Is it okay to take Vyvanse while on birth control?

Key Points

• The manufacturer’s product labeling for Vyvanse (generic name: lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) does not list a drug interaction between Vyvanse and any form of birth control. However, always have your pharmacist or doctor review for possible drug interactions with any new medication to be sure it does not lower the effectiveness of your birth control.
• If you miss your period or missed taking your birth control pills and think you might be pregnant, use a home pregnancy test to determine if you are pregnant. If you are pregnant, contact your doctor immediately. You may need to stop taking Vyvanse or be switched to a new treatment. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.
• If you have high blood pressure or heart problems, are being treated for high blood pressure, or have a family history of heart problems or heart disease, tell your doctor before you start treatment with Vyvanse. Your doctor may need to prescribe a different medication for you, as Vyvanse can also increase blood pressure.

Can Vyvanse increase blood pressure if taken with birth control?

Tell your doctor you take birth control before starting Vyvanse treatment. Vyvanse can cause an increase in blood pressure and heart (pulse) rate. Estrogens and progestins found in birth control may also cause or worsen high blood pressure. When taken together, Vyvanse and birth control could increase the risk for high blood pressure, a heart attack, stroke or other heart problem due to an additive effect on high blood pressure.

Patients taking high doses or prolonged use of estrogens and progestins, who are over the age of 35, or who are smokers may have an even higher risk of heart problems if Vyvanse is combined with birth control.

• Elevated blood pressure is listed as a side effect with Vyvanse and occurred in 3% (3 of 100) of patients in clinical studies compared to no patients taking a placebo (inactive treatment).
• Increased heart rate and palpitations occurred in 2% of patients compared to no patients on placebo.
• CNS stimulants like dextroamphetamine (the active metabolite in Vyvanse) can cause an increase in blood pressure (mean increase about 2 to 4 millimeters of mercury) and heart rate (mean increase about 3 to 6 beats per minutes).

In patients requiring contraception, alternative methods without estrogen or progestin should be considered for those who have high blood pressure, are over the age of 35, and smoke.

Are there dangerous drug interactions with Vyvanse?

There are many important drug interactions with Vyvanse, some of which can be serious or fatal. You can review these interactions here.

Keep a list of the medicines you take and show them to your doctor and pharmacist before you start a new medicine. This includes over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins, herbs or other dietary supplements. Do not start any new medicine while taking Vyvanse without talking to your doctor first.

Your doctor or pharmacist should check to see if you are taking any drugs that can interact with Vyvanse when you start treatment, and they should also review for drug interactions each time you start (or even stop) a medicine.

One important interaction is between Vyvanse and a class of drugs known as MAO inhibitors. Do not use Vyvanse if you have taken an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days due to the chance for a dangerous, possibly fatal drug interaction.

• MAO inhibitors, or drugs with these properties, include medicines such as isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue injection, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine, and others.
• Combining MAOIs with Vyvanse can lead to dangerous high blood pressure that can be deadly.

CYP enzymes are a family of enzymes in our bodies that are primarily found in the liver and intestines. CYP enzymes have many roles, including helping to clear drugs and toxins from the body.

• Vyvanse is a cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 substrate, and any drugs that alter the effect of the CYP2D6 enzyme could change levels of Vyvanse in your blood. This could lower the effectiveness of Vyvanse or lead to serious side effects.
• Your doctor or pharmacist should check to see if you are taking any drugs that are CYP2D6 inhibitors or inducers when you start treatment, and review for drug interactions each time you start a new medicine.

There are other drug interactions with Vyvanse. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about all of the medicines that you take, including prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Related Questions

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Bottom Line

• The manufacturer’s product labeling for Vyvanse does not list a drug interaction between Vyvanse and any form of birth control. However, you should have a drug interaction review completed by your doctor or pharmacist any time you start a new medication.
• Taking Vyvanse and birth control together may cause or worsen high blood pressure. Tell your doctor if you have high blood pressure, take medicines for high blood pressure, or have other heart problems.
• Vyvanse has many important and possibly dangerous drug interactions. Have your doctor and pharmacist review for drug interactions before you start any new medications, including prescription, over-the-counter, vitamins or herbal dietary supplements.

This is not all the information you need to know about Vyvanse for safe and effective use. Review the full product information here, and discuss this information with your doctor or other health care provider.