Buying the pill without a prescription? This idea has popped into the heads of numerous people who are currently using the hormonal oral contraceptive.
In fact, finding yourself pill-less by accident, having to adjust your schedule in order to renew your prescription, trying to plan a long trip abroad…These are situations that many women frequently encounter and some even decide to change their birth control to avoid these inconveniences.
What are the dangers of buying the pill without a prescription?
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Whether women are active or nomadic, forgetful or too busy; they all have a very good reason for wanting to get rid of the bi-annual or annual hassle of renewing their prescription. After all, why can you not just go to the drugstore and extend a pill prescription that has been taken every day for months, even years?
The answer is in the question itself and is related to long-term contraceptive treatment. Firstly, there is a public health argument, which says that if one were to open the floodgates of self-medical drugs (like buying your pills without a prescription such as Cerazette, Yasmin or Dianette), it would lead to chaotic pill administration, which could be dangerous.
There is also a desire on the part of governments to regulate and optimise distribution in order to avoid wastage, especially as some pills are reimbursed by social security. In addition to these social reasons, there are also health considerations.
The advice of a doctor is essential to avoid risks.
Due to the fact that you take the pill for a long time, it is necessary to have a medical follow-up to ensure that the consumer is completely capable of taking the hormonal contraceptive pill, as physical conditions can change from when it is first prescribed.
Furthermore, a doctor’s advice is indispensable given the side effects, of which some are potentially serious—although very rare—especially with regard to oestrogen-progestogen combined pills. So, buying the pill without a prescription is mostly risky for your own health!
The law on this is clear: buying the contraceptive pill should be subject to a prescription issued by a doctor or a gynaecologist.
This is perfectly acceptable from a theoretical point of view, but from a practical point of view, it is a flawed practice.
Buying the contraceptive pill without a prescription: what does the law say?
Because taking the pill every day involves a small margin of forgetfulness, women often find themselves without a pill at the end of their packet. The law has eased recently in order to overcome this, and your prescription now only needs renewing one year after the last one.
Once you have one, you can go to your pharmacist who will renew your prescription and your pill for a maximum of 6 months (thus a maximum of 6 packets), provided that all prescription boxes are ticked and the prescription was issued less than a year ago. This gives you time to visit the doctor.
There are two disadvantages to this method
- First, not all pills are affected by renewal in a pharmacy, so it is possible that your renewal will be refused.
- The second disadvantage is that, if you lose your prescription, it is no longer covered by this legislation.
There are some solutions for obtaining your pill urgently
One solution is to visit your local pharmacy, as more and more pharmacists possess your pharmaceutical files containing a history of prescriptions and orders. With a little understanding and the assurance that you will bring them the new prescription within a week, they might give you a packet to ensure your contraceptive protection.
The second solution is more recent and involves online renewal of a prescription for your pill. It is possible to be written a prescription by a doctor from an online pharmacy, after answering a detailed questionnaire about your background, your physical condition, your lifestyle, etc. The doctor may renew your prescription after checking your questionnaire, and you will receive your pill in 24 hours!
What online drugstore should I choose?
The pitfall of this relatively new method is choosing the right pharmacy because there are some fairly dubious sites. After conducting some research, our site recommends a pharmacy with licensed doctors and pharmacists who will advise you, so you can buy your contraception with a prescription, without any risks. To purchase your hormonal contraception online and without any risks, simply visit the page of the pill of your choice (if present on our website).
In addition, this medical prescription provided online is completely free! In addition to being guaranteed to be safe for your health, it won’t cost you a single euro. Buying your pill without a prescription is not only risky but is also stupid and useless!
There are some exceptions!
Finally, two types of women have easier access depending on their situation:
- Women wanting to get a morning-after pill.They can always go to the pharmacy and have the emergency morning-after pill given to them immediately.
- Minors, for whom access to the contraceptive pill is free and anonymous. A prescription is still required, but school nurses are empowered to renew and extend it like pharmacists, for 6 months.
Conclusion: should I buy the pill without a prescription?
To summarise: NO, it is not possible to buy the pill without a prescription. However, with the increase in abortions, new devices exist to facilitate access to contraception: relaxation of the law allows a pharmacy to issue outdated prescriptions that are less than a year old, in some cases, and you can obtain a renewal of your prescription online from a doctor in a partner pharmacy.
Medical review on March 10, 2017 by Dr. Davis Taylor
