Too much Plan B? Does it decrease libido? - Birth Control Message Board

sweetsky · 03-30-2008, 01:32 AM

Hi,
I've taken Plan B maybe 8 or 9 times in the last 9-10 months. I know it's not a good form of birth control, and I'm working on other solutions. It's kind of ironic that I've been taking it because I don't want to go on hormonal birth control. My long-distance bf hates condoms. We might be breaking up.

Anyways, I've read that Plan B is like an exta-big dose of birth control pills. Can this have permanently affected me, especially for a long-term sex drive decrease? I just don't feel the same as before, and sex isn't as pleasurable. I don't know if this is due to other causes or if it could be forever.

It really scares me.

And are there any other negative affects from taking this so many times? I never want to take it again.

Thank you for reading this; any replies will be helpful!!!

Thisby · 03-30-2008, 02:33 PM

I can't believe you were given it 8 or 9 times! What kind of doctor would do that? I'm not going to say that what you did was dangerous or could have caused such-and-such damage because it's supposed to be 'safe', but I really don't think they meant when you abuse it like that. I don't know of any long-term or permanent side effects specific to Plan B. I don't think they tested it for use the way you have been using it.

You really should just go on the regular birth control pill. Plan B is like ten times the dose of regular pills, so what you have done is much much worse than if you'd just been taking regular bcp all along.

As for your bf not liking condoms, oh boo hoo for him. :P I guess if you're breaking up anyway, it doesn't matter, but if you're against using the pill, you should be 10 times as against using Plan B and fighting even more for him to use condoms. Time to prioritize.

krizzae · 03-30-2008, 08:06 PM

Like the other user, I'm surprised you've been able to get Plan B that many times. I don't want to chide you, but Plan B should be seen as Plan B - not plan A. Your boyfriend is ridiculous to say he 'doesn't like condoms.' They make LOTS of different kinds for men of different sizes and sensitivity. Bottom line is, there's no excuse to not want to use them. They even make condoms that won't bother people with latex allergies. If you don't want to use hormonal birth control that is your choice, and any man should both respect it and do whatever is necessary to have safe sex.

If your boyfriend or any other ones you may have later are persistent about not using condoms, I'd dump them immediately. Why would you even want to be with a guy like that in the first place? Obviously he doesn't care too much about your well-being. It's not worth getting an STD or an unplanned pregnancy... or putting yourself through continuous use of Plan B.

Oh, another thing worth mentioning... I can't use hormonal BC because it makes me crazy. I like condoms just fine, but there are non-hormonal IUDs that you can try if you're interested.

As far as long-term side effects of Plan B go, I honestly don't know... but I kind of doubt there would really be any. I'd ask your doctor or a pharmacist about it.

sweetsky · 03-31-2008, 03:26 AM

Thank you for your replies.....

I'm not sure about the rest of the U.S. or Canada, but in Alaska you can get Plan B without a prescription at pharmacies, planned parenthood, and university clinics, just as a walk-in. So that's how I got it so often. I know it's not a good form of birth control, and I need to take more initiative and action for choosing a different method. I have been considering the non-hormonal IUD.

Thank you also for your support in having my bf wear a condom, I should show this to him. He's in his upper 40s and says he's been spoiled because his previous girlfriends have all used the pill, and that making love just isn't the same with a condom on. That it's a mental type of thing, and he said tonight it's like trying to teach an old dog new tricks. !!!!!!! I wonder if his age has something to do with it physically? He's not a jerk at all in other respects, and says he understands my concerns with hormonal b/c and is thinking about a vasectomy for himself. I probably need to work on my self-assertiveness and not undermine myself about the condom issue. It's like this is a boundary issue or something! Also, we've both been through STD testing and I feel there's a pretty high trust level between us.

Thank you again for your feedback!

krizzae · 04-01-2008, 08:39 PM

No problem. If he's considering getting a vasectomy, that's great as long as he knows for sure he doesn't want to make any babies ever, haha. Good to hear he is considering that. Being spoiled to not having to use condoms is understandable in some ways, if that's the only way his body has been used to orgasming for years on end. It's an adjustment to change anything in the bedroom that you've gotten used to. However, he can always get back into the habit of using condoms, even if it takes 'practice.' (Like pleasuring himself with a condom on in private, when there's no stress to please someone else.)