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I just switched from the pill to nuvaring(sorry if I've been posting more questions about it lately!) and it says on the pamphlet that if you've been taking your pills on time then no backup method is needed. I have taken my pills correctly during my last pack, but I was prescribed antibiotics which I was told may possibly decrease its effectiveness the week that I took them and an additional two weeks after. Those three weeks had passed before I started taking the nuvaring, so I still don't have to worry about reduced protection, right?
Posts: 48 | From: california | Registered: Dec 2010
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posted
Antibiotics are only an issue for the pill pack that you are on while you are taking the antibiotic. Once you start the new pack, you're fine. So if you switched to the Nuva Ring without pause (that is, you put it in the day you would have started your new pack), you should be able to rely on it.
But with cases of drug interference, it's always best to double-check with your prescribing doctor or pharmacist.
-------------------- -joey Scarleteen Volunteer
"The question is not who will let me, but who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand Posts: 8422 | From: Cologne, Germany | Registered: Sep 2005
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Thanks! I called an advice nurse and she said that there isn't really research to prove that the antibiotics that I was on made it less effective, so I should be fine. When I was given the antibiotics at the pharmacy, I asked about the interaction (they didn't bring it up themselves, which I thought was weird) and the pharmacist only said it 'might' reduce effectiveness. It's crazy how framing affects everything!
Posts: 48 | From: california | Registered: Dec 2010
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And they might: the jury really is out with some antibiotics and hormonal contraceptives (others, we know they don't interact), so pharmacists and doctors tend to err on the side of caution, since most people using them want to avoid pregnancy.
Also, an interaction with hormonal contraceptives and other meds doesn't always mean the contraceptives are less effective. Sometimes it can make the other medication so, other times side effects from wither can be more intense, etc.
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Executive Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • Get our book! Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead Posts: 63244 | From: An island near Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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