Estrogens and Progestins Oral Contraceptives : Before Using

Estrogens and Progestins Oral Contraceptives - Systemic

Estrogens and Progestins Oral Contraceptives *** Before Using *** How to Use *** Fore Safe Use *** Side Effects *** Additional Information

Before Using

In deciding to using a medication, the chance of taking the drug must be weighed against the good it will do. If you are using oral contraceptives for contraception you must understand how their benefits and chance compare to those of other birth control methods. This is a decision you, your sexual partner and your family doctor will make. For oral contraceptives, the following must be considered

Allergic reaction

Tell your family doctor if you have any unusual or allergy to estrogens or progestins. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Diet Make certain your health care professional knows if you are on any special diet, such as a low-sodium or low-sugar diet.

Pregnancy care

Oral contraceptives are not recommended for use during pregnancy and must be discontinued if you become pregnant or think you are pregnant. When oral contraceptives were accidently taken early in pregnancy, problems in the fetus did not occur. Women who are not breast-feeding may begin to take oral contraceptives two weeks after having a baby.

Breast-feeding problem

Oral contraceptives pass into the breast milk and can change the content or lower the amount of breast milk. Always they may shorten a woman's ability to breast-feed by about 1 month, especially when the mother is only partially breast-feeding. Because the amount of hormones is so small in low-dose contraceptives, your family doctor may allow you to begin using an oral contraceptive after you have been breast-feeding for a while. However, it may be necessary for you to use another method of birth control or to stop breast-feeding while taking oral contraceptives.

Adolescents This drug is frequently using for birth control in teenage females and has not been shown to cause various side effects or problems than it does in adults. Some teenagers may need extra information on the importance of taking this medication exactly as prescribed.

Drug interactions

Although certain medication must not be using together at all, in other cases two various medication may be using together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your family doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking oral contraceptives, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

Amiodarone - Cordarone
Anabolic steroids - nandrolone " Anabolin ", oxandrolone " Anavar ", oxymetholone " Anadrol ", stanozolol " Winstrol "
Androgens - male hormones
Anti-infectives by mouth or by injection - drug for infection
Barbiturates
Carbamazepine - Tegretol
Carmustine - BiCNU
Dantrolene - Dantrium
Daunorubicin - Cerubidine
Disulfiram - Antabuse
Divalproex - Depakote
Estrogens - female hormones
Etretinate - Tegison
Gold salts - drug for arthritis
Griseofulvin - Fulvicin
Hydroxychloroquine - Plaquenil
Mercaptopurine - Purinethol
Methotrexate - Mexate
Methyldopa - Aldomet
Naltrexone - Trexan - with long-term, high-dose use
Phenothiazines - acetophenazine " Tindal ", chlorpromazine " Thorazine ", fluphenazine " Prolixin ", mesoridazine " Serentil ", perphenazine " Trilafon ", prochlorperazine " Compazine ", promazine " Sparine ", promethazine " Phenergan ", thioridazine " Mellaril ", trifluoperazine " Stelazine ", triflupromazine " Vesprin ", trimeprazine " Temaril "
Phenylbutazone - Butazolidin
Phenytoin - Dilantin
Plicamycin - Mithracin
Primidone - Mysoline
Rifabutin - Mycobutin
Rifampin - Rifadin
Troleandomycin - TAO These medication may increase the risk of liver problems if taken with oral contraceptives; also, these medication may decrease the effect of oral contraceptives and increase your risk of pregnancy. Use of an additional form of birth control is recommended unless directed otherwise by your health care professional

Corticosteroids - cortisone-like drug
Theophylline Oral contraceptives may increase the effects of these medication and increase the risk of problems occurring

Cyclosporine Oral contraceptives increase the effect of cyclosporine and increase the risk of problems occurring

Ritonavir - Norvir
Troglitazone - Rezulin These medication may decrease the effect of oral contraceptives and increase your risk of pregnancy. Use of an additional form of birth control is recommended unless directed otherwise by your health care professional

Smoking, tobacco Smoking may decrease the effect of oral contraceptives and increase the risk of causing serious blood clot, vein, or heart problems

Other Information for using

The presence of other medical problems may effect the use of oral contraceptives. Make sure you tell your family doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

Abnormal changes in menstrual or uterine bleeding
Endometriosis
Fibroid tumors of the uterus Oral contraceptives usually improve these female conditions but sometimes they can make them worse or make the diagnosis of these problems more difficult

Blood clots - or history of
Heart or circulation disease
Stroke - or history of If these conditions are already present, oral contraceptives may have a greater risk of causing blood clots or circulation problems, especially in women who smoke tobacco. Otherwise, oral contraceptives may help prevent circulation and heart disease if you are healthy and do not smoke

Breast disease - not involving cancer Oral contraceptives usually protect against certain breast diseases, such as breast cysts or breast lumps; however, your family doctor may want to follow your condition more closely

Cancer, including breast cancer - or history of or family history of Oral contraceptives may worsen some cancers, especially when breast, cervical, or uterine cancers already exist. Use of oral contraceptives is not recommended if you have any of these conditions. If you have a family history of breast disease, oral contraceptives may still be a good choice but you may need to be tested more often

Chorea gravidarum
Gallbladder disease or gallstones - or history of
High blood cholesterol
Liver disease - or history of, including jaundice during pregnancy or oral contraceptive use
Mental depression - or history of Oral contraceptives may make these conditions worse or, rarely, cause them to occur again. Oral contraceptives may still be a good choice but you may need to be tested more often

Diabetes mellitus - sugar diabetes Use of oral contraceptives may cause an increase, usually only a small increase, in your blood sugar and usually does not effect the amount of diabetes drug that you take. You or your family doctor will want to test for any changes in your blood sugar for 12 to 24 months after starting to take oral contraceptives in case the dose of your diabetes drug needs to be changed

Epilepsy - seizures - or history of
Heart or circulation problems
High blood pressure - hypertension
Migraine headaches Oral contraceptives may cause fluid build-up and may cause these conditions to become worse; however, some people have fewer migraine headaches when they use oral contraceptives