Norethisterone 5mg Tablets 10s

What is Norethisterone 5mg used for​​​?

Norethisterone is a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone (female hormone).

This medication may be prescribed if you want to delay your next period. In a natural female cycle, the menstrual period (monthly shedding of the womb lining) is triggered by a drop in the level of progesterone hormone. By taking norethisterone and artificially keeping your natural progesterone levels up, it stops the lining of your womb from shedding and hence prevents your period from happening.

Norethisterone tablets can also be taken to treat or manage:

• Heavy periods
• Painful periods
• Irregular periods or periods that are more frequent than normal
• Premenstrual tension (PMT)
• Endometriosis (where tissue from your womb is found outside your womb)

Dosage and How to Use​

To delay your periods, take 1 tablet 3 times (15 mg) a day, starting 3 days before your period is due to start. Your period will usually start within 3 days of finishing the tablets.

What to do if I missed a dose?

If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Then take your next dose at the usual time. Do not take two doses to make up for the missed dose.

What are the possible side effects of the medicines?​

• Spotting or bleeding may occur between your periods
• Nausea, vomiting, bloating and stomach cramps - Take the medication after food to reduce these side effects 
• Breast tenderness
• Headache or migraine - You may take painkillers such as Paracetamol to manage headaches

What are some rare but serious side-effects that I need to seek medical advice immediately?

The symptoms of a drug allergy include one or more of the following: 

• Swollen face/eyes/lips/tongue
• Difficulty in breathing
• Itchy skin rashes over your whole body

Other rare but serious effects that you may or may not experience:

• Sudden, severe, sharp pain in your chest
• Unusual, severe or long-lasting headache or worsening of migraine 
• Sudden changes to your sight or speech
• Dizziness or fainting
• Unusual sweating, weakness on one side of the body
• Severe pain, tenderness or swelling in your calf, ankle or foot
• Dark urine
• Yellowing of eyes or skin
• Unusual changes in vaginal bleeding (such as continuous spotting, sudden heavy bleeding, missed periods)
• Severe pain in your abdomen
• Mood changes including depression

What precautions should I take?

Inform your healthcare professional if: 

• You are allergic to this medication or any of the other ingredients of this medication
• You are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding
• You are taking any other medications, including supplements, traditional medications and herbal remedies
• You have now or have ever had any vaginal bleeding (not a period) for which your doctor could not find a cause
• You or a member of your family have ever had a problem with blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• You have now or have had in the past, a heart attack or angina
• You have liver problems
• You have ever had a pregnancy where you had jaundice or an itchy rash known as pemphigoid gestationis. This rash appears as small blisters on your abdomen
• You have severe generalised itching all over your body (pruritis)
• You have a condition known as porphyria (a rare inherited blood disease).
• You have a history of or current medical conditions such as migraine headaches, epilepsy (fits), asthma or kidney problems

If you are seeing other healthcare professionals for any other medical conditions, inform them that you are taking this medication.

What other medications and foods should I avoid when taking Norethisterone?

Do not take this medication if you are on any of the following medicines, as the effect of Norethisterone Tablets may be altered when they are taken at the same time:

• Medicines to treat epilepsy (e.g. phenytoin, carbamazepine)
• Antibiotic medicines to treat an infection (e.g. tetracyclines, rifampicin, co-trimoxazole)
• Antiviral medicines to treat HIV (e.g. ritonavir, nelfinavir)
• Anticancer medicines
• Herbal preparations containing St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)
• Aminoglutethimide, sometimes used in Cushing’s Syndrome.
• Ciclosporin (for suppressing the immune system)
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for treating pain and inflammation
• Medicines for high blood pressure.

Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines not listed above, including those bought without a prescription.

Handling and Storage

• ​Store in a cool and dry place, away from direct sunlight.
• Keep the medicine out of reach of children.
• Throw away all expired medicines.

The above information answers some common questions about this medicine. It does not contain all the available information. It also does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

References

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.1494.pdf