Birth control interactions

[moonlightbae]

Hey guys, I wanted to ask if there could be an interaction between birth control pills and grapefruit juice?
I don't remember when I drank them and also they weren't raw(only) grapefruit juice, they were mixed with some other fruit.
The problem is that I don't know how much it lowers the pill effectiveness as we weren't using condom(pulling-out).
I'm taking ethinylestradiol+dienogest everyday and haven't missed a single dose.
Not asking if I'm pregnant, I'm just confused on how grapefruit juice interacts with the pill.
Thanks!

[Siân]

So grapefruit juice has been found to change how your body processes some medications by causing your body to break them down more slowly. This means that there could be MORE of the drug in your system at any one time, so it won't decrease the effectiveness but could increase the side effects. This is bad news for other classes of medication that could build up to dangerous amounts, but for contraceptives a small amount of grapefruit juice on a single occasion - especially if drunk a few hours from taking your pill - shouldn't be anything to worry about.

[moonlightbae]

I also want to add that in my contraceptives manual it is written that grapefruit juice may have an impact on dienogest increase in plasma and I should use barrier contraception when taking it and 7 days after.
I wanted to ask this because my COC's aren't the same ones as there is in USA - they're prescribed to me as a cure for endometriosis treatment, so different "ingredients" may have different interactions or something.

[moonlightbae]

And also, if I drank that juice for example 4 days everyday, it still would not have any impact on the effectiveness?

[Siân]

Okay, so whilst we can give some general advice, the specific instructions that come with your birth control always trumps that; it's written by the experts in that particular brand of medication and they have access to research and information that we just don't. If in doubt, follow the directions in the packaging.

[moonlightbae]

Thank you!
Also, I've been reading about what foods and herbs interfere with birth control pills and I've noticed that chamomile is one of them. Is it true? Can it reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives?
Also, what about dairy products? Some days I drink a glass of milk with my breakfast or with something I'm eating.

[Sam W]

Hi Softuris,

You may want to add this article to your reading, if you haven't already: Something You Can Worry About Less: Interference and Hormonal Birth Control. There is no known interaction between dairy and oral contraceptives that you need to worry about. As for chamomile, or any other substance you're worried about, it might be best to contact your pharmacist and ask them, since they can give you more detailed information on how different substances interact.

[moonlightbae]

thank you! Maybe I should read less irrelevant articles on the internet written by random people.

[Sam W]

You're welcome! And avoiding sources that are sketchy is definitely a sound idea. We even have these two tools to help people do just that! Legit or Unfit? Finding Safe, Sound Sex Educators & Support Online, Literacy Is Power: How To Get Yourself a Kick-Butt BS Detector

[moonlightbae]

I've read these articles, but seeing the headline "a number of foods that can make your birth control ineffective" makes me curious. As it's says: curiosity killed the cat. sometimes I get nervous about what I'm eating or if I should eat it at all! Lame

[Sam W]

Nothing wrong with being curious, as long as you have the tools to evaluate what you find . Too, something we recommend is that, if people notice they have a lot of recurring anxiety about a given topic (birth control, pregnancy, STIs, etc), it's often more helpful to steer clear of reading a bunch of articles on that subject. It keeps you from feeding the anxious parts of your brain, you know?

[moonlightbae]

I get that!
But it's something like pushing and pulling: I keep going back to them articles, even though now I know they're not evidence-based!

[Mo]

Returning to things like this that you know are unproductive or causing you more worries can sometimes be a component of anxiety. If you find that you're struggling to stay away from articles like this (or any other sources of info that make you worried about your birth control), that might be something to discuss with your mental health team so you can get some strategies to use to keep you away from those sites.
Another thing you could try is asking your doctor or nurse, the next time you're in for a checkup, to talk about potential interactions with you. I wonder if having a face-to-face conversation with someone where you can ask about specific things you've read about, or get a list of specifics to avoid, would be a more helpful way for you to feel secure about those answers.

[moonlightbae]

Thanks for the advice!
I also wanted to ask if I start my second pack (I recently started birth control) after the 7 day break, am I protected from the first day or not?
I'm a little bit worried, because I will be vaccinated from HPV and not quite sure if it does something to my birth control.
Yes, I'm aware that I should give my pills full month to work and I did, so now I'm not sure about the second month.
I try to take my pills on time everyday and not to miss it. Thanks!

[Siân]

If you've taken your pills as directed on the packaging then yes, you should be protected going forward. The HPV vaccine doesn't make the pill any less effective at preventing pregnancy.

I think at this point, what Mo said about returning to things that make you worry is important. Most things you come into contact with in day-to-day life WON'T have an impact on the pill. People have been using hormonal contraceptives for decades now, so we have a pretty good idea of how well they work, and any important interactions will be listed in the instructions. Plus, when getting other medications or vaccinations, your healthcare provider will be able to tell you if there is an impact on the pill's effectiveness.

[moonlightbae]

Thank you so much