St. John's Wort vs. Birth Control Pill?
488888
St johns wort makes birth control ineffective...in other words your birth control will not work and you may get preggy
167545
tension tamer tea, it has st johns wort in it and it does reduce the pills reliability, the tea is made by celestial seasonings
969300
NO. I think the only herb/supplement that will make the pill ineffective is st. john' s wort. I don't remember why, but I know I read it on a medical site. Ivillage.com I think. I took hydroxycut for months while on the pill, and I didn't get pregnant.
648655
It really depends on your preference.  Although they are both extremely effective, they do have their own pros and cons.\n\nDepo shot is good for those people that can't remember to take a pill everyday.  You just go in and have a shot every three months.  Most people experience very light or no periods.  However, some people tend to gain weight, have headaches, mood swings, and irritability.  The problem is, you can't really do anything about it because the injection lasts all three months versus a pill that you can just discontinue.\n\n"The Pill" is another birth control alternative that can cause side effects like the Depo but once again, you can stop taking it.  You do have to remember to take it everyday and some people complain of stomach aches.  This can usually be remedied by eating a small snack with the pill of just before you go to bed so you sleep through it.  \n\nThere are also other alternatives out there such as the patch, the OrthoEvra ring which is a hormone ring that you insert once a week and it directs the hormones right to your female organs.  There is also the IUD (intrauterine device) which you can get hormonal or copper based.  This is inserted and can last up to seven years.  The only problem is most Doctors require that you have had a child first to insure adequate space.
974975
Registered Nurse here;  Hi:), well I just spent 10 minutes reading about this anti-fungal medication.  I wanted to make sure I was correct prior to posting, after reading the other answers, and especially the one from the pharmacy tech.  As I initially thought, this medication has absolutely no effect what so ever on birth control.  This medication treats candidacies (a yeast infection).  It is frequently given to all females with yeast infection.  Teenagers, Adults, non-pregnant and pregnant.  If you have any further questions or to verify this answer, call your pharmacist, make sure you speak with a pharmacist.\nThanks for the opportunity to address this most important and well worder question regarding your health, and the interaction of medications.
773545
Dosage: The recommended dose is 300 mg of an extract standardized to contain 0.3% hypericin, three times a day. Supplements containing 450 mg are also available and can be taken twice a day.\n\nGuidelines for use: Take St. John's wort close to mealtime to reduce stomach irritation. In the past, those using the herb were advised not to eat certain foods, including aged cheese and red wine -- the same foods best avoided by those taking MAO inhibitors (a type of antidepressant). But recent studies suggest that these foods do not present a problem for those on St. John's wort.\n\nLike a prescription antidepressant, the herb must build up in your blood before it becomes effective, so be sure to allow at least four weeks to determine whether it works for you. It can be used long term, as needed. Unless you are under the care of a doctor familiar with both conventional antidepressants and St. John's wort, the medication and the herb should not be taken together because of the potential for adverse reactions. \nThough no adverse effects have been reported in pregnant or lactating women using the herb, there have been few studies in this group of patients, so caution is advised.
1005592
Here's the scoop about birth control pills...\n\nYou have to take them EVERY DAY AT THE SAME TIME for them to be MOST effective (99% effective). If you take them everyday but at different times of day, it doesn't keep a constant level of hormone in your system. So long as you follow that cardinal rule your pill will be effective. The brand name of your pill isn't going to effect that either....so whether you're on a full dose or low dose hormone pill, it doesn't matter. If you're still unsure about it, there is no shame in using condoms. They are a great back-up method to BC pills.
1110930
Birth control pills is good also to prevent the formations of cyst in the oavrian and to shrink them too, because of a condition known as Policysit Ovariun.\nI don't know from where he and you got the information that birth control is responsable for 70% of defective baby !!!!!\nWhat is really going on between the two of you is he wants to get you pregnent, so if you don't want this be careful.\nHe seems to be a very controled person that wants things done by his wishes and not being resonable on listening to you and respecting your opinion and choices....the wosre is him frating to leave you if you don't do what he wants....Well, today is the birth control, tomorrow he will frat  to leave you again if you don't do what he wants...If you really want to make your point about birth control, get an appointment with your gynecologist and ask him to come with you, there, with a specialist he won't be able to use this ridiculous argument, than I can bet, he will say something Iike I don't care what doctors say or you stop with the pill or I leave you.\nThe thing isn't about the sides effects of brith control pill but is him to get what he wants without being honest with you and tell you his real reasons....perharps if he tells he will feel obligated to you and he doesn't that.\nI would leave him, not only for the frat which is inmature, ignorant and selfish, but for the fact of him being a person whom don't value your opinion and don't give you the right of make your own choices and decisions. \nI hope you don't get upset with what I just told you, but I have good intentions on trying to give you a good advice.
698344
Birth control pill use.\nThe effect of using birth control pills on a woman’s subsequent \nmenopausal period is in large measure an unstudied phenomenon, \nbut birth control pills – which work by suppressing your native \nhormones, can themselves lead to many health problems. Many of the \nproblems of estrogen dominance, including fluid retention, \ndepression, headaches, and urinary tract infections, are experienced \nby women using birth control pills. Everything we’ve said about the \nnegative effects for menopausal women of using progestins applies to \nthe progestins used in birth control pills. Having altered your \nnormal hormonal cycles when using the Pill, you are more prone to \nsymptoms at midlife as well as potentially more serious health problems. \nThis is because the synthetic estrogens and progestins used in the \nPill can interfere with the body’s own progesterone receptors. The \nprogestins are more potent and may inhibit the product of your body’s \nown sex hormones.\n\nNeed more info?\nE-mail me!\nblessings~\nMichelle Jones
747468
Yes.  I have switched from pill to pill trying to find one that didn't make me depressed.  It happened to me every week before my period and every week after.  One moment I would be fine and the next I couldn't stop crying over trivial matters.  It did not matter what pill I was on and a lot of doctors couldn't help me, they just kept prescribing different methods of contraception.\n\nI tried Spirulina (vitamins made from Seaweed) for stress purposes and that seemed to help a bit.\n\nEventually I found a very knowledgeable lady.  Apparently (and I kbow it sounds far-fetched but its true) during certain times of the month, women retain water and the pill exacerbates this.  With the extra water, there is more pressure on the brain which sends mixed messages to it causing the emotional rollercoaster you're on.  She prescibed very mild water-tablets for me.  It helped a lot.  The reason the Spirulina seemed to work was because its also a diuretic to some extent.  However, for me it never cleared up completely so I also took Vitamin B6.\n\nNow I'm off the pill and I don't seem to be suffering like I used to.
1065826
St. John's Wort is the only herbal remedy.  But I recommend exercise.  It seems like work, but it will make you feel better than pretty much anything!
920438
I doubt your pregnant.  With any hormonal method, you can have a fluctuation in your hormones which can make you spot.  However, pregnancy can occur on the patch depending on someone's weight.  If you weigh more than 198, the patch can't penetrate the body fat and there isn't enough hormone to keep from releasing an egg.  Some herbs can affect the Pill...St. John's Wort is one.  But I don't think it will affect the patch because it's metabolized in the body differently.
236265
ST JOHN'S WORT - a patient's guide \nNatalie Gauld - Pharmacy Educator \n\n\nUse: mild to moderate depression \n\nSt John's Wort is a herbal remedy, also known as hypericum. It has been used for centuries for depression and anxiety. It is commonly used in Germany and other parts of the world.\n\nThe flowers and leaves of the St John's Wort plant (Hypericum perforatum) are used to make the herbal remedies. These flowers and leaves contain many different compounds including hypericin, which is thought to be one of the compounds that makes St John's Wort helpful for depression and anxiety. These compounds are extracted from the plant matter using alcohol.\n\nSome of the products available are "standardised" for hypericin. This means that the amount of hypericin is measured and should be the same in every single tablet. Therefore, standardised products are more consistent than products that are not standardised. Because there are many different compounds in the plant, it is thought that other ingredients will have an effect on depression also, but because they are not "standardised" they may vary from tablet to tablet. Different brands will have different amounts of hypericin and other ingredients, so it pays to stay with one reputable brand rather than switching from one to another.\n\nSt John's Wort looks very promising as a treatment for mild to moderate depression. There have been comparisons of St John's Wort with other medicines for depression such as imipramine and amitriptyline (tricyclic antidepressants) in tests. These studies have been fairly positive for St John's Wort, indicating that St John's Wort helps with depression and does not have many side effects. Unfortunately the trials have been only for short periods of time (e.g. 4 or 8 weeks), so it is not certain how well St John's Wort will work or whether there will be more side effects over a longer period of use. These studies have usually been carried out with only small numbers of patients, which is also a disadvantage.\n\nSt John's Wort has been compared with older tricyclic antidepressants (e.g. imipramine and amitriptyline), and has generally shown fewer side effects than the tricyclic antidepressants. It would be useful to compare St John's Wort with newer antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Aropax) to see if St John's Wort works as well and if St John's Wort has as few or less side effects, as these medicines are used so commonly now.\n\nIt is not known how St John's Wort works. It is thought that St John's Wort may affect serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine uptake.\n\nCautions: \n\nDo not use if pregnant or breastfeeding without talking to your doctor first. \n\nIf you are on other medicines check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking St John's Wort. \n\nIf you have liver or kidney problems, or other serious medical conditions it is very important to check with your doctor before taking any herbal remedies. \n\nIf you think you are depressed it is important to talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. More severe and persisting depression may not be responsive to St John's Wort, and it is important to talk to your doctor to discuss if your feelings are due to depression. \n\nSide effects: \n\nThis remedy does not seem to have many problems with side effects, however possible side effects are listed below:\n\nAllergy. \n\nIncreased skin sensitivity to the sun is extremely rare. \n\nSt John's Wort generally does not seem to cause drowsiness and affect the ability to drive, however a very small percentage of people taking it may feel tired. \n\nIncreased sensitivity to touch, temperature and pain is a possibility. \n\nThere may be other side effects, so if you have any unexpected symptoms while taking this medicine, tell your doctor or pharmacist.\n\nInteractions: \n\nThere is a potential with any herbal product or medicine for
595863
It is called Loestrin I believe.  I'm thinking of switching & have tried to do some research on it.  It sounds pretty good.  Try their website: www.shortperiod.com
613769
I am reading the label on a bottle of St. John's Wort:\n\n"Helps promote a positive mood," it says right on the front.\n\nUnder 'warnings' on the back it says not to use if pregnant or lactating - and that it is not intended for use in people under 18.  It also says to consult your doctor before using if you have ANY health or psychological problems, and not to use if you are taking a prescription anti-depressant or other prescription meds.\n\nIf you are none of the above it says to take 2 capsules, three times daily, and discuss its usage with your doctor.\nIn this bottle 2 capsules = 300 mg.\n\nHope that you feel better soon.  :)
284328
I take Saint John's Wort and it is definitely effective.  However, it has to build up in your system over the course of like, three months or so.  Eventually you realize that you haven't had a panic attack or a weird black mood (or if you have it hasn't been that bad).  I have not taken prescription drugs - anything that instantly changes your personality I do not trust.\n\nSaint John's Wort doesn't change my personality, but rather allows me not to have to worry as much.  The danger there is that you get into the habit of taking it, then you feel fine so you stop - and just like it took three months to get it going, it goes away gradually and suddenly you're back worrying about the world and life and everything and you realize you stopped taking the Saint John's Wort a couple of months ago.
469844
Of course not. Birth control Pills might interact with other medications, however, including certain herbal remedies. St John's Wort destroys them, Nicotine raises the possibility of deep venous thrombosis, and some anticonvulsants maight have stronger effects in combination with birth control pills. Theonly vitamin that can have an adverse effect on pregnancy is vitamin A, wich can cause severe birth defects. Talk to yur doctor