Dermatologists prescribe oral antibiotics to female acne patients on a regular basis. There have been reports of oral antibiotic interaction with oral contraceptive preparations,1-3 but no clinical study has precisely defined the risk for women taking these medications in combination with oral antibiotics. Amid the uncertainty, some dermatologists recommend that their female acne patients use additional birth control measures as a precaution. Our study examines the frequency of pregnancy in female acne patients taking oral antibiotics in conjunction with oral contraceptives compared with published failure rates for women taking birth control pills alone.
Materials and Methods.
Female acne patients were interviewed by mail questionnaire and by survey in an outpatient dermatology clinic. Patients were questioned about concurrent usage of their antibiotic and oral contraceptive preparations. Pregnancy occurrence and side effects were also investigated. Further inquiries were made concerning the use of additional medications while receiving the pill/antibiotic combination and