Seasonique (Levonorgestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol) Drug Information: Description, User Reviews, Drug Side Effects, Interactions

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May 26, 2012

Seasonique

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What are birth control pills and how do they work?

Birth control pills are also known as oral contraceptives (OCs) or, simply, â€œthe pill.â€ They offer protection against pregnancy by blocking the union of sperm and egg, thereby preventing conception.

Oral contraceptives or birth control pills contain synthetic female hormones. They work largely by preventing the release of an egg from an ovary, or ovulation. If no egg is released, there can be no pregnancy.

Stopping ovulation is not the only way birth control pills can work. The progestin or synthetic progesterone in birth control pills also changes the physical and chemical environment of the female reproductive tract, making it hostile for sperm.

What are the different types of birth control pills?

The active ingredients in birth control pills are synthetic versions of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Combination oral contraceptives are birth control...

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Seasonique User Reviews >>

Seasonique

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Seasonique
(levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradioland ethinyl estradiol) Tablets for Oral Use

WARNING: CIGARETTE SMOKING AND SERIOUS CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular events from combination oral contraceptives (COC) use. This risk increases with age, particularly in women over 35 years of age, and with the number of cigarettes smoked. For this reason, COCs should not be used by women who are over 35 years of age and smoke. [See CONTRAINDICATIONS.]

DRUG DESCRIPTION

Seasonique (levonorgestrel, ethinyl estradiol) (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol tablets and ethinyl estradiol tablets) is an extended-cycle oral contraceptive consisting of 84 light blue-green tablets each containing 0.15 mg of levonorgestrel, a synthetic progestogen and 0.03 mg of ethinyl estradiol, and 7 yellow tablets containing 0.01 mg of ethinyl estradiol.

The structural formulas for the active components are:

Levonorgestrel is chemically 18,19-Dinorpregn-4-en-20-yn-3-one, 13-ethyl-17-hydroxy-, (17a)-, (-)-.

Ethinyl Estradiol structural illustration

Ethinyl Estradiol is 19-Norpregna-1,3,5(10)-trien-20-yne-3,17-diol, (17a)-.

Each light blue-green tablet contains the following inactive ingredients: anhydrous lactose, D&C yellow no. 10 aluminum lake, FD&C blue no. 1 aluminum lake, FD&C yellow no. 6/Sunset yellow aluminum lake, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, titanium dioxide and triacetin.

Each yellow tablet contains the following inactive ingredients: anhydrous lactose, D&C yellow no. 10 aluminum lake, FD&C yellow no. 6/Sunset yellow aluminum lake, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polacrilin potassium, polyethylene glycol, polysorbate 80 and titanium dioxide.

What are the possible side effects of ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel extended-cycle (Jolessa, LoSeasonique, Quasense, Seasonale, Seasonique)?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
sudden headache, confusion, pain behind the eyes, problems with vision, speech, or balance;
chest pain or heavy feeling,...

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