quick bcp question

[Willing and Unsure]

i just started taking bcp's and i'm just wondering if it's ok to take advil (or ibuprofin) while i'm on it.. they didnt exactly cover that during the little appointment i had.. i get some rather bad headaches from stress and sometimes its needed... i guess i'm asking so i know whether or not it will affect the way bcps work (ya know like they say antibiotics affect it)

 

[Cheyenne]

No effect on the bcp's. We'd all be in trouble if they did.

 

[Ice Princess]

There's no problem with over-the-counter medications, and as far as I know, the only prescription drugs that cause problems are antibiotics. When a doctor prescribes anything, I make sure he knows I take the pill and could advise on possible interactions, but really, I don't think many drugs damage its effectiveness.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

thanx... i just wanted to make sure before i took anything... i just started taking the bcp's yesterday and i dont want to screw anything up with it (which i'm good at doing anyway)...

 

[Pokerman]

I just always call the pharmacist when I have a question about drug interactions. They're much easier to get in touch with than the doctor, esp after the doctors office closes....

 

[Willing and Unsure]

i would call the pharmacy, but they are just as hard to get a hold of as the doctors here... i'm on a college campus and the only doctors (and pharmacy) available are the ones on campus (yes there is a pharmacy on campus here).. so instead of trying to get through to a doctor, i figured i'd ask a rather well educated group about this stuff... it doesnt hurt, cuz i'm sure someone else somewhere down the line may have the same question

 

[Azwed]

As far as I know anti-biotics are the only drugs that throw off bcp's. One thing I will warn you about, since very few people know this, bcp's absorb alot of B1 vitiamins. My exgf had this problem and she had no idea it was happening. She is a vegitarean so she does not get alot of B1 in her diet. What little she was getting was being all used up by the bcp's. The end result was that after being on the pill for 7 months or so she started getting really depressed. She was always depressed or angry. We spend 2 months doing nothing but fighting because her body chemistry was so fucked up. It was driving me crazy and I could not take it anymore so I broke up with her. Not long ago she told me how bad the next 2 months were for her. She was so depressed she thought about suicide. Her body chemistry finally sorted itself out after she had been off the pill for 2 months. During the summer she did some research and eventually found out what happened to her. No one ever mentioned that bcp's use up B1 vitamins and it nearly killed her. Just to be safe even if you are not a vegetarian take supplements. Just a basic multivitamin and you should be fine.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

thanx for the tip bout that... i never would have thought such a thing would happen.. i do take a multivitamin daily so thats not a problem.. i'm even going to work it out to take the vitamin and the pill at the same time so i dont forget one or the other ever

 

[~melia~]

Be careful with herbs....

Some can counteract bc pills. St. John's Wort is one that comes to mind. You might want to check with your doctor if you take anything other than vitamins, calcium, and "regular" medicine.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

i'm thinking of taking some advil (or possibly midol) for the massive stress headache i've gotten today.. i hate dealing with the "doctors" here

 

[OUTSIDER]

Also laxatives and diarrhoea can mess with the BCP as they can cause the BCP to pass through before it gets a chance to act properly.

 

[Beebeeblue]

Hey there Willing.......

I dont know how bad your headaches get now, but before I went on bcp, I got infrequent migraines. After being on them for 2 yrs, my migraines came like clockwork. Seriously, 3rd wk of pills, migraine for 3 days. I quit them after 2 yrs. (of course I am trying for lilbbb#2) Just thot Id throw that in there for you. IF your headaches get worse, talk to your Dr. about a lower doseage.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

thanx for the suggestioin hun... but i just started taking these (like i took the first pill ever yesterday).. so i know the headaches are stress related.. especially since i dont normally get headaches except when i'm really stressed out (usually around exam time)... that's why i wanted to make sure about the ibuprofin.. i really dont want to lessen the effects of the bcp's cuz of my taking some advil or sumthin like it