Debate thread: Contraception as Non-Prescription

[kuju]

Lets bring this place to life with our first GP debate.

Note I will be monitoring this thread closely. please don't be an ass.
Note This thread is for discussion about the ISSUE, not for discussion about how birth control is evil and against god and is Satan's drug and should be burned at the stake and shit. okay?
Note this thread obviously pertains to countries where currently birth control IS prescribed. so "I can get it from the corner store" is really a useless post in this thread unless you want to give some benefits/problems with that situation.

So.

There is a lobby to make birth control, i.e. the pill, (generally not the shot as that requires a doctor to give it anyways) an over-the-counter drug.

a few points to consider:

-accessibility?
-will there be an increase or decrease in price per month?
-will this stop the giving of the pill at Family clinics i.e. Planned Parenthood?
-bypass of doctor's visits/medical examinations/family histories.
-easier for adolescents to get... good or bad? i.e. younger and younger teens.
-doctor's not there to give instructions and explainations of use and side effects.


I'm going to refrain from commenting until the debate has started...

aaaaand......... GO!

[zoe]

The makers of the company would obviously benefit from it. I would love for it to be an over-the-counter thing personally. It could provide better protection for teens (seeing that it'd be easier to get), but it also might prove the tiniest threat that younger teens will use it as an excuse to go out and have sex with "no risks", and may not even use it right. I do think that it should be well explained to the person who wants to take it, not just a box of them with a little instruction pamplet that no one ever reads anyway. Even if it was over-the-counter, they should definately still give it out at planned parenthood.

I don't think that it should be, mostly because it's a big step and I think there needs to be someone professional there to explain it to you, and especially explain to you how to use it CORRECTLY.

[BigJim]

whilst many of the side-effects are minor, there ARE some very serious side-effects that can happen to certain persons, and those with some medical histories are advised not to take it.

if it' over the counter, how are those ones at risk going to know not to take it? even if the package said so, whor eads that???

plus too, some younger ones doesn't quite understand the severity of the problems that can occur, and would lie to get the pill.

my answer - NO. keep it prescription only.

[Barefoot Matt]

No.

Point 1: Side effects - There are some side effects that are minor and happen to most users, and the patient should be advised of those. More importantly, like most prescription drugs, there are serious side effects that can occur in a small percentage of the population. These side effects could be affected by previous medical history. Therefore, it is important that a doctor check the patient's history and current medical condition to insure that the drug is safe for the patient, and the physician should also be monitoring the patient on an occasional basis to insure there is no development of side effects. This is common sense for any Rx drug, and it wouldn't have been classified as Rx in the first place if the potential side effects did not merit it.

Point 2: Proper use - From listening to contraceptive users on the RF's, it's apparent that even patients who did recieve proper instruction from their doctors really have no idea what they're doing. If there was no instruction at all, more people would be using it improperly because they don't know when to start, how long to wait before sex, when to take the pill, how long they can go between doses without circumventing the protection, how to recognize potentially dangerous side effects, et cetera.

One thing I do think should be looked at... in those places where parental permission is required for a prescription of birth control, if that policy does still exist anywhere, I believe that is wrong. Minors should be able to protect themselves even if their parents are trying to pretend they're not having sex.

[nicruns]

hormones are serious drugs. i shudder to think that anyone culd just go down the street and buy them. A doc looks at your med history and does a pelvic exam before prescribing a certain kind of pills. its VERY important that you get a pap smear before starting the pill b/c certain kinds can make cervical cancer even worse. for saftey reasons i think the pill needs to stay prescription only

[rcwant2be]

i'm with nicruns. you don't want to be unknowingly pumping horomones into cervical cancer. that'd just make a bad situation much worse. I must admit tho, i do not take birth control, i have been sexually active (but i'm not now), i've never had a pelvic exam, & i'm just a few months shy of my 21st b-day. that's very bad of me, however, i'm pretty freaked out by the exam. IMMATURE! i know. like a friend pointed out, better to see the doctor for a simple little exam rather that in the delivery room. my point being, if birth control were OTC, heck yeah i'd have some. but, until i grow up about it, i'm gonna hold off on the sex.

[Am I tight or not?]

I think contraception should be easily accessible for everyone and it should be as easy to get as possible. I don't think this situation would result in more teens having sex. if teens want to have sex they'll do it anyway, they can get condoms very easily or they'll just do it without. that's not an argument (the same bullshit as "legalising marihuana will cause more people to do harder drugs like coke". it's a non-sequitur.)

however they should not be available over-the-counter. these are not vitamins you just pop for fun or an aspirin you take when you have a headache. it's a serious drug and a doctor should be consulted to make sure it's safe. more and more people are just popping pills (it's the pills-make-you-better concept that's invading our society. drug companies are inventing illnesses so they can sell their drugs) and it's a dangerous slippery slope. we're already getting problems with drug-resistant bacteria from all the people that take drugs without consulting doctors.

[miz erotika]

i dont think the pill should be an over the counter drug. with all the risks and precautions with taking it, the current procedures (going to the doc and having a conference about safe sex practices and contraceptives) should still be in practice. with many of the misconceptions about birth control, and high school sex ed courses being inadequate, many teens would most likely not take the pill correctly. i could see the number of teen pregnancies escalating. the pill isn't like aspirin...take a pill and get rid of a nuisance. the pill is something much more involved and there are serious risks along with taking it.

[SoSweetAngel]

I don't see why they shouldn't be available over the counter.

The disadvantage is that you'd have to pay, but I think you have to pay in America anyway. It's free here for some people (eg under 16, unemployed, student, etc).

I didn't have a pelvic exam when I went on the pill. I know that's not a good thing - because the risks are higher. They jsut asked me questions about whether I smoke, breast cancer in my family etc etc.
Those are all questions that I could answer for myself, and figure out what's a good pill for me.
Most people go for a smear test regularely anyway...well, they should!

The morning after pill is a bit different. There are bad side effects for some people. Also, if you could but everything over the counter, and you ended up pregant...that's the kind of scenario that leads o people thinking they can "cope" by themselves - ie illegal abortions and shit like that.

Also, I think it's a part of growing up being able to tell a total stranger that you have so much sex you want to go on the pill :)

[BabyDiva]

Keep in mind, I am an adovocate of birth control...

There are MANY problems aside from the pumping of hormones into ones system that can occur. For one, teens who do NOT know when/how to take it could have some serious problems. Like it was said earlier, who reads those packages anyway?

Also, by allowing anyone to buy them on the mass market you run into liability. Let's say a 12 year old goes out and buys them. Then you have a 12 year old who is pumping her body full of hormones. Most average teens believe that doubling or tripling the dosage of a normal birth control pill will be the same effect as the morning after pill. I have 0 clue as to if this is true or not. These girls go out, buy a pack (at 12 remember...) and use it as morning after. This could send their developing bodies into shock from the level of hormones and could potentially permanently damage it.

You also run into the "generic" forms that would then come out.

Since there are some morons who will crush and snort ANYTHING medical in hopes of getting a high...you have that problem as well (complications...I seriously doubt HORMONES could make one high)

Medically, you need to have some sort of record that you are taking the pill. A 16 year old who contracts strep throat may not realize that by taking antibiotics the chemicals could negate the pill and therefore leave her completely unprotected. When she becomes pregnant, she automatically assumes the medicine was tampered with and sues.

Medically and with regards to insurance liability, it just would NOT be a good move. The teens in today's day and age are simply not responsible enough to be able to go into a drug store and purchase birth control pills and be expected to take them as directed. They need instructions from a medical professional, help numbers, and some sort of medical supervisision should side effects or drug interactions occur. How bad could it be for the drug companies if a mother came in, found her daughter passed out on the floor because her perscription had some freak interaction with an artificially introduced hormone and the mother had no idea because her daughter bought the pills without her mother's knowledge. And there would also be nothing on her medical record because the doctors wouldn't know anything about it.

There are tons more problems with this than the benefits of accessibility.

Prices would stay the same or go UP because of the "cost of convenience" (sort of like on-line banking or paying your college tuition with a credit card).

My vote...a strong no.

Instead, make it easier to go through planned parenthood or a family doctor so it's controlled and the young woman is well informed of the pill and how it should be used.

[zoe]

Most average teens believe that doubling or tripling the dosage of a normal birth control pill will be the same effect as the morning after pill. I have 0 clue as to if this is true or not.

It is most definately NOT true, and as you said, it is very dangerous!

[Pudding]

i reckon it should be kept prescription only.

little kids are having sex too young these days already, they dont need encouragement. it'll just be like a reassurance in saying, come on, sex isnt that big a deal, just go get the pill, itll take 5 mins tops - and we're all ready to fuck. and then theres the pregnancy factor... its only 2% but i dont think any of them who take sex lightly is able to take care of a baby.

[BabyDiva]

well...the statisitcs say it's only 2%...but that's when used properly...let's face it 75 - 85 % of teens WITH medical supervision use the pill incorrectly...so the reported failure rate of 2% in a perfect world is FAR from what the real percentage is with misuse involved.

[Barefoot Matt]

well...the statisitcs say it's only 2%...but that's when used properly...let's face it 75 - 85 % of teens WITH medical supervision use the pill incorrectly...so the reported failure rate of 2% in a perfect world is FAR from what the real percentage is with misuse involved.
Actually, the statistics are as follows:

Perfect use failure rate: 0.1-0.5 pregnancies per 100 couples per year (99.5-99.9% effective)

Typical use failure rate (ie, average of population, including those who use it incorrectly): 3 pregnancies per 100 couples per year (97% effective)

(Source: AfraidToAsk.com; for informational purposes only)

[hunny]

the pill isn't like aspirin..

Lol, that reminds me of this little joke someone once told me about the first birth control pill... "Take one aspirin....and hold it firmly between your knees."
Haha, I am just full of jokes lately.
But anyway, this debate isn't going anywhere because even the most controversial posters aren't in favor of it being available over the counter.
I am not either, I think that it should accessible, and affordable, or even free if need be. But I don't think you should be able to go to the drugstore or walmart and pick up some gum, and a packet of birthcontrol pills. For the same reasons everyone else already said.

[Palmer of the Turks]

Prescription only.

The different brands of BC pills are more then just names. The hormone composition of them varies, sometimes by a lot.

Just because TriCyclen works for your best friend doesn't mean it'll work for you.

My ex had to go through FOUR different pills before finding one that would actually work... it had to be strong enough for her system, but not so strong it made her sick.

However, I feel that expanded training and licensing of people who CAN prescribe is the best option.
If school nurses could prescribe (competently! and confidentially
) that would be a major victory in the BC accessibility battle... I know I tell everyone to go to PPH... but for some people PPH isn't accessible because of distance or maybe restrictive parents not letting them go anywhere alone or who knows...

But everyone goes to school.

Honestly... prescription v non-prescription is not going to solve the problem...

It's easy to get a prescription, really.

The real obstacles are CONFIDENTIALLITY and COST.

If school nurses could (and would) confidentially prescribe them, then the prescription issue is moot.

If the government subsidized and paid for pills for anyone still in school (just flash your student ID) then no one would have a problem actually getting them. I've known of girls who didn't use BC simply because they couldn't afford it.

Stupid, yes... but also valid. For any teen who isn't working, $30+ a month is a lot of money.

SSA: You may be well informed, and know a lot. But there are 2 major flaws in yoru reasoning.

#1: You're strill not a doctor and don't have access to the same information they do.

#2: Sure... YOU KNOW. And how many of your friends, honestly, know as much as you about this? Think about all the people who post in here asking about BC. Look at BabyDiva, who is a strong advocate of BC, but still doesn't know all the answers.
How many people can really make an informed decision?

I rest my case.

[*after8*]

...and another thing, if someone is "ready" to b having sex, they should b able to get themselves to the doctor for a prescription. sex is a serious thing, and it shouldn't b THAT MUCH of a hassle to go out and get to the doctor's if you're gonna b having sex regularly.

like someone else sayd, theres other means of contraception -- like condoms etc if you dont want to b "hassled" to getting a prescription. the pill is more long-term than those, and it HAS side effects. because of those side effects, it shouldn't b over the counter.
(i can just see it now. people thinking that the day they take pill one they're protected, or people thinking "hmm, if i take a week's worth of pills in one day, maybe that will make me protected sooner?"

they really dont need ta non-precriptionize (is that a word? doubt it) bc.

[BabyDiva]

Just a quick disclaimer (I remembered there are SO many new members who never came in contact with me) I do have a massive amount of information regarding birth control from a few sources (friends, my sisters medical professionals, AIDS/HIV class, etc) but I never put it to use since I am not on birth control (not sexually active).

This is the reason why I do not have all the answers...don't think I'm just ill informed or dumb.

[Wolf]

It's very risky with side effects and such but you would probably get many more teen pregnancies due to people not using the drug right and then taking it after they get pregnant and get a malformed child

[~Fanta~]

Stupid, yes... but also valid. For any teen who isn't working, $30+ a month is a lot of money.

Are you kidding, birth control pills in the US cost 30$ per month?? omg...it costs only 10$ here, sometimes even less, depends on the kind...

Anyway, i think it should deffinitely stay prescripted, for the reasons that everybody said already. The morning after pill was also prescripted in Israel, but they've changed it a while ago, and now you can just go and get it for 5$ at the drug store. I disagree with this too.
If a girl is not mature enough to go to a doctor and ask for bc, she shouldn't be having sex regularly.

[EaCS]

That's quite a tough question. On the one hand some teens may be too embarrassed to go to the doctor for a prescription, but then again, if they aren't mature enough for that then they probably shouldn't be having sex anyway. Non-prescription may result in a higher uptake, but on the other hand there are the possible medical complications that could not be properly advised upon by a GP. I think over all it's better to keep it prescription only.

Fanta - I agree completely that someone shouldn't be having sex if they aren't mature enough to get BC from a doctor, but that's not the point. It's the people who aren't mature enough but are still having sex that need to be reached. If they can't handle going to their doctor to get contraceptices, how could they possibly handle having a child? They would probably make the worst parents of all.

[Bravehearter]

I just picture 12 year old girls popping these things back like candy. And only a doctor really knows your medical history well enough to let you know if you will have any serious side effects taking the pill.
Sure I guess its easy acess so that can prevent a lot of unwanted babies, but I could be wrong but I mean last time I checked you didnt need a prescription for condoms. :wink:

[Barefoot Matt]

Sure I guess its easy acess so that can prevent a lot of unwanted babies, but I could be wrong but I mean last time I checked you didnt need a prescription for condoms. :wink:
An excellent point, and condoms are cheaper too (depending on where you are)

[Palmer of the Turks]

Stupid, yes... but also valid. For any teen who isn't working, $30+ a month is a lot of money.

Are you kidding, birth control pills in the US cost 30$ per month?? omg...it costs only 10$ here, sometimes even less, depends on the kind...
Most of them cost $30 Canadian around here... but you can get them for as little as $8 from Planned Parenthood (kuju would know prices better than me). But people in the US I've talked to report prices ranging from $25-45+ US a month.

Yeah, the prices are rediculous. I know when I was a teen, I couldn't afford $30 a month... hell, not even $10 a month.