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Help - will supplements interact with hormonal contraception?

keepswimming

Senior Member
Messages
327
Location
UK
Hi all,

I'm still fairly new to all this, and I'm experimenting a bit with different supplements at the moment. I wondered if someone with more knowledge than me could help me with this subject!

So I am currently on the depo-provera contaceptive injection, which is a progesterone only form of contraception. I'm worried that taking supplements might make it less effective, at the moment there's two in particular I'm concerned about...

The first is valerian. I tried this and found it helped a little with the "tired but wired" feeling, I also found taking 385mg valerian root before bed helped me sleep. However a friend who works in a health food shop said her paperwork said not to take it with the contraceptive pill... I researched this, I couldn't find anything specific about contraception, but I did find this;
"Some medications are changed and broken down by the liver.
Valerian might decrease how quickly the liver breaks down some medications. Taking valerian along with some medications that are broken down by the liver can increase the effects and side effects of some medications. Before taking valerian, talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking any medications that are changed by the liver. "
(Source: WebMD)
I guess this was the reason they warned against taking it with the pill... and from my research I believe the contraceptive injection is also broken down by the liver. I was scared to risk it so I stopped taking it.

But now I'm concerned about another supplement I've been taking, garlic/allicin pills. I started taking them after reading @Hip 's post about supplements that may protect against covid - like all of us, I want to protect myself as much as possible!!

But then online I read this;
"Some birth control pills contain estrogen. The body breaks down the estrogen in birth control pills to get rid of it. Garlic might increase the breakdown of estrogen. Taking garlic along with birth control pills might decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills...
Some medications are changed and broken down by the liver.
Garlic oil might decrease how quickly the liver breaks down some medications. Taking garlic oil along with some medications that are changed by the liver can increase the effects and side effects of your medication."
(Source: WebMD)

Now, I don't think the estrogen thing should be a problem as the injection is progestrone only... but again, it has that warning about medications that are broken down by the liver.

I've tried to research how all of this would link to the contraceptive injection I'm on. A couple of things I've found I think are relevant (although not specific to the supplements I'm interested in);
"(Referring to the Depo-Provera Injection): No known interactions with dietary supplements exist, although it is always possible for one to go unreported because people haven't managed to link new health problems to the supplements they're taking. Even St. John's wort hasn't been shown to affect Depo-Provera; while birth control pill users generally know to avoid taking St. John's wort while on the pill because the supplement can lessen how well the pill works, no connection has linked St. John's wort and Depo-Provera." (Source: Livestrong).
I'm thinking if St John's wort (a well known interaction with birth control, and I believe that's to do with the liver) seems to be OK with the injection, surely other supplements would be OK too?

"The CYP enzyme system is within the liver and is responsible for metabolising different types of drugs found in common medications. Amongst these drugs or substances metabolised by the enzyme the hormones found in contraceptives such as birth control pills... According to the NHS (Natural Health Services) in Canada, the type of birth control pills that you're taking might make a difference. They state that contraceptives that contain the estrogen hormone can be at a higher risk of not working the way they should because of the interaction of CBD and the CYP enzyme system." (Source: Bloom Botanics).
This article is actually about CBD but I guess the same principles would apply... This sounds like the fact my injection is progestrone only means there's less to worry about...

Apologies for the long post... as you can see I've tried to do my research but I wondered if anyone on here has any knowledge that would help me. I don't really understand about how the liver breaks things down, how big an effect these supplements might have, and how it all works. So if someone has a bit more knowledge that would be helpful...

I don't want to reduce the effectiveness of my birth control... but on the other hand I don't want to stop taking supplements that might help me if there's no need!!

Many thanks.
 

andyguitar

Moderator
Messages
6,595
Location
South east England
(Referring to the Depo-Provera Injection): No known interactions with dietary supplements exist, although it is always possible for one to go unreported because people haven't managed to link new health problems to the supplements they're taking
If this is correct then you have nothing to worry about. Except the possibility that supps have effected it but it went unnoticed.