Annie Dosage/Direction for Use

Before starting ANNIE, a thorough general physical and gynaecological examination should be carried out and pregnancy must be excluded.
As a precaution, control examinations should be conducted at intervals of about 6 months during long-term treatment with the tablets.
START OF TREATMENT: Wait for the next period to occur. Start taking the tablets on the 1^st day of the cycle (1^st day of bleeding = 1^st day of the cycle).
USE OF THE MEMO-PACK: Take the first tablet from the memo-pack out of the section marked with the corresponding day of the (for example "Mon" for Monday), press it through the aluminium foil, and swallow it whole with some liquid. It does not matter at what time of the day the patient takes the tablet, but once the patient has selected a particular time - preferably after breakfast or evening meal - the patient should keep to it every day.
1 TABLET DAILY FOR 21 DAYS: From now on the patient must take a tablet every day in the direction indicated by the arrows on the pack until the pack is empty. If, at any time, the patient is not sure whether she has taken the tablet for that day not, a glance at the memo-pack will tell.
TABLET-FREE INTERVAL OF 7 DAYS: After all 21 tablets have been taken, a tablet-free interval of 7 days follows during which time a menstruation-like bleeding will occur.
CONTINUATION OF TREATMENT: After this 7-days interval, tablet-taking is resumed from the next pack - regardless of whether a bleeding has already ceased (which it usually has) or is still continuing.
Thus, the patient will be following a simple scheme of 3 weeks tablet-taking, 1 week off, and each new pack will start on the same day of the week as the previous one.
NOTE: Irregular tablet-taking, vomiting or intestinal affections with diarrhoea, very rare individual metabolic disturbances or prolonged simultaneous use of certain medical preparations (see Precautions) can affect the contraceptive action (possible first symptom: intermenstrual bleeding). Mild laxatives do not impair the action of the tablets.
LENGTH OF USE: The length of use depends on the severity of the clinical picture; in general, treatment should be carried out over several months.
It is recommended to take ANNIE for at least another 3 to 4 cycles after the signs have subsided. Should there be a recurrence, weeks or months after discontinuation of tablet-taking treatment with ANNIE may be resumed.
IF INTERMENSTRUAL BLEEDING OCCURS during 3 weeks in which ANNIE is being taken, tablet-taking should not be interrupted. Slight bleeding will usually stop spontaneously. However, if the bleeding is heavy, similar to menstrual bleeding, the patient should consult the doctor.
IF A PERIOD IS MISSED: If, in exceptional cases, bleeding fails to occur during the tablet-free interval, tablet-taking is provisionally not to be resumed (no new pack) and the doctor must be consulted.
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF IRREGULAR TABLET-TAKING (if the patient forgets to take the daily tablet): If the patient forgets to take the tablet at the usual time, the patient must take it within the next 12 hours at the latest. If more than 12 hours elapse from the time that the patient normally take the tablet and also in case of vomiting or diarrhoea the patient must continue to take the other tablets in the pack at the usual time in order to avoid a premature withdrawal bleeding during this cycle. At the same time, however, a non-hormonal method of contraception (with the exception of the rhythm and temperature methods) must be employed additionally in order to prevent a pregnancy which would be a compelling reason for the discontinuation of ANNIE treatment.
After the pack has been used up, the usual 7-day tablet-free interval follows during which a bleeding normally occurs.
If bleeding fails to occur the doctor must be consulted before tablet-taking is resumed.