I am a 23 year old female living in Norway. I recently took a
morning-after pill called Norlevo, and i'm therefore wondering about
this: Is Norlevo a pill used in the US as well? Is it known to trigger
minor depressions? Is this possible side-effect mentioned in the
info-slip that comes with the pill? Thanks.

cycee...

The most common alternate names for NorveloŽ are NorLevoŽ,
VikelaŽ and DuofemŽ. Searches for these on Froogle turn up
no results for an oral contraceptive sold in the U.S.:

NorLevo OR Vikela OR Duofem
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=NorLevo+OR+Vikela+OR+Duofem

However, the active ingredient and generic name for Norvelo is
levonorgestrel, and a search for this reveals that it is sold
as an oral contraceptive in the U.S. under the name Plan B:

levonorgestrel
://www.google.com/search?q=levonorgestrel

Plan B is discussed on this page from the Plan B Consumers
home page:
http://www.go2planb.com/ForConsumers/Index.aspx

...and on this page from Medicine.net:
http://www.medicinenet.com/levonorgestrel-oral/article.htm

Neither mention depression.


However, on the EssentialDrugs.org website, they talk about
the MALAHYDE INFORMATION SYSTEMS and SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTRONIC
PACKAGE INSERTS (SAEPI):

"SAEPI is a privately funded Internet site which provides the
 unabridged text of South African package inserts (data sheets)
 as approved by the Medicines Control Council of South Africa.

 The purpose of this site is to make the package inserts for
 South African medicines freely available in electronic format."
http://www.essentialdrugs.org/indices/archive/199706/msg00000.php

The text from the package insert for the drug Norlevo, duplicated
on that site, states:

"SIDE EFFECTS AND SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS:
 Side effects of NorlevoŽ may include...mental depression..."

and

"NorlevoŽ should be used with caution in patients with a history
 of mental depression."
http://www.intekom.com/pharm/hexal/norlevo.html#SIDE-EFFECTS

sublime1-ga


Additional information may be found from an exploration of
the links resulting from the Google searches outlined below.

Additional searches done, via Google:

Norlevo depression
://www.google.com/search?q=Norlevo+depression

"Malahyde Information Systems"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22Malahyde+Information+Systems%22

"Plan B"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22Plan+B%22

...via Froogle:

levonorgestrel
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=levonorgestrel

"Plan B" tablets
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=%22Plan+B%22+tablets

Too many website details, but no conclusive answer. I think the
answerer should mention his answer rather than pointing answeres to
various website

huxy, the answers to all questions asked are in the parts sublime1
quoted, the links can simply be used to get more information.

"Is Norlevo a pill used in the US as well?":
"Searches for these on Froogle turn up no results for an oral
contraceptive sold in the U.S."

"Is it known to trigger minor depressions?":
"Side effects of NorlevoŽ may include...mental depression..."

"Is this possible side-effect mentioned in the info-slip that comes with the pill?"
"The text from the package insert for the drug Norlevo, duplicated on
that site, states: (...) ...mental depression..."


Rather conclusive answers, if you ask me.

Depression is not mentioned as a side-effect neither in the Norwegian
package insert (http://www.norlevo.no/Apoteker/produktinformation/) or
in the Norwegian Common directory of Medicines (Felleskatalogen)
(http://www.felleskatalogen.no/felleskatalogen/show.do?filename=/content/preparat-register/N/Norlevo_HRA+Pharma_83949.html).

Howvwer, the package insert urges patients to inform their physician
if they experience side effects not mentioned in the package insert.