Can I use pills that contain the substance Diclofenac safely for an abortion?

There are pills that consist of Misoprostol (the substance that you would look for when having an abortion) and Diclofenac (a painkiller). They were originally produced for other medical indications.

While not ideal, there is a way to use them safely for an abortion if these are the only pills you can find. The amount of pills needed for an abortion at once contain much more Diclofenac than the maximum recommended dosage per day, risking toxicity. The Misoprostol is the outer layer of the pill that is coating the harder Diclofenac center. Make sure that your body only absorbs the Misoprostol, not the Diclofenac:

Follow the usual instructions for an abortion with pills, but make sure to spit out any remains of the pills after 30 minutes.
Only use the pills under your tongue (sublingually) or left and right in your cheeks (bucally). Do not swallow them and do not put them in your vagina.

The names of these pills sometimes contain a number, for example Oxaprost 75 or Arthrotec 50. This number refers to the amount of the Diclofenac, which varies from product to product. The amount of Misoprostol is usually the same, 200mcg per pill.

If you have any questions about this, please contact the Women on Web Helpdesk at info@womenonweb.org. The Women on Web Helpdesk-Team is available in 16 languages 7 days a week and will get back to you within 24 hours.