antibiotics and the pill

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2006
antibiotics and the pill
1
Mon, 03-20-2006 - 3:10pm
How mcuh should I be concerned about antibiotics such as amoxil or zithromax causing the pill to be less effective?
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Mon, 03-20-2006 - 5:28pm

Hi harasw, welcome!

No one can say for certain what the level of risk is but we believe that it is real. Over the years there have been too many reports of unintended pregnancies while taking antibiotics for there not to be a problem for some women on some ABs and there is no way to tell who they will be ahead of time.

This board recommends that for older type antibiotics back-up should be used until you have taken at least 7 active pill in a row after the last dose of medicine and for ABs like Zithromax that have a short treatment interval, but which stay active in your body for a much longer period of time, you should use back-up until you have taken at least 2 weeks of active pills in a row after the last dose of medicine.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have more questions please ask. I hope you are feeling better soon. Let us know how you're doing, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill