T O P I C R E V I E W
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 07-08-2012 07:36 AM
Okay, this is going to sound really stupid. I have anaemia so my doctor told me to take 3 packs of BC pills in a row. I'm on my 4th in a row (Started it by accident so had to finish it) and got breakthrough bleeding, so I took extras from a spare pack I have. Not sure how many but could've been as much as 5 in one day! Stupid, I just wasn't thinking. The bleeding stopped but now I'm worried I've done harm to my body. Anybody know anything about this? Won't be doing it again, that's for sure! Thanks.
September
Member # 25425
posted 07-08-2012 10:06 AM
You can't really influence breakthrough bleeding by taking extra pills. Taking too few pills or taking pills late can cause breakthrough bleeding, but you can't really do anything to "make it go away". So, next time that happens, please do not randomly take extra pills. That said, taking a few extra pills won't cause you any long-term harm, though it may mean more wacky withdrawal bleeding.
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 07-08-2012 06:35 PM
Thanks for telling me it won't cause any harm. Only on the not being able to make it go away- I was prescribed a higher dosage pill purely for that reason (to make breakthrough bleeding on other pills go away so my anaemia wouldn't be that bad) so upping a dose, e.g. taking two pills, would actually affect it and make it go away temporarily. She told me breakthrough bleeding can be caused by the level of hormones being too low. In some rare cases your body actually adjusts and the need for a higher estrogen BC pill arises. Just for future reference.
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 07-08-2012 06:43 PM
Since it sounds like your doctor doesn't want you to get withdrawal bleeds right now, it sounds like a good idea to give them a call this week and mention what happened and to ask what you should do next time if a withdrawal bleed comes in the middle of a pack like that.
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 07-13-2012 04:30 AM
Okay, thanks. I'm also a bit panicky- I took 4 a few days ago and then had sex w/o a barrier method, and we used the withdrawal method (that is that he didn't ejaculate before pulling out and didn't for a few minutes after)- is there any increased risk of pregnancy? And since I've been getting up earlier I started taking the pill 3 hours earlier one day. Is the effectiveness reduced? [ 07-13-2012, 04:55 AM: Message edited by: WorriedGirl11 ]
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 07-13-2012 12:45 PM
Asked a pharmacist about the risk, and that's fine! I've ran 4 packs now, but one week I was sick and had to take 4 from later on in the pack to make up for the ones I threw up (TMI, sorry!). Can I stop when the pills run out and have a 4 day break (less breakthrough then!) or do I have to take an extra 4?