T O P I C R E V I E W
Praying
Member # 40420
posted 10-23-2008 12:36 AM
Hey guys, I was just wondering, how dangerous is it if I skip the last of the hormonal pills of a Tri-cyclen Lo pack (so the last day of week 3) and go to the placebo week? The reason I'm wondering is because I did the math and I have a major dance thing on the same day I'll get my period next month (it always comes on the third day of the placebo pills) and I always get really terrible stomach cramps on the first day of my period. Is it going to do a lot of damage if I skip the last hormonal pill so that I can get my period the day before my dance thing instead of the day of? My boyfriend and I aren't really sexually active (we never touch each other except on the outside of clothes and we're always fully clothed) so I guess I'm more asking about the hormonal effects of doing this. Thanks so much!
eryn_smiles
Member # 35643
posted 10-23-2008 02:20 AM
This should not be dangerous in terms of hormonal side effects and also should not give you a pregnancy risk. But note that starting the placebo pills early will not guarantee that you start bleeding one day earlier. Sometimes withdrawal bleeds are not that predictable. Also make sure you start a new packet straight after you finish your placebo week.
Praying
Member # 40420
posted 10-31-2008 11:42 PM
So would it be a bad idea to skip the last TWO days of hormonal pills in order to ensure it comes in time? Or should I take an extra one from a new pack before starting the placebos and then take one less next month in order to get back on track?
*Lauren*
Member # 25983
posted 11-01-2008 05:36 AM
If you're absolutely not going to be using them for birth control, this might be okay. But for anyone else reading this who does use the pill as BC, taking less than 21 active pills or going more than 7 days between packs WILL compromise protection! I'd call your doctor to ask about this, though. They may just suggest you skip the placebo week entirely and start a new pack of active pills instead, which should postpone your withdrawal bleed until the placebo week of that pack. This will also keep pregnancy protection should you need it. In either scenario, though, you should expect some irregular spotting during your next pack of active pills. This is because either option messes with the rhythm you've established with normal pill taking.
Praying
Member # 40420
posted 11-03-2008 11:53 PM
Okay, that's good to know, I probably would have freaked out if I had seen spotting if I hadn't known that! Thanks so much for the response. =) I asked my mom if I should check with the doctor and she said if I was only skipping one or two then she didn't think it would be a problem -- if it was more than that she'd want me to check first.
Praying
Member # 40420
posted 11-25-2008 09:29 PM
So I skipped the last two days of that pack and got my period two days early, on November 6th instead of November 8th. Today though I found light pink and brown discharge when I went to the bathroom and it's lasted most of the day (really small amounts but still enough for me to notice it). Is this normal, or is it something else? I know Lauren said to expect some irregular spotting...it's been exactly three weeks since I skipped those last two pills of that pack, is this a normal time to have spotting? Thanks!
eryn_smiles
Member # 35643
posted 11-26-2008 02:22 AM
Yes, this sounds like spotting which is a normal effect of missing pills. It should resolve during your next few cycles.
Praying
Member # 40420
posted 11-26-2008 03:51 PM
Thank you so much, that's good to know Do you happen to know how long it typically lasts? Ie. will it go till my next period (in just over a week) and then resume again after my period for the next few cycles, or will it stop once I get my next period, or is it just sporadic? I've never skipped pills before so I don't know what happens.
Praying
Member # 40420
posted 11-30-2008 01:47 AM
So it's been five days since I started spotting, and the brown discharge has turned into full on bleeding. it's lighter than my normal period, but I get super heavy periods so while the bleeding I'm getting now may be somewhat light to me it would be the equivalent of a heavy period for some people. In other words, it's a fairly significant amount. Am I likely to keep bleeding up until and throughout my period, or maybe even after? More than anything, I'm basically just wondering if this is normal or if something's majorly wrong. Any clarification or more information about spotting/side effects of skipping pills would be awesome as right now I'm just mainly wanting to make sure my health is okay. Thank you so much!
KittenGoddess
Member # 1679
posted 11-30-2008 03:30 PM
It's hard to say exactly what will happen. Everyone's body is different and reacts differently. It should work itself out within a cycle or two, but beyond that we can't really guess. You may spot/bleed up through your next withdrawal bleed (you don't actually have real "periods" when you're on hormonal birth control) or it may be longer. There is nothing to worry about unless you start having really problematic side effects like extremely heavy bleeding, severe cramping, etc. Basically anything that would be serious enough to send you to the doctor before, should still send you to the doctor now.
Praying
Member # 40420
posted 11-30-2008 06:55 PM
Thank you so much...like I said, I figured some spotting would happen and don't mind having to deal with that, I just wanted to make sure that's what this actually was and that I didn't have internal damage going on or anything like that. Thank you! =)
KittenGoddess
Member # 1679
posted 11-30-2008 07:53 PM
There is nothing I've seen or read that indicates that doing what you did would cause any damage or injury to you. So again, it really is likely just an issue of your cycle being out of wack. If you're worried, you can always call your doctor and ask them as well.