Combined Contraceptive Pill

Gedarel

Tablets

  • Available in two strengths
  • Over 99% effective
  • Well tolerated 
Price Checker

£19.99

Gedarel Medical Information

Gedarel is a COC, also called the pill.

It contains two types of female hormones: a progestogen, desogestrel, and an oestrogen, ethinylestradiol in a low dose. These help to stop you from getting pregnant, just as your natural hormones would stop you conceiving again when you are already pregnant.

The COC pill protects you against getting pregnant in three ways. These hormones

1. stop the ovary from releasing an egg each month (ovulation).

2. also thicken the fluid (at the neck of the womb making it more difficult for the sperm to reach the egg.

3. alter the lining of the womb to make it less likely to accept a fertilised egg.

Gedarel 20/150 contains 20 micrograms ethinylestradiol and 150 micrograms desogestrel.

Gedarel 30/150 contains 30 micrograms ethinylestradiol and 150 micrograms desogestrel.

Each pack of Gedarel contains 1 calendar strip of 21 coated tablets or 3, 6, 13 calendar strips of 21 coated tablets.

The calendar strip has been designed to help you remember to take your tablets.

The strip is marked with the day of the week on which each tablet should be taken.

Following the direction of the arrow printed on the strip you should take one tablet each day for 21 days until the strip is empty. Then you have 7 days when you do not take a tablet. During the 7 tablet-free days, on day 2 or 3, you will have menstruation-like withdrawal bleeding, i.e. your “monthly period”. Start your next strip on the 8th day (following the 7 tablet-free days) – even if the bleeding has not yet ended. As long as you take Gedarel correctly, you will always start each new strip on the same day of the week, and you will always have your monthly period on the same day of the week in each month (in every 28 days).

You should try to take your tablet at about the same time each day. You may find it easiest to take it either last thing at night or first thing in the morning. Swallow each tablet whole, with water if necessary.

Starting the first pack If no oral contraception has been used during the preceding cycle

Take the first tablet on the first day of your period. This is the first day of your cycle - the day when bleeding starts. Take a tablet marked for that day of the week (for example, if it is Tuesday when your period starts, take the tablet marked Tuesday on the pack). Follow the direction of the arrow and continue taking one tablet each day until the strip is empty. If you start on day 2-5 of your period, you should use another method of contraception as well, such as the condom, for the first seven tablet-taking days, but this is only for the first pack. 

Changing to Gedarel from another COC, or combined contraceptive vaginal ring or patch

You should start taking Gedarel preferably on the day after the last active tablet (the last tablet containing the active substance) of your previous COC, but at the latest on the day following the usual tablet-free interval or following the last placebo tablet (tablet containing no active substance) of your previous COC. In case a vaginal ring or a transdermal patch has been used, the woman should start using Gedarel preferably on the day of removal, but at the latest when the next application would have been due.

Changing to Gedarel from a progestogen-product (progestogen-only-pills, injection, implant or progestogen releasing IUD)

You may switch any day from the progestogen-only tablet (from an implant or the IUD on the day of its removal, from an injectable when the next injection would be due) but in all of these cases you must use extra protective measures (for example, a condom) for the first 7 days of tablet-taking.

After a miscarriage

Follow the advice of your doctor.

After having a baby After having a baby

You can start Gedarel between 21 and 28 days later. If you start later than day 28, you must use a so-called barrier method (for example, a condom) during the first seven days of Gedarel use. If, after having a baby, you have had intercourse before starting Gedarel (again), you must first be sure that you are not pregnant or you must wait until the next menstrual bleed. Let your doctor advise you, in case you are not sure when to start.

▪ If you have (or have ever had) a blood clot in a blood vessel of your legs (deep vein thrombosis, DVT), your lungs (pulmonary embolus, PE) or other organs

▪ If you know you have a disorder affecting your blood clotting – for instance, protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, antithrombin-III deficiency, Factor V Leiden or antiphospholipid antibodies

▪ If you need an operation or if you are off your feet for a long time  

▪ If you have ever had a heart attack or stroke

▪ If you have (or have ever had) angina pectoris (a condition that causes severe chest pain and may be a first sign of a heart attack) or transient ischaemic attack (TIA – temporary stroke symptoms)

▪ If you have any of the following diseases that may increase your risk of a clot in the arteries:

- severe diabetes with blood vessel damage 

- very high blood pressure

- a very high level of fat in the blood (cholesterol or triglycerides)

- a condition known as hyperhomocysteinaemia

▪ If you have (or have ever had) a type of migraine called ‘migraine with aura’

▪ If you have or have ever had breast cancer

▪ If you have ever had a severe liver disease, and you have been told by your doctor that your liver function test results are not yet back to normal

▪ If you have ever had liver tumours

▪ If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to any of the ingredients in Gedarel 

• If you have hepatitis C and are taking the medicinal products containing ombitasvir / paritaprevir / ritonavir, dasabuvir,glecaprevir / pibrentasvir or sofosbuvir / velpatasvir / voxilaprevir 

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):

irregular bleeding.

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

depression, mood altered, nervousness, headache, dizziness, nausea, abdominal pain, acne, tender breasts, breast pain, absence of menstruation, painful menstruation, pre-menstrual syndrome (physical and emotional problems before the start of menstruation), weight gain.

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):

fluid retention, decreased sexual desire, migraine, impaired hearing (otosclerosis), high blood pressure, diarrhoea, vomiting, rash, nettle-rash (urticaria), breast enlargement.

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):

hypersensitivity, increased sexual desire, eye irritation due to contact lens, itching, skin disorders (erythema nodosum - a skin disease associated with joint pain, fever, hypersensitivity, or infection, and characterized by small, painful, pink to blue nodules under the skin and on the shins that tend to recur, erythema multiforme - a skin disease characterized by solid raised spots on the skin or fluid-filled blisters lesions and reddening or discoloration of the skin often in concentric zones about the lesions), chloasma (discolouration of the skin, so called “pregnancy patches”,) vaginal discharge, breast discharge and weight loss. Harmful blood clots in a vein or artery for example: - in a leg or foot (i.e. DVT) - in a lung (i.e. PE) - heart attack - stroke - mini-stroke or temporary stroke-like symptoms, known as a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) - blood clots in the liver, stomach/intestine, kidneys or eye. The chance of having a blood clot may be higher if you have any other conditions that increase this risk (see section 2 for more information on the conditions that increase risk for blood clots and the symptoms of a blood clot).

See other combined contraception pill products 

Related Treatments for Combined Contraceptive Pill