Missed doses of Tri-Sprintec

[leaveittoweaver.livejournal.com]

So despite having an alarm set on my phone, I managed to miss Thursday and Friday's pill. I'm on Tri-sprintec and take my pill at 10pm everynight. I missed Thursday and Friday and the instructions say " If the patient misses two (2) active tablets in Week 1 or Week 2, the patient should take two (2) tablets the day she remembers and two (2) tablets the next day; and then continue taking one (1) tablet a day until she finishes the pack.".(The ones I missed are in week two). So I'm not sure if I understand these instructions, do I take Thursday and Friday's pills today and then Saturday and Sunday tomorrow? 

Should I be using back up bc? I've been taking it religiously otherwise.

EDIT: Also wanted to add that according to My Monthly Cycles I was last fertile on the 25th. and won't be fertile again until December 19th. How accurate are these calendars if I have a very normal cycle? 

Thanks!

Comments

[archangelbeth]

Yes, take Thursday's and Friday's today, and Saturday's and Sunday's tomorrow. (Or you could take Thursday's and Saturday's today, and Friday's and Sunday's tomorrow, if that'd make more sense. It's basically, "take 2 pills the first day you remember, and 2 pills the day after, then go back to one a day.")

I'd use backup contraception for at least a few days, and expect spotting as the hormone-drop makes the uterus wonder if it's time for a bleed.

I hope that's useful to you!

[leaveittoweaver.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

So even though I'm not fertile(according to the calendar tracking) I should use back up?

[kimie-catclaw.livejournal.com]

Because you're taking hormonal birth control, you're not fertile at all since you're not having a natural cycle. There's no point in tracking your cycles on HBC because the pills prevent your body from ovulating.

[leaveittoweaver.livejournal.com]

Ohh I see! So why is back up needed then?

[kimie-catclaw.livejournal.com]

Basically, HBC keeps your ovaries "hypnotized" so they don't spit out an egg. If you don't take all your active pills, or extend your placebo week, or forget to take a couple, your ovaries are in danger of "waking up" and ovulating. However, 7 days of properly taken pills will make sure they're asleep again. Hence, a week of a back-up method.

[leaveittoweaver.livejournal.com]

Ah, that makes sense. What are the chances of that happening, do you know? Also curious, does the extent of time you are on birth control make a difference to that?

Sorry for so many questions. I read this community fairly often and still don't understand half the stuff I should about my own body.

[kimie-catclaw.livejournal.com]

No, the extent of time does not make a difference, and there's no way to tell the chances because the hormones affect everyone differently. Some people have finicky ovaries that wake up quickly, and some people are fine if they're more haphazard with their pills. Remember, even the "typical" use stats for the pill are pretty good (90-some % effective over the course of a year).

[archangelbeth]

I'd have answered you last night, but kimie_catclaw took the words right off my keyboard. Every single one of them, and some of them are even the exact phrasing I'd use! O:D

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

I would check the booklet that came with your pills for guidance. Most brands recommend using back-up for seven days after two missed pills; some guidelines from Johns Hopkins University's School of Public Health, in conjunction with the WHO, have found that you can miss up to four pills in the second week and not require back-up protection, but that's quite a lot more liberal than any pill pamphlet. (The primary risk of missed pills is how close it is to the hormone-free week, as the hormone-free days combined with any missed pills can increase the risk of ovulation.)

Whether or not it takes longer to ovulate if pills are missed depends more on the individual than on how long you've been on it, to my knowledge. Some bodies ovulate quite promptly after stopping HBC, or if pills are missed; others won't ovulate for literally months after stopping HBC, and aren't at much risk of breakthrough ovulation. Since there's no way to know how your individual body reacts, the best bet is usually to assume you are at risk of ovulation if you miss X number of pills.

Cycle tracking sites such as MyMonthlyCycles.com are actually quite useless when you're on hormonal birth control. You don't have a menstrual cycle, so you don't have a "fertile" period; if a breakthrough ovulation occurs on HBC, it may not necessarily occur when one would expect it to on a natural menstrual cycle, it would occur when hormone levels dropped too low, too long to stop it from happening. So the calendars quite seriously tell you nothing.

Long story short: standard advice would suggest using back-up contraception for seven days, to be on the safe side.

[leaveittoweaver.livejournal.com]

Ah I gotcha. Thanks. I have a question, just about five minutes ago it felt like I got my period, which I knew was impossible since it's not due yet until the 7th.

When I checked, I felt very wet..I've had this kind of discharge before. It's stringy and stretchy. And there was a lot. Problem is, I don't remember when I've had it before or anything so I'm wondering if this means I ovulated??

Thanks :)

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

Impossible to say -- it could just be a change in mucous from a hormone blip from missing the pills. As always, best bet is to use back-up for seven days. :)

[leaveittoweaver.livejournal.com]

Another question! Sorry. If I missed Thursdays and Fridays pill and took them on Saturday, does that mean don't have unprotected sex until next Saturday or Thursday? Thanks :) Sorry about all the questions. just want to make sure I'm playing it safe.

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

Use back-up until you have taken seven active pills in a row -- so next Saturday.