Took potentially damaged pills
-
- newbie
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2020 3:03 pm
- Age: 25
- Primary language: English
- Pronouns: She/Her
- Location: Pennsylvania
Took potentially damaged pills
Hi,
I recently took a trip where I accidentally left my birth control pills in the trunk of my car for about 4 hours and the high for the day was about 90 degrees, so it got pretty hot in the car. I continued taking my pills as normal until I was told by a friend to call my doctor to see if the pills might be less effective since they were exposed to high temperatures. I'm currently on the placebo pills and have been taking the potentially damaged pills since Sunday August 8th. I got new pills for the next 3 months though, as advised by my doctor. I'm just wondering, would the pills just be less effective or completely ineffective if they were damaged by heat (in other words, how much was my risk of pregnancy increased by during that week I was taking the pills)? Also, is it okay that I've been taking them or is there a health risk associated with taking damaged pills?
Thank you!
I recently took a trip where I accidentally left my birth control pills in the trunk of my car for about 4 hours and the high for the day was about 90 degrees, so it got pretty hot in the car. I continued taking my pills as normal until I was told by a friend to call my doctor to see if the pills might be less effective since they were exposed to high temperatures. I'm currently on the placebo pills and have been taking the potentially damaged pills since Sunday August 8th. I got new pills for the next 3 months though, as advised by my doctor. I'm just wondering, would the pills just be less effective or completely ineffective if they were damaged by heat (in other words, how much was my risk of pregnancy increased by during that week I was taking the pills)? Also, is it okay that I've been taking them or is there a health risk associated with taking damaged pills?
Thank you!
-
- previous staff/volunteer
- Posts: 2287
- Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 2:57 pm
- Awesomeness Quotient: I'm always wearing seriously fancy nail polish.
- Primary language: English
- Pronouns: he/him, they/them
- Sexual identity: queer/bisexual
Re: Took potentially damaged pills
It is possible that your pills were damaged by the heat, especially since the interior temperature of a car can get much hotter than the outside temperature, but there isn't a way to know how much their effectiveness might have been impacted. I doubt that the heat would make them completely ineffective, though, especially after just a few hours.
It's unlikely that there would be a health risk involved in taking the pills if they were compromised; it might make them less effective but wouldn't be likely to cause any other problems or be dangerous to take.
Since you have new pills now, it sounds like you're all set moving forward, which is great. If you're currently sexually active, you may want to use condoms as well, if you aren't already, for the next month or two; they can act as a backup method in case there was any change in your pill's effectiveness for that last week.
It's unlikely that there would be a health risk involved in taking the pills if they were compromised; it might make them less effective but wouldn't be likely to cause any other problems or be dangerous to take.
Since you have new pills now, it sounds like you're all set moving forward, which is great. If you're currently sexually active, you may want to use condoms as well, if you aren't already, for the next month or two; they can act as a backup method in case there was any change in your pill's effectiveness for that last week.
-
- not a newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2020 4:02 am
- Age: 35
- Pronouns: She/her
- Sexual identity: Female
- Location: USA
Re: Took potentially damaged pills
I didn't know heat can lessen the effectivity of drugs.Thanks for this post! Since this has been a month, I'm sure you've been out of risk of getting pregnant.
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
New post I'm 17 and I think my meds have permanently damaged by libido
by anonymousq » Tue Aug 13, 2024 5:29 pm » in Sex & Sexuality - 3 Replies
- 2125 Views
-
Last post by Heather
Thu Aug 15, 2024 10:25 am
-
-
- 11 Replies
- 3345 Views
-
Last post by Sam W
Thu Aug 08, 2024 7:45 am
-
-
New post Doubt about contraceptive pills and doctors
by coolrainbow111 » Thu Apr 11, 2024 8:58 pm » in Ask Us! - 4 Replies
- 4173 Views
-
Last post by coolrainbow111
Sat Apr 13, 2024 5:14 pm
-
-
-
New post Over the Counter Birth Control Pills! Finally!
by Sam W » Thu Jul 25, 2024 6:59 am » in Scarleteen Updates - 0 Replies
- 3394 Views
-
Last post by Sam W
Thu Jul 25, 2024 6:59 am
-
-
-
New post Birth control pills gave me iron deficiency anemia
by Jay27 » Fri Dec 01, 2023 7:29 am » in Supporting Each Other - 4 Replies
- 18047 Views
-
Last post by Jay27
Sat Dec 02, 2023 7:21 pm
-