Contraceptive Pill Dilema

LegacyUser

Bit of a dilema. Me and gf have decided to be responsible and mature and have opted to use the contraceptive pill. She's a student and I'm unemployed with absolutely 0 income at the moment. She can't talk to her folks about it and I can't get it on my medical card for her. Is there any way around it? We just don't have the money. We don't drink or smoke. It just seems really unfair. What money we do spend is in seeing each other at weekends as we do long distance.

My friend's gf is from Scotland and she gets it free. Why is Ireland so backward?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Nevyn

If she is a student then she should go see her college medical services if there is one.

LegacyUser

There is still a fee even through the student centre. You've got to pay for prescriptions and then the pill too....

Nevyn

Dr vists can be free at student medical health centers and then there are chemists that do a discount studen price on prescriptions. Per month the oral contraceptive ill can be as little as 7 to 12 euro.

LegacyUser

for a student, a doctors appointment should only cost 25euro (possibley less if she has access to a college dr). if she gets a generic brand it does not cost much per month. mine for example only costs 2.50 a month.

thats not much money! babies cost a hell of a lot more. I'm a student too and wouldnt have much in the way of disposable income, but c'mon, 25euro every six months?! is that really too much to pay for the piece of mind?

LegacyUser

No, that's not much. That's grand actually... We were under the impression it was €20 per perscription per month and the cost of the pill on top. Hopefully, can sort it in next week...

Thanks for advice.

ChocolateRamses

You know if paying for contraception is an issue for you, then you could always try not having sex if you don't want children before you're ready.

It's free after all.

Nevyn

ChocolateRamses Unhelpful and off-topic posting will get you banned from this forum.
Do take time to read the charter which contains the rules and abide by them.
Have a nice day.
Thaedydal

Faith

OP4321 wrote: »

No, that's not much. That's grand actually... We were under the impression it was €20 per perscription per month and the cost of the pill on top. Hopefully, can sort it in next week...

Thanks for advice.

She'll pay for the initial doctor's visit and prescription (unless she can go to the college doctor for free) and then pay for each month of the pill. You only have to get a prescription once every 6 months. The most expensive pill costs about €17 per month.

LegacyUser

What's the name of the generic pill named above and is it as good as the branded versions?

Thanks for all your advice... Not as bad as we were thinking!

dudara

FYI: 6 month prescription of Microlite filled in one go costs about €40-€45 depending. Filling it on a month by month basis is a little more expensive, but may suit your monthly finances better.

Your girlfriend will have to go to a GP and the GP will help her decide what type of pill would suit her best. There are different types and it can be a matter of trying a few out before finding one that suits. It's a prescription medicine after all, which contains hormones, so it's important to get it right.

Nevyn

A woman can't go into a dr and demand to be put on a certainbrand of pill,
different brands have different levels of the active hormoans and it has to be the best one for her and her body and the dr will talk to her about it and there are factors like family history which have to be take into consideration.

The pill won't protect against any sti and the pill even if taken correctly is no 100% effective for 1005 of women, so many people will still use condoms in conjunction with the pill.

tfak85

is there any way that your gf can see her doc next time she's in scotland? i know gp care and all contraception is free on the nhs...
other than that, yes, it may seem like a big outgoing when you see a doc and fill a three month prescription (she wont get a six month one straight away) but as pointed out above it is cheaper than a baby...

uoluol

My contraceptive pill (Trinordiol) only costs approx €15 (depending on chemist that dispenses it) for 6 months supply. It's one of the first generation brands, but causes me no side effects, and has worked perfectly for the past 8 years!

tfak85

uoluol wrote: »

My contraceptive pill (Trinordiol) only costs approx €15 (depending on chemist that dispenses it) for 6 months supply. It's one of the first generation brands, but causes me no side effects, and has worked perfectly for the past 8 years!

i'm not sure that anyone can recommend any pill, everybody is completely different with different family histories etc... the girl will just have to go to her doc/family planning nurse/midwife and work out the most suitable for her.

chocfan

I agree with some of the above posts that this girl's doctor should be the one to decide (with her of course) which pill would be most appropriate for her but I don't see the harm in people suggesting the cheaper pills that they have been prescribed. Some people seem to dislike that other posters are saying which ones they're on-as far as I can see, nobody is actually recommending a particular one, just listing what they are taking with the cost per month/6 months etc.

I think it puts this girl in a great position where she can then go to her doctor with a list of these ones, which may be much more affordable for her. Her doctor can then talk to her about them all and it may be the case that one of these ones would be suitable for her to start.

Good luck OP-I'm sure she'll get sorted with something