Our Emergency Contraception Service:
If Norlevo® 1.5mg fails, will it harm the baby?
If the tablet fails, studies have shown no harmful effects of Norlevo® 1.5mg on the developing baby. Norlevo® 1.5mg will not work once a fertilised egg has attached itself to the womb lining, so if you know you are already pregnant you should not use it.
Is Norlevo® 1.5mg safe?
Most women can use Norlevo® 1.5mg without any problem. Although it's important to bear in mind that although most people won't experience them, no medicine is side effect free. (click here http://www.medicines.ie/medicine/14901/PIL/Norlevo+1.5mg+tablet/ for the Norlevo® 1.5mg patient information leaflet, which contains a full list of side effects)
What does the pharmacist need to know when I ask for Norlevo® 1.5mg?
Our pharmacists have been trained to treat requests for emergency contraception sympathetically and confidentially. He or she will need to ask a few simple questions before you are given emergency contraception. This will help the pharmacist be sure that Norlevo® 1.5mg is the correct treatment for you. In some cases you will not be able to purchase Norlevo® 1.5mg and your pharmacist may refer you to a healthcare professional or clinic for emergency contraception instead.
What’s in Norlevo® 1.5mg?
There is 1 tablet in the Norlevo® 1.5mg pack. It contains a high dose of the hormone called levonorgestrel.
What if I’m under sixteen?
Although 16 is the age at which a person may consent to medical treatment in Ireland, the area of contraception, and emergency contraception in particular, is more complicated. Most health professionals will use their own discretion in prescribing contraception to you, based on their personal assessment of you, your emotional maturity and your ability to make informed decisions in relation to your sexuality. So if you are under 16 and want to seek advice about contraception or have had a contraceptive mishap, you should seek medical advice to talk through your options. Emergency contraception and contraception advice is available from your GP or family planning clinic. (Click here for a further explanation on the ages of consent)
How often can I take Norlevo® 1.5mg?
There is no medical reason to limit the number of times you use Norlevo® 1.5mg, but you should not take it more than once within one menstrual cycle. Although there is no evidence of long-term ill effects on your health from taking Norlevo® 1.5mg more than once, it is not recommended as a regular method of contraception.
Norlevo® 1.5mg is designed for emergency use and is not as effective as long-term contraception. Norlevo® 1.5mg does not prevent pregnancy in every woman. Norlevo® 1.5mg may disrupt the regularity of your period that month. Your period may come earlier than usual or come later. As your period is your main way of knowing whether you are pregnant or not, you would increase your level of uncertainty if you used Norlevo® 1.5mg regularly.
If you are sexually active (even very infrequently) then the best way to take care of your emotional wellbeing and your reproductive system, is to see your healthcare professional or family planning clinic to find a method of contraception that suits you.
Who can't take Norlevo® 1.5mg?
You should not take Norlevo® 1.5mg in the following circumstances:
- You have had an allergic reaction to the progestogen 'levonorgestrel' contained in some contraceptives
- You have a disease of the bowel/gut which causes malabsorption such as Crohn's Disease
- You have severe liver disease
- You are taking medication that might interact with Norlevo® 1.5mg
If you are taking any other medication, you are ill at the moment or you have a long-term medical condition, be sure to tell your pharmacist, healthcare professional or family planning clinic when you are asking for Norlevo® 1.5mg and get advice on what to do next. If you can't take emergency hormonal contraception, please consult your doctor as there are other options available.
When might Norlevo® 1.5mg not work?
There are some circumstances under which Norlevo® 1.5mg may not work.
For example if:
- You have unprotected sex again after taking Norlevo® 1.5mg
- You also had unprotected sex earlier in your menstrual cycle
- You vomit within 3 hours of taking the tablet. (contact your pharmacist)
- Another medication that you are taking may have made Norlevo® 1.5mg less effective such as anti-epileptic drugs and tuberculosis treatments.
- You have a medical condition which causes malabsorption, such as Crohn's disease, which you have not discussed when you asked for emergency contraception.
- Norlevo® 1.5mg will definitely not work if you were already pregnant when you took Norlevo® 1.5mg.
Could I have a severe reaction to emergency contraceptive pills?
It is unlikely that you will have any sudden or severe reaction to Norlevo® 1.5mg. If by any chance you do, for example nausea or migraine, contact your healthcare professional or family planning clinic right away.
If this happens at a weekend and everything is closed, contact your doctor's Out of Hours number, or go to the Accident and Emergency department of your nearest hospital.
When should I not buy Norlevo® 1.5mg at the pharmacy?
If you answer yes to any of the questions below you should not buy Norlevo® 1.5mg at the pharmacy but should see your doctor or family planning clinic instead.
- Are you under 16 years of age?
- Is it more than 3 days (72 hours) since you had unprotected sex?
- Is your period already late?
- Have you also had unprotected sex earlier in your menstrual cycle (since your last period)?
I’ve had unprotected sex. Am I likely to get pregnant?
You can get pregnant at any time during your monthly cycle. This is measured from the start of one period to the beginning of the next. Although people talk about a 'safe time of the month', it's hard to tell when this is for lots of reasons and this makes it an unreliable form of contraception.
Your most fertile time of the month is when you are ovulating (producing an egg). But most women are not aware of this happening. Also, it takes quite a long time (several days) for an egg to make its way from the ovary down the fallopian tube and an egg can be fertilised at any point during this journey. Sperm can live for up to 7 days, so even if you haven't ovulated when you have sex, the sperm could still fertilise the egg afterwards.
Then there's the fact that lots of women don't have regular periods. The time between periods can vary, depending on what's happening in your life, whether you're stressed or upset and whether or not you're eating properly. This makes it even more difficult to calculate your 'safe' period.
When accidents happen, and you don't want to get pregnant, emergency contraception is there as a back up. It's not something you should use regularly and you should never think of it as an alternative to a long-term method of contraception.
Are there medicines which may interact with Norlevo® 1.5mg?
Some medicines may interact with Norlevo® 1.5mg and prevent it from working effectively. Some of these are listed below but your pharmacist will check this.
If you have remembered to tell your healthcare professional, family planning clinic or other provider that you take these medicines, it is unlikely that you will have been given Norlevo® 1.5mg. If you forgot to mention this, it is important to seek advice from your healthcare professional before taking Norlevo® 1.5mg.
- Barbiturates and other medicines used to treat epilepsy such as primidone, phenytoin and carbamazepine
- Medicines used to treat tuberculosis (TB) such as rifampicin, rifabutin
- Griseofulvin - a medicine for fungal infections
- Herbal remedies containing St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
- Cyclosporin (used to help suppress the immune system)
Can I keep taking my regular contraceptive pills?
If you have taken Norlevo® 1.5mg because of missed combined contraceptive pills, discard any missed pills and the pill for the day of treatment and continue to take your pill as usual. You should use a barrier method (e.g. condom) for the next 7or 9 days (depending on the type of pill), and if those 7 or 9 days run over the end of the pack, you should continue with the next pack and miss out the 7 day break (or placebo tablets, if taking every day pills).
It is important to always refer back to the patient information leaflet for your pill for information on missed pills.
Will taking Norlevo® 1.5mg prevent me getting pregnant for the rest of my cycle?
A dose of Norlevo® 1.5mg will not protect you from pregnancy from future episodes of unprotected sex. It is important to use get advice on regular forms of contraception.
Why can't I take Norlevo® 1.5mg more often?
Norlevo® 1.5mg isn't suitable as a regular method of contraception because it's not as effective as long-term contraception and it doesn't prevent pregnancy in every woman. Norlevo® 1.5mg is designed as an emergency contraception.
Depending on what stage you are at in your monthly cycle when you take it, Norlevo® 1.5mg may disrupt the regularity of your period that month. It can come earlier than usual or it can come later. As your period is your main way of knowing whether you are pregnant or not, you would increase your level of uncertainty. If you used it instead of the Pill, you would be swapping a regular low dose of hormone for an irregular high dose, which would disrupt your menstrual cycle.
Can I breast-feed my baby if I take Norlevo® 1.5mg?
No harmful effects on babies have been reported and you can breastfeed your baby after taking Norlevo® 1.5mg. Very small amounts of the hormone in Norlevo® 1.5mg, may appear in your breast milk. If you are at all worried, feed the baby first then take the tablet after. This way you will be taking the tablet well before the next feed. Alternatively, give a bottle for the next feed.
Will I know if I was pregnant?
If you take Norlevo® 1.5mg and you then go on to have a period, you will not know whether you would have become pregnant or not.
Most women find that their period comes early or on time, so they don't have to worry about whether they are pregnant. Some women who take the morning after pill will have a late period. This may be because they have taken the morning after pill in the earlier part of their cycle and it has delayed ovulation.
When will my period come?
As most women are not aware of ovulation, it is unlikely that you will know exactly where you are in your cycle when you take Norlevo® 1.5mg, so it's not possible to tell in advance what the effect will be on the timing of your period.
In most cases, it will be on time, sometimes it may come early and a number of women who take Norlevo® 1.5mg will have a late period.
Can other medications affect the regular contraceptive pill?
The following may reduce the effectiveness of the combined pill
- Antibiotics
- St John's Wort
- Carbamazepine
The following may reduce the effectiveness of the progestogen only pill or mini-pill. These medicines are also included on the list which may reduce the efficacy of Norlevo® 1.5mg.
- Carbamazepine
- St John's Wort
- Rifampicin
Where can I go for advice about STDs and STIs?
The pharmacy can provide you with a leaflet on STDs and STIs. Further useful information can be found at these websites:
Norlevo® 1.5mg should not replace regular, long-term contraception. Always read the label. Contains levonorgestrel. Not 100% effective. Norlevo® 1.5mg can be used for up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, but it's more effective the sooner you take it.
For further information please click here for the patient information leaflet, which contains information about Norlevo® 1.5mg, how to take it and any possible side effects you may experience. Talk to your pharmacist for further information. |
