Implanon

How can this medicine affect other medicines?

It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before this Implanon is inserted. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while you have the implant in place, to ensure that the combination is safe.

The following medicines may speed up the breakdown of etonogestrel by the body and so reduce the effectiveness of Implanon at preventing pregnancy:

- antiepileptic medicines such as carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone and topiramate
- griseofulvin
- nelfinavir
- rifamycins such as rifabutin and rifampicin
- ritonavir
- the herbal remedy st John's wort (Hypericum perforatum).

If you are prescribed any of these medicines while your implant is in place, you will need to use an additional a barrier method of contraception such as condoms to prevent pregnancy. You should continue to use this extra contraception for four weeks after the medicine is stopped.

If you need to take any of these medicines for long periods of time it is recommended that your implant is removed and you use another non-hormonal method of contraception instead.

Other medicines containing the same active ingredient

There are currently no other medicines available in the UK that contain etonogestrel as the active ingredient.

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