Notify your doctor if you experience severe depression, pain in the groin or calf, sudden severe headache, chest pain, shortness of breath, lumps in the breast, weakness or tingling in the arms or legs, or yellowing of the eyes or skin.

Precautions:

Before you take this medication, tell your doctor your entire medical history, including family medical history, especially if you have asthma;
high blood pressure; kidney, liver, or heart disease;
or a history of jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes)
or high blood pressure during pregnancy, excessive weight gain
or fluid retention during your menstrual cycle, strokes, blood clots, heart attacks,seizures, migraine headaches, breast cancer, high blood level of cholesterol
or lipids (fats) or depression.

Depending on strength, this drug may cause a patchy, darkening of the skin on the face (melasma).

Higher strengths are more likely to cause melasma.

Sunlight may intensify this darkening and you may need to avoid prolonged sun exposure and sunlamps.

Consult your doctor regarding use of sunscreens and protective clothing.

Before you start to take birth control pills, tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding or if you think that you may be pregnant. Birth-control pills can harm a developing baby.

This medication must be discontinued if you suspect you are pregnant.

Oral contraceptives should be stopped at least three months before becoming pregnant. Use another method of birth control during those three months.

Because estrogens appear in breast milk, consult with your doctor before breast-feeding.

It may take a long time for you to become pregnant after you stop taking birth control pills. Discuss this issue with your doctor. Do not smoke cigarettes.

Birth-control pills slightly increase your risk of strokes, blood clots, high blood pressure, heart attacks, gallbladder disease, vision problems, and liver tumors.

Cigarette smoking (especially 15 or more cigarettes daily) and age (women older than 35 or 40 years of age) further increase the risk of stroke, blood clots, high blood pressure, and heart attacks.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the patient labeling which explains these risks in more detail. If you are near-sighted or wear contact lenses, you may develop vision problems.

Also, your tolerance of the lenses may decrease.

Contact your eye doctor if these problems occur.

Before having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor that you take birth control pills.

Generic Name: Ethynodiol Diace-Eth Estradiol

Dependency development? - NO

Uses

- Prevents pregnancy.
- Regulates menstrual periods.

Interaction With Other Substances

INTERACTS WITH;

Alcohol: No proven problems.

Beverages: No proven problems.

Cocaine: No proven problems.

Foods:
Salt. Increased edema (fluid retention).

Marijuana: Increased bleeding between periods.
Avoid.

Tobacco: Possible heart attack, blood clots and stroke. If you take 'the pill,' don't smoke.

Interaction With Other Drugs

With;

Ampicillin Decreased contraceptive effect.

Anticoagulants Decreased anticoagulant effect.

Anticonvulsants, hydantoin Decreased contraceptive effect.

Antidepressants, Increased toxicity of
tricyclic (TCA) antidepressants.

Antidiabetics Decreased antidiabetic effect.

Antifibronolytic Increased possibility
agents of blood clotting.

Antihistamines Decreased contraceptive effect.

Barbiturates Decreased contraceptive effect.

Chloramphenicol Decreased contraceptive effect.

Clofibrate Decreased clofibrate effect.

Dextrothyroxine Decreased dextrothyroxine effect.

Guanethidine Decreased guanethidine effect.

Hypoglycemics, oral Decreased effect of hypoglycemics.

Insulin Possibly decreased insulin effect.

Meperidine Increased meperidine effect.

Meprobamate Decreased contraceptive effect.

Mineral oil Decreased contraceptive effect.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) Decreased contraceptive effect.

Phenothiazines Increased phenothiazine effect.

Rifampin Decreased contraceptive effect.

Sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine Reduced reliability of the pill.

Terazosin Decreases effectiveness of
terazosin.

Tetracyclines Decreased contraceptive effect.

Ursodiol Decreased effect of ursodiol.

Vitamin A Vitamin A excess.

Vitamin C Possible increased contraceptive
effect.

Overdose

What To Do:

Overdose unlikely to threaten life. If person takes much larger
amount than prescribed, call doctor, poison-control center or hospital emergency room for instructions.

After;

Life-threatening:
Stroke, chest pain, coughing blood, sudden severe
headache, severe leg pain, shortness of breath. Seek emergency treatment immediately.

Common:
Brown blotches on skin; vaginal discharge, itch; fluid retention;
breakthrough bleeding; acne. Continue. Call doctor when convenient.

Infrequent:
Headache; pain, Discontinue. Call swelling in leg doctor
right away. (possible blod clots in leg vein); muscle, joint pain;
depression; severe abdominal pain; bulging eyes; fainting; frequent
urination; breast lumps.

Blue tinge to Continue. Call doctor objects, lights; when convenient.
appetite change; nausea; bloating; vomiting; pain; changed sex
drive.

Rare:
Jaundice, rash, hives, Discontinue. Call itch, fever, hyper- doctor
right away. calcemia in breast cancer, intolerance of contact lenses,
excess hair growth, voice change, enlarged clitoris in women.