Antibiotics and Oral Contraceptives

Many women who take oral contraceptives have heard that antibiotics can interfere with the efficacy of their medications. However, recent studies regarding the interactions of these drugs are unsure of a true connection between birth control failure and all antibiotics. Still, there are certain antibiotics that can reduce your body’s ability to absorb birth control, meaning that they increase your risk of unplanned pregnancy.

Sadly, though, antibiotics do not reduce your chances of suffering from oral contraceptives’ adverse side effects. Some, like YAZ, Yasmin, and Ocella, have been linked to dangerous conditions like heart attacks and stroke. If you have experienced a serious YAZ, Yasmin, or Ocella side effect, you should contact a YAZ lawsuit attorney from Williams Kherkher today at 800-761-3187.

Do Antibiotics Interfere with Birth Control?

Most scientists’ answer is no. Oral contraceptives have a 1%-3% general failure rate, which makes it difficult for researchers to find a definitive link between failure and antibiotics. Some scientists contend that being sick could cause someone to forget to take her pill, which may be misconstrued as the antibiotics interfering with its efficacy. However, there are some medications that have been linked with true interference of combination pills, including:

• Phenobarbital
• Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
• Phenytoin (Dilantin)
• Rifampin (Rifadin)
• Griseofulvin (Fulvicin)

If you begin to take antibiotics while also taking oral contraceptives, it is important to check the label of your drugs to ensure that these antibiotics will not interfere with your birth control pills. There is not a general rule that all antibiotics interact with oral contraceptives.

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Antibiotic-oral contraceptive interactions are not the only birth control problems about which you must worry. Additionally, some birth control pills, such as YAZ, Yasmin, and Ocella, can cause serious side effects, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. If you are a victim of YAZ, Yasmin, or Ocella, you should fight back against the pharmaceutical companies that manufactured these dangerous products. Contact a YAZ lawyer from Williams Kherkher at 800-761-3187 today to discuss your case.