Jeanine

Among all the pharmacological means currently used to prevent pregnancy, contraceptive pills with hormones are considered by experts to be the most effective.

The contraceptive hormonal drug Jeanine is produced by the well-known German pharmaceutical company Bayer Schering Pharma, GmbH AG.

Indications Jeanine

Indications for use of Janine - prevention of unwanted pregnancy. In addition, this drug can be prescribed as a hormonal contraceptive to those women who suffer from acne, seborrhea, hirsutism (excessive growth of hard hair of the male type) or androgenic alopecia (male-pattern baldness).

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Release form

The drug is available in the form of white dragee; one dragee contains 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol, 2 mg dienogest, and excipients (lactose monohydrate, potato starch, gelatin, talc, magnesium stearate).

Pharmacodynamics

The contraceptive effect of Janine, like most new-generation contraceptives, is based on a dual effect on the woman's hormonal sphere. On the one hand, it suppresses ovulation, on the other, it changes the viscosity of the mucus in the cervix (cervical mucus). The contraceptive mechanism of Janine is enhanced by a third component due to changes in the internal mucous membrane of the uterus (endometrium), which makes it impossible for a fertilized egg to be implanted into it.

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Pharmacokinetics

The pharmacodynamics of Janine are due to the combined action of ethinyl estradiol and dienogest. Ethinyl estradiol is a synthetic estrogen, i.e. a hormone that is naturally produced by women's ovaries. Ethinyl estradiol causes the synthesis of sex steroid binding proteins - blood plasma proteins that participate in the transport of sex hormones in the body.

Dienogest is a new synthetic progestin, which is similar in action to the natural female hormone progesterone. By the time of ovulation, the viscosity of the mucus decreases, and this is favorable for the passage of sperm. And dienogest increases the viscosity of the mucus in the cervical canal so much that it becomes an insurmountable barrier for sperm. In addition, dienogest has an antiandrogenic effect (suppresses the production of male hormones) and a progestogenic effect (prevents follicles from maturing and thus prevents ovulation).

The pharmacokinetics of Janine is due to the fact that the active substances of this drug bind to plasma proteins, which affects their distribution. Ethinyl estradiol is completely absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract within a short time, and more than 98% of the substance binds to the blood protein albumin, the rest is in the blood in free form. The absolute biological availability of this synthetic hormone is low - no more than 44%. It is transformed by hydrooxidation in the mucous membrane of the small intestine and in the liver, the products of its metabolism are excreted in the urine and bile.

Dienogest is also rapidly absorbed, but its bioavailability is much higher - 96%. Almost 90% of the synthetic progestin is bound to albumin, and about 10% remains in the blood in a free form. During chemical processes in the body, it is almost completely metabolized. Only a very small part of dienogest is excreted unchanged by the kidneys, and the intermediate products of its chemical changes in the body's cells (metabolites) are also excreted with urine and bile.

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Dosing and administration

Janine dragee is taken orally with a small amount of water. The manufacturer has clearly indicated the order of administration on the packaging: one dragee daily for 21 days - at about the same time. You should start taking Janine on the first day of your menstrual cycle.

Moreover, before starting to take each subsequent package, it is necessary to take a break for seven days. During this break, bleeding similar to menstruation is observed. As a rule, it begins on the second or third day after taking the last pill from the package. And it may not end before starting to take a new package.

If a woman used other hormonal contraceptive pills or patches before Janine, then she should start taking Janine the day after taking the last pill of the previous drug. And if a transdermal contraceptive in the form of a patch was used, then Janine should be taken on the same day when the patch was removed.

As already noted, Janine should be taken at the same time. If a woman has not taken the pill on time, she should take it at the first opportunity. The fact is that the contraceptive protection of the drug is reduced when the delay in its regular use is 12 hours or more.

If the woman took the pill at the right time during the 7 days before the first missed dose, there is no need to use additional contraception. However, additional protection should be seriously considered when the woman has missed two or more pills.

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Use Jeanine during pregnancy

The use of Janine during pregnancy and lactation is unacceptable. In cases where pregnancy is detected during the use of Janine, the drug should be discontinued immediately. Nursing mothers should keep in mind that combined contraceptives in tablets can significantly reduce the amount of breast milk, and sex hormones and "waste" from oral contraceptives get into the milk.

Contraindications

Contraindications for Zhanin include the following diseases: venous and arterial thrombosis; pulmonary embolism; angina pectoris; myocardial infarction; coronary artery disease; diabetes mellitus; systemic lupus erythematosus; angioedema; migraine with focal neurological symptoms; cerebrovascular disease; liver failure and severe liver disease; pancreatitis; tumors of the genitals or mammary glands (including suspected tumors); vaginal bleeding.

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Side effects Jeanine

Side effects of Janine may include irregular bleeding (from light spotting to sudden heavy bleeding), especially in the first months of taking the drug.

The most common side effects of Janine are abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, pain in the mammary glands, as well as their swelling and a feeling of distension. In addition, increased appetite and fluctuations in body weight (upward), headache, tinnitus, tachycardia, edema, diarrhea, skin rash, skin pigmentation disorders, sleep disorders, and depression are often observed.

In some women, long-term use of hormonal contraceptives can lead to urinary tract infections, cystitis, mastitis, cervicitis, fungal infections, candidiasis, uterine fibroids, and breast lipoma.

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Overdose

An overdose of Janine may manifest itself in the form of nausea, vomiting, spotting, or uterine bleeding not associated with the menstrual cycle (metrorrhagia).

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Interactions with other drugs

Interactions of Janine with other drugs may lead to breakthrough bleeding and decreased reliability of contraceptive protection. And the parallel use of such drugs as phenytoin, primidone and carbamazepine (antiepileptic drugs), barbiturates (hypnotics and anticonvulsants) and the anti-tuberculosis antibiotic rifampicin, can lead to an increase in the rate of cleansing (clearance) of body tissues from sex hormones and disruption of liver metabolism. The same interaction of Janine with other drugs is possible when taking oxcarbazepine, topiramate, felbamate, griseofulvin, as well as drugs that contain the medicinal plant St. John's wort (hypericin, deprim, deprim forte, negustin, turineurin).

Since some antibiotics, including penicillin and tetracycline groups, are capable of reducing the circulation of estrogens, taking them together with Janine pills reduces the level of concentration of the synthetic hormone ethinyl estradiol in the gastrointestinal tract.

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Storage conditions

According to the instructions included with the drug, it must be stored out of the reach of children at a temperature not exceeding +25°C.

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Special instructions

It is important to remember that any medications containing hormones should be taken as prescribed by a doctor. If the doctor does not find any contraindications to the use of Janine, then during its use the woman should undergo a control examination at least once every 12 months.

Shelf life

The shelf life of the drug Janine from the date of its release is 3 years.