Enskyce Side Effects Center

What Is Enskyce?

Enskyce (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets) are oral contraceptives indicated for the prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use this product as a method of contraception. Enskyce is available in generic form.

What Are Side Effects of Enskyce?

Common side effects of Enskyce include:

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• abdominal cramps,
• bloating,
• breakthrough bleeding,
• spotting,
• changes in menstrual flow,
• missed periods,
• swelling,
• freckles or darkening of facial skin,
• breast tenderness or enlargement,
• nipple discharge,
• weight gain or loss,
• changes in vaginal discharge,
• migraine, rash (allergic),
• depression,
• vaginal yeast infection,
• and intolerance to contact lenses.

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from use of oral contraceptives such as Enskyce. Women who use oral contraceptives including Enskyce are strongly advised not to smoke.

Enskyce may cause serious side effects including:

• hives,
• difficulty breathing,
• swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat,
• sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body),
• sudden severe headache,
• slurred speech,
• problems with vision or balance,
• chest pain or pressure,
• sudden cough,
• wheezing,
• rapid breathing,
• coughing up blood,
• pain, swelling, warmth, or redness in one or both legs,
• pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder,
• nausea,
• sweating,
• severe stomach pain,
• fever,
• tired feeling,
• loss of appetite,
• dark urine,
• clay-colored stools,
• yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice),
• change in the pattern or severity of migraine headaches,
• swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet,
• breast lump,
• depression,
• sleep problems,
• weakness, and
• mood changes

Get medical help right away, if you have any of the symptoms listed above.

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

• Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights;
• Serious heart symptoms such as fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in your chest; shortness of breath; and sudden dizziness, lightheartedness, or passing out;
• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors.

This document does not contain all possible side effects and others may occur. Check with your physician for additional information about side effects.

Dosage for Enskyce

The dosage of Enskyce for the initial cycle of therapy is one light orange "active" tablet administered daily from the 1 day through the 21 day of the menstrual cycle, counting the first day of menstrual flow as "Day 1". Tablets are taken without interruption as follows: One light orange "active" tablet daily for 21 days, then one green "reminder" tablet daily for 7 days. After 28 tablets have been taken, a new course is started and a light orange "active" tablet is taken the next day.

What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Enskyce?

Enskyce may interact with:

• phenytoin,
• barbiturates,
• carbamazepine,
• bosentan,
• felbamate,
• griseofulvin,
• oxcarbazepine,
• rifampicin,
• topiramate,
• rifabutin,
• rufinamide,
• aprepitant,
• St. John's wort,
• azole antifungals,
• grapefruit juice,
• HIV/Hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitors,
• non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors,
• colesevelam,
• cyclosporine,
• prednisolone,
• theophylline,
• tizanidine,
• voriconazole,
• acetaminophen,
• clofibric acid,
• morphine,
• salicylic acid,
• temazepam,
• lamotrigine,
• and thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

Enskyce During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Enskyce is not recommended for use during pregnancy. Small amounts of Enskyce pass into breast milk and may cause adverse reactions in nursing infants. Breastfeeding while using Enskyce is not recommended.

Additional Information

Our Enskyce (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets) Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

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

Stop using birth control pills and call your doctor at once if you have:

• signs of a stroke--sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body), sudden severe headache, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance;
• signs of a blood clot--sudden vision loss, stabbing chest pain, feeling short of breath, coughing up blood, pain or warmth in one or both legs;
• heart attack symptoms--chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder, nausea, sweating;
• liver problems--loss of appetite, upper stomach pain, tiredness, fever, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
• increased blood pressure--severe headache, blurred vision, pounding in your neck or ears;
• swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet;
• changes in the pattern or severity of migraine headaches;
• a breast lump; or
• symptoms of depression--sleep problems, weakness, tired feeling, mood changes.

Common side effects may include:

• nausea, vomiting (especially when you first start taking this medicine);
• breast tenderness;
• breakthrough bleeding;
• acne, darkening of facial skin;
• weight gain; or
• problems with contact lenses.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Read the entire detailed patient monograph for Enskyce (Desogestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets)