Lucette

Lucette is known as a combined oral contraceptive pill, COC or birth control pill. There are 2 types of hormone (ethinylestradiol and drospirenone) inside each pill.

Lucette helps prevent pregnancy by stopping you from releasing an egg from your ovaries. Lucette does not protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Please use a condom and go for regular sexual health checkups for protection from STIs.

You can take Lucette with or without food. Follow the arrows and days labelled on the foil blister strip.

• Take 1 Lucette pill at the same time each day for 21 days
• Then you have 7 days where you do not take any Lucette pills, and you will have a withdrawal bleed
• After your 7 day break, start a new strip of 21 Lucette pills

Your doctor may give you different instructions to these, so make sure you follow their directions closely.

When should Lucette not be taken?

Your doctor may suggest you don’t take Lucette if you:

• have ever had a blood clot or are at high risk of having a blood clot in future
• are having major surgery where you won’t be able to move much afterwards
• have ever had a stroke or are at high risk of having a stroke
• have migraines with aura
• have diabetes
• have high blood pressure
• have any problems with your liver or kidneys
• get vaginal bleeding that may be happening for an unknown reason
• are allergic to lactose or any of the other ingredients in Lucette
• are pregnant or planning a pregnancy

When do I start taking Lucette?

You can start Lucette on the first day of your period and you will be protected straight away. If it’s after the fifth day of your period, you have to take 7 days of Lucette pills to be protected from pregnancy. During these 7 days, you must use a barrier method, like condoms, for protection during sex.

If you are switching from another type of contraception, like a progestogen only pill (POP), injection, IUD or implant, you must take 7 days of Lucette and use condoms before you are protected.

What do I do if I forget to take Lucette?

Try to remember to take your Lucette pill at the same time each day. Sometimes you might forget or miss a pill. Here is what you need to 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 or more 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 have missed more than 2 pills in the first week of your pack you may need to use emergency contraception.

For more information about what to do if you forget to take your pill, read the patient information leaflet that comes in your pack of Lucette. You can also message one of our doctors for free advice in your patient account.

Can Lucette be taken on a regular basis?

You can take Lucette on a regular basis. You should have your blood pressure checked at least once a year while taking Lucette.

What will happen if I take Lucette twice?

You should be fine if you take 2 Lucette tablets on the same day because you have missed a pill. Otherwise, you might start to feel ill, vomit or bleed from your vagina. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible.

Can pregnant or breastfeeding women take Lucette?

You shouldn’t take Lucette if you are pregnant, think you might be pregnant or are planning a baby. Depending on when you gave birth, you might be able to use Lucette.

Speak to your doctor for advice before using Lucette if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

What should I watch out for if I want to stop taking Lucette?

Speak to your doctor before you stop taking Lucette. If you stop taking Lucette you will need to use condoms or another type of contraception to protect yourself from pregnancy. When you stop taking Lucette, you may notice some vaginal bleeding a few days after stopping.

You can get side effects when you take Lucette.

The most common side effects include:

• bleeding between periods
• breast pain or breast tenderness
• headache
• mood swings
• migraine
• nausea
• thick, white vaginal discharge or thrush

Uncommon side effects of Lucette include:

• changes in blood pressure
• breast enlargement
• acne
• skin rash
• hair loss
• diarrhoea
• vomiting
• fluid retention (bloating)
• changes in body weight

Read the patient information leaflet in your pack of Lucette for more details about side effects. You should speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you think you might have side effects after taking Lucette.

Rare side effects of Lucette include:

• allergic reaction
• asthma
• breast secretion
• hearing problems
• erythema rash
• blood clots that can form in a vein or artery in your leg (deep vein thrombosis), lung (pulmonary embolism), heart (heart attack or stroke), liver, eye, stomach, kidney or intestine.

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

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

You can take Lucette if you:

• have never had a blood clot, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or any blood vessel problems that led to a blood clot
• don’t have migraines with aura
• are not allergic to any of the ingredients in Lucette such as lactose
• have never had a tumour or breast cancer
• have no cholesterol problems
• have not got diabetes
• are not overweight
• do not have high blood pressure

Please speak to your doctor or pharmacist for further advice to check that Lucette is suitable for you to take. If you develop any health problems in future, you may need to stop taking Lucette. Your doctor may suggest a progesterone only pill, or mini pill, as an alternative.

Lucette can interact with other drugs, medicines or supplements that you might be taking. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice before using Lucette if you take any of the following:

• epilepsy medicines such as carbamazepine, primidone, phenytoin or topiramate, lamotrigine
• tuberculosis medicines such as rifampicin
• ciclosporin, theophylline or tizanidine
• HIV, hepatitis C medicines, or other antivirals such as ritonavir, nevirapine or efavirenz
• antifungal medicine such as griseofulvin or ketoconazole
• medicine to treat high blood pressure in your lungs such as bosentan
• arthritis medicine such as etoricoxib
• herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements that contain St John’s wort

When you take Lucette, your risk of thrombosis (blood clots) is slightly higher than normal. You can get a blood clot in a vein or an artery in your:

• leg (deep vein thrombosis or DVT)
• lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• eye (retinal vein thrombosis)
• heart (heart attack)
• brain (stroke)

The active ingredients in Lucette are ethinylestradiol (0.03 milligrams) and drospirenone (3 milligrams).

The other ingredients in Lucette are lactose monohydrate, pregelatinized maize starch, maize starch, povidone K25, magnesium stearate, polyvinyl alcohol, titanium dioxide (E171), talc (E553b), macrogol 3350, and lecithin (soya).

If you have an allergy to lactose, please speak to your doctor for advice before you use Lucette.

How should Lucette be stored?

Store Lucette pills in their original box, below 30°C and away from light. Keep Lucette pills in a safe place away from children or animals.

How must the product be disposed of?

If you have Lucette pills to dispose of, take them to a local pharmacy. Don’t put Lucette pills in your bin at home.

What does Lucette look like?

Lucette pills are white, round, biconvex, and film-coated. Each Lucette pill has a plain side and G63 written on the other side.

In which pack sizes is Lucette available?

You can buy a pack of Lucette with 1, 3, 6, or 13 blister strips inside. Each blister strip has 21 pills.

Information on the manufacturer

The marketing authorisation holder and manufacturer for Lucette is Gedeon Richter Plc, 1103 Budapest, Gyömrői út 19-21, Hungary.

The distributor for Lucette is Consilient Health Ltd, No.1 Church Road, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey, TW9 2QE, United Kingdom.