Why do so many drugs require a prescription? Some substances that are known to cause significant individual and societal harm (e.g. tobacco and alcohol) are widely available - with varying degrees of regulation - at limitless quantity.
Obviously I'm not talking about controlled substances like benzos or opioids. Even with antibiotics I could understand how there are risks of resistance with improper use. However, ketorolac, neostigmine, budesonide, finasteride, tamsulosin, etc. are the risk profiles of these medications such that they need gatekeepers? And regarding contraception, restricting access arguably increases societal harm and individual risk. It's odd to me in a society (U.S.) with many libertarian ideals which things are permissible and which are not.
Forgive me. I've been reading a lot about Socrates and just attended a seminar about asking "Why?"
Kassandra: I’m a misthios, I can’t afford to have a child.
Hippocrates: Well, I have this flower, you have to eat it.
Kassandra: All right, let me see.
Hippocrates: I have to warn you, it could be poisonous.
Kassandra: If I eat it, would Alkibiades get me pregnant?
Hippocrates: Well, no, but—wait, what?
Kassandra: Hand it over then.
In the coming future i will eventually be coming off Oral Contraceptives to being family planning. I have been on this birth control since 19 and im 29 now, so 10 years total.
Prior to the birth control, i had a pretty "average" period, but struggled with the typical teenage pimples. Not full blown acne, but it was sporadically on my face, chest, back and upper arms. it was really damaging to my confidence and with ADD i would hyper focus and pick every spot. The birth control made quick work of these hormonal pimples and it was cleared up in a few months.
i worried that coming off birth control will bring back the pimples from 10 years ago. its without a doubt the reason im still on birth control now, as my mental health previously could not handle dealing with pimples on top of other issues.
My question is....can you slowly wean yourself off birth control? like skip a pill more and more often, or half a dose with a pill cutter? im wanting to reintroduce my natural hormone balance slowly instead of stopping cold turkey and having my hormones suddenly kick back into overdrive like 10 years ago.
If thats not an option, is there any alternatives that can help my body ease back into natural horomone regulation so the pimples dont go wild???
Has anyone else noticed that their hair texture changed after starting oral contraceptives? I think my hair has become thinner and less curly. I don’t know if I’m being a conspiracy theorist. Has anyone noticed anything similar? Did your hair go back after you stopped?
Anyone who stopped taking oral contraceptive pills must have facced some issue or other. For me severe acne is one concern. I have been on ocp for about six years. Two years ago I tried stopping and my face was full with cystic acne. Skin has not been the same ever since.
I want to know if anyone found a way with dealing with these symptoms without having to go through the extremes ?
Hi, I'm wondering if anyone in this group is on oral contraceptives to manage their hormones. It's the only answer any doctor has given me after years of suffering. I have the first three months worth sitting in my medicine bin, but I'm nervous because my past experiences with various types of bc have been unequivocally negative.
Any advice, pep talks, stories are welcome.
For context, I have ADHD, PMDD, & just had my psych eval for Autism on Monday!! Whooo!! I also us they/them pronouns. 🤗
I'm 54, will be 55 this coming July. I have no idea if I'm in menopause because I've been on continuous birth control (no "periods" at all) since 2001. The choice to go on continuous was not due to a serious medical issue, just personal choice and an apparent allergy to mainstream period products that caused a great deal of discomfort. The pill I'm on is Hailey 1.5/30. The doc says I'm probably in menopause but that the only way to know is to stop the pills and see what happens. When I saw her a year ago she said we should think about trying it this year. My prescription is expired and I've got one pack left, and I'm trying to decide whether I even want to contact the doctor to renew.
Can anyone offer any information/advice to help me decide? I think primarily the questions are:
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At my age, are the odds in my favor that I'm probably safely in menopause?
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Are there health benefits or health negatives to either continuing the pills or stopping them? (FYI, I am not at all interested in HRT other than contraceptives.)
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What can I probably expect in terms of physical reaction if I discontinue the pills? I would mention that on the rare occasion when I've missed a pill or two by mistake, most recently a couple weeks ago, I get very mild cramping that makes me realize I must've missed. This most recent time I did not bother to make up the two pills even after I realized, and the cramps went away.
Advice, information, or whatever you've got would be greatly appreciated.
I have been taking Junel fe 1/20 for almost 2 years and decided that taking a pill every day at the same time is extremely hard for me since I am a teenager with ADHD in college. I do suffer from excessive hair growth, obesity, depression, menstruation cycle absent/irregular, and darkened skin. I am not too worried about the cost as where i’m originally from, birth control is typically free or cheap. Any recommendations will be helpful!
My girlfriend's pack contains 28 tablets (24 combination pills, 2 ethinyl estradiol-only pills, and 2 sugar pills). When first taking the pills, it's recommended you wait 7 days as the pill's contents need to "build up" in the body, for lack of a better term. So my question is this: Why doesn't it also take 7 days after the use of the sugar pills for the regular pills in the new pack to work? Is it because pregnancy is highly unlikely in this time in the cycle anyway? But if that was the case, why would you need to wait 7 days when starting the pills? And is it because the pills from the previous pack are still working in the body? If that's the case, why is it a big deal if you miss a pill at any other point in the cycle? All answers are much appreciated :)
The rx says ( for heart) . anyone knows how does that work ??
hi! meron ba sainyo nagtake ng oral contraceptives tapos biglang nagkaroon ng emotional or mental health issues?
wala naman talaga akong issues about mental health dati. okay naman ako nun, nalulungkot from time to time pero syempre normal lang naman yun HAHA pero simula nung nagstart ako magtake ng pill grabe super emotional ko na, sobra ako mag-overtink. minsan nadadagdagan pa ng physical effects like trembling ng legs, difficulty in breathing ganun. im not a professional pero parang panic attack ganun. minsan naaapektuhan na pagfocus ko sa studies.
side effect ba ito ng pill? if ever meron sainyo naka-experience ng ganito please comment. di ko na talaga alam gagawin ko. how do you cope up with it?
I take lamictal everyday and just learned that it lowers the efficacy of oral contraceptives. Has anyone else had issues with this?
Thanks for any thoughts or comments, in advance!
I have been on the oral contraceptive, Slynd (drospirenone), since March. I am a 33 year old female and this is my first experience with oral contraceptives.
I am having, consistently, every month, a period 4-5 days before I start my inert pills for the month. It lasts until my inert days, where I have spotting through, and then goes back to no period once I start my active pills again. The period isn't any different from my 'regular' (non-contraceptive days) period. I also experience PMS symptoms prior to this period.
The reason I'm concerned is that Slynd works by a. preventing ovulation; b. thickening the vaginal fluid to hinder sperm movement; and, c. thickens the uterine lining to prevent egg attachment.
If a woman, on oral contraceptives, gets her 'period' from hormonal withdrawal on her inert days, then my period is really an active period since I am experiencing it during my active pills, correct? Does this mean that I am still ovulating? It seems to me that my period is a result of ovulation and the subsequent hormonal process that causes a period (explaining why I also get PMS, an indicator of hormonal changes). Is it possible that Slynd is doing two out of three of it's purposes (i.e. not stopping my ovulation, but thickening vaginal fluid and uterine lining?). I asked my ob-gyn at my last appointment but she kind of brushed me off and said "you're fine". My logical thinking mind can't let go of it and I am constantly thinking if my birth control is working or not. I am currently sexually active, but only for the last month, so I don't know the long-term effectiveness other than that I didn't get pregnant last month!
Has anyone had experience with getting a regular period while using birth control? Did your doctor seem concerned?
31 yo 5'4 black cisgendered female. I take a plethora of mental health related medication but this question is specifically about Lamictal.
I just picked up my birth control and the pharmacist warned me that this particular medication can lower the effectiveness of the oral contraceptives. I'm pretty sure they've told me this before but I didn't much are at the time cause pandemic and single.
Now I'm... Not so single lol. And while I know barrier methods exist, there are situations in which non barrier methods are a significantly reduced risk save for pregnancy. Which is why birth control.
So now my question is if anyone knows how much Lamictal reduces the efficacy rate of oc. Specifically a progestin only pill. And yes, I'm aware that user error can reduce the rate as well and had taken that into account. I'm going for making a risk informed decision and I'd like to know the stats with Lamictal factored in. I'm not finding any specifics on Google. Just general info.
Does wincef interfere in yazz contraceptive's effectiveness? 21 female, 158 cm and 48 kilograms
Background, oophorectomy at 18 been on Ocella OCP for HRT. Current age 31. Symptoms include headaches, irritated skin, night sweats, no sex drive.
I recently got labs back that my estradiol levels are what you would see in a postmenopausal woman not on HRT. My provider expected this because of my increased exercise. She is suggesting I start taking Apri, another OCP with more of an androgen component. I'm skeptical this will help with my symptoms and I'm still planning on weight lifting 3x week. Apri and Ocella have the same estradiol dose. Wouldn't I still metabolize the estradiol just as much?
Any experiences with this?
The main point of this post is to see if any of you have tried going off of oral contraceptives and found relief?
Is there an Endo specialist or a doctor on here that can point me to the evidence that birth control is actually an effective treatment?
From what I’ve read in all the articles, they literally just reiterate the same points as the articles around them of ‘based on what we think we know about hormones, the reproductive system, and how Endo works, it SHOULD slow growth of endometrial tissue and implantations’. This isn’t a good enough explanation for me anymore. I have physicians who are essentially bribed by Big Pharma to push rebranded prostate cancer treatment on patients with really no idea of the long term effects or benefits, or even knowing if they actually have Endo, but these same doctors deny people the surgical opportunity to actually determine if they have this illness for years on end? That doesn’t sound like a money made business decision at all! /s.
Feel free to read on about my struggles if you think you have insight that could help...
I’m sitting here struggling with what is probably the 10th brand of birth control pills (including a variety of generics) and I am ready to give up. They make me so incredibly sick that my quality of life declines every time I take a pill. I’m out of commission for weeks at a time surrounding my period.
I’ve been on birth control since I was 13. I’m 24 now. I went off birth control for 5 months 2 years ago to undergo hormonal testing for thyroid issues and PCOS (dx with hypo and PCOS). Things were so much better once I was off the pill. It was noticeable to everyone around me.
Once I got on the birth control recommended by the endocrinologist, my Endo symptoms multiplied so much so that I finally got scheduled for a laparoscopic exam on 6/18/20 (after months of repetitive testing and COVID delays) where they found Endo, performed ablation (unfortunate it wasn’t an excision, yes, but it was what my insurance covered). After surgery, my stomach was like night and day as far as bloating and I had about 3 decent months post surgery, while still on birth control. Then the appointments and ultrasounds began again due to pain and nausea. The ultrasounds don’t ever show anything, but they do show that all the rad techs think I’m a hypochondriac based on the amount of ultrasounds I’ve had in the past 3 years. I always get a snide remark about how many ultrasounds I have on file that don’t sh
... keep reading on reddit ➡Some background:
About 3 years ago I got diagnosed with Vaginismus and Vulvodynia. Penetration has always been difficult for me.
I went through a little bit of psychosexual therapy and did some dilating but only had 4 sizes so stopped using them quite soon. They were however, the smallest sizes so, whenever I tried to have penetrative sex with someone, it sometimes just wasn’t possible or it was quite painful, but I often could have penetrative sex if I used my vibe and was on top.
Anyway, about 9 months ago I started a new relationship. Our first attempt to have penetrative sex was really quite painful, but after that, I was able to have it without even using my vibe to help me “loosen up”. I was, almost Vaginismus free miraculously. Not completely, because I still had a little initial pain on insertion but it was good! Everything changed since I started dating my current partner so I figured this was just my new sex life and it was going well! 🙌 hallelujah.
Current situation:
However, just over a month ago, I decided to go on the pill, and ever since, I have been experiencing non stop pain downstairs (Vulvodynia) and now, I am at the point I can’t get my partner in me anymore, without the aid of a vibe. I don’t have any issues with lubrication but my pelvic floor muscles say “no!! 🙅🏾♀️” to any penetration by anything bigger than my size 4 dilator. Also, I feel like my libido maybe has decreased. This “set back” has honestly been extremely upsetting so I am thinking of some ways to combat this.
I did some research and it appears there may be a link between oral contraceptives and increased Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, and not to mention, of course, lower libido (which is known to be a fairly common side effect)
So I am thinking of continuing to take the pill but to start really getting into dilating and breathing exercises to relax my pelvic floor muscles.
But honestly, I am thinking of just quitting the pill all together.
Do you think I’m being a little quick? I just feel it’s potentially the cause of my pain/painful sex. I wanna practise double birth control and all that jazz but... if the hormones are gonna get in the way of enjoyable penetrative sex and give me general pain in my vulva area, I think, it may... not be worth it?
Has anyone else taken the pill and experienced increased pain during penetrative sex or just a lower capacity to receive their partner?
If so, did you quit taking the pill and did you notice a difference
... keep reading on reddit ➡If they do which types of oral contraceptives are likely to cause hypertension
Trying to figure out if my lack of is weight or med related… thanks in advance!
27F I've been on birth control for 10 years and have had some symptoms the whole time, while some only started a year ago. Hair loss and texture change, frequent urination and thirst, and insomnia have been long term symptoms. About a year ago, these symptoms increased as well as new ones like brain fog, moodiness, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and weakness.
I just stopped the birth control a month ago to see if things would help but they seem worse. Should I get my thyroid checked now or wait a few more months?
I've been on OCPs for about five years. Two years ago, I had experienced some breakthrough bleeding because of which my doctor increased my dose. Since past almost one year or so I have been facing gum bleeding issues on and off and on all my regular visits to the dentist they would clean it up and say maintain oral hygiene. I do the basic stuff like flossing and brushing twice a day and sometimes do saline rinse after the meals too. Yet I am not seeing improvement. I did come across a few articles that mentioned that OCPs can be a culprit too. Just curious if anyone has faced the same issue and been able to resolve ?
I wasn’t even sexually active; I even told her that. She still refused to write me a prescription and made me wait in the exam room for another doctor to see me. I waited so long that the automatic lights in the room turned off leaving the room pitch black. I was so upset that I left. Thank god for Planned Parenthood.
For the past several months my PFD symptoms have flared around the time of ovulation and during my period the symptoms subside. My pelvic floor PT is beginning to suspect a hormonal aspect to my symptoms. She suggested I try to see about going on birth control to see if that better manages my symptoms.
Has anyone ever experienced going ON birth control helping to reduce / eliminate their symptoms?
I've never ever been on birth control in my life. (Weird, I know!) I'm a little nervous about it because I've read a lot of anecdotes and research articles about how birth control could actually cause / contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction.
Thoughts? Personal experiences?
Hey y'all,
Currently in my OB/Gyn rotation. Just reaching out to ask if anyone has a guide on how to decide which birth control pills are best for patients. I know it's formulary dependent, but I wanted to know if anyone has an algorithm they follow when deciding on which of the fifty billion birth control pill options there are.
Newbie here! I just joined this sub looking for alternatives to the birth control I’m taking now (Yasmin 3mg/0.03mg), which I was suddenly switched to due to my insurance no longer covering my prescription for Yaz. I didn’t have any major negative experiences with Yaz, but Yasmin has been a literal nightmare for me so far.
I’m not kidding, I’ve had anxiety-ridden dreams almost every night and woken up with headaches every day for the past few weeks that last pretty much all day. The only change in my routine has been my switch to Yasmin.
I just read a bit about this new pill that is the “first and only contraceptive pill containing E4, a naturally occurring estrogen” which is apparently the “first new estrogen introduced in the U.S. in over 50 years”. It is made from a plant source and the pill has shown minimal side effects in trials. The FDA just approved it within the last month, but I am personally a skeptic and like to do more research before putting anything into my body.
If any of you know anything about this or have tried it, your input is greatly appreciated!
