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Loestrin

Oral contraceptives come in a variety of formulations. The main division is between combined oral contraceptive pills, containing both estrogen and progesterone, and progesterone only pills (mini-pills). Combined oral contraceptive pills also come in varying types, including varying doses of estrogen, and whether the dose of estrogen or progesterone changes from week to week. more...

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Combined oral contraceptive pills

All contain the estrogen ethinyl estradiol, although in varying amounts, and one of a number of different progesterones. They are taken for 21 days with then a 7 day gap during which a withdrawal bleed (often, but incorrectly, referred to as a menstrual period) occurs. These differ in the amount of estrogen given, and whether they are monophasic (only one dose of estrogen and progesterone during the 21 days) or multiphasic (varying doses).

Monophasic

These are given as 21 tablets of estrogen and progesterone, followed by 7 tablets of placebo. Different formulations contain different amounts of estrogen and progesterone:

  • 20 mcg estrogen
    • 0.1 mg levonorgestrel (Alesse®, Levline®)
    • 1 mg norethindrone acetate (Loestrin 1/20®Fe)
  • 30 mcg estrogen
    • 0.15 mg levonorgestrel (Levlen®, Levora®, Nordette®)
    • 0.3 mg norgestrel (Lo-Ovral®)
    • 0.15 mg desogestrel (Desogen®, Organon; Ortho-Cept®, Ortho-McNeil)
    • 1.5 mg norethindrone acetate (Loestrin® 1.5/30)
    • 3.0 mg drospirenone (Yasmin®)
  • 35 mcg estrogen
    • 0.25 mg norgestimate (Ortho-Cyclen®)
    • 0.4 mg norethindrone (Ovcon-35®, Warner Chilcott)
    • 0.5 mg norethindrone (Modicon®, Brevicon®)
    • 1 mg norethindrone (Ortho-Novum 1/35®, Necon®, Norethin®, Norinyl 1/35®)
    • 1 mg ethynodiol diacetate (Demulen 1/35®, Zovia 1/35E®)
  • 50 mcg estrogen
    • 0.4 mg norethindrone (Ovcon-50®, Warner Chilcott))
    • 1 mg norethindrone (Necon 1/50®, Norinyl 1/50®, Ortho-Novum 1/50®, Ovcon-50®)
    • 0.5 mg norgestrel (Ovral®)
    • 1 mg ethynodiol diacetate (Demulen 1/50®, Zovia 1/50E®)

Multiphasic

  • Desogestrel 0.15 mg and ethinyl estradiol 0.02 mg x 14 tablets, followed by ethynil estradiol 0.01 mg x 2 tablets, followed by 5 tablets of placebo (Kariva®, Barr Laboratories; Mircette®, Organon)
  • Desogestrel 0.1 mg ethynil estradiol 0.025 mg x 7 tablets, followed by desogestrel 0.125 mg and ethynil estradiol 0.025 mg x 7 tablets, followed by desogestrel 0.15 mg and ethynil estradiol 0.025 mg x 7 tablets, followed by 7 tablets of ferric oxide (Cyclessa®, Organon; Velivet®, Barr Laboratories)
  • Norethindrone 0.5 mg and ethinyl estradiol 0.035 mg x 7 tablets, followed by 0.75 mg of norethindrone and 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol x 7 tablets, followed by 1 mg of norethindrone and 0.035 of ethinyl estradiol, followed by 7 tablets of placebo (Ortho-Novum 7/7/7®)
  • Norethindrone 0.5 mg and 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol x 10 tablets, followed by 1 mg norethindrone and 0.035 ethinyl estradiol x 11 tablets, followed by 7 tablets of placebo (Ortho-Novum 10/11®)

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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St. John's wort may not curb OC effectiveness
From OB/GYN News, 5/15/05 by Jane Salodof MacNeil

LOS ANGELES -- St. John's wort does not appear to interfere with the antiandrogenic effects of oral contraceptive pills, Robin Fogle, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation.

She said testosterone levels decreased, while a marker of androgen metabolism increased, in 15 healthy women treated with St. John's wort and Loestrin 1/20 (norethindrone/estradiol) in a 4-month study.

Although the changes did not reach statistical significance, the outcomes strongly suggest St. John's wort will not interfere with the pill's effects when used as a primary treatment for hirsutism, said Dr. Fogle, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, in an interview.

The study was undertaken because reports have shown the over-the-counter herbal remedy, commonly used for depression and inflammation, induces cytochrome P450 activity. This can interfere with the efficacy of some drugs, including oral contraceptives, Dr. Fogle and her coinvestigators wrote in a poster presented at the meeting.

None of the women in the study had hirsutism. They took Loestrin 1/20 for four consecutive 28-day cycles. During the last two cycles, the protocol added 300 mg of St. John's wort taken three times daily.

Mean testosterone fell 10.7% (from 44.8 ng/dL to 40.0 ng/dL), and free testosterone fell 15.8% (from 0.38 ng/dL to 0.32 ng/dL) after the addition of St. John's wort. Conversely, 3[alpha]-androstanediol glucuronide, the marker of androgen metabolism, rose 6.5% from 2 ng/mL to 2.13 ng/mL.

"It appears that St. John's wort enhances androgen metabolism and does not interfere with the antiandrogenic properties of oral contraceptive pills," they said.

COPYRIGHT 2005 International Medical News Group
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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