What Medications Should I Avoid While Taking the Abortion Pill?

Tell the doctor about every medicine you take. That includes prescription drugs, anything you buy over the counter, vitamins, and supplements. At your visit, the doctor checks your full list for anything that could mix badly with mifepristone or misoprostol. Those are the two medicines used in the abortion pill process.

Most common medicines do not get in the way of the abortion pill. That covers antidepressants, birth control pills, antibiotics, allergy medicines, and thyroid medicines. You can keep taking these as usual unless the doctor says otherwise.

The ones that need a closer look are blood thinners, long-term corticosteroids (steroid medicines), and certain pain relievers known as NSAIDs. The doctor will go over your own case at your visit.

Ibuprofen is safe, and it is the medicine most often used for cramps after you take misoprostol. In fact, the doctor will likely tell you to take 600 to 800 mg of ibuprofen about 30 minutes before the misoprostol. That timing helps ease the cramps.

There is one timing detail to know. If your doctor says so, skip ibuprofen and other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like naproxen or aspirin) in the hours before you take misoprostol. Taken too close together, an NSAID may keep the misoprostol from working as well. The doctor will give you exact timing.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is safe at any point, so if you need pain relief before the misoprostol, it is a good choice.

Tell the doctor at your visit if you take a blood thinner. That includes warfarin (Coumadin), heparin, and newer ones like rivaroxaban (Xarelto) or apixaban (Eliquis). The abortion pill causes bleeding, and blood thinners can make that bleeding heavier and longer.

Taking a blood thinner does not rule out the abortion pill on its own. The doctor will look at your exact medicine, your dose, and your health history to decide if it is safe for you. In some cases they may also work with the doctor who prescribed your blood thinner.

Do not stop a prescribed blood thinner on your own. Always talk with the doctor who prescribed it before making any change.

Corticosteroids (steroid medicines) such as prednisone, dexamethasone, or hydrocortisone can interact with mifepristone when used long term. Mifepristone blocks certain hormone receptors, and steroids act on some of the same ones. So for a short time your steroid medicine may not work as well.

If you take steroids daily for asthma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or an adrenal disorder, the doctor needs to know. Short-term use, like a steroid dose pack for a sinus infection, is less of a worry, but mention it anyway.

A steroid inhaler for asthma is usually safe during the abortion pill process, because very little of the dose gets into your blood. The doctor will confirm this at your visit.

Most vitamins and common supplements do not get in the way of the abortion pill. Some herbal products, though, can affect bleeding or mix with medicines in ways that are not well studied, so mention everything you take and let the doctor check it.

The ones that may raise bleeding risk include fish oil, high doses of vitamin E, ginkgo biloba, garlic supplements, and high doses of ginger. If you take any of these, the doctor may have you pause them for a few days around the time you take misoprostol.

Prenatal vitamins, multivitamins, iron, and calcium are all safe to keep taking through the whole process.

At The Center for Women, the doctor goes over your medicines as part of your visit. You will be asked to list every medicine and supplement you take, even ones you buy over the counter. If you are not sure of names or doses, bring your bottles or a photo of them.

The doctor checks how each one mixes with mifepristone and misoprostol. Then you get clear steps on what to keep taking, what to pause, and what timing to follow. This check is part of your $380 cost, along with the ultrasound, the pills, and the follow-up visit.

If the doctor finds a concern, you will talk through your options at the visit. In most cases the fix is easy and does not keep you from using the abortion pill.

Call The Center for Women at (708) 450-4545 to schedule your appointment. Same-day, evening, and weekend appointments are available. When you call, let the staff know if you have questions about your medicines, so the doctor is ready to go over them with you.

The Center for Women is at 10215 W. Roosevelt Rd. #101, Westchester, IL 60154. The cost is $380 and covers your visit, the ultrasound, the pills, and the follow-up visit.