Birth Control + Tranquilizers = ?

[uozlulu.livejournal.com]

So, I'm 21 with freakily heavy periods to the point in which I bleed through my pad within the course of mere hours for the first two days of my period. When I'm at home all day and can change my pad enough that this doesn't happen, I go through about half a package of them within the course of the two days. (so around 10 to 15 pads)

I heard that birth control can bring the heaviness of a period down, which would help greatly, however, I'm on Lamictal, which is basically a tranquilzer used for seizure activity. I asked my nurologist before this one and have yet to ask my current one (we had more pressing issues the last two times I've seen him), if I can do both, but the first one wouldn't give me a straight answer since there's no way I'm having sex anytime soon (lack of a boyfriend would do that), so for him, there was no point. He pretty much told me to ask him after I got married.

So, does anyone here know what happens if you mix birth control with tranquilizers/seizure meds? I mean I'm just fishing for things before I bring it up with my new and much more productive nurologist

Thank you for listening!

Comments

[bonne-a-rienne.livejournal.com]

it truly depends on the med, why you're taking the tranquilizers, the seizure meds, and the birth control. A good site to check is Crazymeds.org (http://crazymeds.org/) because a lot of anti-seizure medications are used for treatments of mood disorders as well, and i've found their info to be pretty spot-on.
I've never taken lamictal, but i take topamax, and that does *horrible* things to your hormones when you're on birth control, including making it less effective; i believe, but i'm not certain, that lamictal has similar issues. I would definitely look it up. hope that was some help!

[uozlulu.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm not on birth control now, I'm just looking at the possibilities so I know whether I should even bring it up.

[garillama.livejournal.com]

No advice for you, but yeesh, the "ask me when you're married guy" sounds horrible :( He may have been okay in other aspects, but that alone would have really gotten my hackles up about him. Doesn't he know that, not only do people *gasp* have pre-marital sex, but that also women go onto birth control for reasons other than preventing babies?! Rawr.

I'd say talking to your new doctor would be the best bet as soon as you get a chance, as he should best know the reactions and things about your meds. Best of luck <3

[goingdriftless.livejournal.com]

For a time, I was taking Topamax (seizure med, but in a smaller dose than given for seizures) and Yasmin (birth control). All of the documentation said that at higher doses, Topamax would decrease the efficacy of the birth control. It was not, however, dangerous to be taking the two meds simultaneously. And I understand that that's the case with most anti-convulsants. Check the prescribing info sheet that they should have given you when you got the scrip.

Even though my Topamax dose was low enough that it shouldn't have had a reaction with my birth control, I didn't trust that there wouldn't be one. But, I am sexually active and quite concerned about preventing pregnancy! It very well may have had a cycle-regulating effect even if the efficacy was a little decreased by the other med, but I was taking no chances and switched birth control methods.

If I were you, I'd speak to a gynecologist or your general practitioner about your heavy bleeding. Both of them will be able and most likely willing to prescribe birth control and will discuss all of the risks and interactions with you. And if you sign release forms and all, they may even be willing to speak to your neurologist. And if you happen to find another doctor who refuses you birth control because you're single, keep looking. There are plenty of doctors out there who don't hold that moral point of view and who will happily write you a scrip (and/or give you other options/solutions) if it's healthy for you.

[goingdriftless.livejournal.com]

Also, you can use this drug interaction checker -- plug in Lamictal and the names of some of the common birth control pills (eg Yasmin, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Mircette), and it might give you a baseline idea of the interactions that could happen.

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Interaction/ChooseDrugs/1,4109,,00.html

Discuss with your doctor, though. S/he will have the best answers for you.