T O P I C R E V I E W
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 02-01-2013 03:14 AM
Okay, so basically here's what happened. I had diarrhea for one day on Saturday 19th Jan. I forgot to take an extra pill. 5 days later, Thursday the 24th, I thought I'd taken my pill but it was still there when I checked (about 2a.m. Friday morning) so I took it. I usually take my pill at 8-9a.m. I used withdrawal then a condom as a back-up til yesterday, the 7th day of pills after the missed one, when I had sex w/o back-up. Since I'd doubled up during the month (stupidly to stop breakthrough) I was pills short this pack, but I started my new pack yesterday as I'm a continuous pill user, so this shouldn't matter I think. Do I need the MAP? My pack says follow instructions for a missed pill for diarrhea but also says back up til end of pack. So very confused, as http://codrux.com/medicines/100000882.html says my pack info is wrong, and 2 pills missed is okay.. Since I missed 2, if I need the MAP, I'd like to take it today if possible so help please! [ 02-01-2013, 03:32 AM: Message edited by: WorriedGirl11 ]
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 02-01-2013 06:11 AM
HI Worried Girl, When you say you had diarrhea, are you talking about continuously loose stools, or one or two loose bowel movements? You followed the process most people would suggest, backing up for seven days, but it sounds like you're still worried. It's unlikely that EC will do anything more for you at this point, but ultimately it's your decision. It might help you to read through this: Three questions about taking the birth control pill (and plenty of answers) Honestly, you've come here with a lot of anxiety about the pill. It sounds to me like making a regular habit of using a second method might alleviate a lot of these worries you've been having.
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 02-01-2013 06:32 AM
It was just for one day, it lasted until about 4 o clock (I took over the counter medication for it.) I was also just wondering- is withdrawal still effective if it's twice in one night? I'm usually really secure with the pill, it's just after switching so much in the past few months my hormones are a bit all over the place! Thanks so much for the advice
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 02-01-2013 06:46 AM
Withdrawal has a high success rate so long as it's done properly--that is, withdrawing well before ejaculation.
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 02-01-2013 06:52 AM
Ah okay. And would diarrhea in this case even affect the pill?
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 02-01-2013 08:00 AM
I double-checked with a pharmacist and he insisted the MAP was necessary after any missed pill, and reffered to the fact I was close to my ovulation time. I'm left quite confused because of this! I took the MAP but would rather know whether or not it was necessary. He also said I should back up for 21 days after my last missed pill until I'm protected again. The pack says 7 days (and he didn't have the leaflet for my pill) so I'm wondering which is correct? Thanks.
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 02-01-2013 10:26 AM
I'm not really sure what that pharmacist means by you being close to your ovulation time. People don't ovulate when on the pill, and you've been taking the pill for several months, so he cannot possibly guess when you would ovulate if you stopped taking it. I'm sorry you're getting conflicting messages here, and ultimately you need to use the information that makes the most sense to you to make a decision. Since your doctor is most familiar with your personal health history, you could always give your doctor's office a call and ask for their opinion, but again know that you might get a conflicting answer.
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 02-01-2013 10:27 AM
I'd also add that if the pharmacist didn't have the information for your specific pill then I would question where he was getting his information from.
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 02-01-2013 03:15 PM
He said since I missed it in the 2nd week it's closest to the 14th day of my cycle and ovulation- and said if I missed one pill there, I could ovulate for the next 3-4 days. Since I was told by my doc to start my new brand of pill halfway through my old brand pack (as it's the same hormones, higher dose) idk how he can tell where I am in my cycle. /: I almost feel as if I wasted my time and almost 60dollars and now don't even know when I'm protected again! I'll contact my doctor soon as I'm due for a check up anyway and ask her. I generally go with the advice given to me on here and then get a second opinion- which usually just confirms it! Not sure where he got the info from either if I'm honest.
Alexalex
Member # 100767
posted 02-01-2013 03:21 PM
What week you missed it doesn't really matter if you've been on the pill continually, because you don't have your usual ovulation cycles. Also, the instructions on most pill brands say that a single missed pill just needs to be taken as soon as you remember it- no MAP necessary. Honestly it sounds like your pharmacist doesn't really know that much about how hormonal contraception works- I'd go with what your doctor says. If you want to be extra safe, you can always just use the backup method for the next month, but the MAP isn't going to do anything at this point except put unnecessary extra hormones into your system.
WorriedGirl11
Member # 95437
posted 02-02-2013 03:07 AM
Unfortunately already took the MAP- pharmacist managed to convince me I absolutely had to take it! Not very happy to be honest. I mentioned that since it was continuous he can't really tell- not to mention the fact that since I started my new pack on day 10 of my old pack (per doctor's orders) I wasn't on a 21 day cycle- but he insisted he was right. Don't think I'll be going back there again!