Does Paxil have an adverse effect on birth control?

Question

I recently started birth control and was wondering if my Paxil will have any effects on it. I received my birth control from the Health Department and they didn't ask any questions really, they took my financial information and handed me a 3 month supply. Help would be great.

Answer 1

The drugs La Ovral (Ethinyl Estradiol/Norgestrel) and

Paxil (Paroxetine) have no serious or mild interactions.

NOTE: There is a warning for when taking " La Ovral " , You must not drink anything like grapefruit.

The co-administration with grapefruit juice may increase the bio-availability of oral estrogens. The proposed mechanism is inhibition of CYP450 3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism in the gut wall induced by certain compounds present in grapefruits. In a small, randomized, crossover study, the administration of ethinyl estradiol with grapefruit juice (compared to herbal tea) increased peak plasma drug concentration (Cmax) by 37% and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) by 28%. Based on these findings, grapefruit juice is unlikely to affect the overall safety profile of ethinyl estradiol. However, as with other drug interactions involving grapefruit juice, the pharmacokinetic alterations are subject to a high degree of interpatient variability. Also, the effect on other estrogens has not been studied.

Wishing You Good Health !

Answer 2

You really should ask the Health Department.  I don't see why it should, but you should not be trusting your health to non experts like me.

According to Wikipedia, there are very serious concerns about taking Paxil while pregnant.  You might need to bear this in mind further down the line.

Answer 3

Not usually, but it would be helpful to know the exact birth control you're taking. There are no known interactions between Lo/Ovral and Paxil.