Can You Drink Alcohol While Taking Norethisterone?

People often delay a period for a holiday, wedding or celebration, so alcohol is a fair question. Here’s what you need to know.

Part of the Period Delay Health Guide.

Yes, you can drink alcohol in moderation while taking norethisterone 5mg tablets. Because alcohol is not listed as an interaction, drinking within the UK low-risk guidelines is not expected to affect how it works. The rest of this guide explains why, and the one real caveat to watch.

Does alcohol stop norethisterone working?

No. Norethisterone delays your period by keeping your progestogen level high, and alcohol is not listed as an interaction in its UK product information. Keep taking your tablets on time, as prescribed. It’s worth knowing that some medicines and herbal remedies can make norethisterone less effective, including St John’s wort and some epilepsy and HIV medicines, so tell your prescriber about everything you take.

The one real caveat: being sick

Norethisterone is absorbed from your gut, so being sick soon after a dose could mean it isn’t fully absorbed. The leaflet doesn’t give specific advice on vomiting. If you are sick within a few hours of a tablet, ask a pharmacist or your prescriber whether to take another. If you keep being sick, contact your prescriber, because your period may start. Heavy drinking that leads to vomiting is the main way alcohol could indirectly affect your course, so keep it moderate.

Alcohol can make side effects worse

Headache, nausea and fluid retention (oedema) are listed as common side effects of norethisterone, and alcohol can make headache and nausea worse. Alcohol also dehydrates you, which can make headaches worse. To stay comfortable, alternate alcoholic drinks with water, eat before you drink and stick to the UK low-risk guidelines. See the norethisterone side effects guide.

Sensible limits

The UK Chief Medical Officers advise drinking no more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread over 3 or more days, with some drink-free days. For reference, a 175ml glass of 12% wine is about 2 units and a pint of 4% lager is about 2.3 units. That advice doesn’t change because you are taking norethisterone, and it is a sensible ceiling for enjoying an event while keeping side effects and dehydration down.

Drinking on a long flight

Norethisterone carries a small risk of blood clots, and sitting still on a long flight adds to it. Alcohol on a flight can leave you dehydrated and less likely to move around. If you are flying long haul, drink plenty of water, go easy on alcohol and get up and walk when you can. See period delay for a holiday or event.

Don’t forget: it’s not a contraceptive

Norethisterone taken to delay a period does not prevent pregnancy, and alcohol can affect your decisions. Use condoms or your usual contraception. See how norethisterone works.

UK safety and prescribing information

• Legal status: norethisterone is a prescription-only medicine (POM). At Access Doctor it is prescribed only after an online consultation with a GPhC-registered pharmacist independent prescriber, who may decline and suggest an alternative or that you see your GP.
• Licence: it is the only progestogen licensed in the UK to delay periods (NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service). The dose is 5mg three times a day, starting 3 days before your period is due.
• Course length: take it for as long as your prescriber advises. The Primolut N licence describes courses of no longer than 10 to 14 days, and NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service guidance says it can be taken for up to 3 to 4 weeks if necessary.
• Not a contraceptive: use condoms or another method while you take it.
• Blood clots: part of each dose is converted in the body to ethinylestradiol, the oestrogen in the combined pill (about 4–6 micrograms for every 1mg, according to the Primolut N product information), so the same blood clot warnings apply. Your prescriber will check risk factors such as a previous clot, smoking, a BMI over 30, being over 35, recent surgery and long-haul travel.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: do not take it if you are or might be pregnant. The Primolut N product information says it should be avoided while breastfeeding, so ask your prescriber.
• Reporting side effects: you can report suspected side effects to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme website or the Yellow Card app.