Millinette

When do I start taking Millinette?

You should start taking Millinette on the first day of your next period. If you start taking Millinette on the first day, or up to the 5th day of your period, you will be protected from pregnancy straight away.

If you take your first Millinette pill any day after day 5 of your period, you will not be protected straight away so you should use condoms for 7 days too. If you do this, and you have had sex before starting Millinette or in the first 7 days of taking it, you should take a pregnancy test 3 weeks after you last had sex to make sure that you are not pregnant.

You should take 1 Millinette pill at the same time each day. Once you have finished all 21 pills, you will have a 7 day break before starting the next blister strip.

During this 7 day break, you will experience a withdrawal bleed. You will have contraceptive protection during this break if you start your next pack straight after.

You should start the next Millinette blister strip even if you have not finished bleeding.

If you vomit or have diarrhoea within 2 hours of taking Millinette, take 1 pill from a spare blister strip. This is because your body will not have absorbed the active ingredients. You should use extra contraception for the next 7 days.

What do I do if I forget to take Millinette?

If you miss a pill it might affect your contraception. A pill counts as being missed if you have taken it more than 24 hours after you should have taken it.

• 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 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 two 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 seven 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. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you are unsure, you can also message one of our doctors through your account.

What do I do if I take Millinette twice?

If you take Millinette twice, you might feel sick or vomit. You could also have some vaginal bleeding. Speak to a healthcare professional such as your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Can pregnant or breastfeeding women take Millinette?

You should not take Millinette if you are pregnant. If you think you might be pregnant, stop taking Millinette. Use another method of contraception until you speak to your doctor.

If you are breastfeeding, you might be able to take Millinette, depending on when you gave birth. Your doctor might recommend you take a progesterone-only pill as alternative contraception.

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

When you stop taking Millinette, you may have some withdrawal bleeding. If you don’t want to get pregnant, you need to use another method of contraception, such as condoms.

You might get side effects when you take Millinette and you can speak to your doctor at any time for advice on what to do.

Common side effects of Millinette:

• irregular bleeding
• spotting between periods
• headache

Less common side effects of Millinette:

• depressed mood or mood swings
• breast pain, swelling or discharge
• painful periods
• acne
• feeling sick or being sick
• diarrhoea
• fluid retention
• weight changes
• migraines
• lower sex drive

Rare side effects of Millinette:

• allergic skin reactions
• jaundice
• gallstones
• liver disease
• blood clots
• breast cancer

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

Does the risk of thrombosis increase?

Your risk of thrombosis, or blood clots, is slightly higher with Millinette because of the hormone oestrogen.

Blood clots can occur in your:

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

Stop taking Millinette and call 999 if you notice any signs of blood clots such as:

• feeling short of breath
• chest pain
• blurry vision
• swelling in your calf
• losing feeling in one side of the body

Millinette pills can interact with medicines. This might reduce your protection against pregnancy or affect how other medicines work.

Speak to a healthcare professional such as your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following:

• epilepsy medication such as primidone, carbamazepine, phenytoin, topiramate, or lamotrigine
• barbiturates such as phenobarbital
• any products containing St. John’s wort
• HIV treatment such as efavirenz or nevirapine
• hepatitis C treatments such as ombitasvir, ritonavir, or dasabuvir
• antifungal medicines such as griseofulvin
• Ciclosporin
• Rifampicin or other medication used to treat tuberculosis
• medicines used to treat high blood pressure in the lungs such as bosentan
• Theophylline
• medicines used to treat rheumatoid arthritis such as etoricoxib

Millinette may not be right for you if you are taking the above medication. Your doctor may advise you to take a different contraceptive or use extra contraception such as condoms.

The active ingredients in Millinette 30/75 are ethinylestradiol (30 micrograms) and gestodene (75 micrograms).

The active ingredients in Millinette 20/75 are ethinylestradiol (20 micrograms) and gestodene (75 micrograms).

The other ingredients in Millinette are sodium calcium edetate, magnesium stearate, silica colloidal anhydrous, povidone K-30, maize starch, lactose monohydrate, quinoline yellow (E104), povidone K-90, titanium dioxide (E171), macrogol 6000, talc, calcium carbonate (E170), sucrose.

If you have an allergy or hypersensitivity to any of these ingredients, please speak to your doctor for advice before taking Millinette.

How should Millinette be stored?

You should store Millinette in its original box, below 25°C and in a cool, dry place. Keep Millinette away from children and pets.

How must Millinette be disposed of?

If you want to dispose of your Millinette pills, take them to your local pharmacy. Do not throw away your Millinette pills in the bin or down the drain at home.

What does Millinette look like?

Millinette pills are small and round. Millinette 30/75 pills are yellow and Millienette 20/75 pills are pale yellow.

In which pack sizes is Millinette available?

Millinette is available in pack sizes of 1, 3, and 6 blister strips. Each blister strip has 21 pills.

Information on the manufacturer

The company that holds the marketing authorisation of Millinette is Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Út 12-21, 1103 Budapest, Hungary.

Millinette is manufactured by Gedeon Richter Plc and distributed by Consilient Health (UK) Ltd, No.1 Church Road, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey, TW9 2QE.