Levest

Your pack of Levest will contain strips of 21 pills. Each strip will have the days of the week and arrows printed on it. To take Levest you should:

• Swallow 1 Levest pill with water at the same time each day for 21 days.
• Then you take a 7 day break where you do not take any pills and will have a withdrawal bleed, similar to a period. You’ll still be protected from pregnancy during the 7 day break.
• After the 7 day break, start a new strip of pills on the same day as the month before.

You can also take Levest in other ways. For more information please speak to your doctor.

Your Levest pill might not protect you from pregnancy if you vomit or have severe diarrhoea. If this happens, speak to a doctor or pharmacist for advice.

You can start taking Levest at any point during your menstrual cycle. Ideally, you will start taking Levest on the first day of your period (day 1 of your menstrual cycle).

If you start taking Levest between days 1 and 5 of your menstrual cycle, you’ll be protected from pregnancy straight away.

If you start taking Levest after day 5 of your menstrual cycle, you’ll need to use extra protection, such as condoms, for 7 days.

A pill is considered as being missed if it is taken 24 or more hours after the usual time. If you forget to take Levest here is what you should do:

• If you have only missed 1 pill, take it as soon as you remember, even if you have to take 2 pills at once. Continue to take the rest of your pack as usual. You’ll still be protected against pregnancy.
• If you have missed 2 to 7 pills, take the most recently missed pill as soon as you remember and leave any previous pills in the strip. This may mean taking 2 pills at once. Continue to take the rest of your pack as usual. But if you have fewer than 7 pills left in the pack, start a new pack without taking a pill free break. You will need to use extra contraception such as condoms for 7 days as you may be at risk of pregnancy.
• If you miss more than 2 pills in the first week of your pill packet or if you miss 8 or more pills, you may need emergency contraception.

You can always speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure about what to do when you miss a Levest pill.

If you take too much Levest, it is not likely to cause you any serious harm. You might feel sick or vomit, and you may have some vaginal bleeding. You should speak to a healthcare professional if you take too much Levest.

Do not take Levest if you are pregnant. If you think you may be pregnant, stop taking Levest immediately and get in touch with your doctor as soon as possible.

You should not take Levest if you’re breastfeeding in the first 6 weeks after giving birth. If you’re breastfeeding and you are still unsure if you can take Levest or if you require contraception before 6 weeks, contact your doctor for advice. A progesterone only pill can be used instead.

If you want to stop taking Levest, you will no longer be protected from pregnancy. You will need to use a barrier method, like condoms, to protect yourself from pregnancy. A few days after you stop taking Levest, you will start to bleed from your vagina. Your doctor can recommend alternative hormonal contraception.

When you take Levest, you can get some side effects. These normally improve after the first few months of taking your pill.

Some common side effects of Levest include:

• headaches
• stomach aches
• weight gain
• mood swings or mood changes
• nausea
• breast pain or breast tenderness

Uncommon side effects of Levest include:

• vomiting
• fluid retention
• low sex drive
• migraines
• breast growth
• skin rash

Rare side effects of Levest include:

• finding it difficult to wear contact lenses
• weight loss
• vaginal discharge
• breast discharge
• allergic reaction

You might have breakthrough bleeding or spotting within the first few months of taking Levest. If it doesn’t stop after 3 months, please get in touch with your doctor.

If you have any of the above side effects, please see your doctor or pharmacist right away.

You can also report side effects to the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme online, or on the Google App or Apple App Store.

Levest can interact with other medicines. Before you use Levest, speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you take any of the following:

• Medicine used to treat epilepsy
• Medicine used to treat HIV and hepatitis C
• Griseofulvin (an antifungal medicine)
• Certain antibiotics
• Sedatives such as barbiturates
• Vitamins or food supplements that contain the herbal remedy St John’s wort

When you take Levest, your risk of getting a blood clot increases slightly, compared to someone who does not take the pill.

Blood clots can happen in different places like:

• Leg (deep vein thrombosis or DVT)
• Lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• Eye (retinal vein thrombosis)
• Heart (heart attack)
• Brain (stroke)

Read the patient information leaflet in your pack of Levest or speak to your doctor for advice.

The active ingredients in Levest are levonorgestrel (150mcg) and ethinylestradiol (30mcg).

The other ingredients in Levest are lactose monohydrate, sucrose, maize starch, povidone k-25, talc, calcium carbonate, povidone k-90, glycerin, macrogol 6000, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, and carnauba wax.

If you have an intolerance or allergy to any of the ingredients in Levest, speak to your doctor before you take it.

Store Levest pills in their original box, below 25°C and in a safe place away from children. Do not pop the pills out of their blister pack until you need to take one. Use your Levest pills before the expiry date on the box.

Ask your pharmacist to throw away any Levest pills that have expired or that you’re no longer using. Do not throw Levest pills in your bin or down the drain at home.

Levest pills are white, round, biconvex, and sugar-coated.

You can buy packs of Levest that contain 3 or 6 blister strips. Each blister strip of Levest contains 21 pills.

The marketing authorisation holder for Levest is Morningside Healthcare Ltd., Unit C, Harcourt Way, Leicester, LE19 1WP, United Kingdom.

The manufacturer for Levest is Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd., 5 Pavilion Way, Castle Business Park, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 5GW, United Kingdom.