Scarleteen

Hey - I generally play it safe with antibiotics and use a second form of BC for their duration and the entirety of the pack of pills. But do I need to be concerned about the sex I have had prior to starting an antibiotic? Like even if the sex was recent - under 48 hrs? Thanks!

Honestly, I always advise practicing safer sex when using that class of antibiotics if for no other reason than you already have an infection. Your immune system is already working hard to fight one, which makes picking up another -- like an STI -- much easier. Thus, the extra need for barriers when you're ill, and my advice to use them regardless of if your antibiotic may or may not interact with your BC method.

Here's a piece that can fill you in in where we stand right now in terms of what's suggested with BC methods and antibiotics: http://www.scarleteen.com/article/bodie ... th_control

The long story short is that this may be an issue. But if you use a barrier method anyway, it's really not.