Drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol

Drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol is a tablet that is taken at the same time each day. A blister pack of drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol contains 24 active tablets and 4 inactive tablets, which can mean a shorter period.

For drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol to be most effective, take it at the same time every day. Choose a time that's easy for you to remember. If you miss a dose, use backup birth control for the next week or two.

Just like any other medication, it's always a good idea to talk to your medical provider about your health history to find out which birth control option is best for you. If you have a history of blood clot disorders, use caution when taking drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol. For those with diabetes, drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol may elevate blood sugar levels, so it's wise to monitor your sugar intake.

Surgery or not moving for a long stretch of time (such as plane travel) might increase the risk of developing blood clots. Let your medical provider know if you have surgery scheduled or if you'll be traveling for a long time before starting your pack. Although allergic reactions are rare, let your medical provider know right away if you experience trouble breathing, a rash or itching, or swelling of the throat or tongue.

Drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol does not protect against HIV or other STDs.

When you first start taking drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol, you might have common side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headache, bloating, or breast tenderness. Fluid retention or weight fluctuations have also been reported and usually lessen over time. Within the first few months of use, you might experience spotting or missed periods. Talk to your medical provider if symptoms persist.

Serious side effects are not common, and only about 1 percent of drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol users report continuous spotting or sudden heavy bleeding.

Drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol can interfere with some medications and supplements. Talk to your medical provider about medications you're taking to make sure this medication is compatible with your meds or treatments.

Any weight gain you experience when starting this medication is likely due to fluid retention, and should decrease after your body adjusts. If you experience significant weight gain or loss after starting a new contraceptive, it's important to let your healthcare provider know.

While not originally intended to treat acne, studies have found that some birth control medications can reduce breakouts and inflammation. If you're interested in learning more about what birth control might help your acne symptoms, visit our Birth Control for Acne page to get started.

Your Nurx medical provider will partner with you to find the best care for your symptoms and medical concerns. As medically appropriate, a Nurx provider may prescribe birth control to help manage symptoms associated with PMS (Premenstrual syndrome) and/or PMDD (Premenstrual dysphoric disorder), or to help with cycle control (delayed period). In some cases, birth control may also be used to help manage symptoms of endometriosis and/or PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), to assist with improving acne. While the use of birth control is considered “off-label” for these listed purposes, a licensed Nurx clinician may prescribe birth control if they deem doing so medically appropriate.

Consultation
Anyone who requests a birth control prescription will be charged a $28 consultation fee. Please note that at this time, we do not submit claims to insurance for the medical consult fee.

Medication
For those with health insurance, your prescription will be free in most cases if it is covered by your health insurance, and we accept your plan. Insurance companies set the “copay” for prescriptions and depending on your plan and the prescription, this will usually be $0. Please connect with your insurance company if you would like to learn more about your copay. If you do have a copay, Nurx will authorize a $30 hold at checkout. If your copay is over $30, you will receive a notification to approve the updated amount.

Support Fee
Nurx will charge a flat $3 support fee each month one or more of your orders are processed. This fee covers your unlimited, on-demand access to our customer care team as well as certain processing fees. This fee will only be charged once in any month, even if you have multiple orders processed that month. This fee applies whether the order is filled through Nurx or at your local pharmacy. If your order is filled via Nurx, the support fee is billed at the time of fulfillment. If your prescription is sent to a local pharmacy, a support fee will be applied at that time. In the future, the support fee will be applied on a cadence that matches your medication refill cadence.

Yes, we accept most forms of private health insurance for medications. If you’d like to know if we accept your health insurance plan, please connect with our team at [email protected]. Please note that at this time, we do not submit claims to insurance for the medical consult fee.
Nurx does not accept any federal or state government insurance plans, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, or any of their affiliated managed care plans, nor can Nurx service such patients. We recommend that you find a local provider in your community that participates in your government payer program.