Because it’s a triphasic pill, it’s important to take your Tri-Sprintec pills in the order directed on the pack.

You can start taking Tri-Sprintec on any day, but if you take it on the first day of your period, you’ll be covered against pregnancy immediately. If you take it on another day, you’ll need to use condoms for the first seven days while the pill takes effect.

If you’re changing from Tri-Sprintec from another pill, you can start Tri-Sprintec on the day after your last pill in the other pack.

Take one tablet every day at the same time.

You don’t need to take it with food.

Make sure you refer to the instructions in the package insert before you start taking Tri-Sprintec.

The different color pills in the pack correspond with different phases. The gray pills are taken on days 1 through 7 of your cycle, the light blue pills on days 8 through 14, the blue pills on days 15 through 21 and the white pills on days 22 through 28.

The gray, light blue and blue pills are all active pills (containing hormones). Tri-Sprintec white pills are inactive (spacer or reminder pills) and are there to help you keep track of when to start your next pack.

If you’re more than 12 hours late taking a pill, it counts as a missed dose. What you need to do next depends on the color pill you missed.

If you forget to take a gray, light blue or blue pill, take the one you missed, and then take the next pill at the normal time and continue. You should not need to use any extra contraception.

If you forget to take two gray or light blue pills (week one or week two of your pill cycle), take two of the pills you missed immediately, and the next two pills in your pack the next day. Then take the rest of your pill pack as normal. You will need to use a condom (or another barrier birth control method) for the next 7 days.

Start a new pack if you miss three or more gray or light blue pills in a row, or two or more blue pills in a row (and use a condom for a week when having sex).

If you miss one or more Tri-Sprintec white pills, you don’t need to do anything other than discard the pills you have missed, and continue as normal the next day. You won’t need any extra contraceptive cover if this happens.

Yes, but you should check with the doctor first, because it involves a slightly different way of taking the pill.

To skip your period on the combined pill, you start the next month’s pack after taking three weeks of active pills. With Tri-Sprintec, this means you skip the week of white inactive pills and go immediately from the blue pills to the next month’s light gray pills.

This isn’t the “official” way of taking Tri-Sprintec, so check with your doctor before skipping any pills.

Headaches are pretty common when taking the birth control pill. Other common side effects include breast tenderness or swelling, increased vaginal discharge and stomach aches.

A lot of the time, women who get these side effects find that they’re mild and pass after a few weeks. But if they persist, or if you get any side effects that are more uncomfortable, let a doctor know. They may be able to help you out by switching you to another pill. On an EveAdam plan, you can do this easily by logging in and leaving the doctor a message.

For any serious side effects, go to the emergency room immediately. You can find more info on when to see a doctor in the package insert.

Around 2.5% of the women who take Tri-Sprintec or another combined birth control pill say their weight changes, but it’s not known how much of this is due to the pill versus the circumstantial factors of everyday life. There isn’t very much evidence to suggest that the combined pill causes weight gain (or weight loss).^[2]

If you do find that your weight fluctuates when taking Tri-Sprintec, let a doctor know. They may be able to do something to help.

Combined birth control pills like Tri-Sprintec contain hormones which can cause mood swings, especially right after being introduced to your body. This happens to approximately 3.8% of women. If you feel depressed or find that mood swings persist when taking Tri-Sprintec, speak to a doctor.

It’s possible. “Breast issues” were reported in 8% of women using the combined pill in clinical trials according to the US National Library of Medicine. However, side effects such as these usually pass after a few months of use.

Talk to a doctor if you experience breast swelling, pain or tenderness that persists. And speak to a doctor immediately if you experience any changes in breast tissue (such as a lump).

They contain the same hormones, but Tri-Sprintec is a multiphasic pill. Sprintec is a monophasic pill.

In monophasic pills, the amount of hormones delivered into the body stays the same through the four-week cycle. In multiphasic pills, it changes throughout the course of the cycle. Tri-Sprintec has three phases that last for seven days each: gray pills, light blue pills and blue pills.

The gray pills contain 0.18mg norgestimate and 350mcg ethinyl estradiol; the light blue pills contain 0.215mg norgestimate and 350mcg ethinyl estradiol; and the blue pills carry 0.25mg norgestimate and 350mcg ethinyl estradiol. The white pills don’t contain any hormones.

All 21 active pills in a Sprintec pack are blue (and contain the same level of hormones listed in the blue pills above).

Whether you choose a multiphasic or monophasic pill depends on how your body reacts to hormonal birth control. Some women find that they get better control of menstrual symptoms when using a particular kind. Let the doctor know if you’re unsure which type of pill is best for you.

Yes. In addition to the monophasic version (Sprintec), you can also get Tri-Sprintec as a low dose pill (Tri-Lo-Sprintec).

The levels of norgestimate in Tri-Lo-Sprintec are the same as they are in Tri-Sprintec, but the levels of ethinyl estradiol are lower (250mcg instead of 350mcg). This means that Tri-Lo-Sprintec often works better for women who are sensitive to estrogen.

There are other pills that have the exact same hormone levels as Tri-Sprintec (and Tri-Lo-Sprintec) and should work in the exact same way.

Ortho-Tri-Cyclen is quite a well-known pill that was discontinued, so women who used to take it may find Tri-Sprintec to be a good alternative. TriNessa, Tri-Previfem, Tri-Linyah, Norg-EE, Tri-Estarylla, Tri-Femynor and Tri-VyLibra are also pharmacological equivalents of Tri-Sprintec. They’re different brands so will be made by different companies, but should do the same job.

Tri-Lo-Sprintec has several equivalents too, including Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, TriNessa Lo, Tri-Lo-Marzia, Tri-Lo-Sprintec, Tri-Lo-Estarylla, Tri-Lo-Mili and Tri-Vylibra Lo.