Do antibiotic eye drops affect the pill?

Question

If you're on them for a couple of days, would this stop the combined pill working and put you at risk of getting pregnant? If you're putting them in your eyes do they get into your blood stream?

Excuse me Linda T? Antibiotics taken orally effect the pill because they go directly into the bloodstream. I doubt many people know if eyedrops go directly into the bloodstream, antibiotics applied to the skin don't. Don't try and make me feel ignorant- I just want some thoughts from the public.

Fucithalmic (fusidic acid) and Chloramphenicol

Answer 1

Which antibiotic drop? The meds most noted for lowering the pills effectiveness are not available for use in the eye in the US.
Although the medication in eye drops can certainly be absorbed into the blood stream, the amounts involved would be rather limited. Therefore, it shouldn't be a problem.

The medications that can lower the effectiveness of "the pill" are:

rifampin (Tuberculosis drug)
barbiturates (phenobarbital most common)
phenylbutazone (for arthritis/gout)
phenytoin (Dilantin - for seizures)
carbamazepaine (Tegretol - for seizures)
felbamate (Felbatol - for seizures)
oxycarbazepine (Trileptal - seizures, mood stabilizer)
topiramate (Topamax - seizures, migraines, mood stablizer)
griseofulvin (Grifulvin - anti-fungal)

St John's wort may also effect the pill.

Some drugs increase hormone levels and can increase the chance of side effects, such as breast tenderness and menstrual spotting

If in doubt or if worried, use barrier protection (male or female condom) until you start next pack of pills

Rick the pharmacist

Answer 2

I'm sure if you studied a few zillion people using the combination you might find a statistically significant number in whom such an effect would appear. Clinically significant is another matter, and I suspect compared to the baseline failure rate of about 2%, any difference would be trivial. Don't look for studies to give you a definitive answer, though. Such a study would be nearly impossible to control all the variables, take huge numbers of patients, and have minimal impact on society.

Answer 3

Be safe and ask your doctor. Use extra protection in the meantime. However, that question should have been asked before you were given any anti biotics for your eyes, if you went to a doctor to get them, so if it's an over the counter drug, most definately ask your doc. if you're not on a tri cyclic i've heard that it is better, but it depends on who you ask, as ususal. just be careful and ask questions, always. (and have fun with condoms, they're easy.)

Answer 4

I have read that anti-infective medications (including antibiotics) may interfere with a common form of the pill, ortho-tricycline, when taken by mouth or by injection. I have heard that other forms of these meds, such as topical and intraoptical, have little to no interaction with ortho-tricycline. However, it is always best to tell your PMH what meds you take and ask about possible side effects, interactions.

Answer 5

The effectiveness of the Pill is lowered when taken with certain medications, including antibiotics, anti-seizure, tuberculosis, and migraine medications. If you are taking any medications, tell your clinician. When taking medications that may interfere with BC, consider adding a backup method of birth control, like condoms and spermicide. As with all drugs, it is useful to inform all your medical providers if you are using hormonal birth control.

Answer 6

absolutely not!! there is not enough systemic absorption from the eye to cause a reduction in bc pills. also, the amt of antibiotic in eye drops is miniscule compared to what you would take orally

Answer 7

just to be safe, assume it does