Illumini23 asked
I take amitriptyline 10mg for anxiety and need the 'morning-after pill'. Can I take the 'morning-after pill' or will these 2 things affect each other?
At a glance
- There is no known interaction between the 'morning-after pill', which contains levonorgestrel, and amitriptyline.
Answer
I'm glad you're asking this question!
It is always a good idea to check into potential drug interactions, especially when it involves a serious situation such as unplanned pregnancy.
You certainly don't want to take the 'morning-after pill' (also known as an 'emergency contraceptive pill') with a drug that could potentially reduce its effectiveness and since the 'morning-after pill' is available without a prescription, there may be times where a potentially dangerous interaction is missed.
The good news here is that there is no known drug interaction between the morning-after pill (which contains the hormone levonorgestrel) and amitriptyline. They are considered safe to take together.
It is important to note here that there are several morning-after pill products on the market (e.g. Plan B, My Way) but they all contain levonorgestrel (with the exception of the prescription drug ella, which contains ulipristal). Amitriptyline is fine to take with any of them.
Now, just because amitriptyline is safe to take in this situation, that doesn't mean that the 'morning-after pill' doesn't have its share of dangerous drug interactions.
There are several prescription and over-the-counter drugs that are known to potentially decrease the effectiveness of any progestin containing drug (levonorgestrel is a progestin and an active ingredient in birth control pills). These include:
If you are concerned that anything you are taking may potentially alter the effectiveness of the 'morning-after pill', be sure to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about it.
