My pharmacist is an idiot- BCP question

mschristie123 · October 2014

Okay so I have to rely on the wisdom of you all because Walgreens sucks and my pharmacist is brain dead.

So the situation is that I finished my birth control pack last Monday, and was on my off-week last week. I was supposed to pick up my new birth control pack this past Monday (a couple days ago) and I totally forgot. I have been so stressed this last week and going to Walgreens to get my prescription totally fell out of the back of my head. I didn't remember to get my new pack until this morning. So I tried asking the pharmacist there what the situation is, since I'm starting my pack late. Do I need to use an alternate form of BC? Is my chance of getting pregnant increased substantially? She couldn't answer a single question and actually at one point told me to take the pills until Sunday, and then throw the pack out. WTF? She couldn't understand what I was explaining, even though I was trying to keep my cool and explain the situation several times. She was still giving me random ass answers that didn't make sense.

So what should I do? I called my OB to ask too, but they still haven't called me back. Long story short: I'm 2 days late starting my new pack- how much trouble am in/what should I do?

cupcait927 · October 2014

From what I've been told by gynocologists is to start on whatever pill you would take today and use a back up form of birth control for a week (this has been consistent advice so I trust it). After that you should be okay to just take the BCP without back up.

esstee33 · October 2014

Is there a little info packet in your BCP package? Mine always told me how to proceed based on how late I was in starting the new pack. Otherwise, I'd just wait for your gyno to call back (or call and harass the shit out of them) to find out for sure.

And anytime I had to ask myself "should I use a backup form of BC?" I'd use a backup just in case. Better overprotected than under, no?

AprilH81 · October 2014

First, I would call your doctor and speak with someone at the office to get an official answer.

Second, I would throw out the "missed" pills, start with the pill you would normally take today and use back-up birth control for a week or two.

Since you just finished your period it is highly unlikely you would get pregnant, but anything is possible.

birdybride2014 · October 2014

I agree with @cupcait927. From what I understand there are some instances where you do take the pills you missed, but if you are okay just using a backup bc for a while then it wouldn't be anything I'd worry about.

lovedryn · October 2014

You may want to use back up BC for a week or so. Aside from that you should be fine once you get back on the pill. Typically one doesn't ovulate until two weeks after menses. So two days late is unlikely to have enough time to ovulate, especially if you have been on BCP for a long time. It can take a while for your reproductice system to get back on track with its ovulation cycle.

On the off chance that you did ovulate, it certainly can't hurt anything to use condoms or a backup BC for the first week after you start BCP again.

mschristie123 · October 2014

Thanks ladies!

I actually hate condoms and think they're icky, so we might just take the week off if that is the situation. Better to be safe than sorry. A week or two of being more careful sounds better than the whole month, which is what I was anticipating they might tell me.

sarahufl · October 2014

When I used to take BC, it had a pamphlet in it that told you what to do. Whatever you do, don't take them all at once- I did that one time (stupid teenager) and it made me SO SICK. Most women don't ovulate till a couple weeks after the first day of their periods, so you aren't likely to get pregnant but it would be smart to rely on backup. Talk to your doctor.

levioosa · October 2014

I can't speak for all birth control, but I take Viorele. The insert that comes with the medication tells me that if I miss more than two days I should throw out the pack, start a new pack, and use a backup method for a week.

Have you tried reading the instructions that come with your birth control? They might have some answers for you. I would also call your OBGYN again. Perhaps they have a NP or a PA who can offer you medical advice? Often my doctor can't call me back, but the NP on staff can, and she is also able to write me prescriptions.

HaileyDancingbear · October 2014

I get my prescription and pick up my pills from Planned Parenthood, which I'd recommend if you have one near you, because they are a million times more competent than any pharmacy I've ever dealt with. They thoroughly explain what they're giving you and answer all of your questions clearly. Plus they give a fuck about you not getting pregnant, so they won't fuck up your prescription and send you home without pills (Which has happened like 5 times to me.)

What I've been told with mine is that missing one day is no big deal, missing two in a row, you're gonna want to use a back up for a day or so to be safe.

And for future reference, a week is how long it takes for a NEW birth control pill to start being effective- if you were never on pills, then started, you'd need a week of the hormones to start being effective. So if you're ever wondering, 7 days is the longest you should have to wait for a pill to become effective again, wether you're being safe after missing a few days, or starting again after skipping a month.

holyguacamole79 · October 2014

Are you sure the person you dealt with was the pharmacist and not the pharmacy technician? That is crazy horrible that she was that incompetent.

princessleia22 · October 2014

Definitely check the info packet that came with the pills and ask your doctor. My pills have info packet that lays out what precautions are needed based on what week of cycle a pill was missed. Like, if you miss pill in week 1, do this... if you miss pill in week 2, do this. And specifics will change depending on exactly which type of pill you are on. With my last type of BCP, it wasn't a huge risk to miss a day at any time of the month, as it had a longer effective period. And missing more than one day would depend on where you were in the cycle. I'm currently on a progesterone only pill that is only effective for right around 24 hours. If I'm more than an hour or two late taking it, it says to use backup methods for 7 days. So, timing is definitely more critical with some types of pills.

Like others said, typically the longest you would need alternate protection is likely 7 days, as that's usually how long it takes them to be fully effective. With it just being at the start of a new pack, you should be okay, as that's not typically ovulation time. But, you need to find out the specifics of your medication, since there is a wide variety of pill types.

mschristie123 · October 2014

sarahbear31 said:

Are you sure the person you dealt with was the pharmacist and not the pharmacy technician? That is crazy horrible that she was that incompetent.

Yeah I waited like an extra 10 minutes to talk to the actual pharmacist, and while she was giving me "advice" she was talking to the pharm tech and answering phone calls. She wasn't paying attention to anything I was saying. I ended up just taking the prescription and leaving while she was still talking. Not my finest moment!

mschristie123 · October 2014

HaileyDancingbear said:

I get my prescription and pick up my pills from Planned Parenthood, which I'd recommend if you have one near you, because they are a million times more competent than any pharmacy I've ever dealt with. They thoroughly explain what they're giving you and answer all of your questions clearly. Plus they give a fuck about you not getting pregnant, so they won't fuck up your prescription and send you home without pills (Which has happened like 5 times to me.)

What I've been told with mine is that missing one day is no big deal, missing two in a row, you're gonna want to use a back up for a day or so to be safe.

And for future reference, a week is how long it takes for a NEW birth control pill to start being effective- if you were never on pills, then started, you'd need a week of the hormones to start being effective. So if you're ever wondering, 7 days is the longest you should have to wait for a pill to become effective again, wether you're being safe after missing a few days, or starting again after skipping a month.

*********SIB***********

Thanks @haileydancingbear that is really good to know- I had no idea!

holyguacamole79 · October 2014

mschristie123 said:

sarahbear31 said:

Are you sure the person you dealt with was the pharmacist and not the pharmacy technician? That is crazy horrible that she was that incompetent.

Yeah I waited like an extra 10 minutes to talk to the actual pharmacist, and while she was giving me "advice" she was talking to the pharm tech and answering phone calls. She wasn't paying attention to anything I was saying. I ended up just taking the prescription and leaving while she was still talking. Not my finest moment!

Sheesh. I would be going to a new pharmacy. I absolutely love the pharmacists at my Target.

princessleia22 · October 2014

sarahbear31 said:

mschristie123 said:

sarahbear31 said:

Are you sure the person you dealt with was the pharmacist and not the pharmacy technician? That is crazy horrible that she was that incompetent.

Yeah I waited like an extra 10 minutes to talk to the actual pharmacist, and while she was giving me "advice" she was talking to the pharm tech and answering phone calls. She wasn't paying attention to anything I was saying. I ended up just taking the prescription and leaving while she was still talking. Not my finest moment!

Sheesh. I would be going to a new pharmacy. I absolutely love the pharmacists at my Target.

Yeah, I use Target Pharmacy also, and have had great experiences with them.

huskypuppy14 · October 2014

Don't throw out any pills!!

If you should have started on Monday, and it's now Wednesday, that means you missed 2 pills. I think you are supposed to take 2 today, and 2 tomorrow, and then take the rest of the pack like normal.

Double check this with your doctor of course.

Use a backup form of BC or don't have sex for 7 days.

My pharmacist is an idiot- BCP question

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