Do antibiotics cut the effect of the pill? And hibiscus tea? Maybe alcoholic drinks too? Discover everything that cuts the effect of contraceptives:
Despite being a hormone pump in the body and being associated with several bad long-term consequences, such as thrombosis; The birth control pill is one of the most popular contraceptive methods today. However, what almost no one knows is that many common things cut the effect of the contraceptive or may end up reducing its effectiveness in the body.
In today’s list, some things were separated that really interfere with the effectiveness of the pill – and others that are nothing more than speculation – even if you have a great memory and take the contraceptive every day, at the same time.
As you will see, many seemingly innocent things cut the effect of contraceptives. Medicines, such as antibiotics; Natural herbal teas and even some diseases can compromise the method and increase your chances of getting pregnant.
Below you can see everything that doctors list as the most common factors in compromising the pill’s effectiveness and find out what to do if this is happening to you.
Find out what cuts the effect of contraceptives:
But after all, how do you find out that your contraceptive isn’t working as it should? Often, signs that may indicate less effectiveness of the medicine can be identified quickly. For example, minor bleeding outside of the menstrual period or even the absence of menstruation. This way, it is possible to consult a gynecologist and outline the best solution to the problem.
1. Medicines
Source: Hope
While self-medication itself is dangerous, it should be avoided especially if you use contraceptives. This is because some common medications can interfere with the effectiveness of contraceptives.
Can antibiotics cut the effect of the pill?
Not all of them, but yes, some antibiotics can actually reduce the effect of the pill on the body, by stimulating the accelerated elimination of hormones. Some examples are rifampicin and rifabutin, medicines widely used for the treatment of tuberculosis and leprosy and for the prevention of meningitis.
So, before taking antibiotics or stopping the ones you are using, it is worth asking your doctor and reading the medicine leaflet. If there is interference with contraceptives, you will have to pay more attention.
Anticonvulsants
In this case, some medications can also reduce the effectiveness of the pill. Phenytoin, Phenobarbital, Carbamazepine or Topiramate are some examples of medications to be aware of if you use contraceptives.
Antiretrovirals
Medicines used to treat retrovirus infections, such as HIV, are also a danger to contraceptive effectiveness. In this case, it is possible to get pregnant even if you take the pill every day.
2. Herbs
Some types of herbs, especially in infusions, can also put the effect of your contraceptive at risk. So, if you don’t want to get pregnant, don’t go drinking any tea.
Saint John’s herb
Also known as Hypericum, this herb is widely used in the home treatment of depression and anxiety. However, if you take the pill, you better be careful: using this herb can greatly impair the effect of oral contraceptives.
And even if you don’t drink St. John’s wort tea every day, you’re not safe from the danger either. According to the Swedish Medical Products Agency, this type of herb acts on the body for an average of two weeks. Therefore, before throwing yourself into grandma’s cup of tea, it’s a good idea to pay attention to what you’re taking and consult a doctor.
Hibiscus
Widely used in diets, hibiscus tea has gotten some bad press, especially on the internet. However, until now at least, there is no scientific proof that tea cutting the effect of contraceptives.
However, some gynecologists do not advise drinking the tea in large quantities. It can cause the medicine to be eliminated more quickly from the body. This, of course, is due to the strong diuretic action of hibiscus tea.
In this other article that you have already read here, however, some researchers make a completely different statement.
3. Diseases and contraceptives
According to experts, illnesses that trigger vomiting or diarrhea reduce the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill considerably. Some examples are Crohn’s Disease, as well as intestinal inflammation and so on.
Once again, what prevents the pill from working as it should is the medicine being expelled from the body too quickly. And the problem only gets worse if you need to take some medication that is also capable of cutting the effects of the contraceptive.
4. Do alcoholic drinks reduce the effect of contraceptives?
In this case, it’s all just rumors. According to gynecologists, alcoholic beverages in themselves DO NOT reduce the effect of contraceptives.
But, if consumed in excess, alcohol can increase levels of the female hormone estrogen in the body, causing headaches, bloating and gastrointestinal problems, for example.
5. Forgetting to take the pill
Another big possibility as to why your contraceptive doesn’t work as it should is simply forgetting to take the pill more than once. When you skip a few days of the pack, the body’s hormonal levels change. This increases the risk of ovulation. Thus, the effectiveness is reduced and the probability of becoming pregnant increases.
6. Obesity and contraceptives
There are studies that indicate that obesity can also interfere with the effect of contraceptives. The way the pill is metabolized by the body may be different. Thus, effectiveness ends up reduced. In this sense, even the morning-after pill and transdermal patch also do not have as effective an effect on overweight women.
What to do when the effect of the medicine is compromised?
According to doctors, the best thing to do, if you have consumed something that cuts the effect of the contraceptive or contracted any of the diseases we have already mentioned, the ideal is to adopt the barrier method for 28 days. In plain English: use a condom!
However, if you constantly use medications that reduce the effects of the pill, you need to talk to your doctor and, together with him, look for another method that prevents pregnancy and does not suffer from drug interactions.
So, have you learned now? Do you think your pill’s efficiency has been exposed recently? Be sure to tell us everything, including your questions, in the comments.
And, speaking of contraceptive pills, perhaps you should also check out: Application is more effective than contraceptive pills, according to experts.
Fontes: Vix, Constance Zahn
Images: Florence, Super Pharma, Cosmopolitan, Vix, The Spanish, Vecteezy Hope, Milena Christ, Theo News
