I want to go on the pill...

lainey_m

hello!
Basically i want to go on the pill and im not exactly sure how to go about it! Im assuming you have to go to your GP, so do i call and make an appointment or can i go straight in and wait (i know this is a really stupid question, but iv literally never been sick since i was a baby so i don’t know what to do!). anyway once im with my GP do i simply say ‘i want to go on the pill’? and also how do i go about choosing which brand of pill to take? Is it something im supposed to research myself before i go in?
Also how long do i have to take it for it to become an effective contraceptive, for example would i be safe to have sex after taking it for just a week?
And finally, how much approx does the pill cost?
cheers!

Michellenman

It depends on your GP whether you need to make an appointment.
Just tell them you want to go on it, they'll probably take your blood pressure but that's routine. Your GP will prescribe the one they feel is most suitable to you. It might not suit but you can go back and change. GP should go through everything with from how effective it is when taken correctly to how long it takes to come in to effect. These instructions are also printed on the the leaflet that comes with it as far as I know.

It will vary in price between pills. I've been on some that have cost me €6.80 for three months and others that have cost me €16 for one month.

It's more important to get one that suits as opposed to the cheapest one.

A bit of research won't go amiss but your doc will be able to suggest the one most suitable.

evogirl

make an appointment with your gp and tell him you want to go on the pill. He will recommend which brand to try and possible side effects. he will also tell you how long before your "safe". Costs vary from pill to pill.

dudara

BTW, how old are you?

Overheal

Is it something im supposed to research myself before i go in?

Eww. No. If thats what medicine has come to, why do we need doctors? Its their profession to find and prescribe the best thing for you. Not just an overpaid paper scribbler that vends out drug orders. Let them decide what your options are.

LegacyUser

Overheal wrote: »

Eww. No. If thats what medicine has come to, why do we need doctors? Its their profession to find and prescribe the best thing for you. Not just an overpaid paper scribbler that vends out drug orders. Let them decide what your options are.

well i was just asking because obviously theres loads of different types of the pill, and i was looking through other threads concerning the pill and many people were asking about which brand is the best/what one people recommended. so i thought it might help if i had an idea about which one i might like before i go in, thats all.

Contessa Raven

I think with most GP's you need to make an appointment so just ring early in the morning and ask for the next available appointment. Then when you go just say to the doctor "I want to go on the pill" He/she will then ask questions such as "Do you have a history of such and such in the family? Do you suffer migraines?" Then they'll take your blood pressure and in some cases weigh you.
When I went to my GP he asked if I was using it purely as a contraceptive or if I wanted it as a period regulator as well (certain pills are suitable for other things as well as contraception)

Then he/she will prescribe what they think is suitable based on your answers and blood pressure. If you don't like it after a month or two you can go back and they'll give you a different one.

I am on Yasmin. It's quite a light pill as in there aren't much chemicals in it as it's purely for contraception purposes. I'm not suggesting this is the right one for you, it's just maybe one you could research before you go in. Even if it's just so you have a better idea of what you really want.

Hope this helped.

LegacyUser

Can I ask, what's the point in taking the pill if you're not taking it for sex reasons? Does anyone actually do this?

Trixielicious

Unregistered wrote: »

Can I ask, what's the point in taking the pill if you're not taking it for sex reasons? Does anyone actually do this?

I started taking the pill at 14 because I suffered from very irregular heavy periods. The pill can be used to regulate periods and also it reduces the lining of the womb which means your periods naturally become lighter. When I started using it as a contraceptive my GP changed the type of pill I took.

anamaria

Unregistered wrote: »

Can I ask, what's the point in taking the pill if you're not taking it for sex reasons? Does anyone actually do this?

Lots of girls take the pill for other reasons. It can help with bad acne and it can help extremely bad period pains and help make your periods lighter

anamaria

Overheal wrote: »

Eww. No. If thats what medicine has come to, why do we need doctors? Its their profession to find and prescribe the best thing for you. Not just an overpaid paper scribbler that vends out drug orders. Let them decide what your options are.

I tend to do my own research sometimes. Doctors aren't infallible you know. And sometimes doctors will have an agreement with a certain drugs company and will recommend them above others.

Also, doctors opinions vary so much that it's good not to just take what they say without question

Contessa Raven

Some pills also help if you've got acne. My best friend was on Dianette for a couple of years because she wanted it to clear up her skin and use it as a contraceptive. After two years her skin had cleared up considerably so she came off it. She then went on to a different pill with a lower chemical level to use purely as a contraceptive. There are loads of reasons for going on the pill. There's hundreds of types and some do more than others.

LegacyUser

Would someone go on it if they didn't want to use it as a contraceptive? Seems a bit odd to me.

Wibbs

They may be on the pill for any number of medical reasons and benefits. There are many many people with cardiovascular problems taking a daily aspirin and they don't have headaches.

Trixielicious

Unregistered wrote: »

Would someone go on it if they didn't want to use it as a contraceptive? Seems a bit odd to me.

As I said in a previous post I had to go on it to regulate my periods and to reduce the bleeding. I was in so much pain and loosing so much blood that I was fainting and was anaemic. The doc recommended it for me.

Also as another poster pointed out it can be used as a treatment for acne. Personally if I suffered from acne and a doc said that the pill would work then of course I would take it.

dudara

Unregistered wrote: »

Would someone go on it if they didn't want to use it as a contraceptive? Seems a bit odd to me.

The pill is a single hormone or combination of hormones and can therefore be used to treat a range of issues caused/affected by hormonal imbalances. It's not just a contraceptive.

sam34

anamaria wrote: »

And sometimes doctors will have an agreement with a certain drugs company and will recommend them above others.

this would be very unethical behaviour and would be frowned upon by teh medical council.

Nevyn

lainey_m I would suggest that you do research on the different types of contraception there is more then just the oral contraception pill and there are two types of oral contraception pill. Learn about how the pill works, how it will effect your body and that way you can make an informed choice with your dr.

Different brands of pill have differnt level of the different active hormoans in them and you may have to try a few to find one which suits you and then there are women who can simply not the the pill at all.

The differnt types of pill can range in price form 8 euro a month to in some cases 22 euro a month.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_pill
http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?con=393
http://www.vhi.ie/hfiles/hf-345.jsp
http://www.vhi.ie/hfiles/hf-345.jsp

sunnyside

If you are very overweight or a smoker the doctor is highly unlikely to prescribe it for you.

b3t4

Definitely do your own research before going to your doctor. I'm surprised Thaeydal didn't link to the ifpa but i'll do that here lots and lots of info on their website

http://www.ifpa.ie/eng/Info/Fact-sheets

VaioCruiser

anamaria wrote: »

I tend to do my own research sometimes. Doctors aren't infallible you know. And sometimes doctors will have an agreement with a certain drugs company and will recommend them above others.

Also, doctors opinions vary so much that it's good not to just take what they say without question

Got to your doctor and tell him you really want to go on the best pill for you, that you have concerns over the risks of the pill. Then go to another doctor and compare the results.

In my experience, doctors opinions rarely differ except in complex medical conditions where diagnosis may be problematic.

All the best

Nevyn

b3t4 wrote: »

Definitely do your own research before going to your doctor. I'm surprised Thaeydal didn't link to the ifpa but i'll do that here lots and lots of info on their website

http://www.ifpa.ie/eng/Info/Fact-sheets

Because they have changed the format of their website and the full fact sheets are in pdf format and the op may not be able to access that information as easily as sites that have the information displayed as htlm pages.