The Cost of Contraception

Dial Hard · 30-10-2014 12:06pm

pwurple wrote: »

I'm curious, with the online prescriptions from llyods, how do you do the blood pressure check?

Do they talk about blood clot risks and how to recognise symptoms of them, advantages and disadvantages of different forms of contraception, how to take it correctly, what to do if you miss one... etc?

I quiz my GP fairly thoroughly about contraception. There are loads of different options out there. Mirena coil, nuvaring, implant, injection, gel, combination pill, progesterone only, low dose etc etc. I want to be sure the GP knows exactly what I'm looking for, what side effects I won't tolerate, my family history. I don't know how you get that without talking to a real person.

It's not suitable for everyone. You've to do a very comprehensive medical history background with them and if they think you've any sort of risk factor, they won't prescribe for you. You have to provide a blood pressure reading every time you renew, which pretty much any pharmacist will do for you. Obviously, there's nothing to stop you lying through your teeth about your medical history/weight/blood pressure to them, but anyone stupid enough to do that has bigger issues, imo.

I'm pretty much the ideal candidate for it - non-smoker, never had any weight issues, never had any blood pressure issues, no familial risk-factors, no Pill-related side effects, ever. If something changed or if I had any specific concerns, I'd go to my doctor. But as things stand, Lloyds is perfect for me.

Lia_lia · 30-10-2014 12:08pm

I don't mind paying for contraception. My pill is about €35 for 6 months. When I was a student we could see the doctor for free in college to get a pill prescription...it was great! At work we get a free quick doctors visit three times a year for things like prescriptions...so I have been lucky.

One tip if you are on the pill get 6 months at a time, works out way cheaper!

Dial Hard · 30-10-2014 2:18pm

Lia_lia wrote: »

One tip if you are on the pill get 6 months at a time, works out way cheaper!

I think a lot of pharmacies are cottoning onto the fact that people are wising up about dispensation fees; it's happened me a few times recently that when I ask for the full six months in one go they claim they don't have the stock and can only give me a month or two, which I'm very Scooby Doo-bious about, I have to say.

Lia_lia · 30-10-2014 2:20pm

My pharmacy are the ones that told me about it! I was very surprised they did..

Penny Tration · 30-10-2014 2:38pm

My pill is 15 quid a month, and 55 euro every 6 months to see my gp because she won't give me a prescription for longer than 6 months at a time (wants to check my blood pressure).

I'm on another medication (not contraception) that's 50 euro a month (for the generic!), plus a gp visit every three months to get a prescription for it, as I'm not allowed more than 3 months at a time.

As it stands, my parents pay for the 50 quid a month medication because I can't afford it at all, and I can't be without it.

Ocean Blue · 30-10-2014 3:28pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

I think a lot of pharmacies are cottoning onto the fact that people are wising up about dispensation fees; it's happened me a few times recently that when I ask for the full six months in one go they claim they don't have the stock and can only give me a month or two, which I'm very Scooby Doo-bious about, I have to say.

There have been stock shortages of some pills this year. And problems with expiry dates. Cilest definitely, ovranette too i think. Maybe others!

nidgeweaseal · 30-10-2014 3:30pm

sup_dude wrote: »

So I was at the doctor just there, getting my routine injection. I didn't have my medical card because it's not my GP (who I'd usually use) as I'm in college. What left me dumbfounded (other than the fact the doctor was a prick but that's another story) was the price! €40 for literally 3 minutes of stabbing a needle into my rear end. In fact, would have been half a minute if he didn't spend so long sneering at me and that was with a student discount. So I had a look at the price list on the way out. It's usually fifty euro and that's not the most expensive thing. The implant is €140 to get in and €100 to get out. A Cervical Check is €100! That's ridiculous prices! Is this the same across all doctors or is this one just taking the mick? How can women afford routine contraception at such prices? I use a medical card and I'm very grateful for it at the best of times but now I'm very thankful for it...

Just don't use it and get pregnant see how much that costs. Abortion will cost a lot more.

Ave Sodalis · 30-10-2014 3:33pm

nidgeweaseal wrote: »

Just don't use it and get pregnant see how much that costs. Abortion will cost a lot more.

I didn't say I wouldn't pay it. If I had to pay for it ordinarily, it would just be in place of something else on my budget, most likely food since that's my biggest expenditure. It doesn't change the fact that it's ridiculously expensive.

Dial Hard · 30-10-2014 4:32pm

green_screen wrote: »

My pill is 15 quid a month, and 55 euro every 6 months to see my gp because she won't give me a prescription for longer than 6 months at a time (wants to check my blood pressure).

I've never heard of a GP prescribing more than a 6 month supply at a time, tbh.

camoramo · 30-10-2014 5:30pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

I've never heard of a GP prescribing more than a 6 month supply at a time, tbh.

They're not technically allowed because you have to get your blood pressure checked every 6 months on the pill. I had to get an annual prescription when I was moving abroad and the doctor gave me 2 separate 6 month prescriptions and I had to go to two different pharmacies to get them!
Everyone here seems to be on really expensive pills, mines about €3 per pack.
You can go to the nurse instead of the doctor for a repeat presciption and it's only €30.

Ilyana 2.0 · 30-10-2014 6:09pm

I don't mind having to pay for my pill. It's about €9-€10 a month, and I'm willing to pay that for peace of mind. I tend not to buy it in bulk because I've changed pill a few times. If I was on the same one for years I probably might.

What bothers me is the cost of seeing the GP in the first place. I usually try to time my prescription visits for when I'm in college, but it still costs €25 to see the GP (as opposed to €50 at home). And at that, they seem pretty disinterested in actually helping you. Even if you only need to see the nurse for a repeat prescription (i.e printing off a piece of paper and having it signed), it's still €15. And, as an aside, a STD check costs €80, which definitely won't induce students to get them done regularly.

I actually dread becoming sick outside of term time because a visit to the GP could cost half my week's wages, without prescriptions.

Sauve · 30-10-2014 7:18pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

I think a lot of pharmacies are cottoning onto the fact that people are wising up about dispensation fees; it's happened me a few times recently that when I ask for the full six months in one go they claim they don't have the stock and can only give me a month or two, which I'm very Scooby Doo-bious about, I have to say.

I'm surprised to hear that. Most pharmacies will be happy to give you the cheapest option they can, by suggesting this option, and/or offering you cheaper alternatives (generics).
If it happens again that they don't have the full six months, ask them to charge you for the six months and owe you the remainder which you can pick up after they order in new stock. Or ask them to order six months supply and call to collect the whole lot the following day.
If they refuse any of that, I'd go elsewhere tbh.

bee06 · 30-10-2014 9:23pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

I've never heard of a GP prescribing more than a 6 month supply at a time, tbh.

The 6 month limit is actually something enforced by the pharmacies rather than doctors. My doctor prescribed me an 8 packet supply once because I was running packs together and would be back within 6 months anyway. He said he wasn't sure if the pharmacy would fill it though and they refused to fill the last two months. Said it was some regulation. The fact that my doctor said it was fine didn't matter.

pwurple · 30-10-2014 10:28pm

bee06 wrote: »

The 6 month limit is actually something enforced by the pharmacies rather than doctors. My doctor prescribed me an 8 packet supply once because I was running packs together and would be back within 6 months anyway. He said he wasn't sure if the pharmacy would fill it though and they refused to fill the last two months. Said it was some regulation. The fact that my doctor said it was fine didn't matter.

It's the manufacturers instructions I'd say. The pharmacists have to follow those.

As for the shortages, that is happened too, across a large range of medicines. There are directives about distribution and serialisation that impact current supply.

Sauve · 30-10-2014 11:32pm

pwurple wrote: »

It's the manufacturers instructions I'd say. The pharmacists have to follow those.

Nuh uh, the drug companies just make and market the product. The pharmacies are governed by Pharmaceutical Association and take all their guidance from them, as well as what the doctor has prescribed.

Sunny Dayz · 31-10-2014 12:12am

I use the Evra contraceptive patch, it costs just under €20 per month. I didn't realise that the pill was so much cheaper. I have difficulty swallowing tablets so I never really considered the pill. Plus having to remember to take the pill each day as opposed to changing the patch once a week.

kylith · 31-10-2014 12:48pm

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

I use the Evra contraceptive patch, it costs just under €20 per month. I didn't realise that the pill was so much cheaper. I have difficulty swallowing tablets so I never really considered the pill. Plus having to remember to take the pill each day as opposed to changing the patch once a week.

I usually time it for when I'm doing something that I do at the same time every day - going to bed or getting up, but my schedule is very stable.

If you're worried about swallowing tablets - the pill is absolutely tiny in relation to something like an aspirin, only a few millimetres across.

skallywag · 31-10-2014 1:29pm

hfallada wrote: »

...But yet refuse to provide free contraception to broke students...

I would have fully agreed with you when I was a broke student myself. Mind you I also channelled the bulk of my available cash to going out and socialising. I would have had no problem in paying for contraception if I was willing to sacrifice something on the said social front.

sunshine and showers · 31-10-2014 2:54pm

Sauve wrote: »

Why so?
Above making say, heart medication free, or childrens' medication free?

Because it's cheaper to the state than the cost of more children. Because it would reduce teen pregnancy rates, unwanted pregnancies and abortion numbers. Because it's the least the government could do if we're not even going to be allowed to vote to make abortion legal anytime soon.

Mostly because sex is a reality of life and access to education and contraception for people so they engage in safer sex can only be a good thing for the population as a whole.

skallywag · 31-10-2014 3:01pm

It's difficult to argue against free contraception.

The thing is though, how could Ireland possibly afford such an initiative at the moment? What would we rob from in order to pay for it, and would that then be accepted by the vast majority of the country?

meeeeh · 31-10-2014 3:37pm

sunshine and showers wrote: »

Because it's cheaper to the state than the cost of more children. Because it would reduce teen pregnancy rates, unwanted pregnancies and abortion numbers. Because it's the least the government could do if we're not even going to be allowed to vote to make abortion legal anytime soon.

Mostly because sex is a reality of life and access to education and contraception for people so they engage in safer sex can only be a good thing for the population as a whole.

Britain has access to free contraception and one of the highest rates of teen pregnancies in OCDE (besides nz and USA).

Edit: I am all for free contraception but in a system that is equitable for everybody. Not that someone has to earn about 28k per year to actually pay for them to work. So if they finance it from the cuts to social welfare or medical card entitlements then fine, but I am certainly not in favour of another tax or levy on private insurance.

sunshine and showers · 31-10-2014 3:49pm

meeeeh wrote: »

Britain has access to free contraception and one of the highest rates of teen pregnancies in OCDE (besides nz and USA).

Yes, but their rate has been decreasing. It's currently at a forty year low. It has fallen 38% since 1998 alone. That's since the implementation of the 1999 Teenage Pregnancy Strategy.

A decrease of close to half in 15 years is pretty impressive. There's also more involved to combating teenage pregnancy, but free contraception is a really good place to start.

Also the study in the USA I quoted about falling teen pregnancy rates was heavily influenced by the choice of contraception young women made. The majority chose long term options like the implant or the coil. I believe such options are being promoted on the NHS, because it could save them £100 million a year.

I think they should be free in the same way long-term illness medications are free, btw.

rainbow kirby · 31-10-2014 3:51pm

sunshine and showers wrote: »

The majority chose long term options like the implant or the coil. I believe such options are being promoted on the NHS, because it could save them £100 million a year.

When I first saw a GP over here, the implant and the Mirena coil were being pushed hard, much more than any pill.

Scarinae · 31-10-2014 4:02pm

rainbow kirby wrote: »

When I first saw a GP over here, the implant and the Mirena coil were being pushed hard, much more than any pill.

The first doctor I was registered with over here kept suggesting the implant as well, nobody has ever offered me the coil though. Still an improvement on some of the doctors I saw in Ireland who seemed disapproving that I was having sex at all.

The last time I moved I had to change GP as I was in a new catchment area, and in the introductory appointment the nurse couldn't understand why I wasn't on the pill. I tried explaining that my boyfriend lives abroad etc and she kept saying things like "So you're trying to get pregnant?"

(She also asked me if I could speak English when I told her I was Irish though, so I don't think she was entirely representative of medical staff)

tinz18 · 31-10-2014 4:16pm

Scarinae wrote: »

The first doctor I was registered with over here kept suggesting the implant as well, nobody has ever offered me the coil though.

As far as I have been told and have read the coil is mostly recommended for people who have had kids and don't want anymore. In some cases if the person is a very high risk for pregnancy they can be given it.

My GP was all for giving me the implant when I first went on contraceptives (think he was a bit confused- I originally wanted the pill to control my period pain)- this is about five years ago in rural west Ireland.

Thinking of getting it now but its quite pricey- minimum of €144 with the drugs payment scheme not including insertion fees, and perhaps removal fees if I don't react well. I'm a student and I forego a lot of socializing in order to have money for essentials. Imo its preferable to the pill because once its in, there's no risk of missing the pill/ having antibiotics interfere/vomiting reducing protection (all things that contribute to unexpected pregnancies) however very few students can afford/are willing to spend that kind of money on contraception.

BTW my pill is €12 per month (not including the cost of getting the prescription in the first place) - figure I will be saving money in the long run as the implant lasts three years.

Scarinae · 31-10-2014 4:25pm

tinz18 wrote: »

Imo its preferable to the pill because once its in, there's no risk of missing the pill/ having antibiotics interfere/vomiting reducing protection (all things that contribute to unexpected pregnancies)

I know what you mean, but on the other hand if you don’t react well to it you have to pay to have it removed, in Ireland anyway. At least with the pill if it’s not working for you then you can stop taking it or switch to a different one. That’s why I wouldn’t be keen on the contraceptive injection either. It’s great that there are so many options though and people can choose which one works best for them.

meeeeh · 31-10-2014 4:26pm

sunshine and showers wrote: »

Yes, but their rate has been decreasing. It's currently at a forty year low. It has fallen 38% since 1998 alone. That's since the implementation of the 1999 Teenage Pregnancy Strategy.

A decrease of close to half in 15 years is pretty impressive. There's also more involved to combating teenage pregnancy, but free contraception is a really good place to start.

Also the study in the USA I quoted about falling teen pregnancy rates was heavily influenced by the choice of contraception young women made. The majority chose long term options like the implant or the coil. I believe such options are being promoted on the NHS, because it could save them £100 million a year.

I think they should be free in the same way long-term illness medications are free, btw.

Well Irish birth rate decreased significantly too. Similarly rates across Europe fell. While UK numbers are good in relative terms they are still bad in absolute terms.

http://m.independent.ie/irish-news/teenage-pregnancy-levels-at-lowest-since-1966-cso-report-28902205.html

Btw contraception is already free(ish) for the groups that are the most prone to teenage pregnancy and frankly I think money would be better spent educating kids. As for free contraception, I just can't see how middle-class kids should be on priority list when so many services have to be paid for.

tinz18 · 31-10-2014 4:42pm

Scarinae wrote: »

I know what you mean, but on the other hand if you don’t react well to it you have to pay to have it removed, in Ireland anyway. At least with the pill if it’s not working for you then you can stop taking it or switch to a different one.

Unfortunately I only have two choices for the pill (Progesterone only pills) so no switching for me. Noriday is okay but the window is only 15mins so its very very easy to miss a pill even though I'm good at timekeeping- so I switched to Cerazette once I became sexually active. Cerazette has the 12 hour window but it can have adverse effects too such as constant or very frequent bleeds (imo the lucky ones get no bleeds). Since I've limited options, I'm willing to chance the implant and hope that I won't have an adverse reaction. I considered the injection but at least the implant can be removed if there's issues.

Malari · 31-10-2014 5:22pm

tinz18 wrote: »

Unfortunately I only have two choices for the pill (Progesterone only pills) so no switching for me. Noriday is okay but the window is only 15mins so its very very easy to miss a pill even though I'm good at timekeeping- so I switched to Cerazette once I became sexually active. Cerazette has the 12 hour window but it can have adverse effects too such as constant or very frequent bleeds (imo the lucky ones get no bleeds). Since I've limited options, I'm willing to chance the implant and hope that I won't have an adverse reaction. I considered the injection but at least the implant can be removed if there's issues.

15 minutes! :eek: That's a very tight schedule.

Snoopy1 · 31-10-2014 9:18pm

That's why I'm on nuvaring
I have shopped around though and now get it for 18 a month instead of 22

The Cost of Contraception

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