If this is your first time taking Cilique or you are restarting:

• Start it on days 1-5 of your next period and you will have full contraceptive cover immediately. 
• If you have not been sexually active since your last period, you can start it at any time of your cycle. If taken correctly, you will have full contraceptive cover after 7 days of pill-taking. You should use additional contraception during this 7 day lead-in time. 
• If you are changing from another pill/ form of contraception, please contact us via your patient record for specific instructions. 

Each pill packet contains 21 pills which are labelled 1-21. Traditionally, combined contraceptive pills, like Cilique, are taken for 21 days with a 7-day break, and this cycle is then repeated. 

Tailored Pill-Taking

It is now recommended that these pills can be taken in cycles with shorter breaks to provide more reliable contraceptive cover:

1. 21-day use with a 4-day break (most pill-free intervals should now be 4 days).
2. 3 packets together with no break and then a 4-day break.
3. Continuous use of the pill until spotting for 2 days, then a 4-day break and then restart the pill and continue until spotting occurs again.

We can offer you advice on this, just send us a message via your account when you have completed the request questionnaire. 

If you follow a set pattern and have a planned break, you will usually bleed during this time. Make sure you start the next pill packet after the recommended pill-free break, regardless of your bleeding pattern. 

It is essential that you take your pill around the same time every day. 

Cilique is very well-tolerated and most women do not experience side effects. In those that do, nausea, headaches and breast tenderness are the most common and usually settle quickly. Spotting between periods is also common and should settle within the first 3 cycles. 

Occasionally skin changes such as acne, decreased libido (sex drive), altered mood and fatigue are reported. Interestingly, Cilique can also improve acne in some women. 

If you develop any of these symptoms and they are persisting, or you are concerned, please speak with your doctor. There are many alternative pill options to consider. 

Combined pills like Cilique can cause increases in blood pressure. It is not medically safe to take this pill if you have high blood pressure. A blood pressure check should be performed every 6 months to monitor for this as you are unlikely to have any symptoms.

For full details of the potential side effects of these medications, please ensure that you read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medication before you start to use it.

Yes, taking a combined contraceptive pill increases your risk of developing potentially harmful blood clots, compared to non-users. The overall risk of a blood clot is very small and is significantly lower than if you were pregnant or during the postpartum period, but blood clots are potentially very serious and in very rare cases can be fatal. 

You should see a doctor immediately if you develop any of the following symptoms when taking the combined pill:

• Pain or swelling in the legs.
• Severe chest pain.
• Breathlessness or coughing up blood.
• Bad fainting attack or collapse.
• Unusual headaches or difficulty with speech or sight.
• Numbness or weakness of a limb.

Cilique has a relatively lower risk profile than some other combined contraceptive pills. 

• If a blood clot develops in the leg, it can cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
• If it travels to the lung, it can cause a pulmonary embolism (PE).
• If it travels to the heart, it can cause a heart attack.
• If it travels to the brain, it can cause a stroke.

The risk of developing a blood clot is greatest in the months immediately after starting Cilique, or when restarting after a break of at least one month. This risk reduces over the first year of use and then remains stable. It is for this reason that frequent starting and stopping of Cilique should be avoided. 

Other things that can increase your risk of developing a blood clot when taking Cilique include: 

• Being overweight.
• Smoking.
• Increasing age (from 35 years and older).
• Having a family member with a blood clot ages <45 years.
• Postpartum (6-12 weeks post-delivery).
• Reduced mobility (even temporarily).

The more of these risk factors that apply to you, the greater your risk.

Some types of surgery can increase your risk of developing a blood clot. If you are having an operation or procedure, you should let your surgeon know you are taking this pill so they can safely advise if you need to stop it. 

If you are taking Cilique regularly, you can delay or prevent your period by skipping your pill-free break. You do this by running 2 pill packets together without a break (42 pills). You can run up to 3 pill packets together at a time (63 pills) and then you should have a pill-free break (at least 4 days, but no more than 7 days). This is a form of tailored pill-taking as discussed above, in the second FAQ –  “How do you take Cilique?” 

Some people will experience breakthrough bleeding when taking 3 packets back-to-back. This is nothing to worry about. How you manage it really depends on your usual pattern of pill-taking. If you would like some advice on this please send us a message via your secure patient account. 

Please seek advice from a healthcare professional (e.g. doctor, pharmacist or nurse):

• Before starting any new medications, herbal remedies or supplements if you are taking Cilique.
• If you are taking regular medication and are planning to start using Cilique (or any contraceptive).

Examples of some medications that can interact with Cilique include EllaOne (emergency contraceptive pill), St John’s wort, antiviral medications used to treat HIV/ AIDs, certain epilepsy medications, griseofulvin antifungal, rifampicin antibiotic (please note, other antibiotics do not affect Cilique).

The main concern about missing a Cilique pill is what effect this will have on your contraceptive protection. This depends on how late your missed pill is and how many you missed.

Please note, this advice applies to traditional pill-taking (21 pills then a 7-day break). For advice on missed pills using tailored pill-taking regimes please send us a message via your secure patient account for advice

• If your missed pill is less than 12 hours late:
  • Take the missed pill as soon as you remember and continue with your pill packet as usual.
  • You will have full contraceptive cover and do not need to use additional contraception.
• If your missed pill is more than 12 hours late, or you have missed more than one pill:
  • Take the missed pill as soon as you remember and carry on with your pill packet as usual. You may need to take 2 pills together (Do not take more than one missed pill).
  • Use additional precautions for the next 7 days.
  • If you have more than 7 days left in your pill packet, then take your break as usual.
  • If you have less than 7 days remaining in your pill packet, do not take a break and start your next pill packet. If you do not have a bleed at the end of the second packet, you should do a pregnancy test.
• If your missed pill was in the first week of your cycle and you had unprotected sex, then you should speak with a healthcare professional as you may need emergency contraception.
• If you start your new pill packet more than one day late, you will need to use additional contraceptive protection for 7 days.
• If you have unprotected sex during the 7 days when you do not have full contraceptive cover, you should speak with a doctor via online video consultation as you may need emergency contraception.

If you miss pills in a pack or are varying the time you take the pills, you may get spotting or breakthrough bleeding in that cycle also.

If you are using Cilique for reasons other than contraception, then missing a very occasional pill is of no significant consequence.

If you have any vomiting or watery diarrhoea, you must use extra precautions during the illness and for seven days after the illness ends.