Mercilon/Mercilon 28 Patient Counseling Information

When should you contact your doctor: Regular check-ups: When you are using the Pill, your doctor will tell you to return for regular check-ups. You should usually have a check-up every year.
Contact your doctor as soon as possible if: you notice any changes in your own health, especially involving any of the items mentioned in this monograph (see also 'Contraindications' and 'What the patient needs to know before using Mercilon/Mercilon 28' under Precautions; do not forget about changes in the health of your immediate family); you feel a lump in your breast; you experience symptoms of angioedema such as swollen face, tongue and/or throat and/or difficulty swallowing or hives potentially with difficulty breathing (see also 'What the patient needs to know before using Mercilon/Mercilon 28' under Precautions); you are going to use other medicines (see also 'Interactions'); your ability to move around is limited for a long period of time or you are to be immobilised or you are to have surgery (tell your doctor at least four weeks in advance); you have unusual, heavy vaginal bleeding; you forgot tablets in the first week of the pack and had intercourse in the seven days before; you have severe diarrhoea; you miss your period twice in a row or suspect you are pregnant (do not start the next pack until your doctor tells you).
Stop taking tablets and see your doctor immediately if you notice possible signs of thrombosis: an unusual cough; severe pain in the chest which may reach the left arm; breathlessness; any unusual, severe, or prolonged headache or migraine attack; partial or complete loss of vision, or double vision; slurring or speech disability; sudden changes to your hearing, sense of smell, or taste; dizziness or fainting; weakness or numbness in any part of your body; severe pain in your abdomen; severe pain or swelling in either of your legs.
For more information, see The Pill and Thrombosis under Precautions.