Trinessa Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Trinessa Tablet contains ethinyl estradiol and norgestimate, two hormones combined in a birth control pill belonging to the contraceptives class. It is used to prevent pregnancy and may also help treat moderate acne in some women who are at least 15 years old and have already started menstruating. It works by preventing ovulation, thickening cervical mucus, and changing the uterine lining. It should be taken exactly as directed, one tablet daily, and carries certain risks such as blood clots, especially in smokers over 35.

What is Trinessa Tablet

Trinessa is a combination birth control pill containing two female hormones, an estrogen (ethinyl estradiol) and a progestin (norgestimate). It is used to prevent pregnancy and can also help treat moderate acne in some women.

Trinessa Tablet uses

• Prevents pregnancy (contraception)
• Treatment of moderate acne vulgaris in females at least 15 years of age who have started having menstrual periods and want to use the pill for birth control

Benefits of Trinessa Tablet

• May make menstrual cycles more regular
• May decrease menstrual blood loss and lower the chance of iron deficiency anemia
• May decrease painful periods
• May lower the chance of ovarian cysts
• May lower the chance of ectopic pregnancy
• May lower the chance of noncancerous breast lumps and fibrocystic breast disease
• May lower the chance of pelvic infections
• May lower the chance of cancer of the ovary and lining of the uterus

How Trinessa Tablet works

This medicine works mainly by stopping the ovaries from releasing an egg each month. It also thickens the mucus at the cervix, making it harder for sperm to reach an egg, and it changes the lining of the uterus, making it less likely that a fertilized egg can attach.

Trinessa Tablet dosage

Take one pill every day at the same time, no more than 24 hours apart. Take pills in the exact order shown in the pack, starting with the first active pill. Do not skip pills even if you have spotting, bleeding between periods, or feel sick to your stomach. When you finish a pack, start the next pack the day after your last pill; do not wait any days between packs.

Taking this medicine after your evening meal or at bedtime may help with stomach upset or nausea. If you vomit or have diarrhea, your pills may not work as well, so use a back-up birth control method. You may need to use a back-up method of birth control, such as condoms with spermicide, when you first start using this medicine. This product has not been studied in women over 65 years of age and is not indicated for use in this population.

Available forms and strengths

• Tablet

Side effects of Trinessa Tablet

Common

• Stomach pain, gas, nausea, vomiting
• Breast tenderness
• Acne, darkening of facial skin
• Headache, nervousness, mood changes
• Problems with contact lenses
• Changes in weight
• Breakthrough bleeding
• Vaginal itching or discharge
• Rash
• Bloating, dizziness, stomach cramping
• Nipple discharge
• Increased hair growth or loss of scalp hair
• Decreased sex drive

Serious

• Signs of a stroke: sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body), sudden severe headache, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance
• Signs of a blood clot: sudden vision loss, stabbing chest pain, feeling short of breath, coughing up blood, pain or warmth in one or both legs
• Heart attack symptoms: chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder, nausea, sweating
• Liver problems: loss of appetite, upper stomach pain, tiredness, fever, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
• Severe headache, pounding in your neck or ears
• Swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet
• Changes in the pattern or severity of migraine headaches
• A breast lump
• Symptoms of depression: sleep problems, weakness, tired feeling, mood changes
• Signs of an allergic reaction: hives, difficult breathing, swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat

Warnings and precautions

• Do not use this medicine if you are pregnant. Using it during pregnancy could harm your unborn baby. Tell your doctor right away if you think you might be pregnant or if you miss two periods in a row.
• This medicine can pass into breast milk and may reduce the amount and quality of your milk, and it may affect a nursing baby. Talk with your doctor before breastfeeding while using this medicine.
• The effect of kidney problems on this medicine has not been studied, but tell your doctor if you have kidney disease.
• Do not use this medicine if you have liver disease or liver tumors, since hormones may not be processed normally by a damaged liver, and it can cause liver problems.
• Smoking while taking this medicine, especially if you are over 35, greatly increases your risk of dangerous blood clots, heart attack, and stroke. You should not take this medicine if you smoke and are over 35 years old.
• This medicine can increase your risk of blood clots, stroke, or heart attack, and this risk is highest during your first year of use or when restarting after stopping for four weeks or more.
• Do not use this medicine if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, circulation problems, unexplained vaginal bleeding, liver disease or liver tumors, severe migraines, or if you have ever had a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or certain cancers.
• This medicine does not protect against HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. Only condoms can help protect against these infections.
• Do not take this medicine together with certain hepatitis C medicines, as this combination is not safe.
• If you need major surgery or will be on long-term bed rest, you may need to stop taking this medicine for a short time because of the increased risk of blood clots.

Storage

• Store this medicine at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
• Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15° - 30°C (59° - 86°F).
• Protect from light.
• Keep out of reach of children.

When to see a doctor

• Get emergency medical help right away if you have signs of an allergic reaction such as hives, trouble breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Call your doctor right away if you have sharp chest pain, coughing up blood, or sudden shortness of breath, which could mean a blood clot in the lung.
• Call your doctor right away if you have sudden severe headache, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, trouble with vision or speech, or weakness or numbness in an arm or leg, which could mean a stroke.
• Call your doctor right away if you have crushing chest pain or heaviness in the chest, which could mean a heart attack.
• Call your doctor right away if you have sudden partial or complete loss of vision, which could mean a blood clot in the eye.
• Call your doctor right away if you notice a breast lump.
• Call your doctor right away if you have severe pain or tenderness in the stomach area, which could mean a ruptured liver tumor.
• Call your doctor right away if you have trouble sleeping, weakness, lack of energy, fatigue, or a change in mood, which could mean severe depression.
• Call your doctor right away if you have yellowing of the skin or eyes, often along with fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark urine, or light-colored stools, which could mean a liver problem.
• Call your doctor right away if you have pain, tenderness, or swelling in the calf of your leg, which could mean a blood clot in the leg.

Alternatives

• Tri-Sprintec
• MonoNessa
• Sprintec