(no subject)

[ravenfyre.livejournal.com]

*cries*

okay... going along with my other post about Minocycline (and i'm sorry that i'm crossposting this again)...

actually, about antibiotics and birth control pills in general... this may sound stupid but, is it only birth control PILLS that have the potential of decreasing in effectiveness when you're taking an antibiotic? or is it all hormonal birth control? i know that the problem lies in the absorbtion of the hormones when taking them in pill form... but would this still hold true with Nuvaring or Ortho-Evra?

if anyone can help me out it would be greatly appreciated... all this nonsense about changing meds really bothers me.
the thing is, i know i CAN'T get pregnant on these drugs, because they case birth defects. so i'll really worried about the pregnancy issue.
*sigh*
anyways, thanks a bunch.

Comments

[sabbysteg.livejournal.com]

This question would best be answered by your doctor but if you're worried about getting pregnant, use a barrier method, such as condoms, as a backup method.

[ravenfyre.livejournal.com]

*nod*

my boyfriend has a latex allergy, and i have a sensitivity to them, so that's why we're not using them right now :\

Re:

[sabbysteg.livejournal.com]

they have non-latex brands available. when i get off work i can direct you to which brands are latex free. also, there's diaphram and all kindsa other barrier methods.

[geminigirl]

The Female Condom is not latex, it's polyurethane. For male condoms that are non-latex you've got Trojan Supra (which are lubricated with nonoxynol-9...I'm allergic to it so I haven't used them, but there have also been studies that say that nonoxynol-9 is linked to lesions in the vagina that can make HIV transmission easier,) or Durex Avanti (not lubricated with any kind of spermicide) I've used only the Avanti for many years without incident...

The other option, if you're not concerned with STDs or HIV is the natural skin condoms. They're fine for preventing pregnancy, but they've got pores large enough for bacteria or viruses to get through.

I'd talk over your contraceptive options with a health care provider who can assess all of the medications you're on and your other health conditions and see what might be ideal for you. Be honest about how you are at remembering to do things like take your medications on schedule and about how good you are about remembering to check to make sure a birth control method is in place-a condom or diaphraghm doesn't do any good in the drawer, only when it's on. That's important in choosing a contraceptive option.

[sabbysteg.livejournal.com]

Thanks, ya beat me to it.

[geminigirl]

Not intentionally trying to step on toes. I happened to be at work waiting for a phone call just before I left and saw the thread.

Oh, I still owe you info about my job. You want me to post it somewhere, or email it to you? I'm happy to do either.

Re:

[sabbysteg.livejournal.com]

Not stepping on toes, I was glad I didn't have to look up info. I'm so tired these days.

You can email me at sabbysteg @ livejournal dot com. Thanks much.

[pfc-rat.livejournal.com]

Any antibiotic will reduce the effectiveness of ORAL contraceptive methods. If you're on the depo-provera shots or the BC patch, you should be fine (I highly UNrecommend the injections though as they can cause osteoperosis). The good thing about Minocycline is that it's a lot more gentle on the stomach than most other antibiotics.

By the way, I'm a medic in the Canadian Army, if you're wondering where the medical infomation is coming from. Saw your post in eroticpuppy's friends view.

I hope this helps you out a little, msg if you want more info.

[junni.livejournal.com]

Not all antibiotics will decrease the contraceptive power of birth control pills. Known ones that do are rifampin, penicillins and penicillin family members,tetracylines and tetracycline family members including minocycline, and temithoprim and other combination drugs containing it. And from what I understand, rifampin is the only one of the above which has been fully documented to interfere with BCP.

With all that said, it's better to be safe than sorry, and to use a bck-up method if you're trying to avoid pregnancy.

Re:

[pfc-rat.livejournal.com]

Also Amoxicillin, Cloxycilin, Erythomycin and other macrolides according to the CPS, but the CPS also states that you should use a backup method any time you combine antibiotics and oral contraceptives.

Also, watch out for yeast infections when taking antibiotics... some women are prone to them.

[junni.livejournal.com]

Yup... that's why I said "and family members" (read above). I just know there are some antibiotics one can be less concerned about, and that the data that is out there about the others is somewhat non-existant. People have just gone on drawing conclusions from little or not-so-good data. I doubt anyone will ever erase the "use a back-up method," simply because they want to cover their ass (for lack of better wording). A recent review in an article shows The purpose of this study was to review the pharmacokinetic and clinical literature regarding the efficacy of oral contraceptives when used concomitantly with antibiotic therapy. Relevant literature was identified by searching MEDLINE and EMBASE. Other sources were located by consulting the bibliographies of the material collected from MEDLINE and EMBASE. Pharmacokinetic evidence demonstrates that plasma levels of oral contraceptive steroids are unchanged with the concomitant administration of antibiotics, including ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, doxycycline, metronidazole, ofloxacin, roxithromycin, temafloxacin, and tetracycline. However, reduced steroid levels have been reported in women taking rifampin with oral contraceptives. Clinical reports of contraceptive failure with antibiotic use are retrospective, have multiple potential biases, and are not supported by pharmacokinetic data. Available scientific and pharmacokinetic data do not support the hypothesis that antibiotics (with the exception of rifampin) lower the contraceptive efficacy of oral contraceptives. That's the abstract of a current review by Archer & Archer in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, June 2002.

[junni.livejournal.com]

Well, my LJ-cut idea in there didn't work, but you get the idea. Quotes begin at "The purpose of this study... [and continue until] efficacy of oral contraceptives."

Re:

[ravenfyre.livejournal.com]

*nod*
she mentioned that i had the potential of developing chronic yeast infections with minocycline... which just makes me not want to take it that much more ;P

[erynchrista.livejournal.com]

in case you didn't know...those first three medicines ARE in the penicillian family...

Re:

[pfc-rat.livejournal.com]

erythromycin is not in the penicillin family, since it's considered an alternative for people with penicillin allergies. It's part of the macrolide family.

Re:

[ravenfyre.livejournal.com]

that's what i was wondering about... i wanted to switch to the patch or the nuvaring anyways, so maybe i'll ask about that...
thanks