Does Using Retin-A Reduce the Effectiveness of Birth Control Pills?

I am on birth control pills but my pimples still keep appearing. I want to try using Retin-A since when I used it before (without the pills), it worked on me really good. But, now it's back, so I want to know if the birth control pills loses its effectiveness if I use both pills and Retin-A?

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2 Doctor Answers | Asked by popolo in Malden

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Retin-A does not interfere with birth control pills at all

I think you are confusing the issue of birth control pills and oral antibiotics. There would be no theoretical risk that a topical Vitamin A product would have any effect on oral administered birth control pills. As far as birth control pills and oral antibiotics, we have a situation in which their is a theoretical risk. Some people, mostly trial lawyers, maintain that antibiotics can displace the estrogen from its carrier protein thereby lessening the potency of "the pill".... more