Meliane Outside Of Thailand?

[steffi]

My wife chooses to take Meliane and I don't know if it's available outside of Thailand. But I'd rather she continue to take the same kind of medicine she's already been taking. Usually she buys six months supply whenever she's in Thailand but she's run out.

[leisurely]

Where are you at the moment? Could you see a GP (or family planning clinic) to get a new supply or even contact the manufacturer to see if it is produced under a different name in your country.

On re reading your post, I see that your wife 'chooses' to take it. Does that mean it hasn't been prescribed? It would probably be worth going to see a gynaecologist for a full MOT including smear and a script for the pill. There are heath risk associated with long term contraceptive pill use.

[Sheryl]

An equivalent drug, under different brand name, will be available in most countries. However in some countries it will require a doctor's prescreption.

All your wife needs to do is show the egneric name to the pharmacist or doctor:

ethinylestradiol 20 mcg

gestodene 75 mcg

Any drug which consists of this, even if under a different name and packaging, will be identical to meliane.

[steffi]

Is Meliane lower dose than the one you see for sale in the pink box in Thailand Diane or something like that? Generally Meliane is low dose right?

Also, what is considered long term when it comes to birth control?

An equivalent drug, under different brand name, will be available in most countries. However in some countries it will require a doctor's prescreption.

All your wife needs to do is show the egneric name to the pharmacist or doctor:

ethinylestradiol 20 mcg

gestodene 75 mcg

Any drug which consists of this, even if under a different name and packaging, will be identical to meliane.

[Sheryl]

Yes, with 20 mcg of ethinyl estradial, meliane is lowest dose. I don't know about the other you metnion but if you look at the packaging it will give the dose of the ethinylestradial, which is the estrogen.

Lowest dose pills are usually best for Asian women as they (the women) are generally of much lower body mass than Western women. For Western women, some will do well on low dose pills but others will have problems with spotting. Also, need to keep in mind that the risk of pregnancy if even one pill is missed is higher with the low dose pills.

Aside from the dosage of estrogen, birth control pills vary in which type of syntehtic progestin they are combined with. Doctors tend to dismiss the progestin component as of no significance and to look only at the estrogen dose, but in fact the progestin component can account for many of the minor side effects experienced and a woman may respond differently to one versus another.

I'm not sure what your question about long term use was getting at. If you mean what are considered to be long-term methods, these would be the IUD, hormonal implants, and sterilization (the last being permanent). If you mean how long can one safely take birth control pills for, there is no specific time limit but it is generally not advised beyond the age of 40 (35 if a smoker), this is because as women age they are more prone to the rare but serious side effects of the pills.

Should also not be taken if there is high blood pressure or liver disease, or history of breast cancer in immediate relative.