Oral contraceptive therapy in women: drug interactions and unwanted outcomes

Oral contraceptives are highly effective contraceptive agents used worldwide that have a relatively low incidence of adverse side effects. Drug interactions that decrease the efficacy of contraception or that limit the efficacy of concomitant medications can occur. The most frequent clinically encountered interactions involve antibiotics or anticonvulsants. The incidence of adverse thrombotic events is low and can be further minimized by the use of low estrogen doses; avoidance of smoking or not prescribing oral contraceptives in smokers; and avoidance of exposure in genotypes at high risk for thrombosis (Leiden Factor V mutation).