Norgestimate
Is It Right for You?
A complete guide to Norgestimate — what it treats, how it works, dosages, side effects, and when a clinician may prescribe it following an online consultation.
What Is Norgestimate?
Norgestimate is a progestogen used in combined contraceptive pills. Combined with an oestrogen (ethinylestradiol), it prevents pregnancy and helps regulate the menstrual cycle.
It is found in combined pills under brand names such as Cilest and Lizinna. The combined pill is taken daily, usually in a cycle of active tablets followed by a break or inactive tablets.
Norgestimate-containing pills are prescription-only medications in the UK. A licensed clinician can review your suitability and medical history through a telehealth consultation and prescribe where appropriate.
What Conditions Is Norgestimate Used For?
Norgestimate is mainly used for:
preventing pregnancy as part of a combined pill taken correctly.
giving a regular, predictable monthly bleed.
some combined pills can help improve acne as a non-contraceptive benefit.
Combined pills carry a small increased risk of blood clots. Seek urgent help for a swollen, painful leg, chest pain, or sudden breathlessness, and tell your clinician about clot risk factors before starting.
How Does Norgestimate Work?
In the combined pill, norgestimate works with the oestrogen to prevent pregnancy. The main action is stopping the ovaries releasing an egg each month (ovulation).
The combination also thickens the mucus at the neck of the womb, making it harder for sperm to enter, and thins the womb lining.
The oestrogen component helps control the bleeding pattern, giving a regular withdrawal bleed during the pill-free or inactive-tablet days of each cycle.
Dosages & Administration
The correct dose depends on the type and severity of infection, age, weight, and kidney function. Always follow your clinician's instructions. The table below is for general reference only.
Administration Tips
Take one tablet at the same time each day for the active part of the cycle, then follow the pack for the break or inactive tablets.
If you miss pills, vomit, or have severe diarrhoea, follow the missed-pill advice and use extra precautions such as condoms for the time stated.
Side Effects of Norgestimate
Side effects are usually mild and often settle within a few months as the body adjusts.
- Irregular bleeding or spotting at first
- Headache
- Breast tenderness
- Nausea
- Mood changes
- Reduced sex drive
- Signs of a blood clot - swollen, painful leg, chest pain, breathlessness
- Signs of a stroke - sudden weakness, speech or vision problems
- Severe migraine or migraine with aura
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes
- Severe allergic reaction
Combined pills carry a small increased risk of blood clots. Learn the warning signs - a swollen painful calf, chest pain, sudden breathlessness, or coughing up blood - and seek urgent medical help if they occur.
Drug Interactions
Always disclose all prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements to your clinician or pharmacist before starting norgestimate.
Some epilepsy medicines, rifampicin, and St John's Wort can reduce effectiveness; another method may be advised.
These can affect hormone levels; your clinician will advise on suitability and precautions.
Combined pills can lower lamotrigine levels, which may affect seizure control; specialist advice may be needed.
Tell your clinician about other hormones you take so contraception can be managed safely.
Important Warnings
Tell your clinician about smoking, migraine with aura, obesity, immobility, or a personal or family history of clots, as these affect whether a combined pill is suitable.
Norgestimate-containing pills prevent pregnancy but do not protect against sexually transmitted infections. Use condoms as well if needed.
Certain conditions make combined pills unsuitable. Share your full medical history, including migraines and clotting problems, with your clinician.
Your blood pressure and suitability are reviewed periodically, and any new symptoms or medicines should be reported.
Speak to a Clinician About Treatment
Getting advice no longer means sitting in a waiting room. Through The GP Service, you can consult with a licensed clinician in minutes — from home, on your lunch break, or wherever works for you. If treatment is clinically appropriate, your clinician can issue a prescription during the consultation. A consultation does not guarantee a prescription.
The treatment you need, when you need it.
Norgestimate FAQs
Yes. A licensed clinician can review your medical history and suitability through a telehealth consultation and prescribe a norgestimate-containing combined pill where appropriate.
Some combined pills containing norgestimate can improve acne for certain people, as a benefit alongside contraception. A clinician can advise whether it suits you.
Taken correctly, the combined pill is very effective. Missing pills, vomiting, severe diarrhoea, or certain medicines can reduce protection.
Follow the missed-pill instructions in your leaflet, take the pill as soon as you can, and use extra precautions such as condoms for the time stated.
Combined pills usually give a regular, predictable bleed, though some spotting can occur in the first months as your body adjusts.
The overall risk is small, though slightly higher than with no pill. Your clinician will check your individual risk factors before prescribing.