Jolessa Dosage

How to Start and Take JOLESSA

JOLESSA is dispensed in an Extended-Cycle Tablet Dispenser. JOLESSA should be started on a Sunday (see Table 1). For the first cycle of a Sunday Start regimen, an additional method of contraception should be used until after the first 7 consecutive days of administration.

Table 1: Instructions for Administration of JOLESSA

Starting JOLESSA after Abortion or Miscarriage

First-trimester

• After a first-trimester abortion or miscarriage, JOLESSA may be started immediately. An additional method of contraception is not needed if JOLESSA is started immediately.
• If JOLESSA is not started within 5 days after termination of the pregnancy, the patient should use additional non-hormonal contraception (such as condoms or spermicide) for the first seven days of her first 91-day course of JOLESSA.

Second-trimester

• Do not start JOLESSA until 4 weeks after a second-trimester abortion or miscarriage, due to the increased risk of thromboembolic disease. Start JOLESSA following the instructions in Table 1 for Sunday start. Use additional non-hormonal contraception (such as condoms or spermicide) for the first seven days of the patient’s first 91-day course of JOLESSA.

Starting JOLESSA after Childbirth

• Do not start JOLESSA until 4 weeks after delivery, due to the increased risk of thromboembolic disease. Start contraceptive therapy with JOLESSA following the instructions in Table 1 for women not currently using hormonal contraception.
• JOLESSA is not recommended for use in lactating women.
• If the woman has not yet had a period postpartum, consider the possibility of ovulation and conception occurring prior to use of JOLESSA.

Dosing JOLESSA

Instruct patients to take one tablet by mouth at the same time every day. The dosing of JOLESSA is one pink pill containing levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol daily for 84 consecutive days, followed by one white pill (inactive pills without hormone) for 7 days. To achieve maximum contraceptive effectiveness, JOLESSA must be taken exactly as directed, in the order directed on the Tablet Dispenser, and at intervals not exceeding 24 hours. Start taking the first pink pill from a new Tablet Dispenser the very next day after taking the last white inactive pill in the Tablet Dispenser. The failure rate may increase when pills are missed or taken incorrectly.

Missed Doses

Table 2: Instructions for Missed JOLESSA Tablets

Advice in Case of Gastrointestinal Disturbances

In case of severe vomiting or diarrhea, absorption may not be complete and additional contraceptive measures should be taken. If vomiting or diarrhea occurs within 3-4 hours after taking a pink tablet, handle this as a missed tablet.