You should follow the direction of the arrow on the strip until you’ve taken all 21 pills, and take them according to the days of the week which are indicated on the strip. For example, if you start taking Elevin on a Wednesday, take a pill with ‘WED’ printed beside it.

If you start taking Elevin on the first day of your period, you will get immediate protection from becoming pregnant. You can also start to take it on days 2-5 of your cycle, but in these circumstances you must use extra protection, such as a condom, for the first 7 days while the pill takes effect.

It may be that you’re switching to Elevin from another pill. In which case, you should start taking it the day after you took your last active pill. If you’re switching to Elevin from a vaginal ring or patch, our prescriber can advise you on how to manage this.

Take one pill for 21 days at the same time every day.

You can take Elevin either with or without food, and with a small amount of water if you need to.

Follow the instructions in the patient information leaflet that come with your treatment before you start taking Elevin.

If you’re less than 12 hours late taking a pill, your protection from pregnancy is not reduced at all. Take the pill as soon as you remember, and take any subsequent pills at the usual time.

In the event that you’re more than 12 hours late taking a pill, the protection Elevin offers from pregnancy may be reduced. The more pills that you forget to take, the greater the risk of becoming pregnant.

You’re most likely to get pregnant if you forget to take a pill either at the beginning or at the end of the strip.

If you forget to take more than one pill in the same strip, you should contact our doctor.

In week 1, if you forget to take one pill, take the pill as soon as you remember, even if it means that you need to take two pills at the same time. Take any subsequent pills at the usual time, and use additional protection, such as a condom, for the next 7 days.

If you forget to take one pill in week 2, take the pill you’ve forgotten as soon as you remember, even if it means having to take two pills at the same time. If you have had sex during the week before forgetting to take a pill, you may be pregnant, and you should contact our doctor.

In week 3, if you forget to take one pill, you can do one of two things. Take the pill as soon as you remember, even if you have to take two pills at the same time. You should then continue to take any pills at the time you usually do, but instead of taking 7 pill-free days, start the next strip. It’s likely that you’ll have a period at the end of the second strip, but it may be that you get some light or menstruation-like bleeding during the second strip.

Alternatively, you can stop the strip and start the 7-day pill-free period, making a note of the day on which you forgot to take your pill. If you’d prefer to start a new strip on the day you always start a strip, shorten the length of the 7-day pill-free window.

If you’ve forgotten any of the pills in a strip, and you don’t experience any bleeding in the first pill-free period, you could be pregnant. You should contact our doctor before you start your next strip.

It’s not recommended, but you can delay your period using Elevin. You should speak to our doctor first though, as Elevin isn’t primarily prescribed for this.

To delay your period, once you’ve finished your strip, move straight on to a new strip, rather than taking a 7-day, pill-free break. You may get some light or menstruation-like bleeding while using the second strip. Once you’ve finished the second strip, take the 7-day, pill free break, and then start the next strip.

If you take several pills at any one time, you may get some nausea and vomiting. Young women may also experience bleeding from the vagina.

Should you take too many pills, or if you find that a child has taken Elevin, let our doctor know and they can advise you.

As is the case with many combined contraceptive pills, headaches are very common when taking Elevin. Bleeding and spotting between periods are other particularly common side effects.

For most women, these side effects are mild, and disappear after a few weeks. But if you find that they persist, or if you experience any side effects that cause you discomfort, contact our prescriber. They may advise you to switch to a different pill, and they can suggest alternative options. With an EveAdam subscription, all you need to do is log into your account and leave a message for our clinician to pick up.

If you experience any severe side effects, you should seek emergency medical attention immediately. You can find more information on when to see a clinician in the patient information leaflet that comes with your treatment.

Elevin, like other combined contraceptive pills, can slightly increase your chances of getting a blood clot in the veins and arteries, particularly during the first year of use, or if you’re using it again having had a break from it for four weeks or more.

If you notice any symptoms of a blood clot, such as throbbing, cramping, swelling, redness and warmth in the leg or arm, chest pain or feeling suddenly out of breath, get medical attention immediately.

If you have (or have ever had) a blood clot, you should tell our clinician before starting treatment with Elevin, and they can look into alternative combined pills for you.

Because combined contraceptive pills have hormones in them, they can trigger mood swings in some women, but estimates are relatively low (around 4%). If you experience persistent low mood or if you find that your mood swings don’t resolve themselves when taking Elevin, contact our prescriber.

Around 2.5% of women who use Elevin or other combined contraceptive pills may experience weight gain or weight loss, but it’s unclear how much of a role the pill plays in this.

There isn’t a great deal of evidence to suggest that the combined pill causes either weight gain or weight loss.^[2] But if you do find that your weight goes up or down when taking Elevin, inform our clinician. They may be able to help.

You should tell our prescriber if you have high blood pressure during your consultation, as Elevin may not be a suitable treatment for you. Our clinician can recommend alternative contraceptive pills or treatments for you to choose from, where necessary.

The progestogen only pill is a little different to Elevin as it only contains one hormone, progestogen, which is a form of progesterone. There’s no oestrogen in the progestogen only pill, so if you can’t take a combined pill because of the oestrogen in it, this type of pill may be more suitable for you.

Like Elevin, and other combined contraceptive pills, the progestogen only pill is more than 99% effective when it’s taken correctly. But rather than taking a pill for 21 days and then having a 7-day break, or taking 7 placebo pills for 7 days at the end of a strip, you take an active progestogen only pill every day, with no breaks between packs of pills.

Just log into your EveAdam account, and send our prescriber a message. They’ll be able to suggest a different pill that you may be more suited to, based on any symptoms and side effects you’ve been getting.

With an EveAdam subscription, you can switch from one pill to another at any time.