Is Levonelle® One Step suitable for me?

What about side effects?

Some women do have side effects after taking Levonelle® One Step such as breast tenderness, headaches, stomach pains, diarrhoea, feeling dizzy or feeling tired. These symptoms are usually minor and should get better after a few days. If you are worried, phone your pharmacist or speak to the healthcare professional where you were given Levonelle® One Step or go to Advice and Support.

Sickness

You may feel sick or nauseous after taking Levonelle® One Step. If you do feel sick, you should take it easy and rest. If the feelings persist, you should contact your healthcare professional or family planning clinic.

In a clinical trial, approximately 1% of women who took Levonelle® One Step were actually sick1. If you are sick within 3 hours of taking Levonelle® One Step, you need to go back to your pharmacist, healthcare professional or family planning clinic for another packet and take the tablet again.2 If you are sick more than three hours after you originally took the tablet, you do not need to take Levonelle® One Step again.

Changes to periods

Most women will have their period at the usual time, but your period can also come earlier or later than usual. You might also have some irregular bleeding or spotting until your next period.

Spotting or irregular bleeding before your next period

There is no need to worry; this is not a sign that anything is wrong. It is just the effect of the hormone on your body.

More than 5 days late

A few women who take Levonelle® One Step will have their period more than 5 days late. If this happens to you and you are worried, go to your healthcare professional or clinic for advice or do a pregnancy test. If the test is positive and you don't want to be pregnant, get advice from your healthcare professional as soon as possible.

Late period and pain

If your period is overdue, and you have pain, contact your healthcare professional or clinic as soon as possible.

If you do get pregnant after taking Levonelle® One Step your healthcare professional may wish to check for an ectopic pregnancy.

The symptoms are:

  • Sudden or unusual pain in the lower abdomen
  • An unusually light or late period

References:
  1. von Hertzen H et al. Lancet 2002; 360: 1803-10
  2. Levonelle Summary of Product Characteristics, February 2010