aurovela 1.5/30
Junel 1.5/30 is a type of birth control called a combined oral contraceptive (COC), meaning it contains both estrogen and progesterone hormones. It's a monophasic birth control pill, so all active tablets contain the same amount of hormones. Junel 1.5/30 also comes in another version that includes iron - you can tell by the "Fe" (which is the symbol for iron) in the name. Junel 1.5/30 contains higher levels of hormones compared with other COCs with the same ingredients, so it might cause more side effects.
What is Junel 1.5/30?
What is Junel 1.5/30 used for?
- To prevent pregnancy
How Junel 1.5/30 works
Junel 1.5/30 is a combination medication that contains 2 hormones: norethindrone (a progestin) and ethinyl estradiol (an estrogen). These 2 hormones work together to prevent pregnancy by:
- Preventing your ovaries from releasing eggs
- Changing the mucus in your cervix to make it harder for the sperm to enter the uterus (womb)
- Changing the lining of the uterus so it's more difficult for a fertilized egg to implant
Junel Fe 1.5/30 (along with its branded generics) is another version of Junel 1.5/30 that contains placebo (hormone-free or inactive) tablets with ferrous fumarate. This is an iron supplement added to lower your risk for low iron levels or anemia when you have bleeding during the days when you're taking the placebo tablets.
Drug facts
| Common Brands | Junel 1.5/30, Junel Fe 1.5/30, Blisovi Fe 1.5/30, Microgestin 1.5/30, Microgestin Fe 1.5/30 |
|---|---|
| Drug Class | Estrogen / Progestin combined contraceptive |
| Controlled Substance Classification | Not a controlled medication |
| Generic Status | Lower-cost generic available |
| Availability | Prescription only |
Side effects of Junel 1.5/30
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach cramps and bloating
- Bleeding between periods
- Spotting
- Change in the flow of period
- Missing periods
- Swelling
- Breast changes
- Weight changes
- Mental depression
- Vaginal yeast infection
- Cornea (eye) changes
Less Common Side Effects
- Migraine
- Allergic rash
Junel 1.5/30 serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Heart attack: chest pain, stomach discomfort, sweating, nausea, dizziness
- Stroke: sudden numbness or weakness in the arm, leg, or face, confusion, trouble seeing, headache, difficulty walking
- Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in the leg): leg cramp, swelling, pain, muscle tightness
- Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung): cough, chest pain, trouble breathing, racing heart
The following Junel 1.5/30 side effects have also been reported
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
Incidence not known
Absent, missed, or irregular menstrual periods
change in vision
changes in skin color
chest pain or discomfort
chills
clay-colored stools
dark urine
dizziness or lightheadedness
fainting
fast heartbeat
headache
hives or welts
itching skin
large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs
loss of appetite
medium to heavy, irregular vaginal bleeding between regular monthly periods, which may require the use of a pad or a tampon
pain or discomfort in the arms, jaw, back, or neck
pain, tenderness, or swelling of the foot or leg
pains in the chest, groin, or legs, especially in the calves of the legs
pounding in the ears
rash
redness of the skin
severe headaches of sudden onset
slow or fast heartbeat
stomach pain
sudden loss of coordination or slurred speech
sweating
troubled breathing
unusual tiredness or weakness
vomiting
vomiting of blood
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
Incidence not known
blotchy spots on the exposed skin
breast enlargement or tenderness
discouragement
feeling sad or empty
irritability
itching of the vagina or outside genitals
loss of interest or pleasure
pain during sexual intercourse
stomach cramps
thick, white curd-like vaginal discharge without odor or with mild odor
tiredness
trouble concentrating
trouble sleeping
trouble wearing contact lenses
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
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Pros and cons of Junel 1.5/30
Pros
- Taken once daily
- About 99% successful at preventing pregnancy with perfect use
- Available as a 21-tablet or 28-tablet pack
- All active tablets are one color, so it can be less confusing
Cons
- Higher hormone levels might cause more side effects
- Taking it incorrectly can raise the risk of pregnancy
- Can affect mood and behavior
- Not a safe option for females who smoke
Pharmacist tips for Junel 1.5/30
- Junel 1.5/30 can be taken to prevent pregnancy, but it can't protect against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections or other sexually transmitted diseases. Using a latex or polyurethane condom during sex can help lower your risk of an STD.
- Let your provider know all of your current medications. Certain medications can make Junel 1.5/30 work less well to prevent pregnancy.
- Take Junel 1.5/30 at the same time every day. If you miss your pills, there's a chance that you can get pregnant.
- Let your provider know if you have any abnormal vaginal bleeding (spotting). Continue taking Junel 1.5/30 if spotting or light bleeding occurs in between your periods. Let your provider know if the spotting or bleeding doesn't go away.
- Make sure to get yearly check ups with your provider so they can monitor health conditions that might be affected by Junel 1.5/30, such as blood pressure and blood sugar.
- If you have vomiting or diarrhea, Junel 1.5/30 might not work as well to prevent pregnancy. Use a back-up birth control, such as condoms, until you check in with your provider.
- You might notice swelling in your fingers or ankles while you take Junel 1.5/30. This is a side effect of the birth control. Follow up with your provider regularly if you have other health conditions that might get worse with additional fluid and swelling in your body.
- Speak to your provider before starting Junel 1.5/30 if you're breastfeeding your child. Small amounts of Junel 1.5/30 can pass into your breast milk and might affect your baby. It can also lower the amount of milk you're able to produce.
- Talk to your provider if you experience symptoms of depression or worsening mood while taking Junel 1.5/30. Your provider might have you stop this medication if you have serious depression.
Risks and warnings for Junel 1.5/30
Junel 1.5/30 can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Cigarette smoking and serious heart problems
- Risk factors: Female over 35 years old who smoke cigarettes
If you smoke cigarettes, using combined oral contraceptives (COCs), like Junel 1.5/30, raises your risk for serious health problems, such as strokes, heart attacks, and blood clots. Females age 35 years and older who smoke are at even higher risk for these problems. If you smoke, talk with your provider about safer birth control alternatives.
Blood clots and strokes
- Risk factors: Females over 35 years old who smoke | Females over 40 years old who don't smoke | Recent surgery with a long period of bed rest | Starting Junel 1.5/30 less than a month after childbirth | High blood pressure | People identified as obese | High cholesterol | Diabetes | Higher dose of estrogen
Junel 1.5/30 raises your risk of blood clots. These clots can occur anywhere in your body, including your lungs (pulmonary embolism or PE), legs (deep vein thrombosis or DVT), brain (stroke), and heart (heart attack). Get emergency help right away if you have any signs of a blood clot:
- Brain: weakness or numbness in your arms, legs, or face on one side of the body, trouble speaking, blurred vision, dizziness, loss of balance, trouble walking, or confusion
- Eyes: trouble seeing, bulging eye, double vision
- Heart: chest pain, sweating, nausea, or dizziness
- Lungs: trouble breathing, chest pain, or cough
- Legs: cramps, swelling, pain, or muscle tightness
If you need to have surgery, tell your provider you're taking Junel 1.5/30. They might have you stop taking it 4 weeks before until 2 weeks after your surgery to lower your risk of blood clots.
Irregular bleeding
People who take Junel 1.5/30 can sometimes experience irregular bleeding and spotting, especially during the first 3 months of taking it. Irregular bleeding can vary from slight staining to bleeding similar to a regular period. This problem might be temporary, so continue taking your medication as directed. Let your provider know if the bleeding is a problem for you and they can change your birth control. If you miss your period, make sure you get a pregnancy test to make sure you're not pregnant or contact your provider.
High blood pressure
- Risk factors: Older age | Using COCs for a long time | High blood pressure | Kidney problems
Junel 1.5/30 can raise your blood pressure, so make sure you monitor your blood pressure while you're taking this medication. The risk is higher in people who are older and have been taking birth control pills for a long period of time. Speak to your provider if you have high blood pressure or kidney problems, and they can help you pick a different method of birth control that's safer for you. Your blood pressure can return to normal after stopping Junel 1.5/30.
High blood sugar and cholesterol
- Risk factors: Prediabetes or diabetes | High triglycerides
Junel 1.5/30 can raise your blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels. Speak with your provider before starting oral contraceptives if you have diabetes, prediabetes, or high cholesterol. If you choose to take Junel 1.5/30 with those health conditions, your provider will monitor you regularly.
Risk of breast and cervical cancer
- Risk factors: History of breast cancer | Taking COCs for a long time
Study results are mixed, but there's a possibility that Junel 1.5/30 and other COCs can raise your risk for breast and cervical cancer.
Don't use Junel 1.5/30 if you have breast cancer because some types of breast cancer grow faster in the presence of estrogen, an ingredient in this birth control pill. To help with early breast cancer detection, you can do monthly breast self-checks at home and yearly breast exams with your healthcare provider. Call your healthcare provider if you notice any abnormal changes or feel lumps, pain, or swelling in your breasts.
Get medical help right away if you experience abnormal vaginal bleeding, discharge, or pain during sex, since these could be signs of cervical cancer.
Headache
Let your provider know if you experience new or worsening migraines or headaches while taking Junel 1.5/30. You might have to stop taking it if your migraine or headache doesn't go away or becomes severe.
Interactions with other medications
Certain medications can make Junel 1.5/30 get broken down faster in your body, making it less effective which can lead to pregnancy. Some examples include carbamazepine (Tegretol) and phenytoin (Dilantin). Use a back-up method or other form of birth control for at least 28 days after stopping any of these medications. Other medications can raise the amount of Junel 1.5/30 in your body, which can lead to more side effects. Make sure to tell your provider or pharmacist all of your medications so they can make sure they don't interact with Junel 1.5/30.
Junel 1.5/30 dosage
Package| Dosage | Quantity | Price as low as | Price per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 tablets | 4 packages | $35.52 | $8.88 |
Typical dosage for Junel 1.5/30
Your medication might look different and have slightly different directions depending on which branded generic your provider prescribes. Please take the medication as instructed by your provider. In general:
Junel 1.5/30 (and its branded generics) comes in a 21-day pack. Each tablet contains 1.5 mg norethindrone acetate and 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol.
- The typical dose is to take 1 tablet by mouth daily for 21 days, followed by 7 days off (not taking any tablets).
Junel Fe 1.5/30 (and its branded generics) comes in a 28-day pack. There are 21 active tablets and they each contain 1.5 mg norethindrone acetate and 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol. There are 7 placebo tablets and they each contains 75 mg of ferrous fumarate.
- The typical dose is to take 1 active tablet by mouth daily for 21 days, followed by 1 placebo tablet daily for the remaining 7 days.
Interactions between Junel 1.5/30 and other drugs
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
- Dasabuvir
- Ombitasvir
- Paritaprevir
- Ritonavir
- Tranexamic Acid
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Amifampridine
- Amoxicillin
- Ampicillin
- Amprenavir
- Anagrelide
- Apalutamide
- Aprepitant
- Armodafinil
- Artemether
- Bacampicillin
- Betamethasone
- Bexarotene
- Boceprevir
- Bosentan
- Brigatinib
- Bupropion
- Carbamazepine
- Carbenicillin
- Cefaclor
- Cefadroxil
- Cefdinir
- Cefditoren
- Cefixime
- Cefpodoxime
- Cefprozil
- Ceftazidime
- Ceftibuten
- Cefuroxime
- Cenobamate
- Ceritinib
- Clavulanic Acid
- Clobazam
- Cloxacillin
- Colesevelam
- Cyclacillin
- Cyclosporine
- Dabrafenib
- Darunavir
- Dexamethasone
- Dicloxacillin
- Donepezil
- Doxycycline
- Efavirenz
- Elagolix
- Elvitegravir
- Encorafenib
- Enzalutamide
- Eslicarbazepine Acetate
- Etravirine
- Fosamprenavir
- Fosaprepitant
- Fosphenytoin
- Fostemsavir
- Glecaprevir
- Griseofulvin
- Guar Gum
- Isotretinoin
- Ivosidenib
- Lesinurad
- Lixisenatide
- Lorlatinib
- Lumacaftor
- Minocycline
- Mitotane
- Modafinil
- Mycophenolate Mofetil
- Mycophenolic Acid
- Nafcillin
- Nelfinavir
- Nevirapine
- Octreotide
- Oxacillin
- Oxcarbazepine
- Oxytetracycline
- Paclitaxel
- Paclitaxel Protein-Bound
- Penicillin G
- Penicillin G Procaine
- Penicillin V
- Phenobarbital
- Phenylbutazone
- Phenytoin
- Pibrentasvir
- Piperaquine
- Pitolisant
- Prednisone
- Primidone
- Red Clover
- Rifabutin
- Rifampin
- Rifapentine
- Ritonavir
- Rufinamide
- Secobarbital
- St John's Wort
- Sugammadex
- Sultamicillin
- Tazemetostat
- Telaprevir
- Tetracycline
- Theophylline
- Ticarcillin
- Tigecycline
- Tizanidine
- Topiramate
- Troglitazone
- Ulipristal
- Valproic Acid
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Amitriptyline
- Atazanavir
- Clomipramine
- Diazepam
- Doxepin
- Eslicarbazepine Acetate
- Etoricoxib
- Ginseng
- Imipramine
- Lamotrigine
- Levothyroxine
- Licorice
- Lorazepam
- Parecoxib
- Prednisolone
- Roflumilast
- Selegiline
- Temazepam
- Tipranavir
- Triazolam
- Troleandomycin
- Valdecoxib
- Voriconazole
- Warfarin
How much does Junel 1.5/30 cost?
Junel 1.5/30 contraindications
Contraindications are specific health conditions or situations in which a person should not take a medication due to safety concerns. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, let your healthcare provider know because Junel 1.5/30 will not be safe for you to take.
- Current or history of blood clots
- Coronary artery disease (problems with blood flow to the heart)
- Cerebral vascular disease (problems with blood flow to the brain)
- Current or history of breast cancer
- Endometrial cancer or other estrogen-dependent tumor
- Unexplained vaginal bleeding that hasn't been diagnosed
- Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin (jaundice) during pregnancy or during previous use of the medication
- Liver tumors or cancer
- Pregnancy
What are alternatives to Junel 1.5/30?
Junel 1.5/30 images
