Have you ever thought about the consequences you might face if you consume nootropic medicines such as Modafinil or Armodafinil along with oral contraceptives? Well, you might not have paid attention to it as it is a quite unusual combination of medicines to think about in the first place. The role of a nootropic medicine is to offer unmatched alertness and better concentration power. Birth control pills serve a different purpose altogether.

Why are we talking about this unusual drug combination? Can it be taken together? Is it even safe? What are the consequences of consuming these two medications together? You are going to get answers to all these questions and more.

Let’s know about nootropic medicines

Nootropic medicines aka the wakefulness promoters are basically tiny power-packed pills that have the ability to keep you awake for longer hours. These medicines are also known to boost your cognitive functions to a great extent.

Nootropic meds help people to stay awake and alert despite of the sleep bouts they experience. These wakefulness promoters work on the brain neurotransmitters and retain them in the brain region for longer period of time. However, these are only assumptions made by studies and trials. The exact work mechanism is yet to reveal to us. We know that a nootropic medicine activates brain areas linked with wakefulness and cognitive enhancement.

Here, we are going to study the key advantages that this drug bestows for its consumers and what separates it from the rest of the anti-ED clan.

One should know that any nootropic medicine is not capable of curing your sleep issues. They only help in clearing off the symptoms on a temporary basis. For many people, the wakefulness effect starts to wear off as soon as the medicine starts to leave the system. To continue enjoying the perks of nootropic medicine, one has to take the drug on a daily basis.

The Basics of Nootropic Medicines and Birth Control Drugs

The most common types of birth control include:

Vaginal rings
Skin patches
Oral pills
IUD (intrauterine device)

Amongst these birth control methods, oral pills are commonly used form. These pills are known to cause mood swings in majority of the users. However, these can be managed with the help of a nootropic medicine it exhibits mood enhancement properties. But here is the catch! Though it is an efficient remedy to improve one’s mood, is also known to interfere with the working of oral contraceptives.

The Effect of Nootropics on Oral Contraceptives

Studies have shown that nootropics interfere with oral birth control making them less effective. This further increases one’s risk of unwanted pregnancy. Another study has concluded that the nootropic medicine can cause birth defects in the growing fetus. Therefore, if you are planning on to get pregnant, you should not use nootropics for narcolepsy.

To ensure you do not get conceive while being on the nootropic medicines, you just opt for non-oral forms of contraceptives such as intrauterine devices, patches, injections etc.

How does nootropics interfere with oral birth control?

The nootropic is an ‘enzyme-inducer’. It increases enzymes’ activity found in the liver. These enzymes are responsible for the breakdown of oral contraceptives. The nootropics speed up the breaking down process of these enzymes which means they get less time to work on the assigned function to them – to prevent unwanted/unplanned pregnancy.

Unfortunately, there are no large-scale trials that tested the wakefulness promoter with various oral contraceptives. Records have some trials that involved the birth control medicines with other medicines that have ‘enzyme-inducing’ properties. The conclusions derived from these studies revealed that the birth control pills showed less effectiveness when they were administered along with other ‘enzyme-inducers’. The conclusions from these studies are enough to explain the effects of nootropic meds on the oral contraceptive medicines.

What can be done to reduce the effects of nootropics on birth control pills?

The sure way to prevent negative effects of nootropic medicines on the oral contraceptives is to seek non-oral contraceptive options. You can go for vaginal patches, or IUDs.

You can also ask your doctor to prescribe you other types of brain enhancers which have low risk of interfering with the oral birth control drugs.

Talk to your doctor and find out the best form of birth control method that works along with nootropic medicines.

Side effects of nootropics

Along with interfering with oral birth control medicines, nootropics are also prone to develop side effects. Not all users get to experience side issues but some people face a few mild side issues. Some cases have also reported severe side effects.

You may complain of headache, nausea, dizziness, stomach ache, etc, after the consumption of nootropics. In a very few rare cases, people have reported severe side effects including chest pain, anxiety, faster heartbeat, severe dizziness, allergic reactions, etc.

When you experience any severe side effects after taking a nootropic medicine, you must see a doctor. Also, discontinue the usage of the drug until you feel better.

How to avoid side effects with nootropics

One must not take the nootropic medicine with alcohol. This combination affects the sleep cycle badly by causing dizziness. The combination might also cause a sharp drop in the blood pressure.
Inform your doctor if you have health issues especially liver or kidney disorders that may take a worse turn when nootropics are consumed.
Tell your doctor if you are using any other drugs before you take buy Modafinil UK. Drug interactions have higher chances of developing side effects. This can be avoided by keeping sufficient time gap between the administration of nootropic and other medications.
Pregnant women should use the nootropic medicine only and when required. The dosage pattern and the outcome should be monitored by a healthcare professional.
Nootropics might pass into the breast milk. To ensure no side effects occur or the baby remains safe.

Final thoughts

Nootropic medicines are FDA approved and they help people with their battle against excessive daytime sleepiness. Though it may cause a few issues with oral birth control medicines, it still the most sought-after nootropic medicine. You can rely on non-oral contraceptives while being on nootropics.

Ref. Links

https://www.forbes.com/health/supplements/best-nootropics/#:~:text=Nootropics%20should%20also%20be%20avoided,)%20to%20severe%20(cardiovascular%20issues)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9415189/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/supplements-during-pregnancy

https://medium.com/@nootracaresales/there-are-risks-to-pregnancy-when-taking-modafinil-14ccaec44bec

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/partner-content-supplements-during-pregnancy