How to Take Fayosim

Instruct patients to take Fayosim once a day by mouth at the same time every day for 91 days. To achieve maximum contraceptive effectiveness, Fayosim must be taken exactly as directed and at intervals not exceeding 24 hours. For patient instructions regarding missed pills, see FDA-approved patient labeling.

How to Start Fayosim

For each 91-day course, take in the following order:

1. Start the first pink tablet (0.15 mg of levonorgestrel and 0.02 mg ethinyl estradiol) on the first Sunday after the onset of menstruation. If menstruation begins on a Sunday, take the tablet on that day. Then take one pink tablet once a day for a total of 42 consecutive days. Use a non-hormonal back-up method of contraception (such as condoms and spermicide) for the first 7 days of treatment.
2. One white tablet (0.15 mg of levonorgestrel and 0.025 mg ethinyl estradiol) once a day for 21 consecutive days.
3. One light blue tablet (0.15 mg of levonorgestrel and 0.03 mg ethinyl estradiol) once a day for 21 days.
4. One mustard tablet (0.01 mg of ethinyl estradiol) once a day for 7 days. Bleeding should occur during mustard tablet use.

Begin the next and all subsequent 91-day courses of Fayosim without interruption on the same day of the week (i.e., Sunday) on which the patient began her first dose. Follow the same schedule as the initial 91-day course: pink tablet once a day for 42 days, white tablet once a day for 21 days, light blue tablet once a day for 21 days, and mustard tablet once a day for 7 days. If the patient does not immediately start her next pill pack, instruct her to protect herself from pregnancy by using a non-hormonal back-up method of contraception until she has taken a pink tablet daily for 7 consecutive days.

If unscheduled spotting or bleeding occurs, instruct the patient to continue on the same regimen. If the bleeding is persistent or prolonged, advise the patient to consult her healthcare provider.

For a postpartum woman who is not breastfeeding or after a second trimester abortion, start Fayosim no earlier than four weeks postpartum due to increased risk of thromboembolism. If the patient starts on Fayosim postpartum and has not yet had a period, evaluate for possible pregnancy, and instruct her to use an additional method of contraception until she has taken a pink tablet for 7 consecutive days. Consider the possibility of ovulation and conception prior to initiation.

Advice in Case of Gastrointestinal Disturbances

In case of severe vomiting or diarrhea, absorption may not be complete and additional contraceptive measures should be taken. If vomiting or diarrhea occurs within 3 to 4 hours after taking a pink, white or light blue tablet, handle this as a missed tablet [see FDA-approved patient labeling].