Recently I've started taking 300mg of Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) 3x a day. When I switched to this dosing about 10 days ago nothing seemed amiss. Then I had breakthrough bleeding while on the pill. I take Apri which is .15mg of Estrogen/.3 Progesterone. I've taken this method for 9 years without fail. I have never had breakthrough bleeding until I started this new therapy of Trileptal. I called my Neurologist. The nurse asked how heavy, what color and how long it's been happening. She called back saying that it shouldn't be happening. Well duh! The lead neurologist has never heard of such a low dose of 900 mg daily having an affect on birth control. I pointed out how my pharmacist told me this was a possibility. How the makers of the drug hand out a pamphlet on using alternate methods of birth control until stabilizing on the AED. Also how every website points out this is a possibility but rare. To which they tell me to go to my OB/Gyn or Primary physcian to ensure I am not pregnant and miscarrying or just stress related or other medications. This is the only, I repeat ONLY new medication in 4 years. I am pretty fucking sure it's not any of the other ones. But I jump through their hoops and see my Primary doctor today. He checked the delivery mechanism of the AED and how it affects trileptal. He says I should switch methods because I am already experiencing break through bleeding in under 5 weeks. Uhm, Yeah...I told the Neurologist this already. Why don't they believe me, I ask? He told me they may not know all of my meds and want to be thorough. I call bullshit! But I get estrogen therapy for now to hopefully control what's been happening for 9 days now. If it is not corrected within the next 5 days to come back in to check more options. He also recommended the Mirena (IUD) as the possibility of increasing my current dose of trileptal or changing medications entirely over the next five years is possible. Which means I would have to find or alter my current form of birth control to suit, every time I had break through bleeding. This IUD would give me 5 years to manage my world while trying to manage the pain of my TN. I do not want children. I am 35 years old. My husband and I have been firm on this for 6 years now. Have any others experienced this break through bleeding before? What other options for birth control did you chose? And have you come across a Neurologist who told you it's impossible or improbable this is happening to you?
I haven't had this experience. Mine has been quite the opposite - I went 6 months without a period! I don't know about interactions with the pill, but if you need another method of birth control, I'd suggest using the sponges, or condoms. Maybe you could try a different kind of bcp?
I would have to alter my bcp every time I changed my AED. Which isn’t an option for me. That’s why my doctored suggested Mirena.I’m already using messy back up methods. Those aren’t options for long term care to me.
crystalv said:
I haven’t had this experience. Mine has been quite the opposite - I went 6 months without a period! I don’t know about interactions with the pill, but if you need another method of birth control, I’d suggest using the sponges, or condoms. Maybe you could try a different kind of bcp?