Some medicines can affect how well hormonal birth control works. These include:
- Some medicines used to prevent seizures (called "anticonvulsants")
- Some antibiotics
- St. John's Wort (an herbal medicine for depression)
If you take any of these medicines, talk to your health care provider about how to handle birth control. Also, if you already take hormonal birth control, mention it to any health care provider who might be prescribing medicines for you.