Sexual Health - my friend getting the pill for me?
So, a friend of mine offered to act like she needed to go on the pill and then just gave the pills to me because I don't have the money to see a docter or buy them myself. How safe is this? Should I take her up on her offer? I'd really like to take them so I won't have to worry so much about getting knocked up . . .but I just don't know.
They have side effects and some people should never take the pill. It is for a Dr to assess if you are suitable for them and monitor your health whilst on them. Some people have to stop the pill and you need supervision whilst on it.
What's wrong with condoms or abstinance till you can afford contraception, if you are worried about becomming pregnant?
No no no! It's not a good idea - there are reasons not to take it which a doctor/nurse could advise you on (including high BP, some medical problems) and you absolutely cannot take someone else's medication or have them get it for you.
I assume you're in the USA? You could try planned parenthood - they offer contraception either cheap or free if you genuinely cannot afford it.
It doesn't matter where you come from; it matters where you go.
No-one gets remembered for the things they didn't do.
We won't all be here this time next year,
so while you can take a picture of us.
We're definitely going to hell,
but we'll have all the best stories to tell.
As people said, but for the main reason they are not suitable for some people, and they have to use the other type of pill, which means you may not be protected and they can cause health issue for you.
"Its not how long a star shines, what is remembered is the brightness of the light"
THIS IS EXTREMELY unsafeand therefore DON'T do it. There's a reason some medications (which is what birth control fits into) need prescriptions and that is because they can be damaging if other people take them and can affect other things so you need to go and discuss it with them yourself. If you do this then the chances of you having a bad reaction are increased as you won't have had your BP checked or discussed it with whoever prescribed it as well as the failure rate is potentially more likely to be increased as you're potentially going to be less aware of what you're taking. Not only that but doctors NEED to know all of the prescription meds you're taking, which may also be birth control, and so if they don't know it could lead to problems. As well as that, if you've already got health problems or are on other meds then this needs to be taken into account with what method of birth control you have; 1 medication means that 1 type of the pill shouldn't really be taken and if it were it should be taken approx 3 times a day; if you're on that then a doctor would need to prescribe it that way and as your friend may not be then it could mean that the whole prescription is wrong.
By doing this you are potentially really putting yourself at danger (as well as it's not going to be great for your friend having to lie and things and it going on her medical record that she's on something that she's not) so I STRONGLY advise that you don't and go and sort it out yourself.
Well, I was on the pill like two years ago, so I was thinking of just having her try to get the same one I was on before. . .thinking that won't be so unsafe. . . ?
There are lots of different combinations of "the pill", some more suited to people than others. As already mentioned above, there are places where you can go to get contraception safely.
Hi. Is it because your friend has insurance? Otherwise why can she not lend you the money? You have options even if it is at the hospital maybe- so see if you can contact local drop in centres etc. to direct you to where you could go.
If you are on medication for mental health issues- they need to do a proper assessment, because remember pregnancy is only one aspect of being sexually active. Do you have a partner? Or are you struggling right now with your behaviours? Can you ask your family for help?
One thing to remember is you are not alone, and you need to try not to take short cuts when it comes to your health. I know your friend is trying to help- but as has been mentioned by many before, it is really dangerous.
~Happy tomatoes together we will be~
You say toe- may- toe, I say toe- mah- toe:
Let's call the whole thing- red
“It’s time to lead the third revolution, which is not to say we want to be at the top of the world, but to say we want to change the world. Because the way the world has been designed by men is not working. It’s not working for women, it’s not working for men,
it’s not working for polar bears.” Arianna Huffington 2014
Also, your mate can't suggest what pill she gets given really, it has to be what the doctor/ nurse feels is best for her and also, your body can change and so the pill that you had previously may not be the one that is the best for you now or could even cause harm. Like has been said, any medication, whether you've had it before or not, has the potential to cause damage which is why everyone has to have check-ups periodically to make sure their medication is still the right one, is working for them and isn't causing any damage and that is meds that they're already on themselves, nevermind not taken for a couple of years.
Medications that are on prescription need to be prescribed by a doctor/ nurse for a reason and like said, they can cause problems to your health which at the end of the day will at very least cost you more money to sort out than seeing a doctor for birth control yourself. As well as that, this could cause problem for your mate as if they then want to go on the pill it kind of reduces the option of that and as well as that, someone giving you their prescription medication isn't entirely legal due to the damage it can cause.
If you really can't afford a prescription then try and see if there are places in your area where you can get birth control for free. Other than that you should really look at using condoms or even abstaining from sex (the only other method of contraception is the rhythm method but that is by no means as reliable as other forms) but you should not use medications prescribed to another person and no-one should go out to a doctor to get a prescription with the intention of giving it to you. If that were found out it would potentially land you both in serious trouble and could affect her ability to get insurance in the future (either if it was covered on her insurance or not as it would be seen that she was getting meds for a different use than they were intended (ie for you instead of her) and there's nothing to say that this would be the only time in the eyes of the insurance company and thus could end up costing them a lot of money, especially with some medications. There's also not just that but her medical records will say she's on 'the pill' when she isn't which could affect the medication she's given in the future and she'd have to go every few months to make sure she was ok to have the medication even though it wasn't her that was taking them. It's not like a mate just going down to a shop and buying some food for you, this is messing with your health (and potentially has legal issues with it too) and so isn't worth it.
I think all that can be said has now been said in this thread and we're just going around in circles now and therefore I've decided that it is time for it to be closed.
If you want to discuss why I've closed it then feel free to PM me,
KimA, First Aid Advisor
