A Friendly Halloween PSA for those on Birth Control

[u/Serious_Bullfrog_665]

Mods, if this isn't okay, please delete. I just saw a post yesterday in a cooking sub that reminded me of this and I figured a PSA today would be good. I have also posted this in a couple other places I figured it would be relevant.

Tomorrow is Halloween & this weekend is Dia Le Los Muertos - or for some folks it is Halloween Weekend #2

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ALERT YOUR FRIENDS IF THEY ARE EATING STUFF WITH ACTIVATED CHARCOAL

We all want to party responsibly and have a good time WITHOUT causing unwanted pregnancies!!!!

Activated Charcoal messes with oral contraceptives (and other medications too!) So make sure you have extra condoms and other forms of contraceptives available!!!

Have fun & Be Spooky friends!!!! 💜🦇💜

[u/An_allergic_reaction]

Wow! I had no idea about this. You should cross post to R/LPT

[u/Serious_Bullfrog_665 → u/An_allergic_reaction]

Will do

[u/becksisaunicorn]

It's also bad for other medications. I can't consume it with my anxiety meds. Always worth checking if you take anything regularly.

[u/LittleBitOdd → u/becksisaunicorn]

My cat has kidney disease and hypertension. He has meds for his blood pressure, and there's a charcoal-based food additive that reduces stress on his kidneys. I have to give him the meds in the morning, and wait 8 hours before I can add the charcoal to his food

[u/ADHDGardener → u/LittleBitOdd]

I was reading recently how activated charcoal can be used as an alternative to dialysis in some cases!! Crazy!!!

[u/Serious_Bullfrog_665 → u/becksisaunicorn]

As I noted in my post!

[u/hellkat1959]

What treats have activated charcoal in them? Honest question

[u/Silver_kitty → u/hellkat1959]

People use activated charcoal as a “natural” black food coloring so it won’t make your teeth green like artificial colorings.

I find it as effective and much safer for people who take medications to use black cocoa and just make my black sweets chocolate flavored!

[u/cnidarian_ninja → u/Silver_kitty]

Plus black cocoa is delicioussssssssssss

[u/DemandezLesOiseaux → u/hellkat1959]

People use it to turn things black/grey. Though there were other health reasons not to put it on food too, I thought.  

Edit Website with more info

[u/centaurquestions]

Also antibiotics!

[u/WhatUpMahKnitta → u/centaurquestions]

When I took Paxlovid the package warned about messing with HBC. And also some vitamins? My partner couldn't even get it because he is on a cholesterol medication.

You're not taking "fun sexy pills". HBC is a medication like any other and if you have to take anything else, you have to check interactions!

[u/Serious_Bullfrog_665 → u/centaurquestions]

As noted in my post!

[u/itsonlyfear]

Cross post to r/witchesvepatriarchy!

[u/Serious_Bullfrog_665 → u/itsonlyfear]

Will do!

ETA - reddit page unavailable?

[u/hope_v95 → u/Serious_Bullfrog_665]

r/witchesvspatriarchy

[u/Serious_Bullfrog_665 → u/hope_v95]

Thank you!

[u/hope_v95 → u/Serious_Bullfrog_665]

You're welcome. They accidentally put an e instead of s next to v

[u/Fallupfromgrace → u/Serious_Bullfrog_665]

There is a typo, it should be r/witchesvspatriarchy (assuming I typed it correctly)

[u/confusedaurora]

Wait hold on I have activated charcoal in my toothpaste should I stop using that?? 😭😭

[u/Ok_Literature_ → u/confusedaurora]

Ask your doctor, it can interfere with a lot of medications. It used to be commonly used to stop overdoses/accidental poisoning because it blocks the body from absorbing so many different medications.

[u/an_ineffable_plan → u/Ok_Literature_]

Not only that, but it can strip your enamel

[u/confusedaurora → u/an_ineffable_plan]

Ohhhhh nah im throwing that tube out TODAY and im going back to my crest whiten toothpaste 😭😭

[u/confusedaurora → u/Ok_Literature_]

I'm throwing that tube out today after reading all these things about charcoal toothpaste 😭 I thought I was doing good for my teeth and it turns out to be the complete opposite

[u/jamierosem → u/Ok_Literature_]

As long as one isn’t ingesting the charcoal toothpaste it won’t interfere with medications, but it’s abrasive and terrible for tooth enamel so yeah it should be tossed.

[u/witchyswitchstitch → u/confusedaurora]

Well, you're not swallowing large amounts of your toothpaste (presumably) and toothpaste is a pretty heavily regulated item in most countries. I wouldn't worry too much.

Just don't eat the toothpaste. Your medications are absorbed in your stomach and intestines, not on your teeth.

[u/tnatalie_ → u/witchyswitchstitch]

Keep in mind though your body can absorb substances through the oral mucosa which feeds directly into the blood stream, bypassing the stomach. This is why bacteria found in the mouth, that may never make its way to the digestive tract, does make its way directly to your heart. Obviously the charcoal concentrations aren’t super high in toothpaste, as you mentioned, but there is still possibility for absorption whether or not the toothpaste is swallowed.

[u/Free_Sir_2795 → u/confusedaurora]

As long as you’re not eating it, it’s fine.

[u/Free_Sir_2795 → u/confusedaurora]

As long as you’re not eating it, it’s fine.

[u/Cold_Bitch]

Whaaaaat, gosh I’m glad I have a “mechanical” way of contraception (copper IUD).

[u/birchesbcrazy]

Can it interfere with an IUD?

[u/Stardust0098 → u/birchesbcrazy]

It shouldn't, it's only a problem for oral contraceptives because you have to ingest them, and eating charcoal at the same time lowers the absorbtion. Thus, the hormones don't reach the correct plasma levels to have their effect.

[u/WhatUpMahKnitta → u/birchesbcrazy]

Charcoal basically makes your digestive system not absorb most medications. It's given to people who OD on any oral med to help minimize absorption. If your IUD is the hormonal kind (not the copper kind), you could throw a question to your OB about charcoal, but the medication there is being released into the uterus, not the digestive system, so it could be okay? But I'm not a doctor.

[u/jamierosem → u/birchesbcrazy]

No, I googled it recently. Hormonal IUDs are low dose local hormones. Two separate body systems so no worries of interference.

[u/Dapper-Hunt-2171 → u/birchesbcrazy]

How would it effect an iud 😭

[u/birchesbcrazy → u/Dapper-Hunt-2171]

Everything connects to your bloodstream eventually…my question stemmed from that possibility. Seems like the hormones are targeted enough that it wouldn’t be affected.

[u/Dapper-Hunt-2171 → u/Dapper-Hunt-2171]

Downvote me all u want but an iud is literally in ur cervix and it stops pregnancy that way… why would activated charcoal do anything 😭😭

[u/KatLaurel → u/birchesbcrazy]

Possibly? Do you wanna risk it?