birth control efficacy while taking Lamictal

Found this through pub med, it the abstract for the article - skip to the conclusion if you want the simple answer.  The article is pay for only, but if anyone really wants it contact me and I may be able to get it through my educational institution's subscription.  When I first posted, this article had not been filed with pub med. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21134499

The use of hormonal contraception among women taking anticonvulsant therapy.AbstractBACKGROUND:

Drug interactions between hormonal contraceptives and anticonvulsants, resulting in reduced contraceptive effectiveness and/or increased seizure activity, have been published.

STUDY DESIGN:

We conducted a systematic review, searching PUBMED and The Cochrane Library for articles in any language on use of hormonal contraceptive methods among women taking anticonvulsant therapy from 1966 through 3 May 2010. Forty-three articles were identified and evaluated.

RESULTS:

Evidence suggests drug interactions occur when combined oral contraceptives (COCs), the levonorgestrel implant (Norplant), or the etonogestrel implant (Implanon) are used concomitantly with carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, topiramate or lamotrigine. Significant drug interactions were not observed during sodium valproate intake and COC use nor among women using progestogen-only contraceptives and taking lamotrigine.

CONCLUSIONS:

To avoid contraceptive failure or increased seizure activity, women with epilepsy should be offered contraceptive methods that do not interact with anticonvulsant medication.

I also ran into this problem and went on the depo shot for that very reason. However, I am having depressive episodes and severe emotional reactions with the depo. i was wondering if there is an alternative to the lamictal that would allow me to go back on the pill. Torn!!!

You can always try Abilify. It's not an anti-convulsant, but it does alter your dopamine levels, which is the *only* neurotransmitter I'm uncomfortable messing with. (I was a TA for classes on drugs and abnormal psychology.)

Hi I've been prescribed Lamictal this week and am also on Micronor (a progesterone only based birth control - norethindrone). I was wondering if anybody knew whether it was only estrongen based birthcontrols that seemed to be failing or progesterone based ones too? Just want to double check because I don't want any little ones just yet and will switch to using additional backups if need be with my boyfriend :) Thanks for any replies!

According to the most recent study (see my post above), it *should* be fine.

ok.... In all honesty not every doctor knows everything about everything. My doctor said it does decrease the effect on bc. Im not saying Im right or wrong but doctors have no idea!! If you dont want a kid dont be a fool wrap that tool. I have read alot of these post and everyone keeps saying yes it will and no it wont( doctors say) In my opinion I would not risk it!!! It's not worth it.

New Guest wrote:

Guest wrote:

Not to act like an ultimate authority on this issue but I have been on Lamictal for 7 1/2 years and birth control for 6. I have missed a pill or two of the birth control in that time period but otherwise have taken it as prescribed. I have had no problems with the two interacting. None. No pregnancy or pregnancy scare (no, I am not sterile so that is not the issue), no decrease in the efficacy of the lamictal, it has been working perfectly. Likely, the two year old is a result of improper use of the birth control however you might be one of the less than 0.01% that has a problem with taking both lamictal and the birth control. So for everyone else, I wouldn't worry too much about it. So far, there hasn't been much research to prove any problems.

ok.... In all honesty not every doctor knows everything about everything. My doctor said it does decrease the effect on bc. Im not saying Im right or wrong but doctors have no idea!! If you dont want a kid dont be a fool wrap that tool. I have read alot of these post and everyone keeps saying yes it will and no it wont( doctors say) In my opinion I would not risk it!!! It's not worth it.

Agreed - it all comes back to the research. And if you really want to know, go to pubmed. It's quite possible that your bcp is interacting with the lamictal and you wouldn't know since the dosage is increased as needed. Thus it's hard to know if the increase is b/c you just need a higher dose or b/c something is decreasing its efficacy. Sadly, it's not uncommon for doctors to be behind in the latest research - but the research is out there, and it's worth reading. The abstracts are free and some of the articles are free too (as well they should be since most of the research is funded by tax payer money). As one who does research for a living, I can assure you that personal testimonials mean nothing in the absence of proper statistics obtain from a large sampling of the population.

i have been on lamtical for probably over 2 yrs for sezuires and my doctor told me i cant be on any birthcontrol and if i was on it i would have a higher risk to become pregant and if i would have become pregant on this pill that the baby would have serious problems does anyone know any kind of birthcontrol i could get on that would work

In June 2012, my OB/GYN clearly stated that Lamictal does lessen the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. I was previously on the depo shot and this was not as much of a concern on that contraceptive. 

I have been on lamictal for 6 yrs now. I have had health babies while taking it. The risk of birth defects is low but high. If you want kids go for it. I no many ppl on this med and we all have healthy kids with no birth defects. Even if my girls were I would still love them just as much as I do now

I am on bc and on Lamictal for years. While not all bc med are ineffective with Lamictal, most are (I think its the estrogen). My doctor and my pharmacist confirmed this. I think the reason most of us are not aware is because the prescribing doctors are different for both prescriptions. As a doctor, you would have to be very familiar with how Lamictal works to know there is a reaction.

I had no idea that birth control and lamictal could increase your chance of pregnancy. I just found out after trying to determine why I am pregnant for my second time using birth control 100% as directed. The first time I got pregnant I was using the ring, and had only been taking lamictal for a few months. Totlly unexpected, I was an active little sorority girl. Wow...college was a little different after that. After I had my 1st son I stopped taking Lamictal for several years and had a Mirena IUD. About 6 months ago I got back on Lamictal. Boom, I'm pregnant again. I take 150mg once per day. Obviously, it affects it, or I'm just an extremely uncommon stat.

Do not take lamictal if you are on birth control. I had been seizure free for about 2-3 years and I started taking the birth control with it and started having seizures again. I decided to come off of the birth control because I was having problems with it. Once I did about a week later I had a break through seizure. My gyno never told me that this was a possibility. If he would have then I never would have taken birth control and I wouldn't be in the situation I am now. I just wanted to let everyone know that you can't always trust doctors. Always do research before you put your faith in a doctor.

I have been on Lamictal for approximately 7 years. I have taken birth control pills off and on during this time, but have not taken them for around 3 years. Back then, neither my pharmacist or doctor said there would be interactions between the two drugs. Obviously they have done some additional studies bc my psychiatrist informed me that lamictal can decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills. My pharmacist also let me know that the lamictal can decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills. Now, this may not be the case with all types if birth control pills. I am not 100% sure. I have been prescribed Yasmjn by my OBGYN. I plan on calling my psychiatrist and informing her that I am going to start taking the birth control pill. From what I understand or I have been told by my pharmacist/doctor, the birth control effectiveness can decrease, but they did not mention that the lamictal's effectiveness will decrease. If you read the pamphlet that comes with Yasmjn, it states that both drugs can cause each other to metabolize through the body faster. My suggestion would be to stop looking stuff up online! You can never know if someone missed a pill or something like that. Your doctors and pharmacist will be able to give you the best information. I would just make sure you are communicating with your doctors. That is the most important. I know I need to let my psychiatrist know! I hope this helps anyone who is wondering!

What birth control are you taking?