I am currently taking 50 mg of Topamax for weight loss and I also take the orthotrycelene-lo for birth control. I am sexually active and do NOT want to have kids. Are there any doctors that can tell me if this dose of Topamax is high enough that it will in fact effect my birth control pill's effectiveness? I would like to know if I should bother to use back or not. Obviously as a total safeguard I know I should but I'd like to know if this is really effecting the pill a lot that I should be worried about it. Thanks!
2007-05-23 06:52:23 · 2 answers · asked by Summergirlie 1 in Health ➔ Women's Health
Topamax will in fact decrease serum concentrations of oral contraceptives and you are correct to be concerned.
As for how much - good luck at getting a predictable answer. Most clinicians (including myself) would ask why risk it? Some studies suggest that a contraceptive with at LEAST 50 mcg of ethinyl estradiol will give high enough serum concentrations of the drug for the contraceptive to be effective (even with the interaction of Topamax). However, I would not trust this data if it were MY own wife / girlfriend.
Ortho Tri-Cyclin Lo only has 25mcg of ethinyl estradiol per active tablet - so it could very likely be rendered ineffective with the addition of 50mg of Topamax. Interestingly, the studies that state 50mcg of ethinyl estradiol go on to state that you can NOT rely on irregular periods or breakthrough bleeding as an indicator of ineffectiveness. So, it could be rendered ineffective and still regulate your period - a potentially hazardous situation if you're trying to avoid pregnancy.
Topamax for weight loss is an off-label use of this medication (it is usually used for seizures or other neuro disorders), so I would question the effectiveness of this therapy to begin with.
Add the risk of deactivating your borth control and I'm inclined to say get off the Topamax - and work on diet and exercise for your desired weight loss.
Best of luck to you.
2007-05-23 07:21:34 · answer #1 · answered by aa889d 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am a pharmacy technician and am unable to find anything that would suggest topamax would cause your contraceptive to be any less affective. I dont think you have anything to worry about. However if you become pregnant its not good to take by pregnant women. Hope this helps.
2007-05-23 07:05:00 · answer #2 · answered by blublazx 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋