Nishmat's Women’s Health and HalachaIn memory of Chaya Mirel bat R' Avraham

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Dairy ingredients in hormonal pills

20 March, 2023
Question:

Hi, I am taking Aygestin (Norethisterone) and have read here that it contains dairy and one should not take it for an hour after eating meat. Is this the Halacha? I need to take it twice a day and it’s hard to make sure that I’m not eating any meat for an hour beforehand.


Answer:

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Your question has prompted us to review this issue with our rabbinic supervisor, Rav Kenneth Auman.

Many hormonal pills do include lactose, a dairy ingredient. As a matter of stringency, some recommend waiting an hour after a meat meal prior to taking it.

However, the basic halacha is that when a given pill is not chewable and does not have a flavored coating, it is not considered a food. Therefore, one need not be concerned about having it before, during, or after a meat meal.

We hope this helps. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

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