Ortho Tri-Cyclen Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Tablet contains norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol, a combination oral contraceptive. It comes in a 28-day pack with three active tablet colors plus inactive placebo tablets. It is used to prevent pregnancy and to treat moderate acne in certain females. It works mainly by preventing ovulation, thickening cervical mucus, and changing the uterine lining.

What is Ortho Tri-Cyclen Tablet

Ortho Tri-Cyclen is a combination birth control pill that contains two hormones, norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol. It comes as a 28-day pack of tablets in three active colors plus inactive (placebo) tablets.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Tablet uses

• Prevents pregnancy in women who can become pregnant
• Treats moderate acne in females 15 years or older who have no known reason to avoid birth control pills, have started their period, and want to use the pill for birth control

Benefits of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Tablet

• Pregnancy Prevention: Prevents pregnancy when taken correctly
• Ovulation Suppression: Prevents or reduces ovulation
• Cycle Regulation: Helps make menstrual cycles more predictable
• Acne Support: Certain norgestimate/ethinyl-estradiol formulations are also used to treat moderate acne
• Period Symptom Support: May reduce menstrual-related symptoms in some users

How Ortho Tri-Cyclen Tablet works

The hormones in this pill mainly work by stopping the ovaries from releasing an egg each month (ovulation). They also thicken cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm to reach an egg, and change the uterine lining so a fertilized egg is less likely to implant.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Tablet dosage

Take one tablet by mouth at the same time every day, with or without food. Take the tablets in the exact order shown on your pill pack or dispenser, and do not skip or delay taking a tablet.

You can start on the first day of your period (Day 1 Start) or on the first Sunday after your period begins (Sunday Start); if you use a Sunday Start, use a non-hormonal back-up method like condoms for the first seven days.

If switching from another birth control pill, start the new pack the same day you would have started the next pack of your old pill. If switching from a patch or vaginal ring, start on the day you would have put on the next patch or ring. If switching from an implant or injection, start on the day of removal or on the day your next injection was due. If switching from an IUD, start on the day of removal; if it is not removed on day one of your period, use a back-up method for seven days.

If you vomit or have diarrhea within three to four hours of taking a tablet, treat it like a missed tablet and consider using a back-up method.

Do not start this medicine until at least four weeks after childbirth if you are not breastfeeding. This medicine is not recommended while breastfeeding. This medicine has not been studied in women past menopause and is not meant for that age group.

Available forms and strengths

• Tablet (blister pack/pill dispenser with 21 or 28 tablets)

Side effects of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Tablet

Common

• Headache or migraine
• Nausea and vomiting
• Breast tenderness, pain, enlargement, swelling, or discharge
• Stomach pain or cramps
• Pain with periods
• Mood changes, including depression
• Acne
• Vaginal infections or discharge
• Bloating
• Weight changes
• Fatigue
• Nervousness
• Rash

Serious

• Blood clots in the legs, lungs, or eyes
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Liver problems, including rare liver tumors and jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes)
• High blood pressure
• Gallbladder problems
• Changes in blood sugar and cholesterol/triglyceride levels
• New or worsening headaches, including migraines
• Irregular or unusual vaginal bleeding or spotting between periods
• Depression
• Possible cancer of the breast or cervix
• Swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat (angioedema)
• Dark patches of skin on the face (chloasma)

Warnings and precautions

• Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant. It is not meant to be used during pregnancy and will not treat a threatened miscarriage.
• This medicine is not recommended while breastfeeding because it can reduce the amount and quality of breast milk, and small amounts pass into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about other birth control options while nursing.
• This medicine has not been studied in women with kidney problems.
• Do not take this medicine if you have liver disease or liver tumors. Stop taking it right away if you develop yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), which can be a sign of liver problems.
• Smoking while taking this medicine greatly increases your risk of dangerous heart and blood vessel problems. Women over 35 who smoke should not take this medicine.
• This medicine can cause serious blood clots that may lead to a stroke, heart attack, or clots in the lungs, legs, or eyes. The risk is higher when you first start the pill or restart it after a break of a month or more.
• Do not take this medicine if you have had blood clots, a stroke, a heart attack, certain heart valve problems, uncontrolled high blood pressure, certain types of migraine with aura, diabetes with organ damage, liver disease or liver tumors, unexplained vaginal bleeding, or known or suspected breast cancer.
• Stop taking this medicine at least 4 weeks before major surgery and for 2 weeks after, because of a higher risk of blood clots.
• This medicine does not protect against HIV or other sexually transmitted infections.

Storage

• Store at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C)
• Protect from light
• Keep out of the reach of children

When to see a doctor

• Get emergency help right away for leg pain that won't go away, sudden severe shortness of breath, sudden vision changes or blindness, chest pain, a sudden severe headache unlike your usual headaches, weakness or numbness in an arm or leg, or trouble speaking — these can be signs of a blood clot, stroke, or heart attack.
• Call your doctor if you notice yellowing of your skin or eyes, which may mean you have a liver problem. Call your doctor if your face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat swell, since this could make it hard to swallow or breathe. 
• Call your doctor if you miss two periods in a row, since you may be pregnant.

Alternatives

• Yaz
• Loestrin Fe
• Levonorgestrel + Ethinyl Estradiol