Drug Interactions With Microgestin Fe

Some medications can interact negatively with Microgestin Fe. Drug interactions may occur if the contraceptive is taken with medications such as antibiotics, barbiturates, or some seizure medications, to name a few. Some of these interactions can decrease the effectiveness of the contraceptive, increasing your risk of pregnancy. These drug interactions with Microgestin Fe may also increase your risk of certain side effects.

 

An Overview of Drug Interactions With Microgestin Fe

Microgestin® Fe (norethindrone/ethinyl estradiol) can potentially interact with several other medicines. These interactions can be severe enough to cause accidental pregnancy, and a backup method of birth control may be recommended in many cases. If you are taking any medication that interacts with Microgestin Fe and increases the risk of pregnancy, check with your healthcare provider about how long to use a backup method of birth control (it may be longer than you would guess).
 
(Microgestin Fe is a generic version of Loestrin® Fe and is also equivalent to Junel Fe™ birth control pills. The information in this article also applies to both of these medications.)
 
Some of the medicines that may lead to drug interactions with Microgestin Fe include:
 
  • Aminoglutethimide (Cytadren®)
  • Antibiotics
  • Aprepitant (Emend®)
  • Barbiturate medications, such as:
 
    • Amobarbital (Amytal®)
    • Butalbital (Fioricet®, Fiorinal®)
    • Pentobarbital (Nembutal®)
    • Phenobarbital (Luminal®)
    • Primidone (Mysoline®)
    • Secobarbital (Seconal®)
 
  • Cyclosporine (Gengraf®, Neoral®, Sandimmune®)
  • Dexamethasone (Decadron®)
  • Many seizure medications, such as:
 
 
 
 
(Drug Interactions With Microgestin Fe Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;