pill joy - Jezebel

posts about #pilljoy more →
FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B

Birth Control Makes Your Cup Size, Blood Pressure Rise


Plan B: The "I Just Should've Swallowed" Pill

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

sabor de soledad
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
I just wanted to post this because I think this misconception is still widespread. You do not need to be a female to purchase Plan B. Men over 18 can purchase Plan B over the counter too! Go to The FDA Web site and look at Question 7B.

I'm sure there are some 16-year-olds with 18-year-old partners that may find themselves in need of Plan B. They can just print that page out and show it to the pharmacist if he/she tries to argue that men aren't allowed to purchase it.
Reply

Edited by sabor de soledad at 07/13/09 2:29 PM sabor de soledad was starred sabor de soledad was unstarred

scarletwine
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
I've taken both the one and two-dose versions, and had the incredible nausea from both about equally.

BC-related nausea is so strange-- I get queasy a lot but BC is the only thing that makes me run to the toilet with numerous vomit-false-alarms. If I didn't know better, I'd swear the Plan B side effects are an extra punishment for not being careful enough. I'm glad it exists, but knowing how sick I get makes me even more protection-paranoid
Reply

Edited by scarletwine at 07/13/09 1:54 PM scarletwine was starred scarletwine was unstarred

cait98
07/13/09

@scarletwine: You know, I always hear about how awful the side-effects are. I took Plan B once and just want to put it out there that I had virtually no side effects. I respond well to BC too so perhaps that's why.

Ha, not bragging, just saying it to remind women side effects vary! Don't be afraid to take it because it might make you sick! It might, but it might not.
Reply

Edited by cait98 at 07/13/09 2:43 PM cait98 was starred cait98 was unstarred

sshayne
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
I'd certainly choose some nausea over risking a pregnancy I wasn't ready for!
Reply

sshayne was starred sshayne was unstarred

Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
One pill instead of two. Great. But can we still count on the third degree from the pharmacist?
Reply

Pizza!Pizza!Pizza! was starred

Zombie Ms. Skittles
07/13/09

@HeatherNumber1: You know, I really think somebody should put together a nice interactive map of all the pharmacies that people have bought Plan B at and their experiences. I have a few places I've gone to that were quite professional about it and others that were iffy and it sounds like so have most people.
Reply

cait98
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
Exciting! But why isn't it OTC for all ages too? I suppose because taking it in one dose is more hormones at once?

Frustrating because I feel like younger women, who may need the protection more, are exactly the ones who may be less likely to see a doctor or less likely remember to take the two pills at the appropriate times.
Reply

cait98 was starred cait98 was unstarred

Lymed
07/13/09

@cait98: Since this is an FDA decision, the FDA must have determined that there is a greater risk associated with Plan B than with other OTC drugs. Granted, the risk could be the consequences of unprotected sex (STDs) rather than a side effect and a fear that younger teenagers may not have the reasoning skills.
Reply

Lymed was starred Lymed was unstarred

Margaret
07/13/09

@cait98: That's what's so great about the age requirement. I don't think it has anything to do with teens' health, we just need to make sure girls won't be taking care of their own bodies behind their parents' backs.
Reply

Edited by Margaret at 07/13/09 1:58 PM Margaret was starred Margaret was unstarred

AtomiClash: humanitarian misanthrope
07/13/09

@cait98: I recently needed Plan B and asked the pharmacist why it isn't readily available for women under 17. He simply said it was a fear that younger women/girls would use it as their only method of birth control, which actually reduces its effectiveness. Seemed somewhat reasonable to me, but at the same time, PP offers regular BC easily.
Reply

cait98
07/13/09

@AtomiClash: humanitarian misanthrope: Wait, ALL Plan B not available OTC for women under age 17? Oh, I should have known that, but got confused because I thought the article was saying this is a special requirement of the one-dose pill.

Well, I guess at least the age requirement is consistent...
Reply

cait98 was starred cait98 was unstarred

morninggloria
07/13/09

@cait98: If it were over the counter for all ages, the next thing you know, six year olds are taking it just to get high.
Reply

morninggloria was starred morninggloria was unstarred

Ailanthus-altissima
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
It is a mark of true brilliance that the age of consent in some states is actually lower than the OTC age requirement.

We are through the looking glass here, people.
Reply

Edited by Ailanthus-altissima at 07/13/09 1:43 PM

JessicaLovejoy: Laughing, riding, cornholing!
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
Now it won't interfere with the taste when I crush it and mix it into my iced coffee!

(Purely as a preventative measure. I'm not irresponsible or something.)
Reply

pharmgrl
07/13/09

@JessicaLovejoy: Laughing, riding, cornholing!: I don't think you should crush it. A lot of pills don't work if you crush them because they are on delayed release.
Reply

pharmgrl was starred pharmgrl was unstarred

AtomiClash: humanitarian misanthrope
07/13/09

@JessicaLovejoy: Laughing, riding, cornholing!: I have an image of your pantry - Plan B boxes, tonic water (for malaria, obvs), and a stockpile of H1N1 vaccines. Preventative medicine 101.
Reply

morninggloria
07/13/09

@pharmgrl87:So those lines of Plan B I snorted this weekend, you're saying that they might not work?
Reply

morninggloria was starred morninggloria was unstarred

lalaland13
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
But nooo! If women only have to swallow one pill, that leaves them time to swallow other things! Whorish things! Things prohibited in the Bible! They'll never learn the consequences of their actions this way!

I need to pray for the sluts now, pardon me.
Reply

lalaland13 was starred lalaland13 was unstarred

cate3710
07/13/09

@lalaland13: Oh, c'mon. You know the sluts already chase the 2 pill version with a nice shot of semen as it is.
Reply

cate3710 was starred cate3710 was unstarred

Flackette Goes Retro
07/13/09

@lalaland13: Swallow things prohibited in the Bible? You mean like shellfish and pork?
Reply

Lymed
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: The more I have sex, the more I want to mix meat and dairy.
Reply

Lymed was starred Lymed was unstarred

lalaland13
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: If you swallow it, that means it can't go into your shame cave and become a strong male baby.
Reply

lalaland13 was starred lalaland13 was unstarred

queenieinmanhattan
07/13/09

@lalaland13: Lobster, if you will. Oooh, and bacon. Maybe together. Score!
Reply

queenieinmanhattan was starred

dripdrop
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
Would there be any other benefit to taking this one-pill version instead of the two-pill version other than it's just one fewer pill? Are the side effects any different?
Reply

dripdrop was starred dripdrop was unstarred

gherkinfiend
07/13/09

@dripdrop:The single dose pill has been available here in the UK for a while (not sure how long) and it was single dose last time I took it.

I found there were fewer side effects (and I am the most nauseous person in the world!) Plus it is easier to take later in the day, no more of that setting your alarm for the middle of the night to get your second dose in 12 hours later!
Reply

Edited by gherkinfiend at 07/13/09 1:42 PM gherkinfiend was starred gherkinfiend was unstarred

spamanda
07/13/09

@dripdrop: I think a lot of women have a hard time remember to take the second pill at exactly the right time... or the "right" time is the middle of the night or whatever. (I only think this because I spend way too much time on LJ and vaginapagina and a LOT of people forget about the second pill, for whatever reason.) And missing the second pill makes it less effective.
Reply

spamanda was starred spamanda was unstarred

Flackette Goes Retro
07/13/09

@gherkinfiend: You guys are advanced. When I had to take antibiotics in the UK it also came in a dose of 3 instead of five.
Reply

Flackette Goes Retro
07/13/09

@spamanda: Dude, I would set like five alarm clocks to wake up to take the second pill.
Reply

spamanda
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: Ah, YEAH! Five alarm clocks and whatever else it took! Unwanted babies are not my friend.
Reply

spamanda was starred spamanda was unstarred

gherkinfiend
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: I'm suddenly thinking I may be wrong and I'm confusing it with something else. Ignore me. I take a lot of tablets...
Reply

gherkinfiend was starred gherkinfiend was unstarred

Flackette Goes Retro
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
I'm guessing the thinking behind this is that it further reduces user error by eliminating the chance that the second dose could be taken off-schedule. I'm wondering, however, if an all-at-once dose will increase the possibility of becoming nauseous and puking it back up?
Reply

serreca
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: I would guess yes.

I took it once in college and the second dose made me soooo sick. Miserable.
Reply

serreca was starred serreca was unstarred

onthecornerofparkerandwoolf
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: i was wondering that too, as a friend of mine took plan B and spent an entire day nauseous/vomiting. also, question for medical field jezzies-- i've heard that plan B is essentially a large dose of birth control and a tylenol...is this true?
Reply

colormeroutine
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: I took it once and the nurse told me just to swallow both pills at the same time because otherwise I would have had to wake up in the middle of the night to take the second one, and yeah I was basically dying
Reply

colormeroutine was starred colormeroutine was unstarred

Lizard in the Wires now with even MORE metal in the face!
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: It seems like it would have to. I remember the planned parenthood I ended up going to, to get some had 2 methods one where you could take them as one dose and that was the risk on that one.

I actually just had to run back home from the mall because I'm on pills for a dog bite that make me nauseous. Fun times. And for the record it was the vile stench coming from A&F that did it.
Reply

Flackette Goes Retro
07/13/09

@onthecornerofparkerandwoolf: I don't know about the tylenol, but it is essentially a large dose of regular oral contraceptives. There are *some* brands of regular pills that will work the same way if you take a large number of them at once. But it's not really something I'd try to DIY, as only certain brands and dosages will do it. I do know that before Plan B, some doctors would give women a sample pack of pills and instruct them as to how many to take at once.
Reply

Flackette Goes Retro
07/13/09

@serreca: Knock on wood, I haven't had to use Plan B, but a friend did in grad school and I remember that she basically spent 24 hours draped over the toilet moaning.
Reply

gherkinfiend
07/13/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: Any time I've taken it, the pharmacist recommended taking OTC motion sickness pills at the same time and I never had any problems. And everything else in the world makes me queasy normally...
Reply

gherkinfiend was starred gherkinfiend was unstarred

pharmgrl
07/13/09

@onthecornerofparkerandwoolf: It is the same hormone that is in an IUD
Reply

pharmgrl was starred pharmgrl was unstarred

mbot says Spock yeah!
07/13/09

@all: For what's it's worth, I've had to take Plan B twice and never had any problems with nausea. I was all worried the first time because I get stomach troubles at the drop of a hat, and those trepidations just added to the whole "holy shit!" feelings I was already having. But it was totally fine. I think it helps if you eat some food when you take it.

The bigger issue was taking it at like 3PM because you wanted to get started ASAP! and then realizing it meant you had to get up at 3AM for the next dose. So I think the one dose is a big improvement. Just eat some crackers.
Reply

Edited by mbot says Spock yeah! at 07/13/09 4:04 PM

wtfox?!
07/13/09

In reply to FDA Approves Single-Dose Plan B
Well I don't know about you all, but I'm going to go out right now and have indiscriminate, unprotected sex with anyone I can get my hands on, because now I can have sex consequence-free.

The conservatives said I'll do it, after all.
Reply

Edited by wtfox?! at 07/13/09 1:36 PM wtfox?! was starred wtfox?! was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion