I have been advised to use Chloramphenicol eyedrops (antibiotic. Will it stop my pill from working?

Question

I have been advised to use Chloramphenicol eyedrops (which are an antibiotic, but available over the counter).

I have begum taking them as instructed, and know I must use extra contraception as the drops can stop The Pill from working. But as sperm can live inside you for 3-5 days, won't it stop my Pill from last night working? And leave me open to pregnancy?

Answer 1

You better call your gynecologist to find that one out.

Answer 2

I was on birth control pills when my (now 7 years old) daughter was conceived. Her father & I never knew antibiotics could decrease the effectiveness of my birth control. I would definitely recommend temporary abstinence (there's always other creative things you can do w/out actually "doing it" - LOL!) or using a back up such as condoms w/ spermicide for as long as you use the drops & a few days afterwards, just to be safe (beware though, the spermicide can sometimes cause minor irritation)! If you think there's already a chance that the fertilization has occurred, you could see your gynecologist and ask for a prescription for the morning after pill - I think it's called "Plan B". I think you can only take it w/in 72 hours (3 days) of the actual occurence though so you'd have to be quick about it! Good luck! P.S. Even though my daughter was unplanned, she's the person in my life I love the most! It was hard but I had a lot of help from my family & friends. She's so smart & beautiful & sweet, I couldn't imagine life w/out her now.

Answer 3

Chloramphenicol has fallen out of favor because of its association with aplastic anemia. It is as yet unpredictable who is at risk. The risk is about one in 40,000 prescriptions when taken by mouth. With eye drops, the risk is one in about 240,000. Unfortunately, one of them was a parent of one of my patients.

OK, so the risk is small. Still, I would ask if there were an alternative.