[rose_jk]

Hi once again everyone!

Now, I love my doc and all, but when I first started taking the pill a year ago, I was also on Minocycline which is a antibiotic for acne... it's like a lesser form of accutane really.

Now, he originally put me on Diane-35 a year ago, but took me off of it about 6 months ago b/c of the high statistics of heart attack and stroke. At the time, he also told me that the bcp(birth control pill) should work just fine even with taking minocycline. Well, I e-mailed the people at Diane-35 a couple of days later b/c I was skeptical and they told me that we needed to use condoms too b/c the efficacy of the bcp is decreased by a certain percentage with taking minocin. Now, they never told me the percentage of decreased efficacy of the bcp, but is it a LOT???

That is basically my question. I stopped taking minocin prolly a month after starting on the bcp b/c my skin cleared up, but now like a month ago I started massively breaking out again. Sooooooo... I got a new prescription for minocin and now I'm on it again?

My question is... I'm assuming I will still have to use protection now b/c even though it's a different pill(Alesse 21), it is still a bcp. Does anyone have any similar probs or maybe answers to the q? It sux paying monthly for birth control and STILL having to use condoms...It takes away from the entire "natural" feeling. Any advice?

Is there any acne medication that has absolutely NO effects on the bcp? Cuz I take minocin at about 8 am and then I take my bcp at 8 pm, so that's 12 hours for the acne medicine to wear off? I guess that's a stupid assumption right? Extra protection is still the answer I guess????

Help... please!

Oh!!!!! Also! Is there a bcp that is also an acne fighter? I mean.. diane-35 was used as either an acne combat-ant and/or as a bcp, so I am thinking maybe that is why I ditched the acne meds so easily, b/c diane-35 was still helping my skin as well as protecting me from getting pregnant!

---

Edited 8/18/2003 1:42:18 PM ET by rose_jk

[rose_jk]

Hi once again everyone!

Now, I love my doc and all, but when I first started taking the pill a year ago, I was also on Minocycline which is a antibiotic for acne... it's like a lesser form of accutane really.

Now, he originally put me on Diane-35 a year ago, but took me off of it about 6 months ago b/c of the high statistics of heart attack and stroke. At the time, he also told me that the bcp(birth control pill) should work just fine even with taking minocycline. Well, I e-mailed the people at Diane-35 a couple of days later b/c I was skeptical and they told me that we needed to use condoms too b/c the efficacy of the bcp is decreased by a certain percentage with taking minocin. Now, they never told me the percentage of decreased efficacy of the bcp, but is it a LOT???

That is basically my question. I stopped taking minocin prolly a month after starting on the bcp b/c my skin cleared up, but now like a month ago I started massively breaking out again. Sooooooo... I got a new prescription for minocin and now I'm on it again?

My question is... I'm assuming I will still have to use protection now b/c even though it's a different pill(Alesse 21), it is still a bcp. Does anyone have any similar probs or maybe answers to the q? It sux paying monthly for birth control and STILL having to use condoms...It takes away from the entire "natural" feeling. Any advice?

Is there any acne medication that has absolutely NO effects on the bcp? Cuz I take minocin at about 8 am and then I take my bcp at 8 pm, so that's 12 hours for the acne medicine to wear off? I guess that's a stupid assumption right? Extra protection is still the answer I guess????

Help... please!

Oh!!!!! Also! Is there a bcp that is also an acne fighter? I mean.. diane-35 was used as either an acne combat-ant and/or as a bcp, so I am thinking maybe that is why I ditched the acne meds so easily, b/c diane-35 was still helping my skin as well as protecting me from getting pregnant!

---

Edited 8/18/2003 1:42:18 PM ET by rose_jk

[rose_jk]

Hello???? Anyone????

Jo

[cl-judie_rae]

It's impossible to tell how much an antibiotic is affecting your birth control pill until you get pregnant--not a test method I'd recommend! And if there's any chance....I wouldn't press my luck. -cycline antibiotics can interfere with all birth control pills, whether it's by changing how the hormones are absorbed in the small intestine or by changing how fast the hormones are metabolized by the liver. I wouldn't bank on a 12 hour difference, considering that both medications act over a 24 hour time period!

I don't know anything about acne medications, but your dermatologist should be able to work with you here! There may be something topical you could use instead of an oral medication.

Alesse may not help your skin, but Ortho Tri Cyclen and Estrostep have both been allowed by the US FDA to claim that they help moderate acne. If your acne isn't hormone-related, though, the pill (any pill) won't help it. Birth control pills in general should help with hormone-related acne by suppressing the free testosterone in your bloodstream.

I hope that helps, this is really something to work with a dermatologist and a physician about, they'll be your best allies!

Judie