-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Antibiotics affect birth control effectiveness
Archive
Comments
Story
OXFORD, Miss. – Whether for dermatological reasons or because they’ve been hit by an infection of some kind, many women are prescribed antibiotics at least a few times in their lives.
For women who are taking oral contraceptives in addition to antibiotics, extra caution should be taken to prevent an unplanned pregnancy.
Dr. Barbara Collier is the director of student health services at the Student Health Center, and she regularly sees women who must balance use of antibiotics with birth control methods.
“If you’re on an antibiotic and on a birth control pill, the safest thing to do is to use a backup method for extra protection,” Collier said.
Collier recommends using backup contraception for the remainder of the pack of birth control pills for that month. If a patient switches to a new pack while on the antibiotics, that means the backup contraception should be used for that entire new pack.
The actual effects of antibiotics are not easily predicted, as several tests have produced confusing findings.
“No one knows exactly how many antibiotics you can take (before birth control pills are affected),” Collier said.
Because of the uncertainty, Collier recommends caution always be taken when antibiotics are being mixed with oral contraceptives, even if the patient is merely taking a low dosage for a dermatology-related reason.
“Pregnancy is a real issue. From the minute you’re pregnant, you have to deal with that,” Collier said. “There is no reason for people to be pregnant before they want to be.”
Antibiotics have the potential to interfere with oral contraceptives because both drugs are metabolized, and the antibiotics can prevent the body from getting enough of the hormones released by the birth control pills.
A common complication for patients is that oftentimes the physician who prescribes an oral contraception is not the same physician who sees the patient when she is ill. This makes it important to communicate all prescription drug use to an attending physician.
Though antibiotics are the most commonly used prescription drugs that interfere with oral contraceptives, they are not the only ones. Some drugs used for diseases of the liver can interfere with birth control pills, as well as drugs used to treat seizures.
Collier stressed that it is important that women use back-up contraception even when they are not on antibiotics to prevent the spread of STDs, and that no one use just condoms to prevent pregnancy.
“Condoms are not effective enough for someone who is trying not to get pregnant. They are not adequate birth control,” Collier said.
For more information about birth control and for answers to frequently asked questions on the subject, there are some useful web sites to visit. Birth control distributors Ortho-Tri-cyclen host an informative page at http://www.orthotricyclen.com/answer/birth_answers/just_facts.html.
The site addresses misconceptions, myths and matters of fact concerning everything from the pill’s effectiveness against AIDS and acne, to worries about weight gain and fertility.
Another useful web site that addresses issues of contraception in general is www. managingcontraception. com. This site accompanies a book by the same title that was written by a group of gynecologists, most of whom are on staff at universities around the country.
The site includes questions, comments and insights concerning a range of contraception devices, including oral contraceptives and their side effects.
Allison Pruitt, Daily Mississippian (U. Mississippi)