Generic Norethisterone Tablets

What do they do? – norethisterone prevents your womb from shedding its lining every month, which causes the desired delay in your period. Sometimes women choose to consider using it for this purpose if they find that their period is going to cause inconvenience before an important event, such as a holiday or an exam.

What makes it 'generic' – each medicine has an approved generic name, which is the active ingredient of the medicine. Brand names are given by the company that manufactures the medicine. Norethisterone is available as generic tablets. One common brand of norethisterone is called Utovlan, which is also prescribed to delay your period. Another brand is called Primolut N.

Can norethisterone be used as a contraceptive? – It is important to be aware that norethisterone should not be relied on as a contraceptive when it is prescribed to delay your period. Norethisterone is used in some contraceptive pills, however the dosage and how the tablets are taken are different. 

How do you use norethisterone tablets? – they need to be taken from three days before you expect your period to start and then continued until you are ready to have your period. Your period usually starts within three days of finishing treatment. You usually take one tablet with water three times a day. Ideally try to take the tablets at the same time every day, one in the morning, one around midday and one in the evening. If you do not have a period after stopping the medication and have had sex in the meantime, you should take a pregnancy test or see a doctor to check whether you are pregnant.

What happens if I forget to take a tablet? – if you forget to take a tablet, do not take two tablets to make up for the forgotten dose. Take it as soon as you remember and take the next tablet at the right time. 

How well do norethisterone tablets work? – it is an effective treatment but how well it works varies between women.

How can you buy them online – you cannot buy norethisterone tablets legally without getting an assessment from a doctor. With our service you can get assessed and order treatment online. The period delay tablets we offer are both the branded version Utovlan, and generic norethisterone.

How our period delay service works:

• You can choose between a 10, 20 or 30 day course.
• To order pills to delay your period you need to answer a few questions on our brief questionnaire
• Our online doctors will make sure that you can take the tablets before your medication is sent out
• Prescription and delivery are included

Having a face to face appointment – if you would like to make an appointment and have a face to face consultation for your norethisterone tablets, you can do this by getting them from eith an NHS GP/doctor or with a private prescription from a private healthcare provider.

The risk of side effects – as with any medicine, norethisterone tablets can cause side effects, but not everyone gets them. See the fact sheet to the right for common side effects of norethisterone. Most side effects are not troublesome and will disappear after the first few days. Many women do not encounter any problems during treatment. Side effects are less likely to occur if the tablets are only taken for a short period of time. 

How can you manage mild side effects? – taking your tablets at the same time each day will help keep a constant level of norethisterone in your body, which can reduce the risk of side effects such as breakthrough bleeding.It can also be helpful to stick to simple meals and to avoid spicy and rich foods if you are feeling sick. It usually doesn’t matter of you take norethisterone with or without meals but taking it after meals can help with any feelings of sickness. If you experience headache, then try taking a painkiller recommended by your doctor or pharmacist.

What to do about side effect problems – speak to your doctor if you are experiencing prolonged or troublesome side effects, or if you are worried that you might have a higher risk of blood clots,as there may be other alternative hormonal treatments. Norethisterone can cause some serious side effects which require urgent medical attention such as:

• Any feeling of pain or tightness in the chest
• Unusually severe headache (migraine) with or without visual disturbances
• Any disturbances in your vision or hearing
• Any yellowing of your skin or the whites in your eyes (jaundice)
• Signs of a severe allergic reaction such as a severe rash, difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue, eyelids or face – seek urgent medical attention from your nearest A & E if this occurs

It can cause oestrogen-related risks – norethisterone is also partly converted into oestrogen in your body meaning you should also consider the general warnings given for combined contraceptive pills (COC).

Risk of blood clots – the risk of blood clots in blood vessels in your legs and lungs increases slightly in women who take the COC in comparison to those who don’t. This risk is therefore also higher if you take norethisterone. If you have other risk factors for blood clots then your doctor might advise that it would not be safe for you to take norethisterone.

Risk of breast cancer – you shouldn’t also take the COC if you have a history of breast cancer or have breast cancer. The pill slightly increases your risk of breast cancer. The risk increases the longer you are taking it but usually returns to normal within 10 years of stopping it. Your doctor would usually advise you not to use norethisterone if you have had these conditions.

Risk of liver cancer – the pill very rarely, has been linked to some forms of liver cancer in women who take it for a long time. The pill has also been linked to jaundice and non-cancerous liver tumours but this is also very rare.

The branded norethisterone option – many women prefer to use the branded version, Utovlan if they have used it before, but the generic version is medically the same as the active ingredient is still norethisterone. Generic tablets of norethisterone are generally cheaper to purchase.

Using contraception to stop periods – if you are already on the combined contraceptive pill (COC), then you can consider taking it back-to-back (without the seven day pill free break) to delay your period. The COC isn’t suitable for everyone to be used this way. There are also other longer term side effects and health implications to consider. Speak to you doctor for further advice. If you are not on any contraceptives, then norethisterone is an option if you want to delay your periods short term with a lower risk of side effects.

Alternative medications – another alternative to generic norethisterone is Provera. This is another type of progesterone, which is often prescribed if your doctor feels that norethisterone may not be suitable for you, because of the risks of blood clots or other medical issues. This medication does not have a license in the UK specifically to be used to delay your period but it is licensed to be used for other period-related issues such as heavy periods. It is felt to be effective and safer than norethisterone if you are at high risk of blood clots.