Frequently Asked Questions about LYSTEDA
Here are some frequently asked questions about LYSTEDA and about Heavy Monthly Bleeding.
Questions about Heavy Monthly Bleeding
Questions about LYSTEDA
Q: How can I tell if my menstrual periods are too heavy?
A: A normal menstrual period lasts 4 to 5 days and produces a total blood loss of
about 2 to 3 tablespoons. In general, bleeding during your menstrual periods is
considered too heavy if you need to change your sanitary pad or tampon frequently during the day or your heavy periods interfere with your daily activities.
Q: How many women experience Heavy Monthly Bleeding?
A: Heavy Monthly Bleeding is a treatable medical condition that affects millions of women.1,2
Q: How is Heavy Monthly Bleeding treated?
A: There are treatment options available. Ask your healthcare professional about treatment options. LYSTEDA is the only non-hormonal medicine approved by the FDA to treat Heavy Monthly Bleeding.
Q: If I think I have Heavy Monthly Bleeding, what should I tell my healthcare professional?
A: Your healthcare professional will want to know:
- how long you have been suffering with heavy periods,
- how often you get your periods,
- how long they usually last,
- how often you need to change your sanitary pad or tampon.
You should discuss with your physician if your heavy periods cause problems with your daily activities.
You should also ask your doctor about non-hormonal treatment, LYSTEDA and if it is right for you.
Q: What is LYSTEDA?
A: LYSTEDA is a prescription medicine used to treat your heavy monthly period (menstruation) when your bleeding gets in the way of social, leisure and physical activities. LYSTEDA is the only hormone-free FDA-approved drug that specifically works to lighten heavy monthly periods. LYSTEDA is taken only during your periods and it significantly reduces menstrual blood loss. And it has been shown to work from the first period you take it!* LYSTEDA helps restore a natural process in your body to reduce the excessive bleeding of your heavy period.
LYSTEDA is not meant to treat pre-menstrual symptoms (symptoms that occur before your bleeding starts). LYSTEDA does not affect your fertility and cannot be used as birth control. LYSTEDA does not protect you against diseases that you may get if you have unprotected sex. LYSTEDA has not been studied in adolescents younger than 18 years of age.
Q: What kind of results can I expect with LYSTEDA?
A: LYSTEDA has been shown to significantly and consistently lighten heavy monthly periods. In clinical trials, many women had lighter periods as early as the first month on LYSTEDA*
Women taking LYSTEDA had also fewer limitations in daily activities during their periods, such as:
- Physical activities (like running, biking, or swimming)
- Social activities (like going to dinner or to the movies)
- Leisure activities (like dancing, golfing, or gardening)
Q: How does LYSTEDA work?
A: LYSTEDA helps restore a natural process in your body to reduce the excessive bleeding of your heavy period. An abnormally high rate of clot breakdown (fibrinolysis) in the uterus has been associated with Heavy Monthly Bleeding. LYSTEDA is an anti-fibrinolytic agent that works to help reduce this excessive activity. LYSTEDA has been shown to significantly lighten heavy monthly periods without hormones and it worked as early as the first period taken!
Q: How do I take LYSTEDA?
A: Take LYSTEDA exactly as your healthcare professional tells you. Start LYSTEDA with the first signs of your period, take 2 tablets of LYSTEDA 3 times per day (for example, 2 tablets in the morning, 2 tablets in the afternoon, and 2 tablets at night). LYSTEDA doesn’t rely on hormones to regulate your cycle, so you need to take it only during your periods for up to 5 days. That leaves you pill-free for the rest of the month. LYSTEDA tablets should be swallowed whole and not chewed or broken apart. You can take LYSTEDA with or without food.
Q: Who should not take LYSTEDA?
A: You should not take LYSTEDA if you currently have a blood clot, have ever had an blood clot, have been told that you are at risk of having a blood clot, or are allergic to LYSTEDA or tranexamic acid.
Q: Can I take LYSTEDA if I am on birth control pills?
A: Using hormonal contraceptive along with LYSTEDA may increase your chance of having a serious blood clot, stroke, or heart attack. If you are using a form of birth control that contains hormones, especially if you are taking higher than your normal dose of birth control, or if you are overweight or smoke cigarettes, you should use LYSTEDA only if your healthcare professional says there is a strong medical need and the benefit of treatment outweighs the potential risk.
Q: Will LYSTEDA affect my ability to become pregnant?
A: LYSTEDA contains no hormones and does not affect your fertility.
Q: Does LYSTEDA offer any kind of program where I can save on my prescriptions?
A: Yes. The LYSTEDA Savings Certificate can help eligible patients reduce their prescription cost. Click here for LYSTEDA Savings Certificate details.
Q: Will LYSTEDA stop my periods?
A: No. LYSTEDA will not stop your periods. It will only reduce your menstrual bleeding significantly so you have lighter periods.
* LYSTEDA was consistently effective in clinical trials across every month it was studied, including the very first month. In two clinical studies LYSTEDA reduced Heavy Monthly Bleeding by 38% and 39% compared with 12% and 5% with placebo (sugar pills).
References:
1U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2008 American Community Survey. Available at: http://factfinder.census.gov. Accessed April 7, 2010.
2Tufts Medical Center website. Heavy Menstrual Bleeding. Available at:
http://www.tufts-nemc.org.
Accessed April 7, 2010.
