Drug Interaction
Don't worry, your doctor isn't digging into your personal life. Knowing what medications you're on can prevent drug interactions from causing damage to your body. Interactions aren't limited to medications- sometimes alcohol, illegal drug, and tobacco use can also have a serious impact on your body. Our advice? Be transparent with your doctor about drugs you're taking. The more they know, the more they can help you.
Antibiotics & Hormonal Contraception
A Guide to Antibiotics
Most antibiotics have not shown evidence of impacting the effectiveness of hormonal contraception, however, rifampicin and rifabutin may be the exceptions to this rule. These antibiotics are used to treat or prevent meningitis, tuberculosis, and other diseases (1).
These two drugs, along with those considered to be like them, may cause your hormonal contraception to stop working (1).
Rifampicin-Like Antibiotics:
These are enzyme-inducing which affects hormonal contraception and increases the chance of unplanned pregnancy
Other Antibiotics
They are not enzyme-inducing and don't affect hormonal contraception.
Birth Control Methods
Here's a guide to which birth control methods to use and not to use when taking a rifampicin-like antibiotic (1).
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/antibiotics-contraception/