APPROACHES TO IMPROVING PHARMACEUTICAL CARE WHEN DISPENSING COMBINED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES FROM THE PHARMACY

Pharmaceutical counselling represents a critical component of effective pharmacy practice, particularly for lifestyle medications such as combined oral contraceptives (COCs). The development of optimized pharmaceutical care approaches for COC dispensing remains both relevant and necessary for the Ukrainian pharmaceutical sector. The aim of this study was to analyse COC pharmacological safety profiles, examine co-administration considerations with other medications, and establish evidence-based pharmaceutical counselling protocols for community pharmacy settings. Materials and methods of the study. We conducted a systematic literature analysis using the PubMed database with the following search parameters: combined oral contraceptives, effectiveness, safety, contraindications, drug interactions, and pharmaceutical care. The search was limited to publications from 2016 to 2025 in Ukrainian, English, and Norwegian languages. Results and discussion. The most frequently reported adverse effects of COCs include headache, nausea, dizziness, and breast tenderness, while more severe complications such as arterial or venous thromboembolism occur less commonly. Current research inadequately addresses the long-term risks associated with COC use, particularly concerning metabolic alterations and disruptions to the body's endogenous environment. Of specific concern are the potential impacts on gut microbiota composition and subsequent psychological manifestations, which may develop with prolonged COC use in reproductive-aged women. Special consideration must be given to concomitant administration of COCs with psychotropic medications, given their typically chronic usage patterns Conclusions. These findings provide a foundation for developing standardized pharmaceutical counselling protocols for COC dispensing in community pharmacy practice.