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What the FDA labels say about taking them together

Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin and theophylline

Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin's FDA label of April 16, 2026 names theophylline in its drug interactions section; the theophylline label PlainMeds reads does not name ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin. The ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin label: “Concomitant use with ethinyl estradiol-containing CHCs may increase systemic exposure of other drugs.”

Check it at the source: the ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 16, 2026, Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.); the theophylline FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 10, 2026, Strides Pharma Science Limited).

What does the ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin label say about theophylline?

Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin label, drug interactions

Contraceptives on Other Drugs CHCs containing EE may inhibit the metabolism of other compounds (e.g., cyclosporine, prednisolone, theophylline, tizanidine, and voriconazole) and increase their plasma concentrations.

Gwyn Lo label (Viatris Specialty LLC, July 6, 2026), drug interactions

Concomitant use with ethinyl estradiol-containing CHCs may increase systemic exposure of other drugs (e.g., cyclosporine, prednisolone, theophylline, tizanidine, and voriconazole).

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 theophylline label say about ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin?

Theophylline's label (effective March 10, 2026) 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 (Theophylline), Strides Pharma Science Limited, effective March 10, 2026 (SPL set b7a90ccf-9c32-40cc-9008-7e55b3da4dfd), 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

8Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin generic labelers
26Theophylline generic labelers
Ethinyl estradiol/norelgestrominTheophylline
Labeled forBirth controlAsthma
Boxed warningYesNo
Pharmacy cost (NADAC)$37.16 per patch 150-35 mcg/day patch$0.330 per tablet 300 mg tablet
Shortage nowNo current entryNo current entry

Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)

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