Heavy Period Treatment

What is Heavy Period Treatment?

This medication is most commonly used by women suffering from heavy menstrual bleeding.

Heavy Period Treatment is available in tablet form without the need to see your GP through The Independent Pharmacy to treat heavy periods; you’ll just need to answer a short questionnaire so that our clinical team can be sure this medication is right for you.

What is Heavy Period Treatment used for?

Heavy Period Treatment is suitable for treating a variety of conditions related to excessive bleeding. While it’s most commonly taken by women suffering from heavy menstrual bleeding during their periods, Heavy Period Treatment may also be used in the following scenarios:

• Following prostate surgery
• Following bladder surgery
• Following cervical surgery
• Bleeding inside the eye (traumatic hyphema)
• Tooth removal (dental extraction) in haemophiliacs (people who bleed more easily than normal)

At The Independent Pharmacy, we only supply Heavy Period Treatment 500mg Tablets for heavy periods.

How does Heavy Period Treatment work?

It helps to stop bleeding by preventing your body from producing an enzyme that normally dissolves blood clots.

By helping the blot to clot, Heavy Period Treatment prevents excessive bleeding caused by heavy periods, nosebleeds, surgery, or conditions such as hereditary angioedema.

Will Heavy Period Treatment stop my period?

If you’re using it to help reduce bleeding during your period, Heavy Period Treatment can reduce menstrual blood loss by up to 58 percent. However, it’s not a hormonal medication and it won’t stop your periods, it will only make them lighter.

Who can take Heavy Period Treatment?

Heavy Period Treatment can be prescribed for adults and children of all ages, but this doesn’t mean it’s suitable for everyone.

To ensure Heavy Period Treatment is safe for you, inform your doctor before taking this medicine if you:

• Have ever had an allergic reaction to Heavy Period Treatment in the past
• Have ever had a DVT (deep vein thrombosis)
• Have ever had a pulmonary embolism (blocked blood vessel in your lungs)
• Have had a coagulopathy (a rare condition where lots of small blood clots form in your blood followed by abnormal bleeding)
• Have epilepsy
• Have kidney issues
• Are pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• Are taking oral contraceptives
• Have irregular periods – this is important, as your doctor will then prioritise finding the root cause of your irregular bleeding and may recommend a different method of treatment

How to take Heavy Period Treatment Tablets

If you've been told to take the tablets 3 or 4 times a day, do your best to space the doses evenly throughout the day. You can take them with or without food.

For adults, the usual dose is 2 or 3 500mg tablets, taken 3 times a day. A person with kidney problems will usually require lower doses, but this should be discussed with your doctor or pharmacist.

Is my dose likely to change?

Most people taking Heavy Period Treatment take 2 tablets (1,000mg), 3 times daily. If this isn’t working well enough to control your bleeding, your doctor may tell you to increase your dosage by taking 2 tablets, 4 times a day.

What if I forget to take a dose?

If you forget to take a dose of Heavy Period Treatment, be sure to take it as soon as you remember unless it’s close to the time for your next dose. If this is the case, it’s safe to skip your missed dose, as long as you take your next one. Never take 2 doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose.

If you forget your doses often, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. Your pharmacist may also be able to suggest other ways to help you remember to take your medication.

What if I take too much by accident?

Taking a single extra dose of Heavy Period Treatment by accident isn’t likely to harm you.

However, if you take too much, you may suffer from side effects. These can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and dizziness. If you experience these side effects even when you’re taking your medication as prescribed, contact your doctor.

Call NHS on 111 immediately if you've taken 2 extra doses of Heavy Period Treatment (or more) and:

• You experience problems with your eyesight
• You experience pain in one of your legs or arms, or they become swollen, red, and warm to the touch
• You suddenly become short of breath, experience a sharp pain in your chest, or start coughing up blood

Heavy Period Treatment side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although very few people will experience them. This is because there are no known common side effects associated with Heavy Period Treatment 500mg Tablets.

However, you must stop taking this medicine and call 999 or go straight to the hospital if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Pain or a feeling of tightness in your chest
• Trouble breathing
• Unusual swelling of your mouth, face, lips, tongue or throat
• Fainting

To check any rarer side effects, please consult the Patient Information Leaflet.

Heavy Period Treatment and pregnancy

The use of Heavy Period Treatment isn't recommended for use during pregnancy, as there isn’t enough information to confirm whether it’s safe yet. However, your doctor may prescribe it if they think the benefits of the medicine outweigh the risks.

Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking Heavy Period Treatment if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

Heavy Period Treatment and breastfeeding

There is a possibility of Heavy Period Treatment getting into breast milk in small amounts. However, this medicine is generally considered safe for breastfeeding mothers and babies.

If you have any concerns about taking Heavy Period Treatment while you're breastfeeding, talk to your doctor.

Can I take Heavy Period Treatment with other medicine?

Heavy Period Treatment is safe to take alongside most other medications, but you should always consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking it with any other treatment.

You should talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking the combined pill and plan on using Heavy Period Treatment alongside it, as this can lead to a tiny increase in the risk of developing a blood clot.