Buy Dianette

What is Dianette?

Dianette is a combination of an oestrogen and an anti-androgen. Your body makes both male and female sex hormones. Male hormones (androgens) stimulate the grease-glands in your skin and hairs that grow from it. If you produce too much androgen, or if you are particularly sensitive to their effects, the grease glands may produce too much sebum. This can block the grease-glands, which can become infected and inflamed causing acne spots. The main action of a special hormone in this medicine (cyproterone acetate) stops androgens affecting the skin. Your medicine also reduces the amount of hormones, including androgens, which are produced.

What is it used for:

• Severe acne which hasn’t improved after the long-term use of oral antibiotics in women.
• Excessive hair growth on the face and body (hirsutism) in women.
• Female hair loss.

Studies have shown that Dianette used for 6-9 months clearly decreases hair loss and hair thinning^[1]. Acne and seborrhoea improved after 3-4 cycles; alopecia (hair loss) after 8-9 cycles and hirsutism diminished after 3 cycles of treatment^[2] The rate of success (of Dianette) was 94% for acne, 85% for hirsutism and 55% for alopecia^[3].

As with ordinary oral contraceptives, Dianette is capable of preventing you from getting pregnant. This medicine will stop you getting pregnant by working in three ways: by preventing an egg being released from your ovaries; by making the fluid (mucus) in your cervix thicker, which makes it more difficult for sperm to enter the womb; and by preventing the lining of your womb thickening enough for an egg to grow in it. Dianette is a 21-day pill – you take one each day for 21 days, followed by 7 days when you take no pills.

In studies, women taking cyproterone-acetate and ethinyl-oestradiol (Dianette) for female pattern hair loss ended up with significantly reduced B12 and serum ferritin levels. Patients taking cyproterone acetate and ethinyl-oestradiol (Dianette) responded best (hair re growth) when their serum ferritin levels were greater than 40 micrograms/L. ^[4,5] Therefore we highly recommend patients should take Florisene therapy while on Dianette.

The benefits of taking an oral contraceptive include:

• It is one of the most reliable reversible methods of contraception if used correctly
  
• It doesn’t interrupt sex
  
• It usually makes your periods regular, lighter and less painful
  
• It may help with pre-menstrual symptoms.
  
• You do not have to take any other oral contraceptive while you are taking Dianette.
  
• Dianette will not protect you against sexually transmitted infections, such as Chlamydia or HIV. Only condoms can help to do this.

How can I buy Dianette online

You can buy Dianette online with or without a prescription at Medical Specialists, after completing a simple online consultation. If you prefer to order Dianette UK over the phone, just give us a call and we will be pleased to help. We are the UK’s leading supplier of acne, excessive hair, and hair loss treatment, and Dianette for sale in the UK by a pharmacy is regulated by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

For full patient information, please read or print out the leaflet provided at the bottom of this page about Dianette.

References:

1. Brzezińska-Wcisło L. (2003) "Assessment of efficacy of Diane-35 (Dianette) in androgenetic feminine alopecia." Wiad Leek. 2003;56(3-4):202-5. PMID 12923971

2. Erdmann D. et al (1994) "Ovarian suppression with Diane 35/50." Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 54(11):627-33. PMID 8719015

3. Ekoe JM. et al (1980) "Treatment of hirsutism, acne and alopecia with cyproterone acetate." Dermatologica. 160(6):398-404. PMID 6446466

4. Ramsay ID, Rushton DH. (1990)"Reduced serum vitamin B12 levels during oral cyproterone-acetate and ethinyl-oestradiol therapy in women with diffuse androgen-dependent alopecia." Clin Exp Dermatol. 15(4):277-81. PMID 2145099

5.Rushton DH, Ramsay ID. (1992) "The importance of adequate serum ferritin levels during oral cyproterone acetate and ethinyl oestradiol treatment of diffuse androgen-dependent alopecia in women." Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 36(4):421-7. PMID 1424176

Possible side effects

Like all medicines, Dianette can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Tell your doctor, pharmacist or family planning nurse if you are worried about any side effects which you think may be due to Dianette.

Serious side effects – If you think you may have any of these, see a doctor straight away. You may need to stop taking Dianette.

• Signs of a blood clot:
  
• A migraine for the first time, a migraine that is worse than normal or unusually frequent or severe headaches
  
• Any sudden changes to your eyesight (such as loss of vision or blurred vision)
  
• Any sudden changes to your hearing, speech, sense of smell, taste or touch Pain or swelling in your leg
  
• Stabbing pain when you breathe
  
• Coughing for no apparent reason
  
• Pain and tightness in the chest
  
• Sudden weakness or numbness in one side or part of your body
  
• Dizziness or fainting.
  
• Signs of a severe allergic reaction to Dianette:
  
• Swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat.
  
• Signs of breast cancer include:
  
• Dimpling of the skin
  
• Changes in the nipple
  
• Any lumps you can see or feel.
  
• Signs of cancer of the cervix include:
  
• Vaginal discharge that smells and/or contains blood
  
• Unusual vaginal bleeding
  
• Pelvic pain
  
• Painful sex.
  
• Signs of severe liver problems include:
  
• Severe pain in your upper abdomen
  
• Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)
  
• Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis)
  
• Your whole body starts itching.

Less serious side effects

• Bleeding and spotting between your periods can sometimes occur for the first few months but this usually stops once your body has adjusted to
  
• Dianette. If it continues, becomes heavy or starts again, contact your doctor
  
• Headaches
  
• Feeling sick, being sick and stomach upsets
  
• Sore breasts
  
• Depressive moods, loss of interest in sex
  
• Putting on weight or losing weight
  
• Chloasma (yellow brown patches on the skin). This may happen even if you have been using Dianette for a number of months. Chloasma may be reduced by avoiding too much sunlight poor tolerance of contact lenses.

Tell your doctor, pharmacist or family planning nurse if you are worried about any side effects which you think may be due to Dianette. Also tell them if any existing conditions get worse while you are taking Dianette.

Bleeding between periods should not last long. A few women have a little unexpected bleeding or spotting while they are taking Dianette, especially during the first few months. Normally, this bleeding is nothing to worry about and will stop after a day or two. Keep taking Dianette as usual. The problem should disappear after the first few strips. You may also have unexpected bleeding if you are not taking your pills regularly, so try to take your pill at the same time every day. Also, unexpected bleeding can sometimes be caused by other medicines.

Make an appointment to see your doctor if you get breakthrough bleeding or spotting that:

• Carries on for more than the first few months
  
• Starts after you’ve been taking Dianette for a while
• Carries on even after you’ve stopped taking Dianette.

Before you start taking Dianette

Your doctor will ask about you and your family’s medical problems and check your blood pressure. You may also need other checks, such as a breast examination.

While you’re on Dianette

• You will need regular check-ups with your doctor or family planning nurse, usually when you need another prescription of Dianette.
• You should go for regular cervical smear tests.
• Check your breasts and nipples every month for changes – tell your doctor if you can see or feel anything odd, such as lumps or dimpling of the skin.
• If you need a blood test tell your doctor that you are taking Dianette, because this type of medicine can affect the results of some tests.
• If you’re going to have an operation, make sure your doctor knows about it. You may need to stop taking Dianette about 4–6 weeks before the operation. This is to reduce the risk of a blood clot. Your doctor will tell you when you can start taking Dianette again.

Dianette and blood clots

Taking Dianette may slightly increase your risk of having a blood clot (called a thrombosis), especially in the first year of taking it. A clot in a leg vein – a deep vein thrombosis (or DVT) – is not always serious. However, if it moves up the veins and blocks an artery in the lungs, it can cause chest pain, breathlessness, collapse or even death. This is called a pulmonaryembolism and is very rare.

Your chances of having a blood clot are only increased slightly by taking Dianette.

• Of 100,000 women who are not taking Dianette, not on the Pill and not pregnant, about 5-10 will have a blood clot in a year.
• Of 100,000 women take Dianette or the Pill, up to 40 will have a blood clot in a year.
• Of 100,000 women who are pregnant, around 60 will have a blood clot in a year.
• Very rarely, blood clots can also form in the blood vessels of the heart (causing a heart attack) or the brain (causing a stroke). In healthy young women the chance of having a heart attack or stroke is extremely small.

You are more at risk of having a blood clot:

• as you get older
• If you smoke
• If you or any of your close family have had blood clots
• If you are seriously overweight
• If you get migraines
• If you have cardiovascular disease (diseases of the heart or blood vessels)
• If you have high blood pressure
• If you have diabetes
• If you’re off your feet for a long time because of major surgery, injury or illness.

Tell your doctor if any of these apply to you. Taking Dianette may add to this risk so may not be suitable for you.

Signs of a blood clot include:

• A migraine for the first time, a migraine that is worse than normal or unusually
  frequent or severe headaches
• Any sudden changes to your eyesight (such as loss of vision or blurred vision)
• Any sudden changes to your hearing, speech, sense of smell, taste or touch
• Pain or swelling in your leg
• Stabbing pain when you breathe
• Coughing for no apparent reason
• Pain and tightness in the chest
• Sudden weakness or numbness in one side or part of your body
• Dizziness or fainting.

See a doctor as soon as possible. Do not take any more Dianette until your doctor says you can. Use another method of contraception, such as condoms, in the meantime.

Dianette and cancer

Dianette reduces your risk of cancer of the ovary and womb if used in the long term. However, it also seems to slightly increase your risk of cancer of the cervix – although this may be due to having sex without a condom, rather than Dianette. All women should have regular smear tests. If you have breast cancer, or have had it in the past, you should not take Dianette or other oral contraceptives, as they slightly increase your risk of breast cancer. This risk goes up the longer you’re on Dianette, but returns to normal within about 10 years of stopping it. Because breast cancer is rare in women under the age of 40, the extra cases of breast cancer in current and recent Dianette users is small. For example:

• Of 10,000 women who have never taken Dianette or the Pill, about 16 will have breast cancer by the time they are 35 years old.
• Of 10,000 women who take Dianette or the Pill for 5 years in their early twenties, about 17–18 will have breast cancer by the time they are 35 years old.
• Of 10,000 women who have never taken Dianette or the Pill, about 100 will have breast cancer by the time they are 45 years old.
• Of 10,000 women who take Dianette or the Pill for 5 years in their early thirties, about 110 will have breast cancer by the time they are 45 years old.

Your risk of breast cancer is higher:

• If you have a close relative (mother, sister or grandmother) who has had breast cancer.
• If you are seriously overweight.

See a doctor as soon as possible if you notice any changes in your breasts, such as dimpling of the skin, changes in the nipple or any lumps you can see or feel.

Taking Dianette has also been linked to liver diseases, such as jaundice and noncancer, liver tumours, but this is rare. Very rarely, Dianette has also been linked with some forms of liver cancer in women who have taken it for a long time.

See a doctor as soon as possible if you get severe pain in your stomach, or yellow skin or eyes (jaundice). You may need to stop taking Dianette.

Dianette should not be taken by some women. Tell your doctor or family planning nurse if you have any medical problems or illnesses.

Do not take Dianette if any of the following apply to you. Taking Dianette would put your health at risk.

• If you are pregnant or might be pregnant
• If you are breast-feeding
• If you have cancer affected by sex hormones – such as some cancers of the breast or womb lining or have ever had either of these conditions
• If you have vaginal bleeding that has not been explained by your doctor
  If you or anyone in your close family has ever had a problem with their blood circulation. This includes a blood clot (thrombosis) in the legs (deep vein thrombosis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), heart (heart attack), brain (stroke) or any other parts of the body
• If you have any condition which makes you more at risk of a blood clot
• If you have abnormal red blood cells (sickle-cell anaemia)
• If you have disorders of blood fat (lipid) metabolism
  
• If you have ever had a severe liver disease
• If you have certain types of jaundice (Dubin-Johnson or Rotor syndromes)
  
• If you have ever had liver tumours
  
• If you have severe diabetes affecting your blood vessels
  
• If you have ever had a blister-like rash called herpes gestationis
  
• If you have had any of the following problems while pregnant:
  worsening of a hearing problem called otosclerosis
  persistent itching
  
• If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to any of the ingredients in Dianette.

If you suffer from any of these, or get them for the first time while taking Dianette, contact your doctor as soon as possible. Do not take Dianette.