About Emerres®

Your healthcare provider has prescribed Emerres® for emergency contraception.

Understanding how to take Emerres® correctly and what might make it less effective is essential to reduce your chances of an unwanted pregnancy.

Please carefully read the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) provided inside the pack.

Emerres-Levonorgestrel-1.5-mg-Tabs_Roundel
Why was I given Emerres®?
Emerres® is commonly known as the ‘morning after pill’. It is usually prescribed if you have had unprotected sex in the last 72 hours, or if a different contraceptive method has failed to reduce your chances of becoming pregnant.

Other Concerns?
Only your healthcare provider knows your full medical history, so if there is any information in the Patient Information Leaflet that you want to know more about or worries you, please talk to your doctor or healthcare provider for advice and guidance.

What Emerres® tablets are and what they are used for
Emerres® is commonly known as ‘the morning after pill’. It is used to reduce the chances of becoming pregnant after unprotected sex or failure of a contraceptive method.Emerres® contains the active ingredient levonorgestrel, which is a synthetic derivative of the naturally occurring female sex hormone and it is not fully understood how this medicine prevents pregnancy. It is thought to work by preventing ovulation and fertilisation and also by altering the lining of the womb, depending on which stage of the menstrual cycle the woman is at.

It is estimated that 84 per cent of pregnancies will be prevented if this morning-after pill is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. The tablet is more effective at preventing pregnancy the earlier it is taken, so it is important to take it as soon as possible after unprotected sex, rather than delay to the third day.

Before you take Emerres®
Do not take Emerres®

  • If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to levonorgestrel or any of the other ingredients of Emerres® (see section 6)

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Emerres®.

In all women, emergency contraception should be taken as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. There is some evidence that Emmeres may be less effective with increasing body weight or body mass index (BMI), but these data were limited and inconclusive. Therefore, Emmeres is still recommended for all women regardless of their weight or BMI.

You are advised to speak to a healthcare professional if you are concerned about any problems related to taking emergency contraception.

If any of the following applies to you, talk to your doctor before taking this medication as emergency contraception may not be suitable for you. Your doctor may prescribe another type of emergency contraception for you.

  • If you are pregnant or think that you may already be pregnant. This medicine will not work if you are already pregnant. If you are already pregnant, Emerres® cannot terminate pregnancy, as Emerres® is not an “abortion pill”

You may already be pregnant if:

  • Your period is more than 5 days late, or you have experienced unusual bleeding when your next period is due
  • You have had unprotected sex more than 72 hours ago, and since your last period

The use of Emerres® is not advised if:

  • You have a disease of your small bowel (such as Crohn’s disease) that inhibits the absorption of the drug
  • You have severe liver problems
  • You have a history of ectopic pregnancy (where the baby develops somewhere outside the womb)
  • You have a history of salpingitis (inflammation of the Fallopian tubes)

A previous ectopic pregnancy and a previous infection of the fallopian tubes increase the risk of a new ectopic pregnancy.

If you are worried about sexually transmitted diseases

If you did not use a condom (or if it has been torn or slid down) during the intercourse, it might be possible that you have caught a sexually transmitted disease or the HIV virus.

This medicine will not protect you against sexually transmitted diseases, only condoms can do this. Ask your doctor, nurse, family planning clinic or pharmacist for advice if you are worried about this.

Other medicines and Emerres®

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including other medicines.

The medicines listed below, including non-prescription drugs, can reduce or inhibit the effect of Emerres®:

  • some drugs used to treat epilepsy (phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone, carbamazepine)
  • some drugs to treat HIV infection (ritonavir)
  • some drugs used to treat infections (rifabutin, rifampicin, griseofulvin)
  • herbal products containing St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

Pregnancy breast feeding and fertility

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.

Pregnancy

You should not take this medicine if you are already pregnant. If you do become pregnant even after taking this medicine, it is important that you see your doctor. There is no evidence that Emerres® will harm a baby that develops in your uterus/womb if you use Emerres® as described. Nevertheless, your doctor may want to check that the pregnancy is not ectopic (where the baby develops somewhere outside the womb). This is especially important if you develop severe abdominal pain after taking Emerres® or if you have previously had an ectopic pregnancy, Fallopian tube surgery or pelvic inflammatory disease.

Breast-feeding

Very small amounts of the active ingredient of this medicine may appear in your breast milk. This is not thought to be harmful to the baby. If you are worried you can take your tablet immediately after a breast-feed and avoid nursing for at least 8 hours after taking Emerres®. In this way you can reduce the amount of active ingredient your baby may take in with the breast milk.

Fertility

Emerres® increases the chances of menstruation disturbances which can alter when your egg is released and therefore effect when you can become pregnant, however, there are no fertility data in the long term.

Driving and using machines

Emerres® is unlikely to affect your ability to drive a car or use machines. However, if you feel tired
or dizzy do not drive or operate machinery.

Emerres® contains lactose

If you have been told by your doctor that you have intolerance to sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicine.

How to take Emerres®
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.Take one Emerres® tablet as soon as possible, preferably within 12 hours, and no later than 72 hours (3 days) after you have had unprotected sex. Emerres® can be taken at any time in your menstrual cycle assuming you are not already pregnant or think you may be pregnant. Do not chew but swallow the tablet whole with water. Do not delay taking the tablet. The tablet works better the sooner you take it after having unprotected sex.

If you are already using a regular method of contraception such as the contraceptive pill, you can continue to take this at your regular times.

If another unprotected intercourse takes place after the use of Emerres® (also if this is during the same menstrual cycle), the tablet will not exert its contraceptive effect and there is again the risk of pregnancy.

Use in children and adolescents

This medicine is not recommended for use in children. Very limited data are available in women under 16 years of age.

What to do if you are sick (vomit)

If you are sick (vomit) within three hours of taking the tablet, you should immediately take another tablet.

Once you have taken this medicine, talk to a pharmacist or doctor if your next period is more than 5 days late or you suspect you may be pregnant.

If you get any lower stomach pain or discomfort, talk to a doctor straight away.

Possible side effects
Like all medicines, Emerres® can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):

  • Feeling sick (nausea)
  • You might have some irregular bleeding until your next period
  • You might have lower abdominal pain
  • Tiredness
  • Headache

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

  • Being sick (vomiting). If you are sick, read the section ‘What to do if you are sick’ (vomit)
  • Your period might be different. Most women will have a normal period at the expected time, but some may have their period later or earlier than normal. You might also have some irregular bleeding or spotting until your next period. If your period is more than 5 days late or is unusually light or unusually heavy, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible
  • You might have tender breasts, diarrhoea, feel dizzy after taking this medicine

Very rare effects (may affect up to 1 in 10000 people):

  • Rash, urticaria, pruritus, swelling of the face, pelvic pain, painful period

If any of the side effects get serious or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist

Storing your Emerres®
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton after ‘EXP’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.

This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.

Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

Pack contents and information
Emerres® are a round, white to off-white, uncoated flat tablet debossed ‘145’ on one side and plain on the other side.Each pack contains a blister with one tablet.

Marketing Authorisation Holder
Morningside Healthcare Ltd
115 Narborough Road
Leicester, LE3 0PA
United Kingdom

Patient Information Leaflet
The link below will take you to the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC). By clicking the link below you will leave the Morningside Healthcare Contraceptives website and be re-directed to an external site; Morningside Healthcare is not responsible for the content on external websites.

Please click here to access the Patient Information Leaflet