[identity profile] screamingvenus.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] vaginapagina
[cross posted in [livejournal.com profile] birthcontrol]


i stopped into planned parenthood and i told the nurse at the front desk that i need to switch pills. i told her that i'm having panic attacks every day, and that i understand that it might take a few months for me to get used to the OTC LO, but i'm not about to try to ride this out. she asked if i'm expereincing any other side effects, and i told her that i now have difficulty wearing contact lenses. she tried to tell me that this is not a side effect of the pills, [even though i read about this side effect on the OTC LO product information sheet.] she told me that my eyes are probably changing shape, and i should go get an eye exam. [?!] she handed me two months worth of mircette without even discussing my options. i asked a few questions, and she gladly answered them, but the fact that she handed me new meds without even coverring all of my options? that was bothersome, to say the least. i then told her that i have three days worth of OTC LO placebos left, and that i began my period early this morning. i asked her when i should start the mircette, and she told me to wait until sunday. which means i'm going to be unprotected for about a week and a half. she asked why i started the OTC on the thirteenth of october, [which was a saturday.] i told her i chose the 24-hours-after-you-get-your-period start method as opposed to the sunday start method, so that i would be protected immediately. she told me that planned parenthood reccommends that their patients use the sunday start method. why is that?


i wish that i had health insurance so i could go to a "normal" gynecologist. someone who would meet with me on a one-on-one basis and ask me questions and give me answers and discuss all of my options with me. but i'm poor, so i have to deal with this shit.


suggestions? explanations? [mainly what i'm looking for here is: a.) is this totally unproffessional, or am i being ridiculous? and b.) what can you tell me about mircette?]

Date: 2003-10-07 04:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elfbabe.livejournal.com
If you start the Mircette right when you would have started a new pack of OTC LO, then you're never unprotected. They just prefer to have people start on Sunday because I believe some find it easier to remember, and it makes it easier for PP if they can have all of their patients on similar schedules.

Date: 2003-10-07 04:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] malantha.livejournal.com
i dont have any advice for you but god, i have SO been in your position before. i dont have insurance either so i'm pretty much forced to go to planned parenthood and deal with the same bs.

once i had my mom make an appointment for me (i was busy and didnt have time to do it on my own) and she just scheduled me for a refill when i wanted a pap too. so when i got there, i asked if they had time for it or and said if they were busy, i could just resched, no problem..but they squeezed me in. the *bad* part is that the chick who did the pap smear was rough as hell with me. that was the first and only time i've bled from a pap smear. also, she left the speculum in while she did something else off to the side and when it started to move and possibly slip out (which has happened to me before and HURT LIKE FUCK), i told her and she was just like "oh, it'll be fine." THEN i told her i wanted to switch from otc because it killed my sex drive and the lexapro i'm on already does that to me too. so she handed me modicon. no other questions. not to mention, the endless number of times i've gone in with an infection only to be given the same exact treatment (a round of flagyl and terazol) i got last time even though i specifically told them that it didnt work the last time.

i guess i cant do much about it but it just fucking SUCKS that because we dont have money, we dont get proper treatment. :(

i hope you have better luck in the future

Date: 2003-10-07 04:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thevargasgirl.livejournal.com
if you demand better care, they cant deny you. tell her you dont feel comfortable just taking the pills she so haphazardly threw at you and that youd like to discuss your options with another nurse.
its not planned parenthood, its the woman who helped you.
and you can always use condoms while youre not taking a pill.
-=t

Not much help...

Date: 2003-10-07 05:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] loanwords.livejournal.com
I've been on Mircette for about three weeks now. I havent had too many side effects aside from two mild headaches and an upset stomach every so often. It's the lowest dosage pill you can get as far as hormones go.

Date: 2003-10-07 05:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] strand3d.livejournal.com
I've been on mircette for about four months and i LOVE it. I switched to mircette from OTC, (well actually OTC-lo, but i was only on OTC-lo for one month). The hormones in OTC and OTC-lo were giving me killer headaches. I've had a great experience with it. I can skip my period really easily which i seriously think is the best part about the pill. It kept my skin looking great (which OTC and OTC-lo did as well) and i haven't had any break through bleeding, headaches, or nasty side effects, i think it's a great pill.

Date: 2003-10-07 06:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] foureyeddarlin.livejournal.com
The good news is that switching to a pill with higher progestin activity and lower estrogen activity will combat both problems with contacts (more progestin) and mood problems (less estrogen, monophasic hormones, and likely how the different progestin works with your body chemistry.) Mircette fits that bill nicely. You'll be switching from norgestimate at 3 different levels to desogestrel at 15mcg a day and from 25 mcg of estrogen a day to 20 for 21 days and 5 days of 10 mcg (2 days of total placebo.)

One thing to know about Mircette is that 5 of the 7 placebo pills have a little bit of estrogen in them so you don't have an estrogen drop shock when you hit your placebos.

I'm with everyone else - go ahead and start taking Mircette when you run out of your current placebos. There's no reason not to - my guess would be that Planned Parenthood advises Sunday starts for convenience.

Date: 2003-10-08 08:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pirogoeth.livejournal.com
Your questions have already been answered but...she actually said that your eyes were changing shape?? Jeez! Can eyes even do that?? *Rolls eyes*

Date: 2003-10-08 08:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] maggledy.livejournal.com
Yep, they can. That's why your prescription for glasses or contacts can change over time. Sometimes the change makes for better vision, but usually it's worse. People in their teens to twenties are more prone to this, but some people (like me) have this happen to them throughout their lives.

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