What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin and rufinamide
Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin's FDA label of April 16, 2026 names rufinamide in its drug interactions section; the rufinamide label PlainMeds reads does not name ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin. The ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin label: “… 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 rufinamide FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 15, 2022, Eisai Inc.).
What does the ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin label say about rufinamide?
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 rufinamide label say about ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin?
Rufinamide's label (effective December 15, 2022) does 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 (Banzel), Eisai Inc., effective December 15, 2022 (SPL set 0a3fa925-1abd-458a-bd57-4ae780a1ef2d), 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 | Rufinamide | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Birth control | n/a |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $37.16 per patch 150-35 mcg/day patch | $0.203 per mL 40 mg/mL suspension |
| 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