Maexeni Contraceptive Pill

Maexeni Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill

What is the Maexeni contraceptive pill used for?

Maexeni is a combined oral contraceptive pill, and it’s taken every day to prevent pregnancy. Each tablet contains two female sex hormones, an oestrogen and a progestogen, which work together to stop you getting pregnant.

Alongside contraception, taking the contraceptive pill usually helps make your periods more regular, lighter and less painful, and it may help with premenstrual symptoms. You don’t need to think about it at the time of sex, and it’s reversible, so you can stop taking it whenever you want to try for a baby.

The Maexeni contraceptive pill won’t protect you against sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia or HIV. Only condoms can help with that.

How does the Maexeni contraceptive pill work?

Each tablet contains ethinylestradiol and levonorgestrel. Maexeni prevents pregnancy in three ways:

1. It stops an egg being released from your ovaries
2. It thickens the fluid, or mucus, in your cervix, making it more difficult for sperm to enter the womb
3. It stops the lining of your womb thickening enough for an egg to grow in it

Maexeni is a 21-day pill. You take one tablet a day for 21 days, then have 7 days with no pills. You’re still protected during those 7 days as long as you’ve taken your pills correctly and start the next strip on time.

Who can take Maexeni?

Maexeni is suitable for most healthy adult women who need contraception, but it isn’t right for everyone. You’ll complete a consultation so a pharmacist can check your medical history, and you’ll need regular check-ups and cervical smear tests while you’re taking it.

Don’t take Maexeni if you:

• Have or have ever had a blood clot in your legs, lungs or another organ
• Have a blood clotting disorder such as protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, antithrombin-III deficiency, Factor V Leiden or antiphospholipid antibodies
• Need an operation or are off your feet for a long time
• Have ever had a heart attack or stroke
• Have or have ever had angina or a transient ischaemic attack
• Have severe diabetes with blood vessel damage, very high blood pressure, very high levels of fat in the blood or hyperhomocysteinaemia
• Have or have ever had migraine with aura
• Have or have ever had breast cancer
• Have ever had severe liver disease and your liver function tests haven’t returned to normal
• Have ever had liver tumours
• Have hepatitis C and take medicines containing ombitasvir, paritaprevir, ritonavir, dasabuvir, glecaprevir, pibrentasvir, sofosbuvir, velpatasvir or voxilaprevir
• Are pregnant
• Are allergic to any of the ingredients

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Maexeni if you:

• Have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
• Have systemic lupus erythematosus, haemolytic uraemic syndrome or sickle cell anaemia
• Have had inflammation of the pancreas, or high levels of fat in the blood
• Have recently given birth
• Have varicose veins or inflammation of the veins under the skin
• Have diabetes
• Have a personal or family history of heart, circulation or blood clotting problems
• Have the inherited disease porphyria
• Are overweight
• Get migraines
• Have had any illness that got worse during pregnancy or previous use of the Pill

How To Take the Maexeni Contraceptive Pill

Take one pill at the same time each day, following the arrows on the strip so you take the tablets in the right order. Swallow each tablet whole with water if needed, and don’t chew it.

1. Start with the tablet marked with the correct day of the week, ideally on the first day of your period.
2. Take one tablet a day until you’ve finished all 21 tablets in the strip.
3. Have 7 days with no tablets, when you’ll usually get a withdrawal bleed.
4. Start your next strip on the eighth day, even if you’re still bleeding.

Starting on the first day of your period means you’re protected from your first pill. As long as you take Maexeni correctly, you’ll always start each new strip on the same day of the week.

Maexeni Contraceptive Pill Side Effects

Like all medicines, Maexeni can cause side effects in some people, though not everyone gets them. Maexeni contraceptive pill side effects vary from person to person. Bleeding or spotting between periods can happen in the first few months and usually settles once your body has adjusted.

Tell your doctor, pharmacist or family planning nurse if you’re worried about any side effects, or if an existing condition gets worse while you’re taking it.

Common Side Effects

These may affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 10 people:

• Feeling sick
• Stomach ache
• Putting on weight
• Headaches
• Depressive moods or mood swings
• Sore or painful breasts

Uncommon Side Effects

These may affect between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 100 people:

• Being sick and stomach upsets
• Fluid retention
• Migraine
• Loss of interest in sex
• Breast enlargement
• Skin rash, which may be itchy

Rare Side Effects

These may affect between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 1,000 people:

• Poor tolerance of contact lenses
• Losing weight
• Increase of interest in sex
• Vaginal or breast discharge

Other Side Effects

These have also been reported:

• Bleeding and spotting between periods
• Chloasma, which is yellow-brown patches on the skin
• Occurrence or worsening of the movement disorder chorea
• Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
• Conditions that can worsen during pregnancy or previous use of the Pill, including jaundice, persistent itching, kidney or liver problems, gallstones, systemic lupus erythematosus, herpes gestationis, otosclerosis, sickle cell disease, hereditary angioedema, porphyria and cancer of the cervix

Serious Side Effects

Serious side effects are rare, but Maexeni can cause harmful blood clots in a vein or artery. These include:

• Deep vein thrombosis
• Pulmonary embolism
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Transient ischaemic attack
• Clots in the liver, stomach, intestine, kidneys or eye.

Stop taking Maexeni and seek immediate medical attention if you notice any signs of a clot, a severe allergic reaction or angioedema.

Call 999 or go to A&E if you have:

• Chest pain or sudden breathlessness
• A painful or swollen leg
• Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of your body
• Sudden trouble speaking or seeing
• A sudden, severe headache with no known cause
• Swelling of your face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat, or difficulty swallowing or breathing
• A red, bumpy rash with itching

See a doctor straight away if you notice any of the following, as you may need to stop taking Maexeni:

• Lumps in your breasts, dimpling of the skin or changes in the nipple
• Vaginal discharge that smells or contains blood
• Unusual vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain or painful sex
• Severe pain in your upper abdomen
• Yellow skin or eyes, or itching all over your body

If you get any side effects, tell your doctor or pharmacist. You can also report them directly through the Yellow Card Scheme.

Maexeni Contraceptive Pill Ingredients

Active ingredients: Ethinylestradiol 0.03mg and levonorgestrel 0.15mg

Other ingredients (tablet core): Lactose monohydrate, povidone K30, crospovidone type A and magnesium stearate

Other ingredients (coating): Polyvinyl alcohol, titanium dioxide (E171), macrogol 3350, talc (E553b) and iron oxide yellow (E172)

Maexeni contains lactose and sucrose. If you’ve been told you can’t tolerate some sugars, speak to your doctor before taking them.

Warnings and Precautions

• Like other combined hormonal contraceptives, Maexeni slightly increases your risk of developing a blood clot, particularly in the first year of use or after a break of 4 or more weeks.
• Your risk is higher if you have a BMI over 30, are over 35, smoke, have high blood pressure or have recently given birth.
• It’s also higher if a close family member had a blood clot at a young age, and flights over 4 hours can temporarily increase it.
• Smoking increases the risk of serious circulatory problems, so you’re advised to stop smoking while taking Maexeni.
• If you’re having an operation or will be off your feet for a while, tell your doctor, as you may need to stop Maexeni at least 4 weeks beforehand.
• Taking the Pill slightly increases your risk of breast cancer, and this returns to normal within about 10 years of stopping.
• The Pill has been linked to liver problems, including jaundice and non-cancerous liver tumours, though this is rare.
• Some women taking hormonal contraception report depression or low mood, so contact your doctor if you notice changes in your mood.
• Some medicines can stop Maexeni working properly, including certain epilepsy treatments, HIV and hepatitis C medicines, griseofulvin, some antibiotics, barbiturates and St John’s wort.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist about all medications you are taking, as Maexeni may not be suitable if you need one of these long term.
• If you’re sick or have very bad diarrhoea within 4 hours of taking a tablet, your body may not absorb the full dose, so you may need extra contraception.
• Maexeni can affect the results of some blood tests, so tell your doctor you’re taking it.
• Maexeni doesn’t protect against sexually transmitted infections, so use condoms if you need that protection.
• Don’t store above 30°C, and keep Maexeni out of the sight and reach of children.
• Don’t use Maexeni after the expiry date printed on the carton and strip.