birth control plus meds? HELP!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-14-2006
birth control plus meds? HELP!
2
Mon, 02-26-2007 - 6:09pm
Hi again. I am on ortho-tri birth control pills. i just started them for the first time about 3 weeks ago. My parents don't know, and i get them through planned parenthood. however, i see a dermatologist for my acne, and i am on 2 different pills for this. one of them is DOXYCYCL HYC 100 mg. the other is SPIRONOLACTONE 25mg. i take each of them twice a day. my mom said one of them is an antibiotic. how much is this going to decrease the effectiveness of my pills? my boyfriend and i decided that even though i am on birth control, we will still use a condom. how safe do you think i am? is it even worth being on birth control or does the acne pills i take decrease the effectiveness so much that i shouldnt take them? i know that birth control pills help acne also, but my mom knows i love these other pills i take because they work so well, so it would be suspicious if i just stopped taking them. i thought about just acting like i'm taking them, however just throwing 2 a day away. i know this sounds bad, but i don't know what to do! HELPPP!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 02-26-2007 - 10:22pm

Hello there,

I am responding to your post because I too started BC as a teen (17) and had serious acne problems.

Yes, Doxycycline *does* interfere with the effectiveness of BC pills. I am not sure about Spironalactone, but Doxy alone is enough to do it. You should NOT have sex without using some sort of "back-up" method - and yes, condoms will be fine, as long as you use them correctly (put them on before any penetration occurs, etc.).

As for your other questions, that your decision .. it all up to you whether being on the Pill is "worth" it or not. There are a few factors to take into consideration, for example, for me, my acne got 1000000 times WORSE on the Pill. Many doctors don't tell you that is a possibility - if a rare one - but it is, so if your acne gets worse, then I'd say you should switch pills or come off the Pill entirely. But if being on the Pill makes you feel more protected than using condoms alone, then you should stay on it! Also it's possible that your acne will be controlled by the Pill aone, without the Doxy and Spiro, in which case you could stop taking those and just stick with the Pill.

I don't recommend starting or stopping any medication without consulting a doctor first, especially if your acne meds are working well - I would stick with them! You are lucky that they have worked for you. But either way, talk to your dermatologist - see what s/he thinks. It's ultimately up to you!

Oh and by the way ... I went on the Pill at 17 in an attempt to control my acne - I was not sexually active at the time. And although it made the acne worse, it ultimately helped me to avoid any conversation with my parents about "needing" birth control ... because I was already on it. If it's a conversation you don't want to have with your mother, perhaps you could ask your Primary Care Doctor about the Pill and its implications for your acne, thus avoiding the "are you having sex?" talk.

Good luck! Hope that helps and isn't too confusing ...

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Mon, 02-26-2007 - 11:16pm

I totally agree with lagritona!


      Jill