2 tablet does not work as well as regular methods of contraception. If you think you need repeated courses of emergency contraception, you should consider long-term methods of contraception.

If You Take More Postinor 2 Than You Should

Although there have been no reports of serious harmful effects from taking too many tablets at once, you may feel sick, actually be sick (vomit), or have vaginal bleeding. You should ask your pharmacist, your doctor or the family planning clinic for advice.

What To Do If You Are Sick (Vomit)

If you are sick (vomit) within three hours of taking the tablets, you should immediately take another 2 tablets. You will then need to contact your pharmacist, your doctor or the family planning clinic immediately.

After You Have Taken Postinor 2

After you have taken Postinor 2 tablet, if you want to have sex, and are not using the contraceptive pill, you should use condoms or a cap plus spermicide. This is because Postinor 2 tablet won't work if you have unprotected sex again, before of your next period is due.

After you have taken the Postinor 2 tablet, you are advised to make an appointment to see your doctor about three weeks later, to make sure that Postinor 2 tablet has worked. If your period is more than 5 days late or is unusually light or unusually heavy, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible. If you do become pregnant even after taking this medicine, it is important that you see your doctor.

Your doctor can also tell you about longer-term methods of contraception which are more effective in preventing you from getting pregnant.

If you continue to use regular hormonal contraception such as the contraceptive pill and you do not have a bleed in your pill-free period, see your doctor to make sure you are not pregnant.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your pharmacist or medical doctor.

Possible Side Effects Of Postpill

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):

- Feeling sick (nausea)

- You might have some irregular bleeding until your next period You might have lower abdominal pain

- Tiredness

- Headache

Common (may affect 1 to 10 in 100 people):

- Being sick (vomiting). If you are sick, read the section 'What to do if you are sick (vomit).'

- Your period might be different. Most women will have a normal period at the expected time, but some may have their period later or earlier than normal. You might also have some irregular bleeding or spotting until your next period. If your period is more than 5 days late or is unusually light or unusually heavy, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible.

- You might have tender breasts, diarrhea, and feel dizzy after taking this medicine.

Very rare (may affect less than 1 in 10,000 people):

- Rash, hives, itching, swelling of the face, pelvic pain, painful period.

Reporting Of Side Effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.