Time Variation in Taking the Pill

[pinkie-kat.livejournal.com]

I looked through the archives and surprisingly I didn't find anything on this...

How many minutes can vary between the time you take a birth control pill each day and still remain fully protected? I know 30 mins is definitely way too much, but is 5 minutes or 10 minutes difference okay?

Comments

[memery.livejournal.com]

actually, it's usually a 2-4 hour window. Anything less than an hour is no problem at all.

[pezessed.livejournal.com]

Check the birthcontrol community. I believe it's actually a few hours within which you have to take your pills each day. It really depends on the dosage of your pills. The lower dosages pills have a smaller window of time 2-3 hours whereas the higher can be something like 6 hours.

It is recommended that you take them close to the same time each day.

[pinkie-kat.livejournal.com]

Man, I could have sworn I read somewhere that even half an hour was too much. But thanks!

[sadisticclone.livejournal.com]

It is with POPs (progestin only pills).

[pezessed.livejournal.com]

Nope! I remember hearing on the sunday night sex show that if you wanted to switch the time you took your pill to start taking it 30 minutes or so later/earlier each day until you get adjusted to your new time.

I beleive some lady called in because she was going on a trip and she would have had to take her pills in the middle of the night, which would be bothersome.

[koolxthing.livejournal.com]

im on ortho tricyclen and have been for 2 years and i never take it at the same time. beacuse i am bad, but i never had a problem *knock on wood*

[wickedhellen.livejournal.com]

6 hours - that's what is said on my pills-prescription.

[strand3d.livejournal.com]

Well, it really depends. As long as you don't take your pills more than 12 hours late, you're safe. But it's better to take it around the same time everyday. Normally you have about a 4 hour window, but again, you can take it up to 12 hours late and still be okay. But 10, 20,30 minutes late isn't a big deal at all. POPs are the only pills that HAVE to be taken at the same time every night because they have no estrogen, and don't have much of a half life.