Sisyphus Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Be taken in a large dose in case of an "oops"? Ie, what is now known as the "morning after" pill? I was surprised by the controversy when plan b first became available, because I thought it was common knowledge the pill worked this way. In college, if someone had an oops (broken something, heat of the moment, what have you) they found a person on bcp and took a whole months worth of the pills. I am not sure when I learned this as an option, but I was pretty young, and it was common knowledge among women. At least all the women I knew, and I didn't run with a particularly racy crowd or anything, just your average middle class women in their late teens, early 20s who were dating, trying to finish college, start careers, etc. Most of us were on the pill already, meaning an oops had different ramifications, but those that weren't (me) knew this as a back up option in case of emergency. I haven't ever asked a real life friend about this (though there are some I still talk to from those days and will have to ask them how they knew) but I thought I'd ask here if people had heard this/done this. I hope this isn't an inappropriate topic- not trying to start a controversy at all just curious as to how many knew this use for bcp a long time ago. It seems from reading the hobby lobby thread maybe not many do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I've known that you could take a large dose of BCP to have the "morning after" effect. I also know that the pill itself can act as an abortifacient; not always preventing ovulation but then making a hostile uterine environment to prevent implantation. I was never a BCP taker for this reason, and since I'm pretty staunchly pro-life, I would never have considered the larger dose as a back-up plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 This info used to be given out by Student Health and freely available online in the early days of the WWW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 A whole month? At once? Oh my word. Wouldn't you be sick as a dog? I thought there were a certain number of pills to be taken so many hours apart. Thankfully I never had to learn the details. Plan B works with only one hormone though I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 A whole month? At once? Oh my word. Wouldn't you be sick as a dog? I thought there were a certain number of pills to be taken so many hours apart. Thankfully I never had to learn the details. Plan B works with only one hormone though I think? No, it was never a whole month…usually it was a few pills each day for 2-3 days. Been awhile, and thankfully never needed the info. OK…here's a nice chart from Princeton's Student Health site…. http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/dose.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 Dunno, I never did it. A room mate did, and she did take a whole month (minus placebos) and wasn't sick. I am unsure of the exact dosage info, I'm pretty sure she was too hence just taking the whole packet borrowed from a friend. Not advocating this, by the way, as I am not a doctor nor do I play one on the Internet. I wouldn't think you'd get sick though, maybe a bit nauseous? It's just hormones, albeit in a large dose which is the point. I remember friends asking for them, as a non bcp taker, to use for this reason, I didn't have any to give. Umsami, perhaps student health is where the info originated from! I seem to remember the info being on the package insert somewhere, but I could be remembering wrong. Seems weird to me now it is a separate dose and an expensive one at that, but it's probably more reliable that way. The only Internet we knew back then was in the computer lab and not really a tool used to research this sort of things, so the info wasn't from there at the time I learned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I was familiar with this information. That said, a set dose seems wiser to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabeline Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Huh, I've never heard of this and I took the pill for almost 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Nope, did not know that. But, I was in college before the internet... We did have bcp's. I did know that they could operate by causing the body to abort. Guess I just never put the thought together that you could increase the pills to do it purposely. No one was running around trying to borrow pills. What on earth does the girl do who gives up a month of her pills? Not like the doctor is going to just let people have an extra month of pills at random. That would be a good friend indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Yes, I learned thiis in nursing school. Here's info from Princeton University's website: http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/dose.htmlMost bcps are a combination of estradiol and progesterone; the plan B is progestin, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexigail Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 You can overdose on BCPs and it's a terrible idea to take a whole month's worth at a time. I really hope this thread doesn't come up on Google for a young girl looking to use the pill as a post coital contraceptive. Just because something won't kill you, doesn't make it a good idea. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002599.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 No, I didn't know that. I did know how bcp pills work so im not comfortable with them for me, but I didn't make this connection. Never heard of it in college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Did you know that many American women use birth control pills for noncontraceptive reasons? Excerpts: [The Guttmacher Institute] found that more than half (58%) of all pill users rely on the method, at least in part, for purposes other than pregnancy prevention—meaning that only 42% use the pill exclusively for contraceptive reasons... The study—based on U.S government data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)—revealed that after pregnancy prevention (86%), the most common reasons women use the pill include reducing cramps or menstrual pain (31%); menstrual regulation, which for some women may help prevent migraines and other painful “side effects†of menstruation (28%); treatment of acne (14%); and treatment of endometriosis (4%). Additionally, it found that some 762,000 women who have never had sex use the pill, and they do so almost exclusively (99%) for noncontraceptive reasons... [T]he number of women relying on hormonal contraception for reasons other than pregnancy prevention is almost certainly higher than the 1.5 million estimated in this study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I knew. never used the pill because I didn't want its hormones messing with mine. my sil took them back when she was single for either really heavy periods or severe cramping. (she had both.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I knew, the doc explained it to me when I got my first prescription in college. I think it's mostly a surprise to people who never had a prescription... which makes sense. I don't know the ins and outs of high blood pressure pills, myself, never took it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Did you know that many American women use birth control pills for noncontraceptive reasons? Excerpts: [The Guttmacher Institute] found that more than half (58%) of all pill users rely on the method, at least in part, for purposes other than pregnancy prevention—meaning that only 42% use the pill exclusively for contraceptive reasons... The study—based on U.S government data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)—revealed that after pregnancy prevention (86%), the most common reasons women use the pill include reducing cramps or menstrual pain (31%); menstrual regulation, which for some women may help prevent migraines and other painful “side effects†of menstruation (28%); treatment of acne (14%); and treatment of endometriosis (4%). Additionally, it found that some 762,000 women who have never had sex use the pill, and they do so almost exclusively (99%) for noncontraceptive reasons... [T]he number of women relying on hormonal contraception for reasons other than pregnancy prevention is almost certainly higher than the 1.5 million estimated in this study. Yep. They are a very useful little pill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I did know this. I also had friends on the pill for many years to regulate their periods. I had friends on the pill to help with cramping and to make their periods lighter. The majority of the people I knew on the pill were using it for reasons other then birth control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I work in pharmacy and sell Plan B and its alternatives. Yes, Some birth control pills will work this way and some will not. If someone is planning to do this, they need to make sure they are taking the right dose at the right time or it can be dangerous. The Princeton list shows which brands can be used, but it lists only the brand names. If you have a pack of generic pills that are not on that list, you can Google or call a pharmacy, to find out what is the equivalent brand name of pills to make sure you are using the correct medication for this purpose. Different bcps have different chemicals, in different ratios in them, that is why there are different brands. Taking a whole pack of pills Is not the way to do it! A whole pack of the wrong pills may not work, and will likely make the person unnecessarily sick. More is not better! If the right pills are being used, the correct dose is sufficient, which is usually 4-6 pills taken once (depends on the brand) and then taken again 12 hours later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 My step mom did this. I don't know how much she took, but my dad said some of her hair fell out bc if it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 [The Guttmacher Institute] found that more than half (58%) of all pill users rely on the method, at least in part, for purposes other than pregnancy prevention—meaning that only 42% use the pill exclusively for contraceptive reasons... The study—based on U.S government data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)—revealed that after pregnancy prevention (86%), :confused1: Something doesn't add up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 :confused1: Something doesn't add up here. 42% use it exclusively for pregnancy 86% use it for more that one reason, one of which is pregnancy prevention. Example: DD15 takes it for cycle regulation. If she decides to have sex, it will also help to prevent pregnancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I take the pill for other reasons, as do more than half of pill users. Pregnancy prevention is a bonus side effect. I also knew that you could use your bcp like Plan B...if you're on the right bcp. And the pill works in multiple ways to prevent pregnancy. Mainly by preventing ovulation, secondly, by changing the cervical mucus to make it inhospitable to sperm, and thirdly, by thinning the lining of the uterus, preventing implantation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I did know this. I also had friends on the pill for many years to regulate their periods. I had friends on the pill to help with cramping and to make their periods lighter. The majority of the people I knew on the pill were using it for reasons other then birth control. This was me. I had such horrible periods in high school, that I ended up on the pill. I have a very high pain tolerance and the cramps would be so bad, they'd bring me to my knees and I'd be throwing up. The BC pill helped make my period more manageable (and cleared up acne as an added bonus). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 What I fail to understand is why preventing implantation is considered abortifacient by some people? You don't have a viable pregnancy until the fertilized egg implants. If it implants on the wrong place (ectopic pregnancy), it's not viable. If there is no implantation, there's no conception and pregnancy in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 See, my reason for not using the pill (besides having a BCP baby) is that if something is going to kill my sex drive it renders the need for bc moot... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 What I fail to understand is why preventing implantation is considered abortifacient by some people? You don't have a viable pregnancy until the fertilized egg implants. If it implants on the wrong place (ectopic pregnancy), it's not viable. If there is no implantation, there's no conception and pregnancy in the first place. Some argue that as soon as sperm meets egg life begins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I work in pharmacy and sell Plan B and its alternatives. Yes, Some birth control pills will work this way and some will not. If someone is planning to do this, they need to make sure they are taking the right dose at the right time or it can be dangerous. The Princeton list shows which brands can be used, but it lists only the brand names. If you have a pack of generic pills that are not on that list, you can Google or call a pharmacy, to find out what is the equivalent brand name of pills to make sure you are using the correct medication for this purpose. Different bcps have different chemicals, in different ratios in them, that is why there are different brands. Taking a whole pack of pills Is not the way to do it! A whole pack of the wrong pills may not work, and will likely make the person unnecessarily sick. More is not better! If the right pills are being used, the correct dose is sufficient, which is usually 4-6 pills taken once (depends on the brand) and then taken again 12 hours later. I've known about this since I was a teen. Maybe from reading Glamour magazine or something? Yes, Plan B is just a package of the right birth control pills in the right dosage to prevent implantation. They must be taken within a certain time-frame of the unprotected sex. I remember reading lists of which brands to use and which pills to take (a certain number from week 1, a certain number from week 2, a certain time period apart from each --as in the quote above.) I never memorized the info, but it was readily available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Elliot did this in Scrubs and grew a beard. I always wondered if that was true. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liber Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Nope, never knew this until I read just now. I did know a girl who drank some pennyroyal to cause an abortion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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