Estrostep 21 (Norethindrone Acetate and Ethinyl Estradiol) Drug Information: Description, User Reviews, Drug Side Effects, Interactions

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February 10, 2012

Estrostep

Birth Control (Types and Options) »

Introduction to birth control types and options

If a woman is sexually active and she is fertile — physically able to become pregnant — she needs to ask herself, "Do I want to become pregnant now?" If her answer is "No," she must use some method of birth control (contraception).

If a woman does not want to get pregnant at this point in her life, does she plan to become pregnant in the future? Soon? Much later? Never? Her answers to these questions can determine the method of birth control that she and her male sexual partner use — now and in the future.

There are a number of different ways to describe birth control. Terms include contraception, pregnancy prevention, fertility control, and family planning. But no matter what the process is called, sexually active people can choose from a plethora of methods to reduce the possibility of their becoming pregnant. Nevertheless, no method of birth control av...

Read the Birth Control (Types and Options) article »

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Estrostep 21 User Reviews >>

Estrostep 21

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ESTROSTEP® 21
(norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol) Tablets, USP

(Each white triangular tablet contains 1 mg norethindrone acetate and 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol; each white square tablet contains 1 mg norethindrone acetate and 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol; each white round tablet contains 1 mg norethindrone acetate and 35 mcg ethinyl estradiol.)

Patients should be counseled that this product does not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases.

DRUG DESCRIPTION

ESTROSTEP is a graduated estrophasic providing estrogen in a graduated sequence over a 21-day period with a constant dose of progestogen.

ESTROSTEP 21 provides for a 21-day dosage regimen of oral contraceptive tablets.

Each white triangle-shaped tablet contains 1 mg norethindrone acetate [(17 alpha)- 17-(acetyloxy)-19-norpregna-4-en-20-yn-3-one] and 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol [(17 alpha)- 19-norpregna-1,3,5(10)-trien-20-yne-3,17-diol]; each white square-shaped tablet contains 1 mg norethindrone acetate and 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol; and each white round tablet contains 1 mg norethindrone acetate, 35 mcg ethinyl estradiol. Each tablet also contains calcium stearate; lactose; microcrystalline cellulose; and starch.

The structural formulas are as follows:

ESTROSTEP (Norethindrone Acetate and Ethinyl Estradiol) structural formula illustration

Each ESTROSTEP 21 tablet dispenser contains five white triangular tablets, seven white square tablets, and nine white round tablets. These tablets are to be taken in the following order: one triangular tablet each day for five days, followed by one square tablet each day for seven days, and then one round tablet each day for nine days.