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Our mission is to empower our patients with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions regarding their health and optimize the use of their medications through screenings, seminars, and consultations.
We will serve as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source by providing drug and health-related information in a confidential and professional manner.
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Put a Stop to Periods with Lybrel™!
Contributed by: Jessica Koerner, Pharm.D.
Community Pharmacy Resident
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Lybrel™ is a brand new recently FDA approved birth control pill that eliminates a women's monthly period. It is the first and only birth control pill classified as a low dose, continuous, non-cyclic combination oral contraceptive.
How does Lybrel™ work?
Lybrel™ works the same way as other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy by stopping ovulation from occurring. Traditional birth control pills work by taking 21 days of active hormone containing pills followed by 7 days of inactive or non-hormone containing pills. A woman's monthly period then occurs during the week of taking the inactive pills. Lybrel™ differs by providing a steady low dose of hormones (ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel) everyday without any inactive pills in between cycles. Without the inactive days, monthly periods are completely stopped as long as Lybrel™ is continued. Once stopping Lybrel™, a study found that 99% of women had a period within 3 months of discontinuing the pill.
What are the potential benefits with Lybrel™
Eliminating the monthly period will stabilize hormone levels which often reduce or may eliminate symptoms associated with a period such as: bloating, cramping, irritability, headaches, and breast tenderness
Eliminating periods through the use of continuous oral contraceptives has been shown to be an effective treatment for many health-related prob
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lems such as: endometriosis, anemia (low iron), and epilepsy (seizures)
Cost savings due to no longer needing to treat period-related symptoms
What are the potential disadvantages with Lybrel™
A monthly period ensures women that they are not pregnant; therefore, if pregnancy occurs pregnancy related symptoms may go unrecognized
The low doses of this birth control pill may result in breakthrough bleeding for some women
Long-term safety of continuous use of birth control pills remains unknown
It is associated with the same risk of developing blood clots and stroke as all birth control pills and the risk increased:
In women who smoke
In women age 35 years or older
In women who have an increased risk of heart disease (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes)
Lybrel™ is likely to be the first of many new birth control pills to eliminate a woman's monthly period. Talk to your physician or pharmacist if you have questions about Lybrel™ to determine if it is an option for you. Lybrel™ should be available by prescription soon. You can also visit www.knowmycylce.com for more information about other birth control options available.
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Co-edited by:
Sarah Hare, Pharm.D.
Miranda Wilhelm, Pharm.D.
Kristian Olsen, Pharm.D.
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