Birth Control

[connie]

I am a 30 year old who is taking laxatives to loose weight.  Since I am also taking birthcontrol, will the laxatives lessen the effectiveness of my birthcontrol pills?

[HFHS MD-JM]

Connie,

      Using laxatives to lose weight is inappropriate and may represent a sign of a mental disorder(bulimia, anorexia). I can not comment on the interaction of two drugs without knowing what they are specifically.  I do recommend that you discontinue this practice as it is potentially hazardous to your health.
      Exercise and a regular diet is the safest and most effective way to lose weight.  Keep in mind that this information is intended for general educational purposes only.  Please consult your personal physician for specific health concerns.

Sincerely,

HFHS MD-JM

Keywords: bulimia, anorexia nervosa

[stop!]

I do not know if the use of laxatives will lessen the effectiveness of birth control, but it seems to me that you should be more concerned with the effects that abuse of laxatives can have on your body.  Laxatives can be sort of addicting to your digestive system--it gets used to working only with the laxatives.  Using laxatives to lose weight is not effective, nor is it in any way a healthy thing to do.  You will be losing mostly water weight, not to mention screwing up your digestive system and your overall health.  I think that you should seek help finding a healthier approach to losing weight and gaining a positive self image. Why are you using the laxatives to lose weight anyway?  You may have some underlying issues (possibly and eating disorder?, or maybe you have just be misinformed) that you need to address.