how to take the pill when you travel somewhere that has a time difference? - Birth Control Message Board

jaz09 · 03-10-2009, 05:52 PM

i frequently travel from seattle, washington, back home to nashville, tennessee. the time difference in tennessee is two hours ahead of washington. the usual time that i take my pill is at 12:20 pm. but whenever i go back to tennessee, i never know if i need to modify my time so that it matches what my body thinks is 12:20....sometimes i do, sometimes i dont, but it's always confusing.

what do you do when you travel someplace that has a difference time zone? would i need to modify my pill taking time so that my body matches up with what it thinks is 12:20? or can i just take it at 12:20 tennessee time?

Tivo123 · 03-10-2009, 09:29 PM

If you're on a monophasic pill then a couple of hours doesn't make too much of a difference. But what I always did when I was on the pill was that I set my watch alarm for the time I'd have taken it back home and take it at that time. So if you're in Pacific time zone and take it at 12:20pm then you find yourself in Central time zone, take it at 2:20pm. That's how I used to do it.

What was really fun was when I went to Europe. I had to wake up at like 6am every morning and take it then because that's what time coincided with my time back home. It wasn't easy but I made it work.

Thisby · 03-11-2009, 08:17 AM

I don't think 2 hours is going to make that much of a difference. If it's a matter of your preference (you don't want to take it at 10:20) but you don't want to vary the time too much, then the first day, take it at 11:20 (one hour off from the day before) and the next day at 12:20 (one hour off from the day before) and then you're done adjusting it. Do the same when you get back (take it at 1:20). It's basically only one day you have to worry about.