Statistics indicate that women are poorly informed about the interferences of antibiotics on hormonal contraception. You can read a lot on antibiotics and birth control now thanks to the development of the Internet, but there are some very resilient myths out there. Scientific reality is nevertheless a bit different, and here are a few things that may help you better understand how things stand.
Clinical studies indicate that only one antibiotic is proved to impair the action of the hormonal pill: rifampin, yet exceptions do exist. There is a small percentage of female patients that experience a decreased effect for the pill when antibiotics and birth control are administrated simultaneously. It is because of this incidence, even if small, that doctors recommend the use of a supplementary birth control solution such as condoms. No one can really tell who is more exposed to this reduced efficiency until actually facing the situation.
Modern hormonal products seem to be more affected by the interactions between antibiotics and birth control. The explanation for this inconvenience comes from the low concentration of ingredients used so as to minimize side effects. Besides rifamin, other medicines with a higher risk of interference include amoxacillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, minocycline, penicillin and sulfonamide.
Antibiotics and birth control pills do not make a good association because of the chemical reactions that take place in the liver. The antibiotics accelerate the breaking down of estrogens, and since these compounds are the main ingredients of birth control pills, the level of hormones in the blood will be lower. Although the situations when unplanned pregnancy appears in such conditions are not that numerous, caution is the best course of action.
So as to avoid future complications, drug manufacturers have developed the practice of specifying the potential problems of the antibiotic and birth control association in all usage instructions. Check with your physician about the importance of continuing the supplementary birth control use after the end of the treatment with antibiotics.
Some women choose to stop taking their birth control pills while following a treatment with antibiotics, but this is hardly a solution given how difficult it is for the body to adapt to these sudden hormonal changes. Talk to the health care provider before taking any drug mentioning the fact that you are on birth control pills. There are lots of other drugs that could impair the efficiency of birth control. It’s better to seek information than be sorry later.
Tags: antibiotic and birth control, antibiotics and birth control
