Drug Interactions With Apri

Barbiturates, antibiotics, and protease inhibitors may interact with Apri. Drug interactions such as these can interfere with the effectiveness of Apri, increasing your risk of pregnancy. Some of these drug interactions with Apri can also increase your risk of developing side effects. Prior to taking Apri, be sure to tell your healthcare provider about any other medications you are taking.

Apri Birth Control Pills

An Introduction to Drug Interactions With Apri

Apri^® (desogestrel/ethinyl estradiol) is an oral contraceptive and is a generic version of Desogen^®. Apri can potentially interact with several other medicines. Many of these interactions can be severe enough to cause accidental pregnancy, and a backup method of birth control may be recommended to avoid pregnancy. Some of the medicines that may lead to Apri interactions include:

Aminoglutethimide (Cytadren^®)
Antibiotics
Aprepitant (Emend^®)
Atorvastatin (Lipitor^®)
Barbiturate medications, including (but not limited to):

Amobarbital (Amytal^®)
Butalbital (Fioricet^®, Fiorinal^®)
Pentobarbital (Nembutal^®)
Phenobarbital (Luminal^®)
Secobarbital (Seconal^®)

Cyclosporine (Gengraf^®, Neoral^®, Sandimmune^®)
Many seizure medications, such as:

Carbamazepine (Carbatrol^®, Epitol^®, Equetro™, Tegretol^®)
Felbamate (Felbatol^®)
Lamotrigine (Lamictal^®)
Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal^®)
Phenytoin (Dilantin^®, Phenytek^®)
Topiramate (Topamax^®)

Modafinil (Provigil^®)
Protease inhibitors, such as:

Selegiline (Eldepryl^®, Emsam^®, Zelapar^®)
St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
Theophylline (Uniphyl^®, Theocron^®, TheoCap^®, Theo-24^®, Elixophyllin^®).

(Apri is equivalent to Desogen^®, Ortho-Cept^®, Reclipsen™, and Solia™ birth control pills. The information in this article also applies to each of these medications.)

(Drug Interactions With Apri Continued: Page 2)