February 10, 2012
Topics A-Z Drugs Taking Kariva birth control tablets since age 17
Taking Kariva birth control tablets since age 17 |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: I have been taking Kariva birth control tablets since i was 17. I am now 19 and required to take a low dose penicilin shot once a month as a preventative measure because I had rheumatic fever. I have never been told anything about antibiotics affecting birth control but thought i should ask to be sure. Dear Kristina: Hello, I understand your concern about oral contraceptives and antibiotics. The only antibiotic proven to interact with Oral contraceptives is Rifampin. Certainly antibiotics such as the one you have to take monthly could affect oral contraceptives especially when taken in high doses due to metabolism interfere in the liver, since you will take a low dose the effects on metabolism compromise could be minimal.
Oral contraceptives are highly effective when used properly, if you don’t forget to take a pill especially the active ones, I don’t think that you should worry about pregnancy risk. If you would like to feel even more secure about this issue, you could try using back up methods such as female or male condoms to decrease the chances of pregnancy.
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 31 December 2010 ) |
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