CombiPatch Dosage

Your healthcare provider will recommend your CombiPatch dosage based on how you respond to the drug and whether you want to have a regular monthly period. You can either use CombiPatch twice weekly every week with no breaks, or you can use an estrogen-only patch twice weekly for the first 14 days and switch to CombiPatch for the last 14 days of your 28-day cycle.

 

CombiPatch Dosing: An Introduction

The dose of CombiPatch® (estradiol/norethindrone patch) that your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • How you respond to CombiPatch
  • Whether you prefer to have a regular monthly period or not
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
As always, do not adjust your CombiPatch dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 
It is typically recommended that this medication be taken at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible period of time. However, the most effective dose (and how long it should be taken) can vary considerably from one woman to the next. CombiPatch comes in the following strengths, both of which are appropriate for any of the CombiPatch uses:
 
  • CombiPatch 0.05/0.14 mg (provides 0.05 mg of estradiol and 0.14 mg of norethindrone per day)
  • CombiPatch 0.05/0.25 mg (provides 0.05 mg of estradiol and 0.25 mg of norethindrone per day).
     
There are two recommended ways to use CombiPatch:
 
  • Continuous combined regimen: CombiPatch is used twice a week every week with no breaks. Although you may have unpredictable vaginal bleeding and spotting for the first few months, you will probably eventually stop having your period on this regimen.
     
  • Continuous sequential regimen: For the first 14 days of each 28-day cycle, a 0.05 mg/day estrogen-only patch (such as Vivelle-Dot) is used twice a week. For the last 14 days, CombiPatch is used instead of the estrogen-only patch. This vaguely mimics the hormonal changes in a normal menstrual cycle, and you will probably have a regular monthly period using this regimen.
     
(CombiPatch Dosage Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;