Mercilon and Medication

Some medications do not work well if you are taking the pill as the pill can cause them to stop working properly. Also, some medications affect the pills effectiveness so it will not protect you from pregnancy.  A number of women do not realize that the pill can be affected by some medications and this can lead to unwanted pregnancy whilst using it. Therefore, you should always tell your doctor that you are using the contraceptive pill when you are prescribed any other medication so that they can check there will not be any adverse effects.

Most of the medication to treat epilepsy will affect the contraceptive pill. The medications interfere with the way the pill works and you will not be protected from pregnancy if you are using these two medications in conjunction with each other. Antibiotics will also have a similar effect and so will some types of sedative such as barbiturates. Anti-fungal medication such as Griseofulvin will also reduce the effectiveness of the pill. If you are using medical charcoal or laxatives, this will reduce the effects of Mercilon and you may fall pregnant.

It is not just prescribed medications that can render the pill ineffective. Some herbal remedies such as St Johns wort can cause the same effect. Therefore, you should mention any medication or remedy to your doctor to make sure that it will not affect the pill. If you are going to be using a medication that affects the pill for a short period of time then use additional contraception but if the medication is needed for longer than two weeks, you will need to consider changing your method of contraception.

The pill can also affect the effectiveness of some drugs. It may alter the way other drugs work and your dose may need to be changed. For example, if you are using Insulin or anti-diabetic drugs to treat diabetes, the doctor may need to increase your dose in order for it to be effective. Your doctor will decide what should be done about your dose but you may not be able to use the pill.

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