Acne Treatment: Side-effects of Birth Control Pills

Oral contraceptives are always being developed to minimize side effects, however there are some that your patient should be aware of:

Common Side Effects:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Cyclical weight gain
• Bloating
• Melasma
• Breast tenderness
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Headaches

Rare Side Effects:

• Blood clots
• Thromboembolism
• Stroke
• Retinal artery thrombosis
• Heart attacks
• Benign liver tumors
• Gallstones
• Increase in blood pressure
• A link with breast cancer remains controversial
• Failure of birth control

Women Should Not Take OC’s If They Have Any Of These Conditions:

• History of coronary heart disease
• Very high cholesterol
• History of blood clots or stroke
• Late renal failure
• Jaundice
• Symptomatic heart valve disease
• Breast cancer or other estrogen dependent cancer
• Smokers

Possible Drug Interactions:

Antibiotics may interact for example:

• Ampicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, cotrimoxazole, nitrofuratoin
• (possible interactions with this drug are still controversial)
• Rifampicin has definite effects on estrogen levels
• Antiepileptic drugs – for example, phenytoin, phenobarbital
• Diarrhea or laxatives may reduce absorption of OCs

How Effective Are The Methods Of Contraception?

• Levonorgestrel implant – 99.91%
• Progesterone intramuscular – 99.7%
• Copper IUD - 99.2%
• Progesterone IUD – 99.8%
• Oral contraceptives – 97% (all types)
• Condoms – 88%
• Diaphragm – 82%
• Cervical cap – 82%
• Spermacides – 79%
• Female condoms – 79%
• Sponge – 76%

Suggestions For Breakthrough Bleeding While On The OCs:

If your patient should experience bleeding early in the cycle, they should switch to a pill with higher estrogen. For mid or late-cycle bleeding, switch to a lower estrogen or higher progestin pill.