Yasmin

What is this medication used for?

Yasmin® may be used for contraception, acne or other medical conditions as suggested by your doctor.

Dosage and how to use​

Yasmin® is a product that contains 21 tablets. This means that you need to take one tablet every day for 21 days. This is followed by 7 days where you take no tablets.

• Take your tablet at the same time every day.
• Swallow each tablet whole with water. Do not chew the tablet.
• The back of the tablet strip states the days of the week (Monday – Sunday). Start your course by taking a tablet marked with the correct day of the week. Follow the direction of the arrows on the strip and take one tablet every day until you have finished all 21 tablets.
• After you have taken all 21 tablets in the strip, there will be 7 days where you take no tablets. This means that if you take the last tablet of one pack on a Friday, you will take the first tablet of your next pack on the Saturday of the following week.
• A few days after taking the last tablet from the strip, you will experience a withdrawal bleed that is similar to having your period.
• Start taking your next strip of Yasmin® after the 7 tablet-free days even if you are still having menstrual bleeding. Always start the new strip on time.

What are the possible side effects of the medicines?​

Common side effects include mood changes, headache, migraine, nausea, breast pain or tenderness, menstrual disorders, bleeding between periods, thick whitish vaginal discharge and vaginal yeast infection.

Rare but serious side effects include malignancies and the chance of harmful blood clots in the vein or artery such as heart attack, stroke and blood clots in the leg, foot or lung. The chance may increase if you have other medical conditions that may increase the risk. Please seek medical attention if you think you have symptoms of blood clot or malignancies. Call your doctor right away if you have signs of a blood clot like chest pain or pressure; coughing up blood; shortness of breath; swelling, warmth, numbness, change of colour, or pain in a leg or arm; or trouble speaking or swallowing.

What precautions should I take?

Inform your doctor if you are allergic to this medicine or any of the other ingredients of this medicine. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding. Always inform your health care professionals that you are on this medication as some medications may affect the effectiveness of this medication. Please seek medical attention if you think you have symptoms of blood clots or malignancies.

If you vomit within 3-4 hours of taking a tablet or you have severe diarrhoea, there is a risk that the active substances in the pill will not be fully taken up by your body. The situation is almost the same as forgetting a tablet. After vomiting or diarrhoea, take another tablet from a reserve strip as soon as possible. If possible, take it within 12 hours of when you normally take your pill.

What other medications and foods should I avoid when taking Yasmin®?

This medication may potentially interact with a number of medications such as anastrozole, medicines for hepatitis, boceprevir, dasabuvir, exemestane, tranexamic acid, ulipristal etc.

Kindly consult your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure whether there are any potential interactions with your current medications.​

Handling and storage

• Store in a cool, dry place away from moisture, heat and 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.healthhub.sg/a-z/medications/443/Combined-Hormonal-Contraceptives-21-day-regimen