A pain medication taken at the same time as the morning-after pill may boost its effectiveness when taken up to three days after unprotected sex, a study suggests.
- Taking a prescription painkiller at the same time as the morning-after pill increases the effectiveness of the latter, according to a new study.
- This is piroxicam, a prescription medication commonly used to treat arthritic pain and inflammation.
- Further research must confirm the conclusions of this study.
Researchers may have found a way to prolong the effect of the morning-after pill, whose effectiveness is falling at 58% or less within three days of taking it after unprotected sex.
Indeed, according to a study published by the medical journal The Lancetpiroxicam, an anti-inflammatory analgesic which can be prescribed, among other things, for arthritis, could help boost the action of levonorgestrel, one of the most widely used emergency contraception.
Piroxicam and levonorgestrel significantly reduce the risk of becoming pregnant
The researchers reached this conclusion after work carried out at a Hong Kong health service center between 2018 and 2022. In a randomized controlled trial, they followed 860 women who had unprotected sex and requested emergency contraception within three days.
Doctors calculated that 95% of pregnancies were prevented in women who received the morning after pill with piroxicam, compared to 63% in those who received it with the placebo. The most common side effects were similar in both groups: fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness and headache.
Morning-after pill and piroxicam: medical advice remains essential
Co-researcher Sue Lo, of the Hong Kong Family Planning Association, told AFP the findings were “really exciting“and that it was a”pioneer discovery” which, she hoped, could be exploited by other researchers.
Although encouraging, the results still need to be reproduced: “it’s a little too early to ask women to add piroxicam to the morning after pill at this point“, she explained.
“Anyone who needs emergency contraception should consult a doctor…Whether to add another prescription medication in addition to levonorgestrel should be discussed with a doctor“, warn the authors.
