What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin and oxcarbazepine
Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin's FDA label of April 16, 2026 names oxcarbazepine in its drug interactions section; the oxcarbazepine labels PlainMeds reads (2) do not name ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin. The ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin label: “… phenytoin, barbiturates, carbamazepine, bosentan, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, rifampicin, topiramate, rifabutin, rufinamide, aprepitant, and products containing St. John's wort.”
Check it at the source: the ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 16, 2026, Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.); the oxcarbazepine FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 16, 2025, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation).
What does the ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin label say about oxcarbazepine?
Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin label, drug interactionsSome drugs or herbal products that may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives include phenytoin, barbiturates, carbamazepine, bosentan, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, rifampicin, topiramate, rifabutin, rufinamide, aprepitant, and products containing St. John's wort.
Gwyn Lo label (Viatris Specialty LLC, July 6, 2026), drug interactionsContinue backup contraception for 28 days after discontinuing the enzyme inducer to maintain contraceptive reliability. Examples Aprepitant, barbiturates, bosentan, carbamazepine, efavirenz, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, rifampin, rifabutin, rufinamide, topiramate, products containing St. John’s wort, Induction potency of St. John’s wort may vary widely based on preparation. and certain protease inhibitors (see separate section on protease inhibitors below).
Source: FDA drug label (Gwyn Lo, NDA219990), Viatris Specialty LLC, effective July 6, 2026 (SPL set e92741f4-87fe-429f-b5b5-c558ed5f4fa9), via openFDA
Source: FDA drug label (norelgestromin and ethinyl estradiol), Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., effective April 16, 2026 (SPL set 10fa1458-c8ed-4197-922a-1ba7271d2b02), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the oxcarbazepine label say about ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin?
Oxcarbazepine's label (effective December 16, 2025) and its 1 other brand-application label do not name ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Trileptal), Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, effective December 16, 2025 (SPL set 4c5c86c8-ab7f-4fcf-bc1b-5a0b1fd0691b), 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
| Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin | Oxcarbazepine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Birth control | Seizures and epilepsy |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $37.16 per patch 150-35 mcg/day patch | $0.167 per tablet 300 mg tablet |
| 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