ok i know that if you are taking an anitbiotic, it will lower the effectiveness of the birth control, but how long does it take for your birth control to go back to its normal effectiveness? for example, before i have dental work done, i need to take 4 pills of antibiotic...so when will i be ok to trust my BC pills again? also..does alcohol effect birth control pills?
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BC effectiveness w antibiotics
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Some antibiotics affect some birth control pills and some don't. For safety, it is advised to either abstain or use a barrier type of contraception until a week after you have stopped taking the antibiotic. Spotting is a sign that the antibiotic is interfering with the bc.
Alcohol does not seem to have an affect on birth control pills unless the alcohol interferes with you either being able to take the pill at the correct time or your abilty to keep it down.
There is some evidence, however, that birth control does lead to higher levels of blood alcohol content and thus intensifies the intoxicating effects of the alcohol. -
They usually say don't have sex while you're on antibiotics, unless you're using a condom. I've been told to wait a week after before starting to have unprotected sex (with out condom). Some people reccomend two weeks to get the effect fully out of your system, others reccomend waiting until your current cycle is complete, just depends on how safe you want to be I guess. I usually follow the one week rule (depending on long I had to take the antibiotics for), however we pretty much always pull out now, as I feel it's just slightly safer.
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usually when i take antibiotics, i need to take 4 amoxicilan prior to any dental work, and thats it- just for that day...i should still wait a week then?
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Yes, wait a week or switch to a different type of contraception for a week.
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Your best bet is to check with whomever prescribed your birth control pills. Also, anyone who prescribes you antibiotics should know what they might interact with.
Having said that, from what I've found, there is no research supporting the idea that antibiotics interfere with the effectiveness of b/c pills. It's one of those "it makes sense so it must be true" things common in medicine that becomes "truth" after much repetition. On the other hand, I'm not sure that I'd be willing to take a chance, so condoms would be the safe route.
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You could also call a pharmacy, they can be very helpful.
