Habit of taking the Pill at different times.?

Question

Hellooo! Several doctors have told me that a difference in one or two hours won't affect the efficacity of the Pill at all. I'm supposed to take it at 9PM, but sometimes take it at 10:30PM or 11PM if I come home later, forget, etc. I've never once missed a Pill and have had to take it the next morning.

How high-maintenance is the Pill?
Can I regulate it by NOW taking it at normal times, or have I already screwed up the pattern? Does the Pill even HAVE a "pattern"? Should I just give up and get off of the Pill? I mean, you can't even know for sure if the Pill is working. What if I've thrown the Pill off and it's now not even doing anything for my body? This is so frustrating. How does the Pill work? My biggest problem is that I don't understand how the Pill works with your body. Oh, and btw, I'm taking Ortho-Tricyclene. So if from now on I take it at precisely the same time every single day, can I fix things?

Some of you have told me that I can "fix the pattern". How? When I got off of the Pill permanently before, I had to be off of it for at least 3 months. Is that what I'm supposed to do? Or do I just continue with the Pills and regulate the timing to fix the problems?

Answer 1

I have been on the pill for two months and i have trouble taking it at the same time every day too. All I can tell you is, I have missed one pill, and take it at differnet times a lot, and I havent gotten pregnant yet. So... I honestly dont think it matters as long as you take it once in every 24 hr period.

Answer 2

First, as for how the pill works. I'll refer to this diagram (don't worry about the abbreviations): http://www.thebody.com/gmhc/issues/julaug01/images/p-t.jpg

Alright. So your pill contains two female sex hormones: estrogen and progestin. At high enough levels ("therapeutic" levels), these two hormones prevent ovulation and have a couple other effects that prevent conception. Looking at the diagram: when you take a pill, the concentration of these two hormones in your blood rises. As it does, your body begins to metabolize the hormones to inactive molecules, and the blood levels fall back down. That bottom dashed line represents the minimum concentration of the hormones in your blood that is an effective therapeutic level (i.e. will have the intended contraceptive effects). The idea is that you take your next pill before your blood levels fall below that line, and again the blood levels rise up again, etc.

This is the only "pattern" that is important: maintaining your blood concentration at a level above that minimum effective level (and below an upper limit represented by that top dotted line - going to leave that out for simplicity). The pill has a little bit of safety built into it; 24 hours after your last dose, the average person still has enough in the blood that they aren't in immediate danger of dipping below that minimum effective dose. So if you vary by a couple hours here and there, that is probably okay - but keep in mind the ideal use is taking it at the same time every day. As an aside, the mini-pill (another form of hormonal contraception) is progestin only, uses a smaller dose of hormone, and needs to be taken on a much tighter schedule (less safety built into it in terms of being a little off each day).

If you are still not comfortable with the pill, you have two other hormonal contraception options that work just like the pill without the need for daily, on-time taking of a pill. OrthoEvra (the patch) is placed on the skin once a week, three times a month. The NuvaRing (the ring) is placed near the cervix (up in the vagina) once a month, left in for three weeks, removed for a week and then a new one is placed. These are good options for those who respond well to the pill but cannot stay consistent with taking them.

Answer 3

the pill triggers hormones in your body putting you in a sort of constant state of pregnancy. that's why you don't ovelate (produce and egg), etc. as long as the difference is just a few hours, the levels of hormones in your body will stay about the same. when there are big gaps or your forget entirely the hormone levels get screwed up and your body might have a chance to ovulate, meaning that you could get pregnant, even if you take the pill the next day, etc.

you should ask your doc to explain it more to you and walk you through your body'smonthly cycle in general so you know all the details.

The pill is a good safety precaution against pregnancy to use if you have sex regularly. I use condoms too cause I really have no interest in getting pregnant, and don't want STDs.

If you miss a pill you should continue taking the pill for the rest of the pack, but ALSO use condoms for the rest of that pill pack to protect against pregnancy. The hormore levels are cumulative so the more regular you are the better.

Answer 4

You don't have to give up and get off the pill, just try again to be regular with it. Yes, it does have a pattern, and yes, it's hard to understand, but it's okay...you can fix it. Go to www.webmd.com and read about your pill, or just type "Ortho-Tricyclene" into a search engine and get some more information about it until you're comfortable with how much you know about it.

Depending on what you're taking it for (contraception, period regulation, both, etc.), you may have already "screwed up the pattern" as you say. But it's all right, just try it again. Use a back-up method of birth control just to be safe until you get your next period. This is especially important if you're doing it for birth control reasons...some women who were on the pill have gotten pregnant, only to realize later that they were taking their pills at different times of the day.

They make little patches or pouches to keep your pills in that have little tiny battery operated alarms that go off at a certain time so you remember to take them. You can carry them with you in your purse so you're never without them. Or why don't you try taking them at a time you're always at home, like when you first have breakfast or something? Talk to your doctor if you want to change your time. Good luck. :)

Answer 5

when i was first taking the pill (a long time ago) i took it every day just whenever i remembered. it worked.
after a while i got off it then back on at age 18. i got pregnant. I had been taking it at noon everyday.
after i had my son, i got back on it. the DR said the chances of me getting preggers on it again were VERY VERY slim. 6 months later, preggers with # 2 (after taking it at exactally 5pm every day). THEN the dr suggested the patch. it worked great...for about 2 yrs. Then I got knocked up with # 3... i got on the nuva ring (which is what i reccomend). i was late on e month (but NOT pregnant thank god) so i got an IUD.
my point is different things work for different people.
If you are forgetful, i reccomond the ring. It is a little uncomfortable the first time you put it in, but once it is in you dont even know it is there. If you are lucky and your man is um...well endowed, he may be able to feel it but no worries. You can take it out for up to 3 hours at a time without losing any of its affect. you keep it in for 3 weeks, then take it out, throw it away and after a week insert another one.

Answer 6

NO NO NO do not get off the pill under any circumstances ( if you dont want to get pregnant) i've been on the pill for at least 6 years and I thank god for it. (im 24) Fix it in with your schedule, take it everymorining when you brush your teeth or something like that, that you will do everyday at the same time. Dont make this more difficult than what it is. trust me you will be greatful in the long run.

Answer 7

I do not want to be (in part, lol) responsible for you getting pregnant. So ask your doctor.

That said, the pill is best once you have been on it for a while. Your body is used to it. If you miss it one day, you CAN take it the next day or that night, with little chance of getting preggo. This is NOT the case at first, or it can go wrong and you end up pregnant.

But if you take it at 9 am and the next day at 11 am , and the next day at 8 am, you are all set. It's when you start missing a day, then taking a day, missing a day...your body gets messed up and confused.

It's fine to take it IN THE MORNING every morning.

Answer 8

Not very high maintenance at all. The only reason you are told to take it at the same time every day is to get you used to taking it so you wont forget.

If you do forget, one day is not going to have bad effects. Just remember to take it as soon as possible.

If you miss more than one day you have to wait until you get your period and then start all over. If youve been sexually active and missed your pill 2 days in a row then you should take the OTC emergency pill.

Hope this helps!

Answer 9

Relax! I have been taking the pill for years at different times and I am okay I have never been pregnant all my periods are regular. If your still worried about it than you can just start taking your pill at the same time again. I don't think you messed anything up.

Answer 10

You should be fine as long as you take your pill within a few hours of the same time every day.

If you're really worried about missing times, I'd recommend talking to your doctor about the Nuva Ring- it's once-a-month birth control that you don't need to worry about every day. If you want, you can take a look at their website: http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/index.asp?guid={A875A724-6683-437B-8682-170DDF565BE6}&sid=607178216