Should birth control pills be sold without a prescription?

[Colour Scientist]

No, the drug does not JUST prevent conception. It can be overdosed on with freaky side-effects. At the same time a doctor should only be allowed to deny the prescription based on real medical harm to the patient and certainly not deny her for moral reasons.

You can't overdose on the pill, the side effects occur from normal usage.

You can overdose on -anything-, not necessarily causing death. Taking too many birth control pills can result in uncomfortable side effects like excessive vaginal bleeding.

Of course there's also the whole potential of being allergic to the things but that is a very rare case.

Well sure you can overdose on ANYTHING. Any pill I've taken has said there has never been a recorded case of overdose of that particular brand so I assume that instances of overdose are so rare that it shouldn't be a factor when determining whether the pill should require prescription or not. You'd have to take a ridiculous amount in a day, I mean, you could overdose on cough drops if you really tried.

 

[Murmillos]

I'll say one thing; anybody who is not a woman has no right or sense in debating for or against birth control in any form. That includes myself.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

Without the pill my girlfriend experiences very intense and almost unbearable pain during her periods. She actually needs them to get through the day without curling up into a ball and just crying until the period is over.

So yeah, I think they should be available without a prescription as she needs it constantly, and even though she DOES have a prescription, she tells me it's a hassle to have to keep re-ordering it all the time.

 

[Pawkeshup]

Without the pill my girlfriend experiences very intense and almost unbearable pain during her periods. She actually needs them to get through the day without curling up into a ball and just crying until the period is over.

So yeah, I think they should be available without a prescription as she needs it constantly, and even though she DOES have a prescription, she tells me it's a hassle to have to keep re-ordering it all the time.

Here's the thing: The hassle is there because, over time, her hormones may change, and that can lead to needing a different prescription for her needs. It's not like Advil that acts on just one isolated thing, this is more akin to MAO inhibitors for how devastating the effects can be. It literally plays with the very chemicals that cause your body to function on a base level. As you say, without the kind she uses, she has crippling pain. The opposite can be true. My fiancee actually had radically altered moods while taking them. Hormones are serious business, so tolerate the annoyance and let the experts help keep her on track.

 

[MetalMagpie]

In germany, once you are at legal age to have consent sex, thats 14 here, you can get the prescription for the pill from a gynecologist, without your parents needing to know. It is just important that that type of heavy manipulation of the bodies hormonal balance needs professional support and supervision.
But our healthcare and coverage with insurances is pretty good.

Basically this.

It's also free (and confidential) here in the UK. You just need to make an appointment with your doctor, who'll weigh you, take your blood pressure and ask if your family has a history of breast cancer. Then you get a prescription for three months. If you're still groovy after three months (no change in blood pressure, no massive weight gain/loss, no other heinous side-effects), you get a prescription for six more.

No, I don't think it should be available over the counter. But I do believe it's very important that it's free, and that conversations with your doctor are confidential.

everyone should be sterilized at birth and the genetic material stored until you have means to look after a child

bam, overpopulation, terrible parenting and teen pregnancy gone.

shame people aren't that logical oh well.

Interesting idea, but would be hideously expensive to implement. In the UK, IVF treatment costs an average of £4000. So if every baby had to be conceived this way, it would cost the British government just under £3billion a year. And that's before they've paid for all the sterilizations!

 

[verdant monkai]

I dont know if they have any side effects... if they didn't I'd say yes then make them freely available however I know next to nothing about the pills so I'm glad its not up to me.

I think what the question is, is are you pro choice? The choice part was made up so people don't feel as bad, its abortion don't try and call it something its not. I am definitely pro abortion and I am pretty sure that abortion is murder which also means fellatio is cannibalism.

 

[Aramis Night]

I'll say one thing; anybody who is not a woman has no right or sense in debating for or against birth control in any form. That includes myself.

You're right, because men should take no responsibility when it comes to birth control. It isn't as though men are ever held to account for anything as a result of whether a child is born or not. Child support is a myth. So is the idea of a man raising a child. "Oopsing" a guy has never had consequences that will affect a man in the least.

/sarcasm(for those of you dense enough to not notice that already).

 

[Aramis Night]

everyone should be sterilized at birth.

bam, overpopulation, terrible parenting and teen pregnancy gone.

shame people aren't that logical oh well.

There. Fixed it for you.

....Oh fine. You should be allowed to breed once you can prove that you have $250,000.00 put away for no other reason than to insure that the kid will be properly funded and cared for and won't be a financial burden to the rest of us. If the parent brings it to a movie theatre or any other public venue and it begins to disturb others, the state will relieve you of the child as well as the funds and the state will see to its care (probably raised to be a government soldier/assassin/agent/paperpusher).

 

[lacktheknack]

Yes.
They're going to find ways to have sex, whether you like it or not.
The important thing is making sure they don't find themselves pregnant at 15. It's a savage cycle that doesn't let people out, and if there's a chance to break it it would be irresponsible not to do so.

That's what condoms are for.

Unless you're allergic to latex (easy to find out), a condom will never cause your body to suddenly turn on itself (and if you are allergic to latex, there are hypoallergenic options).

Birth control pills, however, can do positively frightening things to women, and it's more or less essential that a doctor be present to make sure her pills aren't actively KILLING her.

This is why prescriptions happen.

The whole reason we have prescriptions has nothing to do with "whether or not they should have access the product" and EVERYTHING to do with "whether or not they should be ingesting the product". Never forget that.

 

[Bocaj2000]

everyone should be sterilized at birth and the genetic material stored until you have means to look after a child

bam, overpopulation, terrible parenting and teen pregnancy gone.

shame people aren't that logical oh well.

Because that is totally how the body works. Sterilization is completely reversible *eyeroll*

That also sounds like the beginning of Brave New World...

OT: Birth control pills... did people forget about the NuvaRing already? It's a much better alternative from what I have heard.

 

[lacktheknack]

I'll say one thing; anybody who is not a woman has no right or sense in debating for or against birth control in any form. That includes myself.

Because men have no say in their own child's existence, right? They should just shrug and walk off and pretend the child doesn't exist, right?

If you're removing yourself from the discussion on birth control, allow me to show you the door.

 

[lacktheknack]

Without the pill my girlfriend experiences very intense and almost unbearable pain during her periods. She actually needs them to get through the day without curling up into a ball and just crying until the period is over.

So yeah, I think they should be available without a prescription as she needs it constantly, and even though she DOES have a prescription, she tells me it's a hassle to have to keep re-ordering it all the time.

As unfortunate as it is that your girlfriend needs the pills to function (I have a sister who used to be in a similar-ish situation), her inconvenience isn't worth the lives of uninformed people who buy a birth control pill of their own volition and die.

And yes, there are many of those people. You can see some of those people in this thread.

 

[Pharsalus]

I agree with the notion that hormone altering products definitely need a doctors approval. But it would be nice if the morning after pill wasn't $40 a pop.

 

[The Lugz]

everyone should be sterilized at birth and the genetic material stored until you have means to look after a child

bam, overpopulation, terrible parenting and teen pregnancy gone.

shame people aren't that logical oh well.

Interesting idea, but would be hideously expensive to implement. In the UK, IVF treatment costs an average of £4000. So if every baby had to be conceived this way, it would cost the British government just under £3billion a year. And that's before they've paid for all the sterilizations!

ok, i wasn't being completely serious

but on the other hand, how much do social workers, welfare funds
for the unemployed /single parents cost? plus billions in tax credit for low earning families?

everything costs money!

 

[Gottesstrafe]

Nope.

When you're on the pill you need to have your blood pressure taken every six months, along with a few other tests. The hormones in each brand of pill can affect individual woman differently and you really do need to be monitored. When you first have the pill prescribed, you only get 3 months because they need to see how that particular brand is affecting you.

I've personally had a terrible reaction to a particular brand of pill, as have most women I know on it but it's never caused by the same brand and the side effects are never the same.

This on so many levels. Hormone drugs are not things that should be taken lightly, especially in regards to their interactions with preexisting medical conditions or the drugs taken for them. I've heard so many horror stories about these combinations from my Biochem professor. They are not something that should be popped without a second thought like I see people doing with water-soluble vitamins and antibiotics (which are already being abused regularly in the US at least).

 

[The Lugz]

everyone should be sterilized at birth and the genetic material stored until you have means to look after a child

bam, overpopulation, terrible parenting and teen pregnancy gone.

shame people aren't that logical oh well.

Because that is totally how the body works. Sterilization is completely reversible *eyeroll*

That also sounds like the beginning of Brave New World...

OT: Birth control pills... did people forget about the NuvaRing already? It's a much better alternative from what I have heard.

at-least read my raving mad comments before dissing them, I clearly said you'd need to store the genetic material as-well!

 

[Hiroshi Mishima]

I think instead of debating whether or not they should be over the counter drugs, perhaps we should be getting together and racking our brains on how we can get doctors to STOP charging an arm and fucking leg for them. That stuff is insanely expensive for women and simply using condoms is not adequate protection - no matter what some people think.

My aunt lost an ovary when she was young and had to take birth control pills for a number of reasons. She's on the shot now, but it doesn't help her mood swings any. Hmm, I should bring that up the next time I'm talking with family as to whether or not those could be a result. It's hard to tell with someone who is also a Diabetic (type II) which causes mood swings, as well.

When I was in a relationship, once my gal's access to birth control dried up.. so did our sex life. She just didn't want to take that risk, even though I have diminished odds of actually being able to impregnate - further reduced through condoms. It did put a strain on our relationship (but not our friendship) because it meant having to either fight off our natural desires or find alternate ways of dealing with it - mainly foreplay.

I understand why people might want birth control without prescription - there's numerous reasons - it's just the simple fact that the pills brands are many and finding the right one can be difficult, not to mention the potential side effects and health risks. As has already been stated repeatedly in this topic.

Really, the ideal situation would be to have more "ready clinics" - or whatever they're called - to promote ease of access to protection, in all forms, at a much cheaper rate. If birth control pills were more appropriately priced, given the obvious need for them, I think we'd see a sharp decline in the number of teenage pregnancies and accidental pregnancies in general.

Also, the whole thing about "needing a parent's permission" to be on birth control really needs to go. This can be especially problematic for young girls who live in.. obstinate households that have "views" on this kind of thing. It's kind of like abortions in that it should NOT be a parent's choice, but the person wanting the abortion. That's pretty screwed up in certain countries and even right here in the US!

 

[Bocaj2000]

everyone should be sterilized at birth and the genetic material stored until you have means to look after a child

bam, overpopulation, terrible parenting and teen pregnancy gone.

shame people aren't that logical oh well.

Because that is totally how the body works. Sterilization is completely reversible *eyeroll*

That also sounds like the beginning of Brave New World...

OT: Birth control pills... did people forget about the NuvaRing already? It's a much better alternative from what I have heard.

at-least read my raving mad comments before dissing them, I clearly said you'd need to store the genetic material as-well!

I did read it. I'm still dismissing it:

That's not how reproduction works.

If reproduction did work like that, you are proposing something straight out of Brave New World.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Okay, I'm a little curious now. That thing I linked earlier from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists mentions that the medical side effects of oral contraceptive pills are lower than a number of other OTC medications, and people are generally able to understand the risks and visit the doctor on their own just fine. Where are people getting all these horror stories?

I only linked the press release earlier, though. <url=http://www.acog.org/Resources_And_Publications/Committee_Opinions/Committee_on_Gynecologic_Practice/Over-the-Counter_Access_tral_Contraceptives>Full one, for those interested.

...all three of you.