Elleste Duet Conti Tablets

They are a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – Elleste Duet Conti is the brand name for a specific (HRT) product. They are used to treat the symptoms of menopause. They are a tablet form of HRT, which you take by mouth.

Most women taking Elleste Duet Conti are doing so to help control menopausal symptoms – the most common and the most troublesome of these, are hot flushes and night sweats. Taken as directed, Elleste Duet Conti is very likely to stop hot flushes and night sweats completely. This then helps you to feel better, sleep better, have more energy, and improves symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Elleste Duet Conti is also licensed to help prevent osteoporosis.

What are the ingredients of Elleste Duet Conti? – each pack contains 28 grey film coated tablets. Each tablet contains estradiol hemihydrate 2 mg and norethisterone 1mg. The tablets also contain lactose.

How does Elleste Duet Conti work? – by taking HRT, you are just replacing the oestrogen your body is no longer making naturally. Around the time of menopause, your ovaries are failing, so they are not as efficient at producing the hormone estrogen. Estrogen levels are much lower than they were when you were ovulating every month.

How do you use Elleste Duet Conti? – If you’re not taking any HRT, you can start Elleste Duet Conti tablets at any time, and just take one tablet a day, right around the pack, and keep going. When you finish the first pack, start the next pack immediately the following day (with HRT, you don’t have a 7-day break between packs as you do with the combined contraceptive pill, for example).

HRT is not contraceptive – even though Elleste Duet Conti contains an oestrogen and a progestogen, these shouldn’t be used as a contraceptive.

Yes, Elleste Duet Conti can be purchased online – once you’ve been taking it for 3 months and you’re happy with it, you can reorder with ZAVA. This is safe, quick and easy to do with our certified Online Doctor service.

What are the advantages of buying online?

What are the advantages of buying online?

• You can do this at any time, 24/7
• It is a fast turnaround time, and saves you having to make and attend a clinic appointment
• You still receive optimal medical care, from the ZAVA team who are all professionally qualified, experienced and are there to make sure this is an appropriate, safe and a good choice for you
• Your GP can still be kept informed if you decide you would like ZAVA to let them know what you have been prescribed. This is entirely up to you though, if you don’t want your GP informed, they do not need to know. It is generally advisable to keep your GP aware of all issues relating to your health and your medication.
• You can ask a ZAVA Doctor any questions you have online through your account

What are the disadvantages of purchasing Elleste Duet Conti online?

• Some women may prefer a face to face consultation with a doctor/nurse they know from their surgery
• You do have to pay with an online provider, however HRT is not free on the NHS either. If your doctor/nurse prescribes HRT in an NHS setting, you will still pay an NHS prescription charge

What are the alternate methods of buying Elleste Duet Conti? – Elleste Duet Conti is available with other online medical agencies. Alternatively, if prescribed in a GP surgery, you will be asked to pay an NHS prescription charge. You can also start treatment through your GP.

Who is suitable for Elleste Duet Conti? – Elleste Duet Conti is a good choice for women:

• Who are postmenopausal
• Who are happy to take a tablet every day

How would I know if Elleste Duet Conti is right for me? – before you decide on taking any medication, you must have a proper assessment with a trained medical provider; a doctor or nurse. They will ask you a long list of questions and you must answer these as truthfully as you can. The doctor/nurse is assessing your overall risks and benefits and trying to help you make an informed decision about what is in your best interests.

How would I know that HRT is not right for me? – there are some medical conditions that mean than HRT should not be prescribed. They include:

• Current or past breast cancer
• Other gynaecological cancers e.g cancer of the endometrium (lining of the womb)
• Undiagnosed vaginal bleeding
• Endometrial hyperplasia – overgrowth of the lining of the womb
• Current or recent DVT (deep vein thrombosis)/PE (pulmonary embolism) – within the past 6 months
• A known thrombophilia (blood clotting disorder) e.g. Factor V Leiden Mutation
• A recent major cardiac event, e.g. angina, heart attack, or stroke
• Liver disease where liver function tests are still abnormal
• Allergy to any of the ingredient in Elleste Duet Conti tablets
• Porphyria – a very rare genetic disorder
• Lactose intolerance – Elleste Duet Conti contains lactose, so do not take this if you are lactose intolerant

What are the possible side effects for Elleste Duet Conti? – side effects from Elleste Duet Conti have been classified as very common, common, uncommon, rare, very rare and unknown. These are listed below in the ‘side effects of Elleste Duet Conti’ section to the right. Please be aware that this list is not exhaustive (there may be ones not listed below).

To reduce your chance of side effects:

• Take them as directed
• Have a proper consultation before you start, with a qualified health professional and regular medical check ups while you are taking HRT
• Report any unusual symptoms/signs or side effects to your doctor/nurse promptly while you are taking HRT
• Take care of yourself – eat well, control your weight, stop smoking, be active
• Manage any other conditions such as diabetes as best you can

What to do if you think you’re having side effects – if you are concerned about HRT side effects, you should discuss this with your doctor/nurse. The common side effects usually settle in the first 3 months of use, so it is a good idea to try to persevere for 3 months. If you change your HRT too quickly and too often, this can make things more difficult.

Serious/emergency situations – there are very rare situations where HRT would need to be stopped as an emergency. If any of these events occur you should seek help urgently by calling 999 or going to your closest A&E department:

• Jaundice (yellow skin) – signs of acute liver failure
• Allergic reaction– shortness of breath, chest pain, confusion, collapse, skin rash
• Sudden severe headache
• A cardiovascular event – acute angina, heart attack, stroke, or very high blood pressure
• A thrombosis/DVT/PE – usually this presents with a painful swollen leg, often red, hot and shiny, or with chest pain especially when taking a deep breath in and coughing up blood

If you become pregnant while on Elleste Duet Conti you must stop taking it straight away.

Medications similar to Elleste Duet Conti – Elleste Duet Conti is a continuous combined form of HRT which contains estradiol hemihydrate and the progesterone, norethisterone. There are alternative continuous combined tablet brands of HRT such as:

• Kliofem
• Kliovance
• Femoston-Conti
• Indivina
• Angeliq

Other options apart from continuous combined HRT tablets are:

• HRT patches
• Vaginal HRT tablets
• Vaginal HRT creams
• Tibolone – a steroid that acts like a hormone

Treating menopause without HRT – there are treatment options other than HRT. See our page on alternatives to HRT for more information.