Marvelon

Your pack of Marvelon pills will contain strips of 21 pills. Each Marvelon strip has the days of the week printed on it and arrows to show the direction to take them. This is how you take Marvelon:

• Take 1 Marvelon pill at the same time each day for 21 days
• Swallow each pill whole with water
• After 21 days, take a 7 day break where you do not take any pills
• You will have a withdrawal bleed during this 7 day break
• After the 7 day break, start your next strip of pills straight away

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

Your Marvelon 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.

When do I start taking Marvelon?

You should start taking Marvelon on the first day of your period, which is also the first day of your menstrual cycle. You’ll have immediate protection from pregnancy.

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

What do I do if I forget to take Marvelon?

A pill is considered as being missed if it is taken 24 or more hours after the usual time. If you miss a Marvelon pill, you may be less protected against pregnancy.

• If you have only missed one 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 to7 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 2 or more pills in the first week of your packet, or if you miss 8 or more pills, you may need emergency contraception from a healthcare professional.

Speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you have had unprotected sex and are unsure what to do after missing a Marvelon pill.

What do I do if I take Marvelon twice?

If you take Marvelon twice, you might feel sick, vomit or start bleeding from your vagina. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible.

Can pregnant or breastfeeding women take Marvelon?

If you are pregnant you should not take Marvelon. Stop taking Marvelon if you find out you are pregnant and get in touch with your doctor as soon as possible.

You should not take Marvelon in the first 6 weeks after giving birth if you are breastfeeding. Speak to your doctor for advice if you are still unsure or you require contraception in the first 6 weeks. A progesterone only contraceptive pill can be used instead.

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

If you want to stop taking Marvelon, you will no longer be protected from pregnancy. You will need to use an alternative method of contraception like a condom. You will bleed from your vagina for a few days after your last Marvelon pill. Speak to your doctor about alternative methods of birth control if you still want to prevent pregnancy.

Marvelon works using 2 types of female sex hormones. These are called ethinylestradiol (an oestrogen) and desogestrel (a progestogen). Marvelon helps you avoid getting pregnant by:

• stopping ovulation, which is the release of an egg from your ovaries
• thickening the mucus around your cervix, so it’s harder for sperm to reach the egg
• thinning the lining of the womb, so a fertilised egg can’t implant itself

When taken perfectly, Marvelon can be 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. Marvelon might not protect you from pregnancy if:

• you vomit within 3 hours of taking a Marvelon pill or if you have diarrhoea for more than 24 hours
• you miss pills
• take other medicines or eat certain foods that affect how Marvelon works

Marvelon does not protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), so you will need to use condoms, to avoid getting STIs. You can go to a sexual health clinic for an STI check if needed.

You can get side effects when you take Marvelon, such as breakthrough bleeding. This normally improves after a few months.

Common side effects of Marvelon include:

• headaches
• breast pain or breast tenderness
• body weight changes
• nausea
• mood changes
• abdominal pain

Uncommon side effects of Marvelon include:

• migraines
• fluid retention
• lost interest in sex
• vomiting
• diarrhoea
• breast enlargement
• skin rash or hives

Rare side effects of Marvelon include:

• hypersensitivity or allergic reactions
• breast secretions
• finding it hard to wear contact lenses
• increased interest in sex
• weight loss
• gallstones
• high blood pressure
• blood clots
• breast cancer or cancer of the cervix

If you experience any of these side effects, please get in touch with your doctor straight away.

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

You can find other possible side effects in the patient information leaflet that comes in your Marvelon pack of pills.

You can report any side effects using the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme in the Google Play or Apple App Store.

You can take Marvelon if you are:

• not pregnant or planning a pregnancy
• not allergic to any of the ingredients in Yasmin
• not taking medicines to treat hepatitis C
• not at high risk of having blood clots
• not about to have an operation where you can’t move around afterwards
• at a healthy body weight

Do not take Marvelon if you have:

• ever had a heart attack or stroke
• liver or kidney problems
• vaginal bleeding with an unknown cause
• a tumour or history of cancer, such as breast cancer
• migraines with aura
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• ever had breast cancer
• ever had liver tumours
• ever had a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
• ever had gallbladder or liver disease
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• high cholesterol
• high levels of fat in your blood that can lead to pancreatitis
• heart disease or angina

Your doctor may suggest a progesterone only pill (POP) or mini pill as an alternative form of contraception if you can’t take Marvelon.

You can find more information in the patient information leaflet that comes with your pack of Marvelon pills.

Some medicines can interact with Marvelon and make it less effective. These include medicines that treat:

• epilepsy such as primidone, phenobarbital, lamotrigine, phenytoin, topiramate, modafinil or carbamazepine
• tuberculosis such as rifampicin
• HIV infections such as ritonavir, efavirenz or nelfinavir
• hepatitis C virus such as boceprevir, telaprevir, ombitsavir
• fungal infections such as griseofulvin
• high blood pressure such as bosentan
• low mood such as the herbal remedy St. John’s wort

For more information, speak to your doctor or read the patient information leaflet that comes with your pack of Marvelon pills.

Combined hormonal contraceptives such as Marvelon can increase your risk of getting blood clots. This is because the oestrogen in Marvelon pills can make your blood more likely to clot.

You might get a blood clot in the blood vessels of your:

• leg (deep vein thrombosis)
• lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• heart (heart attack)
• brain (stroke)

If you are already at risk of blood clots, you may be prescribed a progesterone only pill which has no oestrogen in it.

The active ingredients in Marvelon are desogestrel 150 micrograms and ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms.

The other ingredients in Marvelon are dl-alpha-tocopherol, potato starch, povidone, stearic acid, aerosol, and lactose.

If you have an allergy to lactose or any other ingredients in Marvelon, speak to your doctor before you take any pills.

How should Marvelon be stored?

Store Marvelon below 25°C in its original box to protect it from light. Do not use Marvelon after the expiry date which is marked on the box. You should keep Marvelon out of the sight and reach of children.

How must Marvelon be disposed of?

Do not dispose of Marvelon in your bin or down the drain at home. Take your unused or expired Marvelon tablets to a nearby pharmacy for safe disposal.

What does Marvelon look like?

Each Marvelon pill is white, round, biconvex, and 6mm in diameter. The pills have TR5 printed on one side and Organon* on the other side.

In which pack sizes is Marvelon available?

Marvelon is available in a pack size of 3 strips of 21 pills.

Information on the manufacturer

The Marketing Authorisation Holder of Marvelon is Organon Pharma (UK) Limited, Hertford Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 9BU, UK.

The Manufacturer of Marvelon is N.V. Organon, P.O. Box 20, 5340 BH Oss, The Netherlands.