Don’t cause unplanned pregnancy!

Some psychiatric (psychotropic) drugs decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives by inducing the cytochrome P450 3A4 isoenzyme that metabolizes both estrogen and progesterone. Oops! Our medication may inadvertently cause an unwanted pregnancy. Which medications often taken by patients with mental health problems may do this? 1. Armodafinil (Nuvigil®) or modafinil (Provigil®) 2. Some antiepileptics: carbamazepine (Tegretol®), oxcarbazepine…