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FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

fda.gov

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Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#131

Post by hombre_fatal »

giantg2 wrote: post #125
hombre_fatal wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not necessarily. Pharmacies have arbitrary power. My doctor gives me a three month prescription for a scheduled substance and I've had a couple pharmacies reject it because it's "sketchy". Of course, they never offer to call my doctor to confirm anything. They just smirk and cross their arms.

Even OTC amphetamines have purchased limits, some imposed by law depending on the state.

I guess you're suggesting that they rejected my prescription because of supply issues, they openly said it was because it was suspicious (3-mo in cash), and also Vyvanse hasn't had shortages like generic amphetamine in 2022-2023.

Also, I think you mean OTC amphetamine alternatives since amphetamine is sched I.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#132

Post by pevey »

yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #127
pevey wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does the pill being prescribed by a doctor help this? Do you think doctors are actually explaining this to patients? They are not. They don't have time. The PE firms who own them won't let them take the time.

I would expect someone to explain it; if not technically a doctor then a nurse or such, which is consistent with my experience of medical appointments.

I'm going to take a wild guess you have never been prescribed BCP.

No, no one explains it. They expect you to read the instructions, which is not an unreasonable expectation.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#133

Post by zeroonetwothree »

runako wrote: post #87
rvcdbn wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

do you know of any states where it isn’t legal? google searching lead me to this: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/us/birth-control-plan-b-r... which seems to suggest that it’s legal everywhere

Is there anything in current US politics around pregnancy that might make you consider that the legal regime in this area might be changing?

Even abortion hasn’t yet become illegal in as many places as the doomsayers predicted. The pill is extremely popular by comparison.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#135

Post by uncletaco »

mustacheemperor wrote: post #74
elijaht wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of that ends up being bureaucratic wastes of time though. My partner was on birth control for years and had to jump through so many hoops - Had to go to yearly appointments to continue receiving it - Could not pick up more than a month at a time, which created logistical issues since they HAD to take it daily - Had to get the prescription renewed every three months or so, which often led to delays filling it It…

You are the first commenter to relate anything like even a secondhand real life experience with oral birth control. This thread (edit: at the time I am posting this) is full of men with little real knowledge of this drug insisting on why it’s reasonable it took 50 years for this to be available OTC. I don’t think the contents of their explanations are likely to be accurate, but I think they still explain why it took…

> This thread (edit: at the time I am posting this) is full of men with little real knowledge

That’s almost every reply on HN that isn’t specific enough to let someone shine through with their tech experience. It’s been like this as long as I’ve been here.

EDIT: It occurs to me that I've been here for just over 10 years as of last month. Time really flies.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#136

Post by neuronerdgirl »

runako wrote: post #16
candiddevmike wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a bit more nuance here. There is certainly a political angle, but there is a non zero risk with taking something like this that should be discussed with a doctor first, IMO. Bypassing a doctor does open up access, but there may be risks, especially if folks don't take the medicine correctly.

> but there may be risks, especially if folks don't take the medicine correctly. This describes every over-the-counter drug that has ever been sold. Keeping contraception prescription-only has always been about politics.

Good time to remind people that tylenol dosages as written on the bottle are just within the safety window to avoid toxicity[1]. Having done the math myself, you can't even take the extra strength stuff at the recommended timing without skipping a dose each day. Drugs, even OTC ones, have very real risks, and gatekeeping BC is laughable given the risks of not having it freely available.

[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/acetaminophen-safety-be-...

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#137

Post by TheCoelacanth »

giantg2 wrote: post #62
0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s still a needless barrier. If you are poor every dollar counts and being required to pay for a medical professional to rubber stamp a prescription does more harm than good.

I'd like see the data that supports that. If true, we would do away with the prescription process altogether for most drugs.

I can walk into a drug store and choose from aisle after aisle of prescription-free drugs, so I think we have already done that.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#138

Post by falcolas »

elijaht wrote: post #51
candiddevmike wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a bit more nuance here. There is certainly a political angle, but there is a non zero risk with taking something like this that should be discussed with a doctor first, IMO. Bypassing a doctor does open up access, but there may be risks, especially if folks don't take the medicine correctly.

A lot of that ends up being bureaucratic wastes of time though. My partner was on birth control for years and had to jump through so many hoops - Had to go to yearly appointments to continue receiving it - Could not pick up more than a month at a time, which created logistical issues since they HAD to take it daily - Had to get the prescription renewed every three months or so, which often led to delays filling it It…

That sounds shockingly similar to what's required to get ADHD stimulant medication.

Which is fucking silly for birth control.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#139

Post by ramesh31 »

candiddevmike wrote: post #12
lalaithion wrote: post #8

This is amazing, it will help a lot of people have access to a drug that can vastly improve quality of life without being gatekept by their doctor. Just one note about the phrasing of all the headlines: they’re phrased as if the FDA did a good thing, but it’s better to imagine this as the FDA _stopping_ doing a bad thing. The only reason that we haven’t had over the counter oral contraceptive for the last fifty years…

There's a bit more nuance here. There is certainly a political angle, but there is a non zero risk with taking something like this that should be discussed with a doctor first, IMO. Bypassing a doctor does open up access, but there may be risks, especially if folks don't take the medicine correctly.

>there is a non zero risk with taking something like this that should be discussed with a doctor first, IMO.

Nonsense. I can walk into any store in the country and buy enough Tylenol to kill myself for $5 no questions asked. This is an unqualified good thing.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#140

Post by giantg2 »

giraffe_lady wrote: post #86
giantg2 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had some prescription issue for other meds as well. Usually an issue of the insurance or pharmacy, not a political motive. They don't like to give long term supplies given the expiration is 1 year from manufacture.

Your original question was whether there were barriers. Now you're clarifying you mean political barriers determined by the intent of the provider, which is of course opaque to us. Is it possible under these constraints to describe a barrier you'll accept?

Generic issues are not barriers, especially if they are not universal. There are online services that can cheaply provide these services conveniently. Just because someone uses a provider that provides poor service is not a barrier when alternatives exist.
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