Ethinyl Estradiol/Levonorgestrel (Oral)

Levonorgestrel is an emergency contraceptive pill that is available without a prescription to women over the age of 17. This medication helps prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. It is not meant to be used as regular birth control and is not effective for that purpose.

Side Effects/Warnings

This medication increases the risk of heart attack or stroke if a patient smokes cigarettes while on it. Patients should not smoke while on this medication or any other type of hormonal birth control.

Levonorgestrel should only be used as emergency contraception. In addition, it does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. Patients who have unprotected sex should get tested to make sure they don’t have STDs rather than using this medication to try to stop disease from spreading.