Need some quick answers about Marvelon21

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2003
Need some quick answers about Marvelon21
3
Wed, 09-15-2004 - 9:21pm
Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been around the board for awhile.

I need some quick help. Last month I went to the store and picked up my next 3 month supply of BCP. I have been on Minovral for 6 months of a 12 month prescription. However tonight when I finally opened the bag with the pills in, they're called Marvelon 21. Meanwhile, the sticker with the info that the pharamacy put on them ( the label ) says Minovral. I don't know what to do. It's too late to go back to the pharmacy now. I don't know if maybe they just stoped making Minovral or what. I don't even know how to take these. The paper inside said to start them on day 1 of your period, but I'm just finishing my period, about to start the next pack tonight like usual ( just finished my 7 days off ). I'm so worried that they won't be as affective if I start them tonight like I normally would.

Are Minovral ( sorry if I'm spelling that wrong ) and Marvelon even simular pills? I'm not looking forward to starting new pills since I've already changed pills so many times due to companies that stop making them and bad side effects from OTC.

Any help would greatly be appreciated, the faster the better.

Thank you,

Brookie

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Thu, 09-16-2004 - 12:34am
Hi brookie84, welcome back!

If I were you I'd take the first pill in the new pack at your regular time today so you don’t loose your protection.

As soon as you can you should call your pharmacist and ask what's going on. Both Min-Ovral and Marvelon seem to still be available on the market so unless your pharmacy stopped carrying Min-Ovral it looks as though there may have been a mistake in filling your Rx at the pharmacy. From what I’ve found the two pills have different progestins. They may be somewhat similar but one is not a generic of the other. The hormones are:

Marvelon: Desogestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol

Min-Ovral: Levonorgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol

If the pharmacy couldn’t supply Min-Ovral I think they should have gotten the ok from your doctor for the switch and told you about it at the time. You might check with your doctor and see if s/he oked a pill change. If this turns out to be a prescription error you need to talk to the pharmacy manager. S/he should want to straighten things out and have a satisfied customer (not to mention – if an error was made - filing a complaint with the group that regulated pharmacies) and you might be able to exchange the new pills for Min-Ovral.

This is probably as good a time as any to remind everyone to check your Rx before you leave the pharmacy to make sure you get what you expect and if you don’t, then questions can be asked and errors corrected on the spot. Let us know how this is resolved, ok? Good luck,

(((HUGS)))

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 09-16-2004 - 2:27pm
I'm sorry if it's too late to help, but you really need to raise a stink with the pharmacy! They're fortunate that their mistake was fairly innocuous, but filling a prescription incorrectly is SERIOUS business. MinOvral and Marvelon are NOT the same pill, in the US MinOvral is LoOvral and Marvelon is Desogen. They do the same job, of course, but if you're particularly sensitive to the hormones in Marvelon... Ask for a manager when you call.

You may be able to switch from Marvelon back to MinOvral after a pill or two, or your doctor may prefer that you take a whole pack of Marvelon, you'll need to check for sure.

Good luck! I hope it goes okay...

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2003
Thu, 09-16-2004 - 5:24pm


Well I just stoped off at the pharamacy on my way home from school. I went in with an extra bitchy attitude with being mad about the pill change and a long day of classes. So I told the pharamcist ( may have just been a tech I'm not sure ), she apologized and eventually ended up giving me 3 packs of Minovral. Then I asked her "well how do I take these now since I had to take the one pill of the other brand last night?" With much uncertainty in her voice she replied " uhh yea you are okie, just start taking these tonight" Wow I wasn't impressed with that and the manager wasn't in ( my mom knows the manager well there so I'm going to take her with me next time I go back just to let him know what happened ). Then just to clear my mind I walked over to my doctors office and told the nurse about my issue. She informed me that because I only took one of the other pills to just start taking Minovral tonight and everything will be fine. *sigh* I hate when things like this come up!!!

And yes I will definitely be checking my meds closely now before I leave the store. When she handed me the proper ones I said "so these ARE the RIGHT ones then????" she said yes but I checked to be certain.

Glad that is done with, now I just hope no problems occur. My boyfriends birthday is this weekend, would be a wonderful time for some BTB to just show up from this eh lol jk that would be hell.

Have a good one everyone,

~Brookie