Should The Pill be OTC??

[Linda7NJ]

I googled it and that is what I got (along with the prices of 12+ other birth control methods).

I was always a condoms girl, never went on the pill (even used condoms after the surgical fix at 23). The pill is for those folks that think they are monogamous.

Condom girl here too! Now as the mom of a 14 year old boy my husband & I leave them pretty much out in the open. I case he ever needs one there will be no excuse, he's been told to help himself. . I've even told him if he knows one of his friends are going to be doing something that requires one, feel free to take one. That way he can easily use ...it was "for a friend"

I tried the pill in high school, I am just not one to remember to take a pill everyday! I'm the type that never takes the entire supply of antibiotics, never finished taking any prescription or took it correctly.

Told the kid to never trust a girl that says she's on the pill. Be responsible for yourself.

 

[T4Tide]

Isn't it ironic that anyone over 18 can buy cancer causing cigarettes, but yet people are concerned about women buying OTC contraceptives that might cause blood clots?

Alcohol has some serious side effects, too, if not used properly and responsibly.

Maybe all those purchases should require counseling, as well.

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[Linda7NJ]

Isn't it ironic that anyone over 18 can buy cancer causing cigarettes, but yet people are concerned about women buying OTC contraceptives that might cause blood clots?

Alcohol has some serious side effects, too, if not used properly and responsibly.

Maybe all those purchases should require counseling, as well.

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This is an excellent point!


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[brighidin]

I say yes they should be available without prescription too!

But your post really outlines how is should be done.

The morning after pill is available without prescription but it's behind the counter so that counseling can be done and questions asked in order to make sure it's a good fit for the purchaser.

I fully support any decision that allows women to self-govern their reproductive life. JMHO.

Encouraging young women to take hormones for the better part of their reproductive life span does not equal reproductive freedom.
I don't know if my opinion is fir, having just read about this for the first time last night, but my first reaction is: no, it should not be OTC.

I am adamantly, and maybe even rabidly, pro-choice and I think any and all birth control (pill, condoms, abortion, tubal ligations, female condoms, non-hormonal IUS, can;t think of anything else at the moment, etc. etc.) should be free and easily accessible, but I worry about the adverse effects.

I think the pill has been heralded as a wonderful thing that freed women, and in some contexts it certainly was useful, but he history and politics of its development are suspect and are not indicative of any sort of autonomy for women. I don't know what the answer is though.

IMO, the reason why smokes and booze are freely available is because the government profits off them through high taxes. The government (broadly defined) doesn't care about people's health.

 

[Angelonline]

My husbands step mother died from the pill, she developed multiple blood clots. At the time she was 35 and had a 1 yr old son. So my vote is no to OTC.

 

[SpriteGal]

It's not just blood clots, I had several different issues on the pill. I am not going to go into it because it is a bit TMI, but because of that I am a bit wary of it being OTC.

 

[FrayedKnot]

Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder, or something like that. :fence:

I thought it was "absinthe"? :lol:

 

[Kat]

Encouraging young women to take hormones for the better part of their reproductive life span does not equal reproductive freedom.
I don't know if my opinion is fir, having just read about this for the first time last night, but my first reaction is: no, it should not be OTC.

I am adamantly, and maybe even rabidly, pro-choice and I think any and all birth control (pill, condoms, abortion, tubal ligations, female condoms, non-hormonal IUS, can;t think of anything else at the moment, etc. etc.) should be free and easily accessible, but I worry about the adverse effects.

I think the pill has been heralded as a wonderful thing that freed women, and in some contexts it certainly was useful, but he history and politics of its development are suspect and are not indicative of any sort of autonomy for women. I don't know what the answer is though.

IMO, the reason why smokes and booze are freely available is because the government profits off them through high taxes. The government (broadly defined) doesn't care about people's health.

I appreciate your opinion Bri. I don't agree with it but I do appreciate it.

I am also pro-choice but the pill is a viable option for many women regardless of it's history and some feminist backlash.

Is it a viable option for all women? Certainly not. I have 3 daughters and the oldest experienced a medical emergency (pulmnary embolism) that more than likely the root of the problem was the pill.

But my middle daughter does very well with it and it's the best choice for her. A choice she made for herself.

I see it as one of the multitude of options available to women and it should be easy to obtain. I don't think it should be sold on the shelf. Rather I would prefer to see it OTC behind the counter so that counseling (I define counseling as information given to the consumer so they are knowledgeable about their individual risks and also someone that can answer questions).

But if doc's think it's okay to find a way to make this available to any women who wants to use this form of birth control at a cheaper rate or to access it more easily? I'm for it.

PS: I'm upset that it's almost impossible for a female (or male for that matter) who knows that they do not want children now or in the future to get sterilization. It's ridiculous. Some doctors will not perform a tubal ligation even after children if the woman does not have consent of her Husband. In this day and age! Just utterly ridiculous.

 

[brighidin]

I appreciate your opinion Bri. I don't agree with it but I do appreciate it.

I am also pro-choice but the pill is a viable option for many women regardless of it's history and some feminist backlash.

Is it a viable option for all women? Certainly not. I have 3 daughters and the oldest experienced a medical emergency (pulmnary embolism) that more than likely the root of the problem was the pill.

But my middle daughter does very well with it and it's the best choice for her. A choice she made for herself.

I see it as one of the multitude of options available to women and it should be easy to obtain. I don't think it should be sold on the shelf. Rather I would prefer to see it OTC behind the counter so that counseling (I define counseling as information given to the consumer so they are knowledgeable about their individual risks and also someone that can answer questions).

But if doc's think it's okay to find a way to make this available to any women who wants to use this form of birth control at a cheaper rate or to access it more easily? I'm for it.

PS: I'm upset that it's almost impossible for a female (or male for that matter) who knows that they do not want children now or in the future to get sterilization. It's ridiculous. Some doctors will not perform a tubal ligation even after children if the woman does not have consent of her Husband. In this day and age! Just utterly ridiculous.

No problem. Like I said, I'm not sure what my opinion is. Lots to think about. And, I absolutely agree with you on the bolded part.

 

[AbbieNormal]

I had my tubes tied, fried, cut and burned (LOL) in 1980. In 1995 I was found to have endometriosis. My OB prescribed BC pills to try to "tame" the endometriosis but my insurance would not cover it as it was prescribed "off label" (which means prescribed for a condition which the medication was not intended, however effective it may be for the condition) So I had to pay for the BC pills out of pocket.

In cases like this, which does not involve "birth control" at all, I think OTC would be a good idea.

People just walking into a store and buying it off the shelf for birth control seems like less of a good idea, to me, IMO. Yes "counseling" is a good idea but do you ever see your pharmacist looking like he/she has the time to come down out of the pharmacy to counsel someone??? Mine sure doesn't. And my pharmacy always has 4 techs, 2 ppl running the register, and 2 FT pharmacists there and STILL they are insanely busy.

JMO

 

[AbbieNormal]

RESPECTFULLY SNIPPED FOR SPACE


Some doctors will not perform a tubal ligation even after children if the woman does not have consent of her Husband. In this day and age! Just utterly ridiculous.

BBM

Yeah, I totally agree! The OB/GYN doctors office tried to pull that crap on me, saying my husband had to sign, but I knew there was no way he would ever sign for me to have my tubes tied (he was a real a$$). So I said, "oh ok, he's out in the car, let me run and have him sign it now". I went outside, leaned on the hood of a car, signed his name and took the form back in. He wasn't even with me that day. The thought that I needed this mans PERMISSION to do something to my own body totally surprsied me and incensed me at the same time.

He didn't find out I had my tubes tied until after the baby was born. He was furious. He wanted me to have 6 children. There was NO WAY.

JMO FWIW

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

Oooohhhh, tough question. Good question!

My immediate response is yes, they should become more accessible and hopefully more inexpensive for those who want to use them (meaning no doc appt necessary)...but you all bring up such good points about medical risks.

I don't know...

Carry on! LOL

 

[reportertype]

The pills I take are crazy expensive. It was Yasmin, now it's Yaz. I take them not just for bc, but for awful horrible beyond pms symptoms. PPMS?? I forget the initials but I had to go off of them when I had no insurance and Planned Parenthood didn't have them, and never again. I was down for 3-5 days a month with migraines, fatigue and pain.

I don't trust the generic version; it doesn't work as well for me. Actually, the more I read, the more I distrust most generic meds though I still get 'em for most things.

Anyway, I am not sure about OTC. I'm wondering if Yaz would be affordable that way.

 

[brighidin]

BBM

Yeah, I totally agree! The OB/GYN doctors office tried to pull that crap on me, saying my husband had to sign, but I knew there was no way he would ever sign for me to have my tubes tied (he was a real a$$). So I said, "oh ok, he's out in the car, let me run and have him sign it now". I went outside, leaned on the hood of a car, signed his name and took the form back in. He wasn't even with me that day. The thought that I needed this mans PERMISSION to do something to my own body totally surprsied me and incensed me at the same time.

He didn't find out I had my tubes tied until after the baby was born. He was furious. He wanted me to have 6 children. There was NO WAY.

JMO FWIW

Ha! That's awesome. And sad, too, that women need men's permission.

I had my son when I was 20 and my daughter when I was 30. I asked about getting my tubes tied after she was born ad was told that I'm young and not married. what if I meet some great guy and want to have more babies. What? I was in the midst of a doctoral program and had 2 kids already. Do I look like I want more? Do you think some handsome man is going to sweep me off my feet and coax me into having 5 babies and then I'd just use my degrees as disposable diapers??

So now I am 38 and really struggling with birth control issues. I had a mirena for 5 years, am too old for the pill, but am still fertile. It sucks!!

 

[Cubby]

I'm one that could never tolerate hormonal BC. I would describe it along the lines of taking them made me suicidal, the side effects were that bad. It was horrible. I think the side effects are far too dangerous to consider OTC. I'd hate to see someone suffer those type of side effects from an OTC medication with no medical professional overseeing the patients care. Too dangerous.

 

[FrayedKnot]

I'm one that could never tolerate hormonal BC. I would describe it along the lines of taking them made me suicidal, the side effects were that bad. It was horrible. I think the side effects are far too dangerous to consider OTC. I'd hate to see someone suffer those type of side effects from an OTC medication with no medical professional overseeing the patients care. Too dangerous.

Oh man! That was my experience, too. And I also got awful migraines and yeast infections.

BUT....I do think that if the pill was available OTC but with counseling, it would be a good thing. I have lots of friends on hormonal BC that have had no ill effects.

If women are properly counseled that they can stop taking the pill and use condoms or abstain should they experience ill effects then I think the good of making it available outweighs the bad of possible side effects.

But I can attest to being one of those women for whom hormonal birth control was NOT a good experience!

 

[LunaticFringe]

Over the counter usually means without a prescription.

I meant more like having to ask the person behind the counter at a pharmacy ...like for instance you can purchase cough syrup with codiene without a prescription but I remember having to sign for it as long as I was 18 or older.

 

[Logger]

I am really against this. In California we have Planned Parenthood on a sliding scale for all ages. Also county hospitals have free birth control and medical examinations. I would hate to see someone purchase these without guidance. And a number to call if side effects appear.

 

[T4Tide]

I feel that women like me could definitely make the right choices and purchases OTC contraceptives safely. However, reality is that all women aren't like me. I do believe we would see an increase in morbid side effects, but also a drastic incline of the spread of STD's, cervical cancers, etc. A good majority of women make that yearly trip to the OBGYN to have their pap smear and exam, and subsequently... their prescription renewed. Most doctors will not keep calling in a script if you don't come in for an exam. OTC pills would increase the amount of women who would get pills without ever going for an exam, and many disease processes of the female organs could be in advanced stages before symptoms were recognizable by the patient, and therefore unknowingly shared with her sexual partners. However, I personally hate the fact that women like me lose rights to self govern our own bodies just because there are people out there who cannot.

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[T4Tide]

FYI... I take oral contraceptives without a hint of side effects. No mood instability (I'm not asking my husband to verify that... lol) and the particular pill I am on has my period down to 2 light days and I'm super happy with that. However, my sweet doctor and I worked together until we found a pill that worked best for me.

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