Can birth control pills cause a B vitamin deficiency?

When you take a synthetic estradiol hormone for birth control (aka “the pill), can you end up with a B vitamin deficiency? Someone recently asked me about this issue and I looked it up in the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook.
The basic idea is that your body has to metabolize any sort of medication and some of the medications that we take in an on-going fashion essentially have the opportunity to deplete us of certain nutrients if we do not get enough of that nutrient in our diet.
What about B vitamins and “the pill”?
Yes, birth control pills can cause a B vitamin deficiency. The handbook lists the following nutrients depleted by birth control pills:

• Folic acid
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Magnesium

Any of these nutrients could cause depression as well if you are deficient in them. In particular, the B vitamins and magnesium deficiencies are linked to depression.
If you are on the pill, consider taking a B complex vitamin or a good multi-vitamin. If you are on the bill purely for birth control reasons (and not for some other treatment), consider reading about natural fertility methods such as that described in the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. When you read the book I expect you will be amazed at how easy natural birth control methods can be, particularly if your cycle is regular.
Read more on vitamins for depression and magnesium and depression.