Ortho Tri Lo and Bactrim

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-11-2004
Ortho Tri Lo and Bactrim
6
Tue, 06-01-2004 - 11:40pm
I need help please...I was just receintly on Bactrim for a sinus infection and have been taking my BCP as usual. My doc never mentioned the interaction between the two...I just found out today that antibiotics reverse the effectiveness of the pill. There were four days that the two were taken together and my fiance and I don't use condoms anymore...we had sex 3 times ...what do you think the chances are that i'd get pregnant
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-14-2004
Wed, 06-02-2004 - 12:11am
Excellent question to go ask your doctor about!
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-26-2004
Wed, 06-02-2004 - 6:59am
At what point during your pill cycle did all of this happen? It is extremely important to know that ANY antibiotics can or will interfere with BCP. No matter what antibiotic I am taking, I always continue to take my pills, but usually wait a full cycle before having unprotected sex. The antibiotics can decrease the effectiveness of the BCP substantially, therefore, throwing off your whole cycle, which is why I wait until the end of the cycle. But, what is done is done. So I would from now until the end of your pill cycle, use back up protection. Call your doctor and discuss it with him. Also, I would wait about 10-14 days and take a home pregnancy test just to make sure.

Good Luck!

Sarah

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-11-2004
Wed, 06-02-2004 - 10:53am
It was two days on the white pills and two days on the blue pills and it just happend to fall on days 12-15 of my cycle...which is ovulation time..counting from the first day of my last period. I talked to my doc...she thinks i might be ok...but I'm still worried...I'm not due for my period for another two weeks...the thing that got me wondering was discharge that i had...i haven't had that in almost 4 months...pretty much since i've been on the pill. I know that you tend to get discharge when your prego b/c the cervux prepares to protect the baby...am i just overreacting? how soon would i be able to tell if i was pregnant?
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Wed, 06-02-2004 - 12:43pm
Well, we can get changes in discharge/cervical mucous even when we're on the pill, but if the discharge you're talking about was like egg whites, stringy and sticky, it could have been "fertile" mucous indicating that you ovulated in the time you were on antibiotics.

How long ago did this happen? if it was less than 5 days ago you're still within the window to take Plan B, assuming you're not still on the bactrim.

Also, there's a lot of debate about which antibiotics interact with which contraceptive formulations, but it looks like there's evidence bactrim is one of the drugs that alters your metabolism of your pills. I say talk to your doctor/nurse and he/she can tell you if you still have time to take emergency contraception and what your options are in general.

did you have any breakthrough bleeding? if you did that's an indicator that your pills weren't being absorbed properly because your body would go through a withdrawal phase, just like during your 4th week.

just so you don't get too panicky, remember that every woman is different and responds to drugs differently. there's still a chance your pills were effective during that time and that you never ovulated.

Good luck.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-11-2004
Wed, 06-02-2004 - 1:54pm
This all just happend. It just kinda crossed my mind yesterday for some reason...espcially after i had an influx of CM. Very wet and clear and after some reading today, was definatly the "fertile" CM which means I definatly ovulated between may 28 and june 1. which are the days i was on the antibiotics. i figure...we had sex the 28th, 30th and 31st. If i ovulated on the 31st or 1st...chances are high that i could get PG if the antibiotics effected the ortho lo. are my assumptions correct? the worst part is the worry...b/c i'm not due for AF for another two weeks...=/ how soon do the PG signs start to show? Thanks for all the help and advice guys =)
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Wed, 06-02-2004 - 2:51pm
Your cervical mucous isn't a definite sign that you ovulated. the only way you could know for sure is if you were charting all of your fertility signs (basal body temperature, cervical mucous, position of the cervix, etc) before, during, and after this whole affair. since you weren't, nothing is for sure.

Since you're still (barely) within the window for effectiveness of emergency contraception (plan B), I strongly suggest calling your doctor and asking him/her to phone in a prescription for you today, assuming you have no moral objection to it, to minimize your chances of an unwanted pregnancy.

some signs of pregnancy are very similar to side effects of birth control, so it's really hard to tell. also, many of them don't start until a week or longer after pregnancy begins. if I were you i'd take a pregnancy test 10 days after I last had intercourse (so i'd take one on the 9th, 1 week from today) and again the next week if it's negative.

Good luck.


Edited 6/2/2004 2:52 pm ET ET by klannert