Scarleteen

Hi,

I feel like I get conflicting information about some antibiotics so I just want to be sure for the future. The doctor said that microbic that he gave for UTI wouldn't interfere with my Nuva Ring, but on your birth control bingo here http://www.scarleteen.com/birth_control ... ation_pill, it is listed as a possible one (nitrofuratonin), and on the boards for previous posts it says most UTI meds aren't known to interact. I'm not terribly worried because we used condoms when I was on it, and for the week after, and then pulled out the one time we didn't, and the doctor said that it was ok when I specifically asked. But Is there just no clear consensus?

Your doctor specifically said that this medication won't interfere with your Ring, so that's your clear answer.

I found a patient information leaflet for Macrobid, and it stated that oral contraceptives may be affected. Obviously, the ring isn't oral, so you're all good!

Information about drug interations is really very specific, specialised knowledge: knowing about every single medication with every other single medication is a huge, huge amount of information. We do take care that all our information is medically accurate, but we don't intend our information to replace or substitute specialised medical information. Our lists of possible interactions with hormonal contraceptives aren't intended as the final word in what's ok and what's not about every possible combination: they're intended as a comprehensive reference point about what to be aware of and to check with a relevant expert, like a doctor or pharmacist. You did exactly that by asking your doctor I hope that helps clear that up for you.

Too, sometimes it can seem a bit confusing when looking for information about possible interactions with hormonal contraception. Part of that is about being patient-friendly - it's easier to communicate and remember "if you're using hormonal contraception, tell your doctor about it and ask about interactions when you're being prescribed medication" than an exhaustive list of different medications with different methods. Too, it's about how much proof there is and liability: for some medications, there's no evidence that there's any interaction, but it's hard to prove conclusively that there isn't one, and so sometimes it gets listed as "possible" even though as far as everyone knows there isn't one. After all, most people wouldn't want to take any chances with contraception and wouldn't mind being extra-cautious.

Yeah, better safe than sorry. Thanks for the explanation - I also didn't mean to imply anything was inaccurate, just a reflection of how much I trust Scarleteen's knowledge on everything. I also didn't know that NuvaRing might be affected differently than oral contraceptives, so good to know and to always ask!

You're very welcome, and no worries! I didn't infer that, either (although it's always absolutely ok to ask us about anything that doesn't quite seem right - we're only human, after all ) - just wanted to do as much as possible to clear things up for you.