Junel Birth Control Pills

Table of Contents

• What are Junel Birth Control Pills?
• Important Information
• Junel Birth Control Instructions
• Junel Side Effects
• Junel Reviews

What are Junel Birth Control Pills?

Junel birth control is a combination birth control that is taken orally once a day to prevent pregnancy. The medication comes in pill form and contains both estrogen and progestin hormones. The birth control mainly works by preventing the release of an egg (ovulation) during your menstrual cycle. The medication also causes changes to the thickness of the vaginal fluid and changes the lining of the uterus.

This brand of birth control contains a small amount of iron in some tablets. This is meant to prevent iron deficiency during your period. If you are taking any medication that interferes with iron, you should not take this birth control.

Besides preventing pregnancy, Junel birth control is also prescribed by doctors to treat acne, irregular periods, menstrual cramps, and more.

Important Information About Junel

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any allergies to medications, especially ethinyl estradiol, norethindrone, or to any other products. This medication may contain inactive ingredients that some people may be allergic to.

Before you start taking Junel birth control, tell your doctor if you have a history of any of the following:

• Blood blots
• High blood pressure
• Abnormal breast exam
• Cancer (especially breast cancer or endometrial)
• High cholesterol
• Gallbladder problems
• Severe headaches/migraines
• Heart problems
• Irregular heartbeat
• Liver disease

If you have diabetes, make sure that your doctor is aware before you begin taking this medication. Junel birth control may affect your blood sugar so you should regularly check your blood sugar levels and share the results with your physician. Tell your doctor right away if you experience any symptoms of high blood sugar including increase thirst/urination.

You should not take Junel birth control if there is a chance that you may be pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding an infant. Taking this medication may decrease your breast milk production.

This method of birth control does not protect you against sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, chlamydia, or gonorrhea.

Junel Birth Control Instructions

Read the patient information leaflet provided by your pharmacist before you begin taking this birth control.

Junel birth control comes in 28 pill packages, containing 21 active pills and 7 inactive pills. The inactive pills are sugar pills and do not contain any hormones. They contain a small amount of iron and are meant to be taken as a reminder to keep taking 1 tablet each day and to treat iron deficiency during menstruation.

Take one active pill for 21 days straight and then immediately start taking the 7 inactive pills. Once the package is gone, start a fresh package of pills.

If this is the first time you are using a hormonal birth control, take your first tablet on the first Sunday following the beginning of your period (even if your period begins on a Sunday). You should use a backup method of birth control during your first week to protect you from pregnancy.

Junel Side Effects

It is likely to experience side effects from this medication. Some of the most common Junel side effects include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Breast tenderness
• Swelling of the ankles/feet
• Weight change
• Water retention

Junel birth control may rarely cause more severe symptoms such as blood clots, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, or stroke.

This medication may cause serious health issues such as blood clots. If you experience any of the following Junel side effects, seek immediate medical attention:

• Slurred speech
• Confusion
• Sudden dizziness
• Fainting
• Unusual sweating
• Weakness on one side of the body

Tell your doctor if you experience any sign of a serious allergic reaction including itching or swelling, rash, dizziness, or trouble breathing.

This is not a complete list of possible Junel side effects. If you have an unusual reaction to this medication, stop using the medication and seek medical attention right away.

Junel Reviews

There are over 300 Junel reviews on webmd.com with an overall rating of the following:

• Effectiveness: 4.09 out of 5
• Ease of use: 4.09 out of 5
• Satisfaction: 2.37 out of 5

For the treatment of birth control, users have rated this medication an average rating of 4.5 out of 10 on drugs.com. Users report experiencing different side effects from this birth control, and therefore, there are mixed Junel reviews. The most common side effects include severe mood swings, anxiety, depression, spotting, irritability, and a lower sex drive.