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Plan B will continue to be offered ONLY behind the counter

Phys251 said:
Hey, just think. If Romney (or possibly any other Republican) is elected president, then the morning-after pill could be gone! Because that's killing a fertilized egg, which we all know is a full-grown human.
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Better that it was illegal for everyone than that it was available on the shelf for anyone.


1Perry said:
Because obviously the last Republican president made it illegal.
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LOL. Bush's second term was about as atypical of everything Conservative or Republican as one could imagine from a philosophical point of view.
 
lovetosing4678 said:
Ya good thing you have a doctor who doesn't follow conventional methods to keep you healthy. When you start a new pill, a pelvic exam and, I believe, a pregnancy test are typically performed. I would switch doctors if I were you.
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I've had many doctors, none of whom did any of these things you're talking about because they are a waste of time. Pelvic exams are yearly only, unless you have an abnormal one. It would be very expensive and not covered by insurance to have two 3 months apart. There is no need for a pregnancy test unless you suspect pregnancy, which I never did. How is my doctor not keeping me healthy? It sounds like your doctor is just interested in sucking some extra money out of you, because these things are definitely NOT conventional methods to keep you healthy. Completely unnecessary. I would be switching doctors if I were you.
 
misterman said:
I meant a new prescription to change the drug, or dosage, or whatever, not just a new one to continue the old one. But I guess that wasn't what you meant.
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No, I have had my doctor call in a new kind of birth control when I didn't like the one I was on. Usually I just went back to my old standard one after trying a new one for a couple of months. My doctor wouldn't just call in a prescription to continue the old one without an exam, because the prescriptions last a year which is how often you need a pap smear. I always get my yearly check ups, but unless there was a major problem there'd be no reason to go back and see her to just switch pills.
 
kerussll said:
I've had many doctors, none of whom did any of these things you're talking about because they are a waste of time. Pelvic exams are yearly only, unless you have an abnormal one. It would be very expensive and not covered by insurance to have two 3 months apart. There is no need for a pregnancy test unless you suspect pregnancy, which I never did. How is my doctor not keeping me healthy? It sounds like your doctor is just interested in sucking some extra money out of you, because these things are definitely NOT conventional methods to keep you healthy. Completely unnecessary. I would be switching doctors if I were you.
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Once again, my doctor is a doctor at a university health center. All of the doctors there do a pelvic exam when starting a new pill. Not once again in 3 months. Read my posts. My visits to the doctor are free with tuition. The previous doctor did the same thing. It is NOT a good idea to just give someone a new prescription without sitting down with them and talking about the side effects. I provided a link and two people on this forum have now told you that is what typically happens for them when they start a new pill. It is only you that have had the experience of a doctor just calling in a new prescription. If it is the first time you are prescribed birth control then they will normally do blood work as well. When I switched doctors and I didn't want to get my papers transferred, they did the blood work. They ARE conventional methods to keep you healthy. It is necessary to talk with a doctor about why you are changing birth control and have them explain the side effects and pharmacists, as of now, are not experts on every pill and normally do not tell you about it unless you ask.

Since we are getting off topic here... Do you believe that birth control should be offered on the shelves? So anyone could walk up to that section, say hey I like the name Yaz, I'll try that one. Next month I'll try NuvaRing! If not, they why do you support plan B being offered on the shelves? It is just a very high dosage of birth control.
 
Once again, my doctor is a doctor at a university health center. All of the doctors there do a pelvic exam when starting a new pill. Not once again in 3 months. Read my posts. My visits to the doctor are free with tuition. The previous doctor did the same thing. It is NOT a good idea to just give someone a new prescription without sitting down with them and talking about the side effects. I provided a link and two people on this forum have now told you that is what typically happens for them when they start a new pill. It is only you that have had the experience of a doctor just calling in a new prescription. If it is the first time you are prescribed birth control then they will normally do blood work as well. When I switched doctors and I didn't want to get my papers transferred, they did the blood work. They ARE conventional methods to keep you healthy. It is necessary to talk with a doctor about why you are changing birth control and have them explain the side effects and pharmacists, as of now, are not experts on every pill and normally do not tell you about it unless you ask.
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So if you are on two different pills within a year you have to have an unnecessary extra pelvic exam? That's what you're making it sound like, but that can't be right. You do realize that all birth control pills have the same side effects? So what exactly is the point of sitting them down AGAIN and repeating all that when switching brand names? Especially when all that information is on the label to begin with. What kind of blood work did you have done for birth control? I think you are confusing getting blood work done for this prescription and getting blood work done with a regular physical. It's not standard practice to have any lab tests to monitor hormone levels.


Since we are getting off topic here... Do you believe that birth control should be offered on the shelves? So anyone could walk up to that section, say hey I like the name Yaz, I'll try that one. Next month I'll try NuvaRing! If not, they why do you support plan B being offered on the shelves? It is just a very high dosage of birth control.
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I support the FDA's decision to offer plan B without a prescription. It's been shown to be perfectly safe. As for long term birth control pills, I do think it's a good idea for women to continue to get them from a doctor or a free clinic so they can be monitored for STDs and receive their yearly pap smear. The risk of harmful side effects such as blood clots, weight gain, depression, etc are much more strongly associated with long term use, and not plan B which is only taken once.
 
kerussll said:
So if you are on two different pills within a year you have to have an unnecessary extra pelvic exam? That's what you're making it sound like, but that can't be right. You do realize that all birth control pills have the same side effects? So what exactly is the point of sitting them down AGAIN and repeating all that when switching brand names? Especially when all that information is on the label to begin with. What kind of blood work did you have done for birth control? I think you are confusing getting blood work done for this prescription and getting blood work done with a regular physical. It's not standard practice to have any lab tests to monitor hormone levels.
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They do not all have the same side effects. Almost all birth control pills have different levels of hormones. Some don't have hormones at all. They have some birth control pills that are mainly for women who are breast feeding that are small dose.

In fact, there are several lawsuits against YAZ or Yasmine for severe side effects.

It is common practice to at least talk with your doctor about why you want to change birth control pills and what the best option for birth control pills are for you based on why you wish to change, including what side effects are more important for you to avoid.

And this is why women should need to at least get Plan B from behind the counter, because not all women will read the side effects of the drugs and hormone pills can come with some serious side effects for some women.

Plus, what about a woman who is taking Plan B regularly? Sure, this would be stupid of her, but not everyone thinks about these things. A doctor or at least a pharmacist that notices this could easily show the woman that it would probably be better for her to get on a regular birth control pill rather than taking Plan B, and they could certainly describe all the benefits, financial and medical, of switching. I can't imagine that it would good for a woman to take Plan B once a month or more, as far as side effects go, but I could see some women doing this, especially younger women/girls.
 
1Perry said:
Because obviously the last Republican president made it illegal.

President Bush Approves Over the Counter Early Abortion Pill, Pro-Life Base Decries Move | LifeSiteNews.com
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True as that may be, Mitt Romney vetoed the morning-after pill without prescriptions while he was governor. If his Center-to-Right flip-flop is any indication, he will stand by stances such as these.

Tigger said:
Better that it was illegal for everyone than that it was available on the shelf for anyone.
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Plenty of countries are run according to uncivilized views such as these.

LOL. Bush's second term was about as atypical of everything Conservative or Republican as one could imagine from a philosophical point of view.
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Absolutely false. Conservatives flocked to Bush in droves, chiding all who DARED to stand up to him. Now they are sweeping this under the rug, claiming that "he wasn't a true conservative." Sure didn't hear much of that from the Right during his time in office.
 
Phys251 said:
Absolutely false. Conservatives flocked to Bush in droves, chiding all who DARED to stand up to him. Now they are sweeping this under the rug, claiming that "he wasn't a true conservative." Sure didn't hear much of that from the Right during his time in office.
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A tthe time I would have flocked to Nixon if the alternatives were Gore and Kerry.
 
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roguenuke said:
They do not all have the same side effects. Almost all birth control pills have different levels of hormones. Some don't have hormones at all. They have some birth control pills that are mainly for women who are breast feeding that are small dose.

In fact, there are several lawsuits against YAZ or Yasmine for severe side effects.

It is common practice to at least talk with your doctor about why you want to change birth control pills and what the best option for birth control pills are for you based on why you wish to change, including what side effects are more important for you to avoid.

And this is why women should need to at least get Plan B from behind the counter, because not all women will read the side effects of the drugs and hormone pills can come with some serious side effects for some women.

Plus, what about a woman who is taking Plan B regularly? Sure, this would be stupid of her, but not everyone thinks about these things. A doctor or at least a pharmacist that notices this could easily show the woman that it would probably be better for her to get on a regular birth control pill rather than taking Plan B, and they could certainly describe all the benefits, financial and medical, of switching. I can't imagine that it would good for a woman to take Plan B once a month or more, as far as side effects go, but I could see some women doing this, especially younger women/girls.
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Yes, higher doses of hormones have higher risks of side effects generally. But the list of common side effects for birth control pills (no matter what specific type of estrogen or progestin are in them) are the same. Look it up. The lawsuits against Yaz and Yasmine are for blood clots, one of the possible side effects of all birth control pills.

Absolutely, you should talk to your doctor about minor side effects that are concerning you. I just think a mandatory check up after 3 months is a waste of time.

Do you have evidence that anybody uses plan B monthly? Any evidence that the risks to her (besides pregnancy) would be greater than taking regular birth control pills?

People might not read the side effects about ibuprofen and tylenol either. Nobody thinks that's a good enough reason to offer it behind the counter only. I'll say it again, if somebody wanted to kill themselves, overdosing on tylenol would be a much better bet than plan B or any other kind of birth control.
 
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kerussll said:
Yes, higher doses of hormones have higher risks of side effects generally. But the list of common side effects for birth control pills (no matter what specific type of estrogen or progestin are in them) are the same. Look it up. The lawsuits against Yaz and Yasmine are for blood clots, one of the possible side effects of all birth control pills.

Do you have evidence that anybody uses plan B monthly? Any evidence that the risks to her (besides pregnancy) would be greater than taking regular birth control pills?

People might not read the side effects about ibuprofen and tylenol either. Nobody thinks that's a good enough reason to offer it behind the counter only. I'll say it again, if somebody wanted to kill themselves, overdosing on tylenol would be a much better bet than plan B or any other kind of birth control.
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Death is not the only side effect worth considering. You're correct that it would be more difficult to kill yourself with BC/Plan B than with Tylenol, but taken as prescribed, you're far more likely to have side effects from BC/Plan B.

The short-term risks of taking Plan B repeatedly are mostly amplification of the known side effects. The long-term risks are unknown. But some emergency contraceptives aren't hormone-based at all. Ella is made of some sort of acetate, I believe. No one has any idea what the consequences of that are when abused, either.

Yes, there are people who do this, just like there's people who abuse anything.

I'm glad your experience has been relatively problem-free. However, that has not been the case for all of us. A very large minority of women have unacceptable or severe side-effects from BC. It should absolutely continue to be prescribed by a doctor.

You can go to Planned Parenthood and get your consultation and prescription on a sliding scale. Free, if you have either your own insurance, their coverage, or are under a certain earning bracket. It's not as though it's incredibly difficult.
 
I never argued that regular birth control pills should be offered without a prescription, did I? Plan B on the other hand, is already available without a prescription and that makes perfect sense to me.
 
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Tigger said:
As someone who does not believe in the idea of "on demand" abortion, I am 100% in favor of this ruling. Pregnancy is a potential consequence of sexual intercourse. If you don't want to run that risk, don't have sex. If you do have sex, you need to accept that there are potential consequences of that action. As such, I am totally against any form of "morning after" pill, whether it be prescription, over the counter, etc....
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What about the case of a rapist raping a woman. You would deny her a morning after pill?
 
sangha said:
Why look for logic and reason where it does not exist?
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That seems like a reason not to read your posts :p

And Dan--no I wouldnt. Id also be for weapons training focusing on crippling a rapist where it counts.
 
danarhea said:
What about the case of a rapist raping a woman. You would deny her a morning after pill?
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Yes, but only IF and AFTER she has reported the crime, and agreed to press charges & testify against her assailant (under penalty of perjury) if/when he is caught. Once the proper evidence has been collected the hospital or medical clinic should be allowed to give her the pill.
 
kerussll said:
I never argued that regular birth control pills should be offered without a prescription, did I? Plan B on the other hand, is already available without a prescription and that makes perfect sense to me.
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I don't know how you can support Plan B being offered on the shelves but not regular birth control. Heck, you don't go to you doctor to get new pills so whats the point? And you are saying plan B is very safe. Well Plan B is just a high dose of regular pills. Where is the logic in that?
 
lovetosing4678 said:
I don't know how you can support Plan B being offered on the shelves but not regular birth control. Heck, you don't go to you doctor to get new pills so whats the point? And you are saying plan B is very safe. Well Plan B is just a high dose of regular pills. Where is the logic in that?
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Maybe you should read the FDA's report on why it's safe. I've explained to you why a one time dose of hormones is safer than taking them continuously, and given you my reasons why I'm not advocating the system for regular birth control be changed, but if you don't want to listen there's not much more to talk about.
 
kerussll said:
Maybe you should read the FDA's report on why it's safe. I've explained to you why a one time dose of hormones is safer than taking them continuously, and given you my reasons why I'm not advocating the system for regular birth control be changed, but if you don't want to listen there's not much more to talk about.
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What stops someone from using it as a regular birth control. Using it multiple times if it is just on the shelves? It now becomes very easy to use it as a, granted very expensive, form of regular birth control. Not just a one time thing.
 
lovetosing4678 said:
What stops someone from using it as a regular birth control. Using it multiple times if it is just on the shelves? It now becomes very easy to use it as a, granted very expensive, form of regular birth control. Not just a one time thing.
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Common sense? What stops someone from taking a whole bottle of tylenol? We don't need to treat people like idiots.
 
Tigger said:
Why not? In my experience the vast majority of people definitely qualify as idiots.
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I'd be careful what you wish for. Given the majority of people think your ideas and ideology are idiotic, they would treat you as the idiot.
 
TheNextEra said:
I'd be careful what you wish for. Given the majority of people think your ideas and ideology are idiotic, they would treat you as the idiot.
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That's fine. I've been called much worse than an idiot by people I have much more respect for than the general public.
 
kerussll said:
Common sense? What stops someone from taking a whole bottle of tylenol? We don't need to treat people like idiots.
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People use more than the recommended Tylenol dose all the time, and now we are seeing a lot of new cases of liver damage because of that.

And I know someone who would (if she wasn't currently pregnant now) take Plan B probably at least once a month because she was highly paranoid about getting pregnant. She didn't want to get on birth control though. I have no idea why she didn't, but I think she was concerned about forgetting to take her birth control regularly. It is much harder to remember to take birth control every day, for some women, than it is to just go pick up Plan B when they have had unprotected sex.
 
Tigger said:
That's fine. I've been called much worse than an idiot by people I have much more respect for than the general public.
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While I cannot agree with you on almost anything you have said, I do appreciate your consistancy and honesty.
 
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