Birth control & Antibiotics - Risk?

[purpleandpink]

I was prescribed oral Clindamycin to treat a strep infection 2 weeks ago. I have been on a combination birth control pill for the past few years, and I consider myself a perfect user. I started taking Clindamycine during my last 3 active pills.

The next week, I got my period as normal. By Friday I had developed a yeast infection due to the antibiotics. I was prescribed one pill of Diflucan to treat it. I was feeling better by Sunday, and had sex with no additional protection.

I know that clindamycin is not known to interact with BC, so I was not concerned about it effecting my pill. I know that Diflucan can decrease effectiveness, but I had been told that this was not a concern if taking it while on my placebo pills as the hormones had already been digested at this point.

I am becoming concerned that I was in fact not totally protected, especially since I had sex on the last day of my pack. I know that starting a new pack late is very risky, and I am worried that the antibiotics in my system may have affected the effectiveness of the tail end of my old pack, or the effectiveness of this new one!

What do you think the risk is here? There's still time for me to take Plan B.

Thank you!

[Sam W]

Hi purpleandpink,


So, if your healthcare provider that taking diflucan would not adversely affect your pill effectiveness, then I would go by what they said. However, if you're concerned, you can call and discuss those concerns with them. In the meantime, I would use condoms in addition to your pill. It's a good habit to get into anyway, and it will help lessen your worries here.