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What special precautions should I follow?
Liver disease (or history of, including jaundice during pregnancy or oral contraceptive use) or
- Mental depression (or history of)¡XOrtho tricyclen may make these conditions worse or, rarely, ca
se them to occur again. Ortho tricyclen may still be a good choice but you may need to be tested more often
- Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)¡XUse of Ortho tricyclen may cause an increase, usu
lly only a small increase, in your blood sugar and usually does not affect the amount of diabetes medicine that you take.
- Epilepsy (seizures) (or history of) or
- Heart or circulation prob
lems or
- High blood pressure (hypertension) or
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Side Effects
Smoking cigarettes during the use of Ortho tricyclen has been found to greatly increase the chances of these serious side effects occurring. To reduce the risk of serious side effects, do not smoke ci
garettes while you are taking Ortho tricyclen. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from oral contraceptive use. The risk increases with age and with heavy smoki
ng (15 or more cigarettes per day) and is quite marked in women over 35 years of age.
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How to Use
Ortho tricyclen come in packets of 21 or 28 tablets to take by mouth once a day. To avoid upset stomach, take Ortho tricyclen with food or milk. Take the tablet routinely at the same time every day (e
.g., after dinner or at bedtime) to help you remember to take the tablet regularly. Missing doses increases your risk of becoming pregnant.
When first starting on this medicine, use an additi
onal method of birth control until you have correctly taken 7 days' worth of medicine.
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What special precautions should I follow?
If you are using Ortho tricyclen for contraception you should understand how their benefits and risks compare to those of other birth control methods. This is a decision you, your sexual partner, and
your doctor will make. For Ortho tricyclen, the following should be considered:
Allergies¡XTell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to estrogens or progestins. A
so tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.
Diet¡XMake certain your health care professional knows if you are on
ny special diet, such as a low-sodium or low-sugar diet.
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Cautions
In some patients using estrogen-containing Ortho tricyclen, tenderness, swelling, or bleeding of the gums may occur. Brushing and flossing your teeth carefully and regularly and massaging your gums ma
y help prevent this. See your dentist regularly to have your teeth cleaned. Check with your medical doctor or dentist if you have any questions about how to take care of your teeth and gums, or if you
notice any tenderness, swelling, or bleeding of your gums. Also, it has been shown that estrogen-containing Ortho tricyclen may cause a healing problem called dry socket after a tooth has been remove
d. If you are going to have a tooth removed, tell your dentist or oral surgeon that you are taking Ortho tricyclen.
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Special Information
Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, Orth
o tricyclen are used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:
- Amenorrhea (stopping of menses for several consecutive months)
- Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (abnorm
al uterine bleeding)
- Dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual bleeding)
- Hypermenorrhea (excessive menstrual bleeding)
- Emergency contraception within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse
- Endometriosis
- Hirsutism in females
- Hyperandrogenism, ovarian
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
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