Oral contraceptive drug interactions: important considerations.

Interactions with oral contraceptives (OCs) occur with drugs commonly used to treat epilepsy, tuberculosis, and depression. Most women are more likely to use antibiotics, analgesics, and antihistamines, which have also been shown to interact with OCs. The mechanisms behind these interactions may be hepatic microsomal enzyme induction or inhibition, interference with the enterohepatic circulation of steroid metabolites, interference with absorption, competition between two drugs for the same metabolizing enzyme, or induction of an opposite physiologic effect.

Chemicals, cancer, and risk assessment.

Cancer rates in Louisiana in particular, and the United States in general, especially as they relate to exposure to synthetic chemicals, have been a subject of great interest to the general public. Physicians are asked many difficult questions on this subject by their patients. This article provides an objective overview of cancer mortality rates and cancer risk assessment techniques with the intent of assisting physicians in providing knowledgeable responses to these questions.