Why does diarrhoea affect the pill

Diarrhea can impact the pill if it:. Women with chronic conditions that cause frequent diarrhea may want to consider a different birth control method, such as a vaginal ring or IUD. One of the most challenging aspects of having IBS is trying to figure out what's safe to eat. Our recipe guide makes it easier. Sign up and get yours now! Cleveland Clinic. Birth control: the pill. Updated July 21, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. How Diarrhea Affects the Pill. If you need medical advice because of your sickness or diarrhoea, speak to your GP or pharmacist or phone the NHS 24 service. If you take the combined contraceptive pill, you can start a new packet of pills straight after your last one — for example, if you want to delay your period for a holiday.

However, you can't do this if you're taking the progestogen-only pill. This is when you take a combined pill for 21 days followed by seven days without pills, when you have your period. You can delay your period by starting a new packet of pills straight after you finish the first one and not having the seven-day break.

This is when you take a combined pill every day, with the first 21 pills being active pills and the next seven pills being inactive, or dummy, pills. If you know for sure which ones are the dummy pills, you can throw the seven dummy pills away and start the active pills in the next pack straight away without having a period.

If you don't know which ones are the dummy pills, read the instructions on the accompanying leaflet carefully. If you're still unsure, check with your GP or pharmacist. This is when the mix of hormones in each pill is different, depending on which phase you're in. The packets are usually split into two or three different coloured sections. Phasic pills need to be taken in the correct order to provide effective contraception.

Check with your GP or pharmacist which pills you can safely miss out to delay your period. The progestogen-only contraceptive pill is taken every day, and your periods may be regular, irregular or have stopped altogether. You can't delay your period by changing how you take these pills. If you're not sure what type of pill you're taking, always check with your GP or pharmacist before taking two packets back-to-back. If necessary, you can take up to three packets of pills back-to-back, but speak to your GP first.

The lining of your womb continues to build up as you take the pills and you may experience side effects, such as:. When you take two or more medicines at the same time, the effects of one medicine can be altered by the other s. This is known as an interaction. If this happens, you'll need to use extra contraception to avoid getting pregnant such as condoms , change to a different method of contraception, or take your contraception in a different way.

Some hormonal contraceptives may change the effect of other medicines, such as the epilepsy treatment lamotrigine and the immunosuppressant drug ciclosporin. You may be advised to change how you take the medication or to use a different method of contraception. The patient information leaflet that comes with medicines may advise that the medicine cannot be used with certain types of contraception.

This information may be different from evidence-based guidelines used by health professionals. If you're not sure whether your contraception interacts with other medicines, speak to your GP or pharmacist, or call NHS If diarrhoea occurs as a side effect of a medicine, it could affect absorption of the combined pill or progestogen-only pill.

An example of this is the weight loss drug orlistat. Other medicines can affect the hormones in the contraceptive pill if taken at the same time.

This can happen with, for example, bile acid sequestrant drugs, such as cholestyramine. If you continue to be sick for more than 24 hours or you have severe diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, count each day with sickness or diarrhoea as a day that you've missed your pill. Missing pills or starting a new pack late can make your pill less effective at preventing pregnancy. You may need to use extra contraception, such as condoms. You may also need emergency contraception.

What if I've lost a pill? What if I've taken an extra pill by accident? How do I change to a different pill? Will a pregnancy test work if I'm on the pill?

Does the pill interact with other medicines? When will my periods return after I stop taking the pill? How do I know I've reached menopause if I'm on the pill?

What is the male pill? It depends on when and for how long you're being sick or have diarrhoea. You should take another pill straight away.