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Girl Talk 16w
i have a complicated insurance situation (so i don't have GP to go/can't get a prescription) and i'm looking to get on birth control- has anyone used otc bc? which ones and what was it like
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Anonymous 16w

There’s just one hormonal OTC birth control in the US: Opill. It’s just like any other progestin-only pill that requires a prescription; they just applied for OTC approval. It’s a pill and day with no breaks. But also!!!! There are accessible ways to get prescription birth control without insurance. Planned Parenthood Direct and Wisp are online pharmacies you can get cheap prescriptions from. GoodRX is also great if you’d rather pick up at a pharmacy.

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Anonymous 16w

So the OTC birth control is a specific type that is safer to take without a prescription, it’s progestin only and without any estrogen. The main risks are weight gain, breast tenderness, bleeding between periods. Birth control that’s only by prescription sometimes has estrogen as well in a combination and can increase the risk of blood clots, so the OTC one does not have that risk. The biggest thing to remember with the OTC one is that you have to take it at the EXACT same time everyday-

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Anonymous 16w

Please avoid otc bc at all costs. Generic bc has so many side effects such as blood clotting, strokes, irritability, a lot of bleeding and irregular bleeding as well. I can’t imagine those for otc. I’m saying this through experience because I almost had a stroke with the generic, imagine how much worse it could have been with otc. Save your hormones, uterus, and sanity! Saying this through concern no hate 🫶🏼

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Anonymous replying to -> #1 16w

OTC medications are permitted to be sold OTC because of how safe they are in the risk:benefit analysis. The major side effects you mentioned like clots and strokes are not exclusive to generic medications as opposed to brand name, but they are primarily seen in birth controls with estrogen, which isn’t even in OTC birth control. Even in birth control with estrogen, the rates of those major side effects are lower than in pregnancy. Please stop spreading fear about things you’re not educated on.

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Anonymous replying to -> froggystyle456 16w

more so than some other birth control pills. They’ve been working on it for a while and part of the reason it’s out is to increase access to contraception especially with abortion being banned in some states now. If you’re unsure, you could always talk to your pharmacist if you take any other prescription meds, they’ll be happy to go over it with you for sure

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