# can you crush birth control pills?



## bluegrassgirl (May 8, 2007)

Recently, I found out that if I want to go on birth control, I can't use birth control pills, because they tend to go right through an ileostomy whole, without being dissolved.

I would like to go on the mini pill rather than get an IUD put back in or get that awful Depo shot. Is it possible to crush the pills and take them with some applesauce, so they will be absorbed better?
Also, is there any other birth control I can use if I can't use regular birth control pills, the diaphragm, cervical cap, or the Nuva Ring?
I can't use regular combination pills because of my seizure medicine, I can't use diaphragms because of latex allergy, and the Nuva Ring doesn't seem to want to stay in me).

Jessie


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## kriket (Nov 25, 2007)

[email protected] mama, you have a unique situation, you could try FAM (rhythm method) a lot of women swear by it, it makes me nervous. honestly, in your case depo or IUD would be your best bet. oh! i just remembered, I think if you are under 190lbs you can use the patch.







thats all I've got for you I'm allergic to everything but luckily not latex


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## bluegrassgirl (May 8, 2007)

Thanks! All I know is that right now, its very hard for me to find a birth control that I can use (and like).

I didn't like the Depo shot, because when I was on it in high school for severe menstrual cramps, I wound up producing breastmilk, even though I had never been pregnant or nursed a child! It was very uncomfortable and I eventually had to pump a teensy bit of it out in order to reduce the painful pressure on my breasts. I also got very bad acne and hot flashes.
I liked the Mirena IUD, but when I got severe stomach pains last year, the ER doctor thought it was the IUD causing it, so he took it out. Man, I was so pissed at him (especially since it hurt like hell to have the IUD inserted in the first place). It turns out the stomach pains were from a really bad kidney infection.

I can't use the patch, because even though I am 190 lbs on the dot, if you have a history of blood clots, they won't give it to you.
Do you know where I can find resources on FAM? I might give it a try. Is it very effective? Can you still use other forms of birth control, like a condom, if you are practicing FAM? Right now, me and my boyfriend are just using latex-free condoms and spermicidal foam.

Jessie


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## DisplacedYooper (Aug 10, 2007)

You can still use condoms with the fertility awareness method. Basically, you watch for signs of your fertility by taking your basel temperature every morning as soon as you wake up and check your cervical fluid once a day. On days when you are fertile (5-8 ish days per month), you can choose to abstain from sex or you can use a backup method of birth control, but you need to be aware that if the backup method fails, you are having sex when you are most likely to get pregnant!

FAM is highly effective - for women who follow the rules and abstain during fertile times, it is considered to be 98-99% effective. For women who use backup birth control, it is as effective as that birth control, but with the added benefit of not needing to use condoms etc when you are not fertile (assuming you don't need to use them for STD reasons...)

Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler, is the book I would recommend. She has a website www.ovusoft.com, that I think is mostly a vehicle for her software (which you don't need!)

Notes on other natural BC method you may encounter when looking up FAM:
FAM is different from Natural Family Planning in that NFP is against using birth control during fertile times. It is different from the Billings method (which only monitors cervical fluid, thus leading to many more "potentially fertile" days) or the Basal temp method (which only lets you know when you have ovulated, so any day from the start of your period until you have confirmed ovulation is "unsafe). It is DEFINATELY not the rhythm method, which uses info from your past cycles to guess when you might ovulate this cycle (rhythm has about a 14% failure rate)


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## thefragile7393 (Jun 21, 2005)

Noooo I wouldn't crush any BC pills, that would likely kill any chance that they would work. And FAM isn't the same as the rhythem method...there are subtle differences. If you get the book (or get it from the library) Taking Charge of Your Fertility, it will explain it a lot better.


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## kaleidoscopeeyes (May 14, 2006)

Nuvaring may work for you. It has the lowest dosage of hormones on the market I believe. I loved it, had no real problems to speak of. However, it is composed of the same hormones that are in the combo pill, so it can affect milk supply if you are still nursing (I know your girls are a little older though, so this may not be an issue?) So if you were looking for something "safe" for nursing mamas as the mini pill is supposed to be, then the ring may not be right after all.


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## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

look into implanon. it's a long term progesterone only method, the progesterone in it is different than that in the shot.

I wouldn't feel comfortable charting while taking anticonvulsants (birth defect risk goes up, some types change your cycles, depakote especially can make you have weird cycles - it made my cycles very long)

ETA: FTR I use FAM and have for some time, it's quite reliable. but I've also taken anticonvulsants and know the increased risk of birth defects that many carry, and also the way the effect your cycles. Look into it before using NFP


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## momileigh (Oct 29, 2002)

I used to have trouble with Nuvaring slipping out as you mentioned. It never came all the way out, but always seemed to be hanging low and sometimes slipping 1/4 out. Then I realized I just wasn't putting it in far enough. Now I make sure it is encircling my cervix, and I have no problem. I love it now. But it is the same hormones as in a combination pill, so be sure it is compatible w/ your other meds etc.


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## KnitLady (Jul 6, 2006)

Ask your pharmacist if you can crush your pills. They aren't time release so it'd probably be fine.

If you are interested in FAM, I'd recommend "Taking Care of Your Fertility".


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## kriket (Nov 25, 2007)

defiantly taking care of your fertility.. it's amazing, I agree with the other ladies. If you go to the "charting to avoid" threads I know those ladies would be waaay more exp. then I. good luck and much love!


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## Hellga (Apr 16, 2008)

I just got Taking Charge of Your Fertility through interlibrary loan, and I definitely recommend it! I've been using NuvaRing for a year and a half now, and while I love the convenience (and it's never slipped out...you have to sort of "hang" it over the cervix), the hormones destroy my libido. Seriously, when we used condoms before I got NuvaRing, my husband and I had sex, like, twice a day...Now we're lucky if I'm in the mood twice a month!

So, yeah, we're planning to switch back to condoms and start using the Fertility Awareness Method this summer. I'm so excited about not having these extra hormones in me anymore!


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## Mosaic (Jun 20, 2005)

Not to mention, if you have a history of blood clots, you probably shouldn't be using hormonal birth control at all since they greatly increase your clot risk. I have been using FAM (+ condoms during fertile time) for 8 years now... works great!

_(says the girl who had a stroke because of the pill)_


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## Julz6871 (Jun 14, 2006)

Ovcon Fe is a chewable birth control pill. It is speramint flavored. The Nuvaring has low dose hormones, and the local release of hormones in the vagina can make some extra moisture down there which helps a lot of women who have vaginal dryness.

I'm another one not comfortable with the FAM. Sperm can live in the uterus for up to 6 days. That is a lot of time in advance of ovulation to abstain not to mention many factors like stress can affect ovulation. (Of course I forgot a few days of my minipill and ended up pg so who am I to talk!?)


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## bluegrassgirl (May 8, 2007)

Thanks for all your help! I have an appointment with the gyno in 2 weeks, because of another matter, so I'll bring all of this up with her at the same time.

On Monday, when my suregon who did the colon surgery on me did a CT-Scan to make sure everything was healing okay, he found that I had an ovarian cyst, so he recommended that I go get it checked out just to be on the safe side.

Jessie


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## ErinsJuneBug (Nov 21, 2006)

I didnt read any replies...

But can you put the pills IN your ostomy? If they truly are absorbed in your intestines and not absorbed at all in your stomach i would think that this would work.

You could also ask about different types of coated pills - if they are EC coated they would take longer to absorb (and this come out of your ostomy whole), but i believe there are many packed pills that do absorb in your stomach and small intestine.


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## bluegrassgirl (May 8, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ErinsJuneBug* 
I didnt read any replies...

But can you put the pills IN your ostomy? If they truly are absorbed in your intestines and not absorbed at all in your stomach i would think that this would work.

You could also ask about different types of coated pills - if they are EC coated they would take longer to absorb (and this come out of your ostomy whole), but i believe there are many packed pills that do absorb in your stomach and small intestine.

Nope, you can't put the pill into the ostomy stoma. Mainly because it would just be forced out again by the intestinal discharge, which is continuous. Plus, putting something INTO the stoma can cause a blockage, especially if you have an ileostomy (where the small intestine was used for the stoma opening). I had a blockage in Feburary when I was still on extended release seizure pills, and all I know is that was the most painful thing in the world. Several of my seizure pills bunched up toward the end of my small intestine and blocked any discharge from emptying into the ostomy bag. Lucky for me, I was still in the nursing & rehab facility recovering from surgery and they caught the signs right away, so I didn't have to be in agony for a long period of time.

Jessie


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