When should I change my contraceptive from evra to cerazette?
Patient: Hi! I'm condisering changing contraceptives. At the moment I'm using Evra (depotplaster), but I'm changing to Cerazette. Can I change before day one of my menstruation? Or do you advise me to wait? Which complications can I get by changing? In advance, thank you! Doctor: Hello, and I would be happy to answer your question today.You certainly can switch from the contraceptive patch to a birth control pill without waiting for yourself to start to bleed.  Just wait until your patch is due to be removed, and start the new pills the next day.  The Cerazette will be efffective immediately as a contraceptive, so you do not need any backup method.However, you should be aware that Cerazette is a progesterone-only pill, which means that it will not give you regular menstrual cycles, and it is less effective than combination birth control pills or the patch.  The patch is greater than 99 percent effective Cerazette is only about 92 percent effective, unless you are breastfeeding. So you will not get any complications from changing your birth control method, however, you should be aware of the decreased effectiveness of Cerazette compared to the patch you have used previously.I hope i was able to adequately answer your question today and that this information was helpful.Best wishes,Dr. Brown