Sunya

Sunya is a contraceptive pill. It’s usually taken by women who are sexually active who don't want to get pregnant.

Sunya (also called Sunya 20/75) is a combined contraceptive pill which consists of a combination of two lab-made female hormones – oestrogen and progestogen. The name of the oestrogen present in Sunya pill is ethinylestradiol (20 micrograms) and the progestogen is gestodene (75 micrograms).

Sunya is a monophasic pill, which means that each tablet you take has the same hormone dosage in it. The most common way to take it is by taking one tablet every day for 21 days, and then having a 7-day break from it. Some women prefer to take 3 packs back to back (without taking a break between them) and then do a 7-day break. Others take the pack continuously without taking any break between packs. During the 7-day break, the levels of the hormones in your blood drop, which results in a withdrawal bleed like your normal period. It’s important that you start the next pack after the seven pill-free days are up, even if you’re still bleeding. As long as you’ve taken the pills correctly, you’ll still be protected from pregnancy during those seven days. The break should never be longer than 7 days, so that the effectiveness of the contraceptive is maintained.

Your Sunya packaging will include a leaflet to tell you the best time to begin the course, and it’ll have a blister strip containing the pills, each marked with arrows and days of the week to help you remember to take it daily.

Once you’re already taking Sunya, and you plan to continue, you’ll need to start reordering your monthly supply. Doing this online is convenient and very easy.

To reorder Sunya, you usually have to create an online account on the website of a UK-registered online pharmacy. This will be useful when you have to reorder the same pills. To actually order the pills, you just need to go through a short consultation so that a doctor can approve your repeat prescription if appropriate.

Below are some answers you will need to give for your consultation:

• If you’re currently taking the pill or have been taking it before
• Whether you’ve been diagnosed with any specific conditions
• If you’re overweight
• If you’re at risk of specific conditions etc.

Remember that you should talk to a doctor before starting your first course of Sunya. They will be able to assist and inform you about different contraceptive methods. Depending on your needs and your preferences, your doctor will recommend a contraceptive method.

Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) are often recommended for patients who want long-term contraception but who wish to maintain their fertility afterwards. These include the coil, the contraceptive implant, and the progesterone injection.

If you decide Sunya is a good option for you, your doctor will explain the process of taking these. Your doctor might also need to schedule periodic check-ups with you to make sure any decision made is the one most suitable for you.

For example, if you had been taking another type of combined contraceptive pill then you should start taking Sunya tablets on the next day after taking the last active tablet in the previous package of contraceptive pills. You shouldn’t take it any later than the day after the usual tablet-free break or placebo-tablet seven-day period of your previous pill. These are things that your doctor will be able to tell you.

As with all drugs, there are side effects associated with Sunya. These don’t affect everyone, and some are much more common than others.

Below are some side effects that people typically expect, or are concerned about:

• Weight gain – there isn’t proof that the pill causes any long-term loss of gain of weight. However, when you initially start a course, it might be the case that there are temporary changes to your weight.
• Irregular periods – this might include things like spotting, breakthrough bleeding, or missed periods. If any breakthrough bleeding doesn’t stop within the first three months of taking the pill, you should talk to your doctor. Additionally, if you see that you don't have a withdrawal bleed for two consecutive months you should do a pregnancy test before moving on to the next month's cycle.
• Mood swings (like low mood) – mood changes, have been associated with hormonal contraceptive use. There is some evidence that suggests that some women may be more likely to experience depression if they use contraceptive pills.

Other common side effects you might experience include:

• acne
• nausea
• breast pain (or tenderness)
• vomiting

You could experience some more serious side effects, which also happen to be less common, and which include:

• jaundice (when the whites of your eyes or skin become yellow)
• sudden chest pains
• difficulty breathing
• a migraine for the first time
• unusually severe migraine
• any numbness of part of your body
• blurred vision
• difficulties with your speech
• fainting, dizziness or seizures
• swelling or pain in one of your legs
• changes in your breasts
• unusual discharge
• pain during sex or in your pelvis
• severe stomach pain

Regardless of how likely side effects are, you should always inform your doctor as soon as you notice any symptoms appear, especially if they don’t go away.

There aren’t any serious effects that have been reported with overdoses.

In cases where your side effects are serious, you should contact emergency services. You might even want to report the side effect using the Yellow Card Scheme. Just remember that the scheme won’t give you medical advice – you should contact your doctor for that regardless of whether you report the drug.

Once you’ve sent your report, The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the manufacturer, or a medical specialist may investigate the problem depending on how serious it is. The report is recorded to help prevent similar incidents in future, even if the claim isn’t investigated. You’ll also receive a confirmation of your report and might be contacted if you need to provide more information.

Like every drug, Sunya isn’t suitable for everyone. Because of this, it’s really important that you give as much information about your medical status as possible during your doctor consultation.

This will include any risk factors, lifestyle details, and medications you might be taking for other conditions. After they know this, your doctor will be able to make a safe and informed decision on whether you can take Sunya.

For example, women who are breastfeeding a child under 6 weeks old shouldn’t take Sunya. This is because the hormones in the pill may affect the production of breast milk of the mother. It may also be possible that the hormones from the pill become ingested by the infant through the breast milk and, because of their immature liver which can’t metabolise the hormones, they end up with a higher than usual level of these hormones. Advice should be sought from a doctor if a breastfeeding mother wishes to start Sunya.

You also shouldn’t take Sunya if you:

• have ever had a blood clot or stroke or are vulnerable to them because of family history, medications being taken, or some lifestyle factors
• have a higher than normal blood pressure (hypertension)
• are over 35 years of age and a smoker
• are over 50 years old
• have severe diabetes
• get migraines with aura
• have breast cancer or a family history of it