Leena Dosing

When starting birth control with Leena, dosing guidelines are the same for every woman. Leena comes in the form of a tablet that is taken once a day, at the same time each day. Each Leena package contains 28 pills, consisting of 21 active tablets (that contain the hormones) and 7 inactive tablets. If you miss any Leena doses, it may be necessary to use a backup method of contraception (such as condoms).

 

Leena Dosing: An Introduction

There is only one standard dose of Leena® (norethindrone/ethinyl estradiol). As always, do not adjust your Leena dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so. If you do not take Leena correctly, it significantly increases the risk of unintentional pregnancy.
 
(Leena is a generic version of Tri-Norinyl® and is also equivalent to Aranelle™ birth control pills. The information in this article applies to both of these contraceptives as well.)
 

Starting Leena

There are two different ways to start Leena for the first time:
 
  • Sunday start -- Start Leena on the first Sunday after your period starts, even if you are still having your period. For many women, starting on Sunday may decrease their chance of having their periods on the weekends (although not all women find this to be the case). You will need to use a backup method of birth control for the first seven days of the first pack.
     
  • Day 1 start -- Start Leena on the first day of your period, within 24 hours of the start of bleeding. You will be protected from pregnancy from the start, and no backup method of birth control is needed. If your period happens to start on a Sunday, treat this as a day 1 start (not a Sunday start).
     
If you choose a Sunday start, you will start every pack of Leena on Sundays. If you choose a day 1 start, you will start each pack on your initial start day (for instance, if you first started Leena on a Tuesday, you will start every pack on a Tuesday).
 
Some healthcare providers may suggest other ways to start Leena, such as starting in the middle of the cycle. Make sure to follow your healthcare provider's instructions in such situations.
 
(Leena Dosing Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;