Cut your period down to size*

Transcription

1 MINASTRIN 24 FE IS A BIRTH CONTROL PILL Cut your period down to size* Look inside to find out how you can have shorter, lighter periods! minastrin24.com *Most women taking Minastrin 24 Fe had a period that lasted less than 3 days on average at the end of the study. 1

2 The pill that can deliver the shorter, lighter periods you want 1 Minastrin 24 Fe is a prescription birth control pill that s highly effective at preventing pregnancy. 2 It can give women shorter and lighter periods compared with another similar birth control pill. 1 Minastrin 24 Fe is a low-dose pill with just 20 micrograms of daily estrogen. 2 Minastrin 24 Fe, a chewable birth control pill, is bioequivalent to another birth control pill you may be familiar with: Loestrin 24 Fe.* Bioequivalent means that these 2 pills have the same active ingredients and doses and they are expected to have the same pregnancy prevention. 2 What s in Minastrin 24 Fe? Minastrin 24 Fe contains a combination of 2 female hormones. The hormones are an estrogen called ethinyl estradiol and a progestin called norethindrone acetate. 2 Is there a potential advantage to having more active pills? Minastrin 24 Fe is a 24/4 birth control pill. A clinical study showed that a 24/4 pill with only 4 days of reminder pills gave most women less total days of bleeding each month vs a similar pill that had 7 reminder pills. 1 Those pills are sometimes called 21/7 birth control pills because there are 21 active pills and 7 reminder pills. What will my periods be like? Minastrin 24 Fe can give women shorter and lighter periods. Most women had a period that lasted less than 3 days on average. Plus, most women taking Minastrin 24 Fe found their periods to be lighter than normal. 1 What about bleeding and spotting between my periods? It s not uncommon to have some bleeding and spotting between periods. Your body needs time to adjust to your pill, which can take up to 3 months. 2 Most women taking Minastrin 24 Fe had a low rate of bleeding and spotting between periods. And, after the first few months, the frequency of the bleeding and spotting between periods decreased. 1 Norethindrone has been used in birth control pills for more than 35 years. 3 How many of the pills contain hormones? Minastrin 24 Fe has 24 days of active pills that contain hormones and 4 days of reminder pills that do not contain hormones. 2 These types of pills are sometimes called extendedregimen pills. Birth control pills that have more active pills and less non-hormonal pills can lessen the chance that you will ovulate (release an egg) during your cycle. 4 Overall, women taking Minastrin 24 Fe had fewer episodes of bleeding/spotting between periods vs women taking a similar 21/7 birth control pill. 1 What about side effects? Minastrin 24 Fe was proven to be safe for women. In a clinical study, weight gain and mood swings occurred at low rates for women taking Minastrin 24 Fe. 2 The most common side effects reported by women taking Minastrin 24 Fe were headache, vaginal yeast infection, and nausea. 2 These are not all of the possible side effects of Minastrin 24 Fe. For more information, please see the enclosed patient information leaflet. * Loestrin 24 Fe (norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets, USP and ferrous fumarate tablets). Please see Important Safety Information for Minastrin 24 Fe on back You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit or call FDA

3 Get ready for shorter periods How do I take Minastrin 24 Fe? First, decide what time of day to take your pill. It s important that you remember to take your pill at the same time every day and in the order as directed on your pill pack just follow the arrows. Chew and swallow 1 pill at the same time every day followed by an 8-ounce glass of water. 2 Each Minastrin 24 Fe pill pack has 24 active white pills (with hormones) for Weeks 1, 2, 3, and part of Week 4. The pill pack also has 4 reminder brown pills (without hormones) for the last part of Week 4. 2 START 24 white active pills: 1 milligram norethindrone acetate (progestin) and 20 micrograms ethinyl estradiol (estrogen) Your Minastrin 24 Fe pill pack 2 Take pills in this direction from left to right each week 4 brown reminder pills: 75 milligrams ferrous fumarate (iron) If you miss pills you could get pregnant. This includes starting the pill pack late. The more pills you miss, the more likely you are to get pregnant. 2 If you have more questions about how to take Minastrin 24 Fe, see the enclosed patient information leaflet. What if I miss my period? Some women taking Minastrin 24 Fe may miss their period. If you miss a period, you could be pregnant. However, some women miss their periods or have light periods on birth control pills, even when they are not pregnant. Contact your healthcare provider if you think you are pregnant, miss a period and have not taken your pills every day, or if you miss 2 periods in a row. 2 Birth control pills do not protect you against sexually transmitted disease, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. 2 Like other birth control pills, you take a Minastrin 24 Fe pill every day, for 28 days, until the pack is empty. Then you start a new pill pack. The brown pills keep you in the habit of taking a pill every day and help remind you that it s time to start a new pack. 2 4 Please see Important Safety Information for Minastrin 24 Fe on back 5

4 The added benefit of savings For eligible insured patients, pay no more than $25 for your branded birth control pill!* Mail-order patients If you fill your prescription through a mail-order pharmacy, or if you are unable to have your card processed at your local pharmacy, please submit: 1 A photocopy of the front and back of your Actavis Birth Control Pill Savings Card Most eligible insured patients pay no more than $25 per 28-day supply for Minastrin 24 Fe prescriptions. How to save on your Minastrin 24 Fe: 1 Ask your healthcare provider for an Actavis Birth Control Pill Savings Card or download a card at actavisocsavings.com 2 3 Your original proof of purchase (original pharmacy receipt with your name and address, pharmacy name, product name, prescription number, NDC number, date filled, quantity, and price), and a photocopy of the front and back of your insurance card Your date of birth Mail all of the information to: Actavis Birth Control Pill Savings Card c/o PSKW PO Box 7010 Bedminster, NJ If you are an eligible insured patient, present your card at your pharmacy with your valid Minastrin 24 Fe prescription Most patients will pay no more than $25 per 28-day supply for up to 12 prescription fills. Be sure to bring your card to the pharmacy each time you refill your Minastrin 24 Fe prescription* Each card is good for up to 12 uses before the program expires. All 12 prescriptions must be filled before the program expires on January 31, 2015 Please allow 6 to 8 weeks to receive your reimbursement. Reimbursement requests must be postmarked by January 31, Please see full terms and conditions at actavisocsavings.com. Questions? If you have any questions about the Actavis Birth Control Pill Savings Card, simply call us at * This offer is valid only for patients with commercial prescription drug insurance and applies to prescriptions for Minastrin 24 Fe. Most eligible insured patients will pay no more than $25 per 28-day supply for each of up to 12 prescription fills. Other eligible insured patients should check with their pharmacist for their copay discount. Maximum reimbursement limits apply; patient out-of-pocket expense may vary. Please see full terms and conditions at actavisocsavings.com. 6 Please see Important Safety Information for Minastrin 24 Fe on back 7

5 Cut your period down to size* Minastrin 24 Fe is a birth control pill available only by prescription. Talk to your healthcare provider today to find out how you can have shorter, lighter periods and see if Minastrin 24 Fe is right for you. To find out more about Minastrin 24 Fe, visit minastrin24.com. Save on your birth control pills With the Actavis Birth Control Pill Savings Card, most eligible insured patients pay no more than $25 for Minastrin 24 Fe prescriptions! *Most women taking Minastrin 24 Fe had a period that lasted less than 3 days on average at the end of the study. 1 This offer is valid only for patients with commercial prescription drug insurance and applies to prescriptions for Minastrin 24 Fe. Most eligible insured patients will pay no more than $25 per 28-day supply for each of up to 12 prescription fills. Other eligible insured patients should check with their pharmacist for their copay discount. Maximum reimbursement limits apply; patient out-of-pocket expense may vary. Please see full terms and conditions at actavisocsavings.com. INDICATION AND USAGE for Minastrin 24 Fe Minastrin 24 Fe is a prescription birth control pill used for the prevention of pregnancy. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION about Minastrin 24 Fe, including Boxed Warning WARNING TO WOMEN WHO SMOKE Do not use Minastrin 24 Fe if you smoke cigarettes and are over 35 years old. Smoking increases your risk of serious cardiovascular side effects (heart and blood vessel problems) from birth control pills, including death from heart attack, blood clots, or stroke. This risk increases with age and the number of cigarettes you smoke. Do not use Minastrin 24 Fe if you have kidney, liver, or adrenal disease because this could cause serious heart and health problems, or if you have or have had blood clots, history of heart attack or stroke, high blood pressure that medicine cannot control, breast cancer or any cancer that is sensitive to female hormones, liver disease or liver tumors, unexplained bleeding from the vagina, or if you are or may be pregnant. Treatment with Minastrin 24 Fe should be stopped if you have a blood clot, and at least 4 weeks before and through 2 weeks after major surgery. You should not take Minastrin 24 Fe any earlier than 4 weeks after having a baby or if you are breastfeeding. If you experience yellowing of the skin or eyes due to problems with your liver, you should stop taking Minastrin 24 Fe. If you are pre-diabetic or diabetic, your doctor should monitor you while using Minastrin 24 Fe and should evaluate you if you have any significant change in headaches or irregular menstrual bleeding. Minastrin 24 Fe increases the risk of serious conditions including blood clots, stroke, and heart attack. These can be life-threatening or lead to permanent disability. The most common side effects reported by women taking Minastrin 24 Fe were headache, vaginal infections, nausea, painful menstruation, breast tenderness, abnormal Pap smear, acne, mood swings, and weight gain. Birth control pills do not protect you against any sexually transmitted disease, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Please see the FDA-Approved Patient Information Leaflet for Minastrin 24 Fe, including Boxed Warning, enclosed and also available at To report a side effect from one of our products, please call the Actavis Drug Safety Department at You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit or call FDA References: 1. Data on file. Rockaway, NJ: Warner Chilcott (US), LLC. 2. Minastrin 24 Fe prescribing information. Rockaway, NJ: Warner Chilcott (US), LLC; Djerassi C. History of oral contraceptives. In: Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (ELS). Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; Baerwald AR, Olatunbosun OA, Pierson RA. Ovarian follicular development is initiated during the hormone-free interval of oral contraceptive use. Contraception. 2004;70(5): Minastrin is a registered trademark of Warner Chilcott Company, LLC. Loestrin is a registered trademark of Warner Chilcott Company, LLC. minastrin24.com 2014 Actavis Pharma, Inc. Parsippany, NJ All rights reserved /14