Birth Control and Other Medications

Many women find themselves in the difficult situation of being on birth control and other medication at the same time. Concerns about the effectiveness of both sets of drugs are always present and unfortunately there is very little information on many drugs to see how they interact with birth control medications.

People typically take birth control to prevent pregnancy and yet there have been instances of doctors not mentioning that a newly prescribed antibiotic or other drug has a negative effect on the efficacy of birth control pills.

Drugs interact in all cases. In general they will interact in a way that increases, diminishes, or causes a new effect altogether. A classic example of this is warfarin and aspirin. As warfarin and aspirin both thin the blood, taking both thins the blood twice as much and can lead to bleeding and other problems.

Common drugs that reduce the ability of birth control to work include a variety of antibiotics like Rifampin. Antibiotics ampicillin and doxycycline also can interfere, though not to as great of a degree as Rifampin. Besides antibiotics, there are a number of other known drugs that interfere with birth control. Some that interfere are Phenobarbital, an anti-seizure medication; Griseofulvin, an anti-fungal; Carbamazepine, another anti-seizure medication; and topiramate, for migraine prevention and anti-seizure.

There are a few herbal remedies that can interfere with birth control as well. One of the most troublesome is St. John’s Wort. St. John’s Wort is known to diminish the effectiveness of birth control pills as well as cause bleeding.

Contact a Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If you have been harmed because your doctor failed to take into account drug interactions, contact the Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511.