Desogen is a birth control pill used to block contraception. In each pack, there are 21 "active" pills containing desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol and seven "inactive" pills, which do not contain them, leading to menstruation the week the patient takes the inactive pills. Desogen also contains inactive ingredients such as fillers.
Desogestrel
Each "active" pill of Desogen contains 0.15 mg of desogestrel. Desogestrel is metabolized into the active metabolite etonogestrel. Etonogestrel is a progestogen, a hormone that can mimic pregnancy and thus block conception.
Ethinyl Estradiol
Each "active" pill of Desogen contains 0.03 mg of of ethinyl estradiol. Ethinyl estradiol is a type of estrogen, a hormone that, along with a progesterone, can mimic pregnancy and prevent conception.
Fillers
The "active" pills of Desogen contain several inactive ingredients which are fillers. Corn starch, lactose, colloidal silicon dioxide and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose are fillers that make the pill larger, and povidone is a binder that makes desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol bind to the rest of the pill.
The "inactive" pills, which are the last seven green pills in the package, contain a different set of inactive ingredients. They contain the fillers corn starch, lactose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose but lack the binder povidone, because there are no active ingredients to bind in the pill.
Coatings
The "active" white Desogen pills contain titanium dioxide, a "pearling" agent that makes pills white, and talc, which keeps moisture out of the pills and can also be used as a filler. The "inactive" green Desogen pills contain titanium dioxide, talc, the food coloring FD&C Blue #2, and the red coloring ferric oxide.
Other Inactive Ingredients
Desogen "active" pills contain many other components, including vitamin E, which may be included because birth control pills lower the amount of vitamin E in the body. Stearic acid is a thickener that is used to form the pills, and polyethylene glycol helps with the solubility of desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol, ensuring they are absorbed properly in the body.
The "inactive" Desogen pills contain polyethylene glycol and magnesium stearate, an oil that speeds up the pill-making process by making the Desogen mix flow more smoothly.
