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[ SECRET POST #2804 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2804 ⌋

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I'm in the UK for an extended stay right now and apparently didn't pack enough pill packages. I'm one short, and I only realised yesterday when I was supposed to start on the new pack.

What happens now? I'm not worried about the contraceptive effect, I mostly use the pill because it keeps the pain in check and regulates my period, but now that I'm off I'm worried the change in hormones is going to screw me over during the last three weeks of my stay. Would anyone care to share their experience after stopping the pill?

Also, for UK people, what do I need to do to get the pill around here? I already found out it's prescription only, but can I just ring up a GP, health centre, or OB and ask for a prescription? Or have my usual OB from home send me a prescription (fax or email)? And, after getting a prescription, can I just go and get the pill from any Boots, for example, or do I need to go to a proper pharmacy?

I went off them at one point and ended up with worse pain and heavier periods than I had before the pills and had other problems. But I have PCOS and am on the pill specifically for that.

D: How long did it take for the changes to set in? Right away? Did your first non-pill regulated period come noticeably early? I'm worried it will set in in two weeks, or something, and ruin the rest of my stay. One of the reasons I take the pill is because of the often literally crippling pain. I don't even want to imagine it becoming any worse.

It depends how long you're off of it. When I was on the pill, there were a couple of times when I was off it for about a month due to poor planning on my part, and I didn't really notice any changes at all. My period even stayed on its pill-determined cycle. When I decided to go off of it completely a little over a year ago, it took about three months for noticeable changes to crop up. My cycle lengthened, and my periods not only became heavier and more painful, but they also started to make me a bit moodier. BUT! I became less anxious and less prone to sour moods between periods, which was kind of awesome (and continues to be so). Also, my sex drive started to ramp up like a mofo.

All of that said, keep in mind that every woman is different. It might take longer or shorter for you to start noticing things (and, if you have a similar experience to me viz. moods, it might even allow you to enjoy your stay more).

Edited 2014-09-06 21:37 (UTC)

I'll be back home in three weeks, when I can just go to my OB for my prescription. But I'm worried that my period will set in before that (I should have started on my new cycle yesterday) because of the hormone inbalance. Or does it take longer for the hormones to flush out?

For the record, I have been taking the pill for seven months now. I actually started specifically for this trip. :/

From what I know, the hormones leave your body within a couple of days (hence why, if you miss more than two pills in a row, you're supposed to toss the pack and wait until you have your period to resume taking them), but your body can take a few months to start producing the proper levels of its own hormones again. Based on my experience and the things I've read over the years, I think it's pretty unlikely that you'll have your period before you get home (but I'm definitely not an expert!).

And man, that sucks, OP. What a rotten irony.

It'll vary for everyone, of course, but for me, the changes didn't come right away. It took months and months to notice any difference and it mainly boiled down to slightly heavier periods with more nausea and cramping, more noticeable PMS and more zit outbreaks. Nothing severe, but enough that I realized the difference.

If you're only off the pill for a month or two, you may not even notice.

It's about three weeks until I get back home and can go to my OB, but I have only been taking the pill for seven months, and according to my OB it's only a mild one, whatever that means.

I'm just worried I'll get my period again in a week or so, with even worse pain than before I started on the pill. :(

It's possible, but if you do get a period, it probably won't be anything worse than what you've experienced before you started the pill. Mine aren't, I'd just forgotten how inconvenient no-pill periods can be. And like another comment said, it takes a good while for your body to adjust, we're talking more like months rather than days or weeks.

I *think* you should be able to have your OB fax a prescription to a local chemist.

I hope so. The language barrier might be a problem, but I think my OB can write an English prescription for me. Then there's still the problem that they might not have the same brands over here than they do back home, but I'm sure a chemist can recommend a similar brand if need be.

It's easy to get a prescription in the UK. There are sexual health clinics with walk in services. You don't need to be registered or anything.

http://www.nhs.uk/service-search/sexual-health-information-and-support/locationsearch/734

How easy it is to get your pill depends on the pill. It might be difficult to find your brand, or one that is similar enough, so you might have to look for a bigger pharmacy, or have them order it in. In any case, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a prescription, anon. So don't worry. :)

Thank you!

Do you know if I need an appointment to get a descritption, or can I just walk in with the name of my usual brand/a list of the components of my pill and they give me a prescription?

Well, walk-in clinic means you can do just that, walk in. :) You can find a service like that in most areas, just check on the NHS homepage. They usually have standards hours, like Mondays 16.00 - 18.00 or something, where you can walk in for your prescription.

Why not go to/phone the chemist and ASK them what you need to do to get your prescription in the UK? I'll bet you're not the first visitor from abroad to forget a prescription. And I'll bet they might even be able to answer your questions re: what could happen if you go off your pill.

I would, but it's the weekend, obviously, and the pharmacy where I live is closed over the weekend. I have to wait until Monday to talk to them.

Well I actually meant a pharmacy in the UK since they'd probably be more helpful regarding UK regs. And where I live pharmacies are open at the weekend, just shorter hours than during the week.

I am in the UK already, and I thought all the shops (except for the Sainsburys) were closed over the weekend. I'll check today to be sure, but most shops along the street are actually closed. (I'm in a very small town atm, though, that might explain why the shops close over the weekend.)

As long as you aren't using it for any ongoing medical issues... not much. If you're using low dose contraception, you probably won't even notice any side effects.

Derp. Hit enter too early.

I meant to add that it also depends on where in your menstrual cycle you are. If you happen to have your period during the time you are off the medication, then you're probably going to experience the same symptoms you were taking it for in the first place (pain, etc).

I've gone on and off the pill several times (different pills, different lengths of on and different lengths of off) and absolutely nothing happened except my cycle returned to its normal ~33 day length instead of 28 days. Of course, I take it only for birth control not for anything else, so I had no symptoms to worry about returning.

I actually noticed some positive effects stopping the one pill I took myself off of voluntarily - I was getting the feeling it was making me break out more and making me more moody and weird. Those things seemed to improve when I stopped, although it all may have been in my head. I never had those problems with the pill I was on before or the one I've been on since (but then had to stop temporarily).

First, unless you're very unlucky, beyond the obvious (hi, period and potential fertility) you won't notice much in the way of changes for a couple of months.

For me, going off the pill (which I did for health-related reasons - the pill was fucking with my blood pressure) was a bit of a mixed bag. After about a year off, I lost a bunch of weight and my skin got better, but I also got reacquainted with PMS and my periods got slightly heavier. They're also way more predictable (although not 100%) than they were before I went on the pill, but I don't know what's responsible for that.

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[ SECRET POST #2804 ]

What happens when you go off the pill?

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