Newbie with BC.

[questionofwhen.livejournal.com]

Last week, I went to the doctor's to get birth control for the first time. I now have Ocella. Since my period already happened this month, I have to start this in the middle of April. (I'm doing the Sunday start, I guess. It's what my doctor told me is the most convenient.) Unfortunately, in the middle of April I'll be on a plane to Europe and will be there for 2.5 weeks. (I live in the US, btw.) And I really would like to start BC next month, but I'm worried that my constant time changes (of 6 hours) will vastly screw any time schedule I have. Any way to counter this?

Thank you!

Edit: The first question was answered, thank you.

Comments

[spike0313.livejournal.com]

a quick googling says that Ocella is the generic version (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_drug) of Yaz. so pretty much the same thing. From what I've experienced generics cost less while doing the same thing as name brand drugs.

[questionofwhen.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay! I should've googled it first. Stupid me. D:
Thanks!

[spike0313.livejournal.com]

No problem! I totally forget about google sometimes :P

[fireaphid.livejournal.com]

I don't see why you can't start the BC now. You can start the pack any time you like, though you'll need to use backup protection for the first 7 days if you're having sex and don't want to get pregnant.

[questionofwhen.livejournal.com]

I was kind of confused as well! D;

My doctor insisted that I start taking it the Sunday during/after my period. She also told me that it takes about a month for the BC to actively start protection to the maximum. Any truth to that, do you know?

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

If you read the information that came with your pills, you'll see that you are fully protected against pregnancy after seven days.

The whole "Sunday after your period starts" is really just a recommendation to make the start of the pills closer mimic your body's natural cycle. If you need it for pregnancy protection, you can start at any time.

[questionofwhen.livejournal.com]

Oooh, okay! Thanks. :)

[fireaphid.livejournal.com]

Sunday start is a good idea for people who have problems remembering to start a new pack if they don't take their placebos. . . that being said, it's totally safe not to do that. Also, it's kinda rude for your doc to tell you what's most convenient for you without telling you the other possibilities, especially when they might be wrong about what's more convenient for you in this special case!

[questionofwhen.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for clarifying!

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

Ocella is a generic form of Yasmin (not Yaz). Are you sure your doctor prescribed Yaz, and not Yasmin? Anyway, it contains the same types of hormones as Yaz, and the identical dosaging to Yasming.

Birth control pills have been shown not to cause weight gain. That said, anecdotally some users report weight gain which may or may not be linked to pill use. However, there's no guarantee that any brand will or will not cause this effect -- Yaz, or Yasmin, or Ocella aren't guaranteed not to cause weight gain, and it's not
guaranteed that they will.

You can start your pills at any time you like, by the way. You don't have to wait until the middle of April if you don't want. Anyway, if your time is only changing by six hours, it's not a big deal on a combined birth control pill like Ocella.

[questionofwhen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was Yasmin she prescribed. I realized that after I posted it and fixed it as quickly as I could.

So a 6 hour shift in pill taking won't make a difference? :o

And thank you for your help!

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

A six-hour late pill here and there will not make a meaningful impact on your level of protection; with combination pills, a pill isn't considered "missed" until it's 12 hours late or more, and even then most brands and most general guidelines do not require back-up after a single missed pill.

[happychildless.livejournal.com]

Actually Ocella is generic for Yasmin. I am on it and its been great. I had Othocept and Desogen (great), Apri (generic for Apri + side effects), no HBC, then Ocella. As for weight gain, I haven't had issues.

[questionofwhen.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thank you! :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_sin_attract/]

Well, I was on Yasmin for a couple years - love it - and when I switched insurance and sent off for my BC, I was sent Ocella instead. After taking it for 6 months, I was crazy hormonal and my skin was bad, and the only thing I had changed in my life was the BC. So, as soon as I get the time, I'm going to back and get a prescription that requires to get the real brand and not generic. But that's just me...I've read that others have gone with the generic and been just fine.

Unless you feel like you need to start RIGHT away, I don't see any reason why you can't just wait. But that's how I started my BC, on the Sunday after my period started.

[questionofwhen.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

And I would start the Sunday after my period, but I feel almost like I'm more prone to forget with time shifts and whatnot.

Thanks for your input. :)

[abrandnewhope.livejournal.com]

I'm going to Europe next month too, and I'm just simply going to re-adjust the time I take my BC pill (though, really, it doesn't make ::that:: much of a difference because it'll still be within the 12-hour window). So normally I take my pills at noon, America-time. I'll take my pill at 6pm, Europe-time. :)