Combined with St. John's Wort, Birth Control May Lose Effectiveness

Combined with St. John's Wort, Birth Control May Lose Effectiveness

BETHESDA, Md.--St. John's wort may not only interfere with prescription drugs, but anew study suggests it might also reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. In theFeb. 12 issue of The Lancet, a study showed that drug effectiveness dropped as muchas 50 percent when taken with St. John's wort. This supports previous studies whichreported that menstrual irregularities were experienced by women taking St. John's wortconcurrently with the pill. "Choose either another antidepressant or anothercontraceptive method," recommended James Trussell of the Office of PopulationResearch at Princeton University. For additional information, visit www.thelancet.com.