Blisovi Fe 1/20: Package Insert and Label Information (Page 5 of 7)

INSTRUCTIONS TO PATIENT

Blister

The Blisovi Fe 1/20 blister has been designed to make oral contraceptive dosing as easy and as convenient as possible. The tablets are arranged in four rows of seven tablets each, with the days of the week appearing on the blister above the first row of tablets.

Each blister contains 21 yellow tablets and 7 brown tablets.

Each yellow tablet contains 1 mg norethindrone acetate and 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol.

Each brown tablet contains 75 mg ferrous fumarate, and is intended to help you remember to take the tablets correctly. These brown tablets are not intended to have any health benefit.

DIRECTIONS

To remove a tablet, press down on it with your thumb or finger. The tablet will drop through the back of the blister. Do not press on the tablet with your thumbnail, fingernail, or any other sharp object.

HOW TO TAKE THE PILL

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER

BEFORE YOU START TAKING YOUR PILLS:

1. BE SURE TO READ THESE DIRECTIONS:

• Before you start taking your pills

• Anytime you are not sure what to do

2. THE RIGHT WAY TO TAKE THE PILL IS TO TAKE ONE PILL EVERY DAY AT THE SAME TIME. If you miss pills you could get pregnant. This includes starting the pack late. The more pills you miss, the more likely you are to get pregnant.

3. MANY WOMEN HAVE SPOTTING OR LIGHT BLEEDING, OR MAY FEEL SICK TO THEIR STOMACH, DURING THE FIRST 1-3 PACKS OF PILLS. If you do have spotting or light bleeding or feel sick to your stomach, do not stop taking the pill. The problem will usually go away. If it doesn’t go away, check with your doctor or clinic.

4. MISSING PILLS CAN ALSO CAUSE SPOTTING OR LIGHT BLEEDING, even when you make up these missed pills. On the days you take 2 pills to make up for missed pills, you could also feel a little sick to your stomach.

5. IF YOU HAVE VOMITING OR DIARRHEA, for any reason, or IF YOU TAKE SOME MEDICINES, including some antibiotics, your birth control pills may not work as well. Use a back-up birth control method (such as condoms or foam) until you check with your doctor or clinic.

6. IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING TO TAKE THE PILL, talk to your doctor or clinic about how to make pill-taking easier or about using another method of birth control.

7. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ARE UNSURE ABOUT THE INFORMATION IN THIS LEAFLET, call your doctor or clinic.

BEFORE YOU START TAKING YOUR PILLS

1. DECIDE WHAT TIME OF DAY YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR PILL. It is important to take it at about the same time every day.

2. LOOK AT YOUR PILL PACK TO SEE IF IT HAS 28 PILLS:

The 28-Day pill pack has 21 “active” yellow pills (with hormones) to take for 3 weeks, followed by 1 week of reminder brown pills (without hormones).

3. ALSO FIND:

1) where on the pack to start taking pills,

2) in what order to take the pills (follow the arrows), and

3) the week numbers as shown in the following picture:

For use of day labels, see WHEN TO START THE FIRST PACK OF PILLS below.

4. BE SURE YOU HAVE READY AT ALL TIMES:

ANOTHER KIND OF BIRTH CONTROL (such as condoms or foam) to use as a back-up in case you miss pills.

An EXTRA, FULL PILL PACK.

WHEN TO START THE FIRST PACK OF PILLS

You have a choice of which day to start taking your first pack of pills. Decide with your doctor or clinic which is the best day for you. Pick a time of day which will be easy to remember.

DAY-1 START:

1. Pick the day label strip that starts with the first day of your period. (This is the day you start bleeding or spotting, even if it is almost midnight when the bleeding begins.)

2. Place this day label strip on the blister over the area that has the days of the week (starting with Sunday) printed on the blister.

3. Take the first “active” yellow pill of the first pack during the first 24 hours of your period.

4. You will not need to use a back-up method of birth control, since you are starting the pill at the beginning of your period.

SUNDAY START:

1. Take the first “active” yellow pill of the first pack on the Sunday after your period starts, even if you are still bleeding. If your period begins on Sunday, start the pack that same day.

2. Use another method of birth control as a back-up method if you have sex anytime from the Sunday you start your first pack until the next Sunday (7 days). Condoms or foam are good back-up methods of birth control.

WHAT TO DO DURING THE MONTH

1. TAKE ONE PILL AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY UNTIL THE PACK IS EMPTY.

Do not skip pills even if you are spotting or bleeding between monthly periods or feel sick to your stomach (nausea).

Do not skip pills even if you do not have sex very often.

2. WHEN YOU FINISH A PACK OR SWITCH YOUR BRAND OF PILLS:

Start the next pack on the day after your last “reminder” pill. Do not wait any days between packs.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU MISS PILLS

If you MISS 1 yellow “active” pill:

1. Take it as soon as you remember. Take the next pill at your regular time. This means you may take 2 pills in 1 day.

2. You do not need to use a back-up birth control method if you have sex.

If you MISS 2 yellow “active” pills in a row in WEEK 1 OR WEEK 2 of your pack:

1. Take 2 pills on the day you remember and 2 pills the next day.

2. Then take 1 pill a day until you finish the pack.

3. You COULD GET PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You MUST use another birth control method (such as condoms or foam) as a back-up method of birth control until you have taken a yellow “active” pill every day for 7 days.

If you MISS 2 yellow “active” pills in a row in THE 3rd WEEK:

1. If you are a Day-1 Starter:

THROW OUT the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day.

If you are a Sunday Starter:

Keep taking 1 pill every day until Sunday. On Sunday, THROW OUT the rest of the pack and start a new pack of pills that same day.

2. You may not have your period this month, but this is expected. However, if you miss your period 2 months in a row, call your doctor or clinic because you might be pregnant.

3. You COULD GET PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You MUST use another birth control method (such as condoms or foam) as a back-up method of birth control until you have taken a yellow “active” pill every day for 7 days.

If you MISS 3 OR MORE yellow “active” pills in a row (during the first 3 weeks):

1. If you are a Day-1 Starter:

THROW OUT the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day.

If you are a Sunday Starter.

Keep taking 1 pill every day until Sunday. On Sunday, THROW OUT the rest of the pack and start a new pack of pills that same day.

2. You may not have your period this month, but this is expected. However, if you miss your period 2 months in a row, call your doctor or clinic because you might be pregnant.

3. You COULD GET PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You MUST use another birth control method (such as condoms or foam) as a back-up method of birth control until you have taken a yellow “active” pill every day for 7 days.

A REMINDER FOR THOSE ON 28 – DAY PACKS :

IF YOU FORGET ANY OF THE 7 BROWN “REMINDER” PILLS IN WEEK 4:

THROW AWAY THE PILLS YOU MISSED.

KEEP TAKING 1 PILL EACH DAY UNTIL THE PACK IS EMPTY.

YOU DO NOT NEED A BACK-UP METHOD.

FINALLY , IF YOU ARE STILL NOT SURE WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE PILLS YOU HAVE MISSED :

Use a BACK-UP METHOD anytime you have sex.

KEEP TAKING ONE YELLOW “ACTIVE” PILL EACH DAY until you can reach your doctor or clinic.

Based on his or her assessment of your medical needs, your doctor or healthcare provider has prescribed this drug for you. Do not give this drug to anyone else.

Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children.

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15 to 30°C (59 to 86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature].

DETAILED PATIENT PACKAGE INSERT

This product (like all oral contraceptives) is intended to prevent pregnancy. It does not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections.

What You Should Know About Oral Contraceptives

Any woman who considers using oral contraceptives (the “birth control pill” or “the pill”) should understand the benefits and risks of using this form of birth control. This leaflet will give you much of the information you will need to make this decision and will also help you determine if you are at risk of developing any of the serious side effects of the pill. It will tell you how to use the pill properly so that it will be as effective as possible. However, this leaflet is not a replacement for a careful discussion between you and your healthcare provider. You should discuss the information provided in this leaflet with him or her, both when you first start taking the pill and during your revisits. You should also follow your healthcare provider’s advice with regard to regular check-ups while you are on the pill.

EFFECTIVENESS OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES

Oral contraceptives or “birth control pills” or “the pill” are used to prevent pregnancy and are more effective than other non-surgical methods of birth control. When they are taken correctly, the chance of becoming pregnant is less than 1% (1 pregnancy per 100 women per year of use) when used perfectly, without missing any pills. Typical failure rates are actually 3% per year. The chance of becoming pregnant increases with each missed pill during a menstrual cycle.

In comparison, typical failure rates for other methods of birth control during the first year of use are as follows:

Implant: <1%	Male sterilization: <1%
Injection: <1%	Cervical Cap: 20 to 40%
IUD: <1 to 2%	Condom alone (male): 14%
Diaphragm with spermicides: 20%	Condom alone (female): 21%
Spermicides alone: 26%	Periodic abstinence: 25%
Vaginal Sponge: 20 to 40%	Withdrawal: 19%
Female sterilization: <1%	No method: 85%

WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES

Some women should not use the pill. For example , you should not take the pill if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant. You should also not use the pill if you have any of the following conditions

• A history of heart attack or stroke

• Blood clots in the legs (thrombophlebitis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), or eyes

• A history of blood clots in the deep veins of your legs

• Chest pain (angina pectoris)

• Known or suspected breast cancer

• Unexplained vaginal bleeding (until a diagnosis is reached by your doctor)

• Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or of the skin (jaundice) during pregnancy or during previous use of the pill

• Liver tumor (benign or cancerous)

• Take any Hepatitis C drug combination containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir. This may increase levels of the liver enzyme “alanine aminotransferase” (ALT) in the blood.

Tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had any of these conditions. Your healthcare provider can recommend a safer method of birth control.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE TAKING ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES

Tell your healthcare provider if you have:

• Breast nodules, fibrocystic disease of the breast, an abnormal breast x-ray or mammogram

• Diabetes

• Elevated cholesterol or triglycerides

• High blood pressure

• Migraine or other headaches or epilepsy

• Depression

• Gallbladder, heart or kidney disease

• History of scanty or irregular menstrual periods

Women with any of these conditions should be checked often by their healthcare provider if they choose to use oral contraceptives.

Also, be sure to inform your doctor or healthcare provider if you smoke or are on any medications.