What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Cholestyramine and drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate
Drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate's FDA label of March 4, 2026 names cholestyramine in its drug interactions section; the cholestyramine label PlainMeds reads does not name drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate. The drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate label: “Drugs on Folates Several drugs have been reported to reduce folate concentrations by inhibition of the dihydrofolate reductase enzyme or by reducing folate absorption (e.g., cholestyramine), or via unknown mechanisms.”
Check it at the source: the cholestyramine FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 20, 2026, AiPing Pharmaceutical, Inc.); the drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 4, 2026, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.).
What does the cholestyramine label say about drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate?
Cholestyramine's label (effective August 20, 2026) does not name drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Cholestyramine), AiPing Pharmaceutical, Inc., effective August 20, 2026 (SPL set 214ea05f-de81-4026-9df9-4ce3820668ee), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate label say about cholestyramine?
Drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate label, drug interactionsDrugs on Folates Several drugs have been reported to reduce folate concentrations by inhibition of the dihydrofolate reductase enzyme (e.g., methotrexate and sulfasalazine) or by reducing folate absorption (e.g., cholestyramine), or via unknown mechanisms (e.g., antiepileptics such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone and valproic acid).
Source: FDA drug label (Safyral), Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc., effective March 4, 2026 (SPL set 97563516-306a-4e17-9690-edbda49ecd83), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Cholestyramine | Drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | High cholesterol | Birth control, Acne |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.834 per packet Cholestyramine packet | $1.38 per unit 3-0.02-0.451 |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once