I'm prescribed Azithromycin, an an antibiotic. Will this make my birth control pills ineffective?

Question

I only have to take this antibiotic for 5 days... how long before I can have sex without a second form of contraceptives? (When will my birth control pills become effective again?)

Answer 1

This drug may interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills; other forms of contraception may be required during the treatment period.

Answer 2

Sublime_yo!

This is actually an easy question to answer once you understand the physiology of the gut and how birth control pills are utilized by the body.

Most antibiotics - including the macrolides like azithromycin - alter the enterohepatic cycle of birth control pills. Your body absorbs the birth control pill in the gut (enterocytes do the work), it circulates in the blood and concentrates in cells - and in the bile. It gets released by the gall bladder and bile duct back into the gut, and gets reabsorbed. That is the enterohepatic cycle.

When you take antibiotics, you alter the gut by killing off the susceptible bacteria that help your body by transforming bile salts. The transformed bile salts are reabsorbed by the ileum and return to the liver, some with the birth control molecules closely associated. So on antibiotics you lose the recirculation effect and your birth control level falls, and eggs will finish development - making your birth control ineffective!

Now, how long after being on Azithro before your BCP will be effective again? Azithro hangs out in cells for several days after your last dose, and BCP's are 99% effective if you have been taking them at the recommended dosage (ie, with intact interohepatic recirculation occuring) for one complete cycle.

So after you are off the azithromycin, you can bet you will ovulate. Once your BCP levels return to normal, (3-5 days without antibiotics), wait until after your menses. If your menses occur while on the antibiotic, then wait for the following menses. Keep taking the pill but use barrier birth control until you have cycled once.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

Aspen Azithromycin

Answer 4

before my wife had our fourth child she had gotten sick and had to go on antibiotic and she was on the pill to cut along story short she fell pregnant we asked the doctor how that was possible when she was on the pill, he told us that antibiotics cut the pill out, so going on that I would say yes antibiotic make the pill inefective, I would just like to add even though our forth son came along we still welcomed him with open arms and loving hearts.

Answer 5

Probably. Don't take a chance. Use another two forms of contraception.

TX Mom