Overheard on Facebook

[BlueHouse]

Hmm... Plan B.  I never heard of it until I googled it. To me, Plan B is what you do when your first idea doesn't work out.

Well, yeah. Typically Plan A involves a condom (or other common forms of birth control). And Plan B is completely ineffective if the woman is pregnant when she takes it, so a pregnancy is still possible (though apparently if taken within 24 hours it's 95% effective).

Will also make you sick as a dog for a good 48 hours, so it's really only something you take able cause plan a didn't work.

Yeah I was shocked when I heard that and became more serious about ensuring that Plan A would always be first and foremost on our minds.

I've never heard this.  When I had need for a "plan b", my gyn told me to just take a few extra (can't remember, maybe one or two extra for a day or two) of my regular prescription contraceptive.  No upset stomach.  No ill effects.  I expected to feel something, but NOPE.  All was perfectly normal.  Anyway, not all contraceptives work the same way and only some pills can be used to double up for use as emergency contraception, so be sure to speak with your GYN before attempting this on your own. 

[Squirrel away]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

[Kitsune]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

[Nickyd£g]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've taken it once and had mild cramps. That was it. I got it the next morning from my dr, for free.  I live in Scotland, where all prescriptions are fee.

[johnny847]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've taken it once and had mild cramps. That was it. I got it the next morning from my dr, for free.  I live in Scotland, where all prescriptions are fee.

Wait you need a prescription for that? Wouldn't the requirement of getting a prescription hinder women from getting the pill quickly? This seems kinda strange to me.

[Inaya]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've taken it once and had mild cramps. That was it. I got it the next morning from my dr, for free.  I live in Scotland, where all prescriptions are fee.

Wait you need a prescription for that? Wouldn't the requirement of getting a prescription hinder women from getting the pill quickly? This seems kinda strange to me.

In the U.S. you needed a prescription for it until very recently.

[Squirrel away]

I'm in England, but as far as I know, you can get the morning after pill free from most pharmacies here.

[I'm a red panda]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

A hot water bottle is basically the same thing as an electric heating pad.  Heat soothes pain.  You place it on your uterus (or back, if that's where you get cramps) to relieve pain from cramping.

[theadvicist]

I'm in England, but as far as I know, you can get the morning after pill free from most pharmacies here.

Yep. All contraception is free in England, other prescriptions might be approx £8 depending on circumstances (eg cap if you need a lot in a year, free under 18, free if on certain benefits, free if pregnant etc).

It's an over the counter medication, as I understand it, so the person providing it has to check your medical history, look for any contra-indications with other medications etc. You can't just pick it up off the shelf and self-administer.

One of the mysteries to me about the distain some American's I have known had for 'socialised medicine' is that they claim they don't want the government controlling what drugs / treatments they can have access too. Yet, no-one has ever tried to legislate me out of receiving contraception or imposing vaginal ultrasounds on people requesting terminations. Doctors make the decisions. The government just pays for it (through our taxes). I'm not trying to start an argument, I just think there are misconceptions about how involved the government are in our system. And I have been constantly surprised how involved US legislators (state and federal) are in a system they don't even wholly pay for.

[Kitsune]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

Fill it with super-hot water and put it on your stomach - like, lower stomach, just above the pubic bone. It helps with cramps A LOT (usually more than advil or aleve).

Bad cramps, for the men here, basically feel like having an iron railroad spike dug into the bit of skin between the hipbone and stomach (like, where the ovaries are, if you look at a diagram...) right through your stomach and into the lower back. Basically, if it's really bad, you wind up curled up around the pain in a fetal position. Advil takes a half-hour to kick in, so you take the advil (because effing OW), but the hot water bottle is a muscle relaxant that really helps the pain immediately... but once the heat goes away, the pain comes back.

Hot baths help, too - same logic.

[johnny847]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've taken it once and had mild cramps. That was it. I got it the next morning from my dr, for free.  I live in Scotland, where all prescriptions are fee.

Wait you need a prescription for that? Wouldn't the requirement of getting a prescription hinder women from getting the pill quickly? This seems kinda strange to me.

In the U.S. you needed a prescription for it until very recently.

I just looked this up as I was unaware of the history of plan B.

For those 17 and older, it became available OTC back in 2009, which I certainly do not consider  "very recent"
For those under 17 it became available OTC in 2013, which could be considered very recent.

March 23, 2009: Federal judge rules that the FDA must make Plan B available OTC to consumers 17 and older within 30 days and urges the agency to consider removing all age restrictions. Read the full text of the decision here
April 22, 2009: The FDA announces that Plan B may be sold OTC to women and men aged 17 and older
June 20, 2013: FDA approves Plan B One-Step for unrestricted sale on the shelf.

Taken from http://ec.princeton.edu/pills/planbhistory.html

[johnny847]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've taken it once and had mild cramps. That was it. I got it the next morning from my dr, for free.  I live in Scotland, where all prescriptions are fee.

Wait you need a prescription for that? Wouldn't the requirement of getting a prescription hinder women from getting the pill quickly? This seems kinda strange to me.

That was kinda the point. Now that it's no longer needing a prescription, its suggested that women keep some on hand so it is available when needed and you don't need to go crazy trying to find a pharmacy...etc

Wait why would that be the point? It would only serve to reduce the effectiveness of Plan B.

[Kitsune]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've taken it once and had mild cramps. That was it. I got it the next morning from my dr, for free.  I live in Scotland, where all prescriptions are fee.

Wait you need a prescription for that? Wouldn't the requirement of getting a prescription hinder women from getting the pill quickly? This seems kinda strange to me.

That was kinda the point. Now that it's no longer needing a prescription, its suggested that women keep some on hand so it is available when needed and you don't need to go crazy trying to find a pharmacy...etc

Wait why would that be the point? It would only serve to reduce the effectiveness of Plan B.

Well, if you're an evangelical christian who is convinced that it either causes abortion, or will encourage women/teens to have sex for non-procreative purposes, then making it difficult to access (or to access in time) is logical. (Note: I am NOT smearing all evangelical Christians, but in this case, the most outspoken opponents to the legalization of Plan B identified as such, so...)

I mean, it's shitty and wrong and I disagree with every aspect of it, but at least they're consistent?

[johnny847]

It's an over the counter medication, as I understand it, so the person providing it has to check your medical history, look for any contra-indications with other medications etc. You can't just pick it up off the shelf and self-administer.

You're using confusing terminology here. Or maybe the British definition of over the counter is different

I have never been asked for my medical history when buying OTC medicine. I have self administered all OTC medicine I've bought.

There are sometimes OTC medicines that are stored behind the counter because they can be abused in an addictive manner. All that happens though is you ask for the medicine and they ask for your driver's license or other form of ID. Even in this case the pharmacist doesn't ask for anything more - no questions about medical history or anything like that.

[johnny847]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've taken it once and had mild cramps. That was it. I got it the next morning from my dr, for free.  I live in Scotland, where all prescriptions are fee.

Wait you need a prescription for that? Wouldn't the requirement of getting a prescription hinder women from getting the pill quickly? This seems kinda strange to me.

That was kinda the point. Now that it's no longer needing a prescription, its suggested that women keep some on hand so it is available when needed and you don't need to go crazy trying to find a pharmacy...etc

Wait why would that be the point? It would only serve to reduce the effectiveness of Plan B.

Well, if you're an evangelical christian who is convinced that it either causes abortion, or will encourage women/teens to have sex for non-procreative purposes, then making it difficult to access (or to access in time) is logical. (Note: I am NOT smearing all evangelical Christians, but in this case, the most outspoken opponents to the legalization of Plan B identified as such, so...)

I mean, it's shitty and wrong and I disagree with every aspect of it, but at least they're consistent?

Ah okay. I was conflating this to actually be your opinion. My mistake.

[theadvicist]

It's an over the counter medication, as I understand it, so the person providing it has to check your medical history, look for any contra-indications with other medications etc. You can't just pick it up off the shelf and self-administer.

You're using confusing terminology here. Or maybe the British definition of over the counter is different

I have never been asked for my medical history when buying OTC medicine. I have self administered all OTC medicine I've bought.

There are sometimes OTC medicines that are stored behind the counter because they can be abused in an addictive manner. All that happens though is you ask for the medicine and they ask for your driver's license or other form of ID. Even in this case the pharmacist doesn't ask for anything more - no questions about medical history or anything like that.

Yeah, different usage, I think. Here you don't have to provide ID at all. You just need to answer certain questions - are you x drug? Do you have a history of y condition? (Or does the person you are buying them for).

They keep drugs that can be abused, and also ones that can be dangerous when used in conjunction with other medication behind the counter so that you have to answer these questions to get them. I'm not sure if anyone who works in the pharmacy can sell them to you - I think it may be only people with certain qualifications, though not necessarily an actual Pharmacist. I could be wrong about all this though.

[johnny847]

It's an over the counter medication, as I understand it, so the person providing it has to check your medical history, look for any contra-indications with other medications etc. You can't just pick it up off the shelf and self-administer.

You're using confusing terminology here. Or maybe the British definition of over the counter is different

I have never been asked for my medical history when buying OTC medicine. I have self administered all OTC medicine I've bought.

There are sometimes OTC medicines that are stored behind the counter because they can be abused in an addictive manner. All that happens though is you ask for the medicine and they ask for your driver's license or other form of ID. Even in this case the pharmacist doesn't ask for anything more - no questions about medical history or anything like that.

Yeah, different usage, I think. Here you don't have to provide ID at all. You just need to answer certain questions - are you x drug? Do you have a history of y condition? (Or does the person you are buying them for).

They keep drugs that can be abused, and also ones that can be dangerous when used in conjunction with other medication behind the counter so that you have to answer these questions to get them. I'm not sure if anyone who works in the pharmacy can sell them to you - I think it may be only people with certain qualifications, though not necessarily an actual Pharmacist. I could be wrong about all this though.

Just to clarify, the vast majority of OTC meds here do not need an ID. And none require a questionnaire.

As an American having to answer questions about my medical history to buy an OTC medicine is strange.

[merula]

Ok, wait. The only drugs my pharmacy stores behind the counter are (1) actual need-a-prescription drugs and (2) pseudoephedrine because it's used to make meth. Plan B used to be over-the-counter but age restricted, so it was behind the counter and no longer is.

[I'm a red panda]

It's an over the counter medication, as I understand it, so the person providing it has to check your medical history, look for any contra-indications with other medications etc. You can't just pick it up off the shelf and self-administer.

You're using confusing terminology here. Or maybe the British definition of over the counter is different

I have never been asked for my medical history when buying OTC medicine. I have self administered all OTC medicine I've bought.

There are sometimes OTC medicines that are stored behind the counter because they can be abused in an addictive manner. All that happens though is you ask for the medicine and they ask for your driver's license or other form of ID. Even in this case the pharmacist doesn't ask for anything more - no questions about medical history or anything like that.

Yeah, different usage, I think. Here you don't have to provide ID at all. You just need to answer certain questions - are you x drug? Do you have a history of y condition? (Or does the person you are buying them for).

They keep drugs that can be abused, and also ones that can be dangerous when used in conjunction with other medication behind the counter so that you have to answer these questions to get them. I'm not sure if anyone who works in the pharmacy can sell them to you - I think it may be only people with certain qualifications, though not necessarily an actual Pharmacist. I could be wrong about all this though.

For the US "over the counter" are the things that are NOT "behind the counter".  You do not need to talk to a pharmacist at all to get an OTC medicine, you just go pick it off the shelf.   So there is no drug counseling to see if you have any interactions or condition histories- that only happens with prescription medicine.

The exception is drugs that can easily be used to make meth.  Those still require no prescription, but the sales are monitored. That is where you have to show someone in the pharmacy department your ID, and the number is written down for the state to monitor, and there might be a limit to how much you can buy at one time- but the pharmacist doesn't talk to you about it, or restrict the individual sale to only someone with a condition that needs it.

[Inaya]

I just looked this up as I was unaware of the history of plan B.

For those 17 and older, it became available OTC back in 2009, which I certainly do not consider  "very recent"
For those under 17 it became available OTC in 2013, which could be considered very recent.

I suppose that's fair. I guess I was subconsciously referring to 2013. Last time I needed it was before I was 17. As a teenager, just buying feminine supplies and condoms is an odyssey of embarrassment and shame (or at least it was for me and some of my friends). Having to get a script for Plan B was exponentially worse--fortunately the local Planned Parenthood could both write and fill it. Plus I suspect that as most women age, they get both less embarrassed and less stupid so it's less of an issue.

But it's a question of why was a prescription required to begin with? And I suspect it goes right back to the women (and probably even more men) who clutched their pearls and had vapors at the thought of other women having healthy sex lives. And the rumors that it was an "abortion drug."

[johnny847]

But it's a question of why was a prescription required to begin with? And I suspect it goes right back to the women (and probably even more men) who clutched their pearls and had vapors at the thought of other women having healthy sex lives. And the rumors that it was an "abortion drug."

Well something strange definitely went on with the process of approving Plan B for OTC status, but if anything, Congress seems to have been for it at the time (which mind you was majority Republican at the time) not against it.

Obviously this is not the same as the women you allude to, but apparently conservative interests at the time thought the initial FDA decision to deny OTC status was not right in some way shape or form.

April 2003: Application submitted to switch Plan B from Rx to OTC; FDA decision due February 2004
December 2003: FDA convenes advisory committee, which votes 23-4 in favor of taking Plan B OTC
February 2004: FDA announces that it will delay decision on Plan B up to 90 days
May 2004: FDA rejects application to switch Plan B from Rx to OTC, citing lack on data on females younger than 16
June 2004: Congress requests report on FDA decision not to switch Plan B from Rx to OTC (report released in October 2005). Report concludes that decision on Plan B was "highly unusual", and may well have been made months before it was formally announced

[maco]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

Fill it with super-hot water and put it on your stomach - like, lower stomach, just above the pubic bone. It helps with cramps A LOT (usually more than advil or aleve).

Bad cramps, for the men here, basically feel like having an iron railroad spike dug into the bit of skin between the hipbone and stomach (like, where the ovaries are, if you look at a diagram...) right through your stomach and into the lower back. Basically, if it's really bad, you wind up curled up around the pain in a fetal position. Advil takes a half-hour to kick in, so you take the advil (because effing OW), but the hot water bottle is a muscle relaxant that really helps the pain immediately... but once the heat goes away, the pain comes back.

Hot baths help, too - same logic.

I usually reference this scene in Spaceballs when describing menstrual cramps.

Yes, I know that is itself an Alien reference.

[wenchsenior]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

Fill it with super-hot water and put it on your stomach - like, lower stomach, just above the pubic bone. It helps with cramps A LOT (usually more than advil or aleve).

Bad cramps, for the men here, basically feel like having an iron railroad spike dug into the bit of skin between the hipbone and stomach (like, where the ovaries are, if you look at a diagram...) right through your stomach and into the lower back. Basically, if it's really bad, you wind up curled up around the pain in a fetal position. Advil takes a half-hour to kick in, so you take the advil (because effing OW), but the hot water bottle is a muscle relaxant that really helps the pain immediately... but once the heat goes away, the pain comes back.

Hot baths help, too - same logic.

I usually reference this scene in Spaceballs when describing menstrual cramps.

Yes, I know that is itself an Alien reference.

You know what kind of menstrual cramps I particularly love? The kind so bad that the pain shoots all the way down your thighs! No lie, I once had an attack so bad and sudden that I abandoned a pot cooking on the stove by suddenly sinking to the linoleum, curling into a ball, and stayed on the floor rocking and hyperventilating for the 3 or 4 minutes that it took for that round to ease off. Every time I think I might go off the pill, I remember those days, and think...maybe I'll stay on it another year LOL.

[Inaya]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

Fill it with super-hot water and put it on your stomach - like, lower stomach, just above the pubic bone. It helps with cramps A LOT (usually more than advil or aleve).

Bad cramps, for the men here, basically feel like having an iron railroad spike dug into the bit of skin between the hipbone and stomach (like, where the ovaries are, if you look at a diagram...) right through your stomach and into the lower back. Basically, if it's really bad, you wind up curled up around the pain in a fetal position. Advil takes a half-hour to kick in, so you take the advil (because effing OW), but the hot water bottle is a muscle relaxant that really helps the pain immediately... but once the heat goes away, the pain comes back.

Hot baths help, too - same logic.

I usually reference this scene in Spaceballs when describing menstrual cramps.

Yes, I know that is itself an Alien reference.

You know what kind of menstrual cramps I particularly love? The kind so bad that the pain shoots all the way down your thighs! No lie, I once had an attack so bad and sudden that I abandoned a pot cooking on the stove by suddenly sinking to the linoleum, curling into a ball, and stayed on the floor rocking and hyperventilating for the 3 or 4 minutes that it took for that round to ease off. Every time I think I might go off the pill, I remember those days, and think...maybe I'll stay on it another year LOL.

Mine were often like that as a teenager. I had to take the day off school, and my mom would give me aspirin washed down with a small glass of white wine. Wine dulled the pain and put me to sleep so the aspirin could kick in. I want to get off the pill, but it has been life changing.

[Squirrel away]

I read recently that period pains can be as bad as a heart attack.http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/period-pain-is-officially-as-bad-as-a-heart-attack-so-why-have-doctors-ignored-it-the-answer-is-a6883831.html

[vivophoenix]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

Fill it with super-hot water and put it on your stomach - like, lower stomach, just above the pubic bone. It helps with cramps A LOT (usually more than advil or aleve).

Bad cramps, for the men here, basically feel like having an iron railroad spike dug into the bit of skin between the hipbone and stomach (like, where the ovaries are, if you look at a diagram...) right through your stomach and into the lower back. Basically, if it's really bad, you wind up curled up around the pain in a fetal position. Advil takes a half-hour to kick in, so you take the advil (because effing OW), but the hot water bottle is a muscle relaxant that really helps the pain immediately... but once the heat goes away, the pain comes back.

Hot baths help, too - same logic.

I usually reference this scene in Spaceballs when describing menstrual cramps.

Yes, I know that is itself an Alien reference.

You know what kind of menstrual cramps I particularly love? The kind so bad that the pain shoots all the way down your thighs! No lie, I once had an attack so bad and sudden that I abandoned a pot cooking on the stove by suddenly sinking to the linoleum, curling into a ball, and stayed on the floor rocking and hyperventilating for the 3 or 4 minutes that it took for that round to ease off. Every time I think I might go off the pill, I remember those days, and think...maybe I'll stay on it another year LOL.

Mine were often like that as a teenager. I had to take the day off school, and my mom would give me aspirin washed down with a small glass of white wine. Wine dulled the pain and put me to sleep so the aspirin could kick in. I want to get off the pill, but it has been life changing.

i will now be adding white wine to my current regimen of pills and heating pads

[Kitsune]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

Fill it with super-hot water and put it on your stomach - like, lower stomach, just above the pubic bone. It helps with cramps A LOT (usually more than advil or aleve).

Bad cramps, for the men here, basically feel like having an iron railroad spike dug into the bit of skin between the hipbone and stomach (like, where the ovaries are, if you look at a diagram...) right through your stomach and into the lower back. Basically, if it's really bad, you wind up curled up around the pain in a fetal position. Advil takes a half-hour to kick in, so you take the advil (because effing OW), but the hot water bottle is a muscle relaxant that really helps the pain immediately... but once the heat goes away, the pain comes back.

Hot baths help, too - same logic.

I usually reference this scene in Spaceballs when describing menstrual cramps.

Yes, I know that is itself an Alien reference.

You know what kind of menstrual cramps I particularly love? The kind so bad that the pain shoots all the way down your thighs! No lie, I once had an attack so bad and sudden that I abandoned a pot cooking on the stove by suddenly sinking to the linoleum, curling into a ball, and stayed on the floor rocking and hyperventilating for the 3 or 4 minutes that it took for that round to ease off. Every time I think I might go off the pill, I remember those days, and think...maybe I'll stay on it another year LOL.

Mine were often like that as a teenager. I had to take the day off school, and my mom would give me aspirin washed down with a small glass of white wine. Wine dulled the pain and put me to sleep so the aspirin could kick in. I want to get off the pill, but it has been life changing.

i will now be adding white wine to my current regimen of pills and heating pads

Well, the traditional remedy is a glass of sherry...

[MgoSam]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

Fill it with super-hot water and put it on your stomach - like, lower stomach, just above the pubic bone. It helps with cramps A LOT (usually more than advil or aleve).

Bad cramps, for the men here, basically feel like having an iron railroad spike dug into the bit of skin between the hipbone and stomach (like, where the ovaries are, if you look at a diagram...) right through your stomach and into the lower back. Basically, if it's really bad, you wind up curled up around the pain in a fetal position. Advil takes a half-hour to kick in, so you take the advil (because effing OW), but the hot water bottle is a muscle relaxant that really helps the pain immediately... but once the heat goes away, the pain comes back.

Hot baths help, too - same logic.

I usually reference this scene in Spaceballs when describing menstrual cramps.

Yes, I know that is itself an Alien reference.

You know what kind of menstrual cramps I particularly love? The kind so bad that the pain shoots all the way down your thighs! No lie, I once had an attack so bad and sudden that I abandoned a pot cooking on the stove by suddenly sinking to the linoleum, curling into a ball, and stayed on the floor rocking and hyperventilating for the 3 or 4 minutes that it took for that round to ease off. Every time I think I might go off the pill, I remember those days, and think...maybe I'll stay on it another year LOL.

Mine were often like that as a teenager. I had to take the day off school, and my mom would give me aspirin washed down with a small glass of white wine. Wine dulled the pain and put me to sleep so the aspirin could kick in. I want to get off the pill, but it has been life changing.

i will now be adding white wine to my current regimen of pills and heating pads

Well, the traditional remedy is a glass of sherry...

Reminds of this dialogue from the first season of West Wing

Lord Marbury : You know, there are some marvelous flu remedies known in the certain remote parts of the subcontinent. Licorice root, for instance, combined with bamboo sap and a strong shot of whiskey. Ginger root, also, mixed with, uh, citrus peel.
Bartlett : And a strong shot of whiskey?
Lord Marbury : Actually, you can leave everything out except the shot of whiskey.

[shelivesthedream]

I've taken the morning after pill a couple of times and not had any side effects, although I know some of my friends said they felt rough afterwards.

I've never had to take it myself, but my old roommate did - cramps of doom, headaches, some nausea. Not, like, world-ending crap, but generally feeling super run-down and 'staying on the couch with TV and advil and a hot water bottle, come get me in 2 days'. Not something I'd voluntarily sign up for.

Not to derail, but...I've heard things like this before (usually regular period related), and always wondered: what exactly do you DO with the hot water bottle??

Fill it with super-hot water and put it on your stomach - like, lower stomach, just above the pubic bone. It helps with cramps A LOT (usually more than advil or aleve).

Bad cramps, for the men here, basically feel like having an iron railroad spike dug into the bit of skin between the hipbone and stomach (like, where the ovaries are, if you look at a diagram...) right through your stomach and into the lower back. Basically, if it's really bad, you wind up curled up around the pain in a fetal position. Advil takes a half-hour to kick in, so you take the advil (because effing OW), but the hot water bottle is a muscle relaxant that really helps the pain immediately... but once the heat goes away, the pain comes back.

Hot baths help, too - same logic.

I usually reference this scene in Spaceballs when describing menstrual cramps.

Yes, I know that is itself an Alien reference.

You know what kind of menstrual cramps I particularly love? The kind so bad that the pain shoots all the way down your thighs! No lie, I once had an attack so bad and sudden that I abandoned a pot cooking on the stove by suddenly sinking to the linoleum, curling into a ball, and stayed on the floor rocking and hyperventilating for the 3 or 4 minutes that it took for that round to ease off. Every time I think I might go off the pill, I remember those days, and think...maybe I'll stay on it another year LOL.

Mine were often like that as a teenager. I had to take the day off school, and my mom would give me aspirin washed down with a small glass of white wine. Wine dulled the pain and put me to sleep so the aspirin could kick in. I want to get off the pill, but it has been life changing.

Yup. Agony, fainting, day(s) off school every month... I got on the pill at 15 when my mother marched me to the doctor and said, "She is taking her GCSEs next year and I want her to be able to stand upright on exam day. You are prescribing her the pill." It was a miracle drug for me. Changed my life, really. We're sort of starting to think about maybe having children at some point, and "Oh no, what if I go off the pill and the PERIODS OF PAIN AND DOOM come back??" is a big thought. I'm told that they usually don't come back as bad, but it's a helluva risk.

[Zaga]

I had periods of doom, 2 days of every month pretty much miserable.  Turns out I had endometriosis, took 22 years to get diagnosed.  If you have terrible pain monthly, look it up, it's fairly common but very difficult to diagnose.

Now I have no uterus, I couldn't be happier!  I figure all told that about 2 years of my life were lost to pain.  Fucking waste.

[steviesterno]

big Facebook debate here over night, our property values are increasing exponentially, so our property taxes are increasing as well. but taxes are capped at 10% growth per year, and values are going faster than that. And everyone is furious. It's simple math. my house is up like 20k and it's going to cost me $500 this year. I would do unforgivable things to get that rate of return with any of my other investments.

but so many of the people in this town bought more house than they can afford, and have 2 leased new SUVs or Luxury sedans in their driveway. I drive my toyota past them on my way to work, thinking about how at this rate I can Fire early and move to Tuscany instead of rural PA...

[wenchsenior]

I had periods of doom, 2 days of every month pretty much miserable.  Turns out I had endometriosis, took 22 years to get diagnosed.  If you have terrible pain monthly, look it up, it's fairly common but very difficult to diagnose.

Now I have no uterus, I couldn't be happier!  I figure all told that about 2 years of my life were lost to pain.  Fucking waste.

Yeah...I have PCOS, so my hormones are all screwy anyway, and that likely accounts for some of the pain when off the pill.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Just a word of encouragement--I don't think my periods were ever as bad as some of the ladies on here, but they did occasionally move me to tears and interfere with my daily activities and/or sleep. Went on the pill from ages 18-27. There was a year and a half of wonkiness (but not discomfort), then I got pregnant. Post-childbearing, they did not come back NEARLY as bad. I rarely experience cramps at all, just some headaches and crankiness.

And actually, the Pill was causing a lot of low-level irritations that I didn't realize until they were gone--moodiness, general malaise.

I think a lot of people level out in adulthood, maybe? Like it's worst as teens?

[AlanStache]

big Facebook debate here over night, our property values are increasing exponentially, so our property taxes are increasing as well. but taxes are capped at 10% growth per year, and values are going faster than that. And everyone is furious. It's simple math. my house is up like 20k and it's going to cost me $500 this year. I would do unforgivable things to get that rate of return with any of my other investments.

but so many of the people in this town bought more house than they can afford, and have 2 leased new SUVs or Luxury sedans in their driveway. I drive my toyota past them on my way to work, thinking about how at this rate I can Fire early and move to Tuscany instead of rural PA...

It is inconceivable to me how some people can set up there lives to be so near the red.  A friend of a friend bought a large house in the country with a long commute and let slip that there budget is setup to be 40$ in the black each month.  WTF he is an engineer too.  Like 40$ is a 50cent increase in gas!  I totally get that bad things happen and some people end up in trouble for bizarre hard to plain for events, but if you are a middle aged professional and cant shrug off 500$/year you are doing something wrong. 

[ender]

big Facebook debate here over night, our property values are increasing exponentially, so our property taxes are increasing as well. but taxes are capped at 10% growth per year, and values are going faster than that. And everyone is furious. It's simple math. my house is up like 20k and it's going to cost me $500 this year. I would do unforgivable things to get that rate of return with any of my other investments.

but so many of the people in this town bought more house than they can afford, and have 2 leased new SUVs or Luxury sedans in their driveway. I drive my toyota past them on my way to work, thinking about how at this rate I can Fire early and move to Tuscany instead of rural PA...

It is inconceivable to me how some people can set up there lives to be so near the red.  A friend of a friend bought a large house in the country with a long commute and let slip that there budget is setup to be 40$ in the black each month.  WTF he is an engineer too.  Like 40$ is a 50cent increase in gas!  I totally get that bad things happen and some people end up in trouble for bizarre hard to plain for events, but if you are a middle aged professional and cant shrug off 500$/year you are doing something wrong.

My wife and I are considering buying a house and are looking at our mortgage/taxes/insurance payment being in the 22-23% of our posttax, post-tithe income. Technically of just my income, too.

It feels like a lot. But... people go absolutely house bonkers. I'm sure we could push that to 30% or 35% from the bank perspective.

[Kitsune]

big Facebook debate here over night, our property values are increasing exponentially, so our property taxes are increasing as well. but taxes are capped at 10% growth per year, and values are going faster than that. And everyone is furious. It's simple math. my house is up like 20k and it's going to cost me $500 this year. I would do unforgivable things to get that rate of return with any of my other investments.

but so many of the people in this town bought more house than they can afford, and have 2 leased new SUVs or Luxury sedans in their driveway. I drive my toyota past them on my way to work, thinking about how at this rate I can Fire early and move to Tuscany instead of rural PA...

It is inconceivable to me how some people can set up there lives to be so near the red.  A friend of a friend bought a large house in the country with a long commute and let slip that there budget is setup to be 40$ in the black each month.  WTF he is an engineer too.  Like 40$ is a 50cent increase in gas!  I totally get that bad things happen and some people end up in trouble for bizarre hard to plain for events, but if you are a middle aged professional and cant shrug off 500$/year you are doing something wrong.

My wife and I are considering buying a house and are looking at our mortgage/taxes/insurance payment being in the 22-23% of our posttax, post-tithe income. Technically of just my income, too.

It feels like a lot. But... people go absolutely house bonkers. I'm sure we could push that to 30% or 35% from the bank perspective.

More than that, from a bank perspective. They're ridiculous, and approve people for way more than they can afford with any security margin.

We have a big house in the country with a 45 minute commute and good but not great salaries. But mortgage, taxes, and insurance, all together, are 22-24% of our income, depending on the month. Even that sometimes feels like a whole lot.

[maco]

Just a word of encouragement--I don't think my periods were ever as bad as some of the ladies on here, but they did occasionally move me to tears and interfere with my daily activities and/or sleep. Went on the pill from ages 18-27. There was a year and a half of wonkiness (but not discomfort), then I got pregnant. Post-childbearing, they did not come back NEARLY as bad. I rarely experience cramps at all, just some headaches and crankiness.

And actually, the Pill was causing a lot of low-level irritations that I didn't realize until they were gone--moodiness, general malaise.

I think a lot of people level out in adulthood, maybe? Like it's worst as teens?

Mine got better after surgical intervention. I went on BC right after the surgery, though, so I didn't know how the surgery affected my period at the time. I went off BC because it caused migraines and was pleasantly surprised to find my cramps were now bearable instead of so painful I puked if I stayed conscious.

[Joggernot]

Somewhat off topic, but here is one from today that bent my mind...

"8000 LB WENCH
$175"

The mental picture it conjures up...

[Nederstash]

Somewhat off topic, but here is one from today that bent my mind...

"8000 LB WENCH
$175"

The mental picture it conjures up...

Yo mama jokes in 3...2...1...

[theadvicist]

Sorry to continue the over-the-counter foam, but I looked it up, and in the UK there are 3 classifications for medicines for sale:

1) 'POM': Prescription only medicine.
2) 'P': Pharmacy medicines, sales of which need Pharmacist supervision and
3) 'GSL': General sales list, which you can buy in a corner shop / petrol station for example, needing no medical supervision.

Both 2 & 3 are technically OTC, which is everything except prescription drugs (source: http://www.pagb.co.uk/regulatory/access.html). However, colloquially, I think the general usage is that "P" drugs are called OTC because they are kept behind the counter and handed to you over it, whereas "GSL" are available in many places.

This is incorrect usage, I think, as OTC actually means, as someone says above, on the consumer side of the counter.

I was talking about 2) medicines, classed as 'P', where no ID is required but you are asked questions about medical history and other current drug usage. I was using OTC to mean passed over the counter, incorrectly, but in the current lexicon.

In the US it doesn't look as though there is this classification of 'P' - it's either prescribed, or available to purchase without medical supervision. The restrictions on pseudoephedrine, requiring ID, are to control sale to limit meth production, not because of concerns about patient usage (which is the reason for the P classification). /foam

[barbaz]

Ok, wait. The only drugs my pharmacy stores behind the counter are (1) actual need-a-prescription drugs and (2) pseudoephedrine because it's used to make meth. Plan B used to be over-the-counter but age restricted, so it was behind the counter and no longer is.

Here in Germany, most pharmacies have almost all drugs in a backroom because they use most of the store to sell overpriced health candy and other quackery.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Ok, wait. The only drugs my pharmacy stores behind the counter are (1) actual need-a-prescription drugs and (2) pseudoephedrine because it's used to make meth. Plan B used to be over-the-counter but age restricted, so it was behind the counter and no longer is.

Here in Germany, most pharmacies have almost all drugs in a backroom because they use most of the store to sell overpriced health candy and other quackery.

I'm stealing this phrase. It is brilliant.

[SunshineAZ]

I had periods of doom, 2 days of every month pretty much miserable.  Turns out I had endometriosis, took 22 years to get diagnosed.  If you have terrible pain monthly, look it up, it's fairly common but very difficult to diagnose.

Now I have no uterus, I couldn't be happier!  I figure all told that about 2 years of my life were lost to pain.  Fucking waste.

QFT!

I had horrible periods as a teen 3-5 days of agony, finally went on the pill and was good for many years, started dating a guy who had a vasectomy and was mid-30s and decided to go off the pill.  I was good for about a year or two and then horrible pain and heavy periods again, turns out I had fibroids.  Had a hysterectomy at 42 and I don't miss it a bit.  :)

[humbleMouse]

Maybe the overheard on facebook thread could stop talking about period experiences?  Just a thought?  Start your own mustachian period thread maybe?

[shotgunwilly]

Maybe the overheard on facebook thread could stop talking about period experiences?  Just a thought?  Start your own mustachian period thread maybe?

Agreed. We need to keep the flow going. Period.

[faithless]

Maybe the overheard on facebook thread could stop talking about period experiences?  Just a thought?  Start your own mustachian period thread maybe?

Agreed. We need to keep the flow going. Period.

Bloody foam!

;)

[zephyr911]

Maybe the overheard on facebook thread could stop talking about period experiences?  Just a thought?  Start your own mustachian period thread maybe?

Agreed. We need to keep the flow going. Period.

Bloody foam!

;)

Dammit, people! I'm laughing so fucking hard I've got cramps! >.<

[coin]

Sadly a friend of my partner's is in one of those situations where you empathise with them, even though they've made a few dumb decisions, but you can't tell them that.

The TL;DR background is that this friend is married and has a son.  The relationship fell apart in an ugly manner recently and the son is about two years old.  Currently he's living with some mutual friends while the whole custody mess goes through the courts.

I empathise with the guy, I really do.  But... He was in a car accident, and used the insurance payout to buy another 4WD and have it tricked out when he only goes four wheel driving a few times a year (we live in Australia, so no snow, either). 

While looking for his new car, he rented a car.  Our mutual friends live in a sketchy area (as in, my car got broken into while parked outside their house for a few hours and a week later somebody set fire to a stolen car that had been left in the park across the road), but despite the warning signs the police put up around the neighbourhood (e.g. 'do not leave valuables in your car) he left his work bag containing some valuables inside on the passenger seat of the rental car one night and discovered the rental vehicle had been broken into the following morning.  It's not his fault, but you'd think he'd be a bit more careful when he really can't afford to be replacing expensive stuff.

He's also up for going out to eat and the movies, but when we visited the other day all he could talk about was how poor he is and that his situation is unfair.

I dunno.  He just seems to have some messed up sense of priorities.  He's always up for distracting himself from his current situation, but isn't doing anything that will actually improve his situation.  It's hard to watch because I like the guy well enough, but I'm not really close enough to tell him to stop wasting his money, sell the 4WD and save everything he can so he can afford to meet the courts requirements so he can have custody of his son (e.g. he needs to have a separate room for the kid).

[Sibley]

Can I vent?

My friend and roommate is unemployed, and as far as I can tell isn't working really hard to find a new job. Daddy will bail her out if she runs out of money of course.

She got the free trial of the Graze box. I'd never heard of it, apparently they send you individually packaged healthy snacks for an inflated price. She really likes it, so instead of cancelling before she has to pay for it has decided to keep it for a while. SHE HAS NO JOB.

Had some other friends over last night, and she brought service this up and recommended it. Everyone laughed in her face. Hopefully that'll wake her up, but I kinda doubt it.

She's also really pissing me off because she DOESN'T work, and I do, and she doesn't clean. She'll cook, and make a mess in the kitchen, and not clean it up. Then I come home to a messy house, and she's the one who messed it up. And she doesn't work. If we get bugs, I'm making her clean every single inch of the house. By hand.

[MgoSam]

Can I vent?

She got the free trial of the Graze box. I'd never heard of it, apparently they send you individually packaged healthy snacks for an inflated price. She really likes it, so instead of cancelling before she has to pay for it has decided to keep it for a while. SHE HAS NO JOB.

Yes of course, that's what the main purpose of this thread is imo.

My former landlord/roommate used that service for a while. He is a huge guy (around 300 pounds though he's dropped some of it recently) and so he could eat the entire package in a sitting. I remember the first time he got it he saw the look on my face and couldn't think of anything to say, I didn't see it for very long afterwards so I'm guessing he either discontinued the service or hid it.