Storing Birth Control Pills Temperature

[AshaMaurette]

Hello,

I've been on Levora/Portia combination birth control pills for the past year and a half. I've been storing them responsibly since I started taking them. I always have stored them in my desk drawer beside my bed. So today I just got back to my dorm from Thanksgiving break and I realized that I left my birth control pills for the next few months in my desk drawer. I've been gone for a week and two days. When I first opened my door to my dorm it felt very warm, since we do not have AC in my dorm, but is has been cold and raining outside these past few days (Maybe my room felt warm already since I was carrying luggage to my dorm?). I know that you are supposed to store your pills at a certain temperature, but my room felt pretty warm. I opened up a new pack of pills ( since I start the new pack tomorrow) just to see the condition, and they looked normal. I was wondering if the pills are still effective? I'm actually paranoid about this since my boyfriend and I sometimes have unprotected sex and I'm starting one of these new packs tomorrow. I won't be able to speak to a pharmacist until tomorrow morning.

Hope to hear from someone soon!

[Sam W]

Hi AshaMaurette,

If you don't notice any distortion or damage to the pill pack or the pills (such as the blisters in the pack looking distended or cloudy) then it's likely your pills are fine and have not been compromised. However, it's still sound to call the pharmacist like you're planning to and get their opinion. And, if you're still worried that these packs have been compromised, is it workable for you to simply plan to use condoms as back-up every time until you're finished with these packs?