I lost a pill down the drain

Help!
I lost a birth control pill down the drain... I was stupid and had the water running AND the drain stop open. I tried to put it in my mouth but missed. When I tried to grab the pill out of the sink, I ended up pushing it down the drain and couldn't save it! I took the next pill in my pack, but I will end a day early. I HAD 7 days left of pills, but now I only have 6 will I still be protected if I start the sugar pills a day early? I am freaking out!!!

I would use a backup method for the next week or so -- a condom or something in addition. Better safe than sorry.

your pills will just be a day behind. just start the new pack a day early you should be fine

You shouldn't shorten the number of days that you take the active pills (or you need to apply the seven day rule)

use a condom!...don't risk it. I missed one ONE...uno, pill and *poof* that's the story of my daughter...haha

what brand is it?

if you miss one active pill do not start taking it early just miss a day. you probably dont need to use a backup form but if you want to just to be safe you can. it also depends on how long you have been on it. if you have been on it for years its probably not that big of a deal. the thing id be worried about is that it might mess with your period when you start in a few days. why dont you just call your doctor/obgyn and ask? every pill is different. i take nortrel and if i miss a day im fine but im also on it for PCOS so my doses are a little different than most pills.

or you could just not have sex til you start your new pack?

Your pills should've come with some instructions for if you miss a pill. It can be different for different pills. Check out the papers that come with them and see...

Just take the next pill instead when this happens, like you did. Your period will come a day earlier this next time. BTW you should always use a condom unless you and a spouse are totally faithful to each other and planning for a child, imo. Birth control pills only help to protect from pregnancy, they do nothing to protect from getting or giving. STDs

I've been on them for like 3 or 4 years, and I can't find the info sheet on it. Also, we were both tested for STDs before we had unprotected sex together. We are engaged and he pretty much considers us married. People call me his wife all the time and he dosen't even correct them.

Ok... I looked online for the info and it only says if you MISS a pill not if you LOOSE one!!!

I wonder if you could find instructions online if you googled your pills?

Or maybe if you tell us the pills you're taking, someone else is taking them and would be able to look up the info??

I would continue them now like you are since you haven't actually missed one yet, and call your doctor on Monday. The pill is never 100% even if you don't miss one, so if you're that worried about getting pregnant, why not use condoms too? I use both.

Birth control pills are dosed with set amounts, until you get to the sugar pills. It won't matter that you lost one, as long as you take one that day...the next one in the packet. You will alter the number of total days between your menstruation, by one day. But by taking the next pill in the packet you will still have protection.

> Ok... I looked online for the info and it only says if you MISS a pill not if you LOOSE one!!!

Er... You don't think that losing a pill is simply one way to miss one?

It is as people have said already... If you take an active pill out of your next pack so that you have taken active pills properly for 21 days... Then you will still be protected. If you miss a pill from the end of the active pills then you need to apply the 7 day rule (use alternative birth control - NOT rythm or withdrawal methods - for 7 days).

It is up to you...

Take one of the active pills from the next pack so you don't have to apply the 7 day rule (all the active pills are identical)
OR
Only take 20 active pills this month - and remember to apply the 7 days of alternative birth control rule.

If you take an active pill from the next pack so you don't have to apply the 7 day rule... Then just remember to take 21 active pills next month.

It seems like either way I'll have to wait 7 days (taking away from next months). I used to use both... but stopped because my fiance wanted to be closer to me... Anyhow... not in the mood for a lecture, I'm almost 25 and it wouldn't be the end of the world if I got pregnant... just don't think nows the time.

Dang I've been kinda *****y lately!!!

they assume when you MISS a pill that you take it as soon as you remember. why dont you just call a doctors office? someone is bound to know for sure.

Why not ask a pharmacist?
Best,
Okie

> It seems like either way I'll have to wait 7 days (taking away from next months). I used to use both...

Er... The idea would be to borrow one from the next pack EVERY month so you didn't need to do that.

But yeah, I guess that could get pretty confusing...

You see... The active pills are all the same. There are 21 active pills and 7 inactive pills.

I think that they used to just come in a jar or something. 21 of them. So you had one a day for 21 days.

Then you had 7 days of not taking any.

Then you started the next jar and took one a day for 21 days...

And so on.

They put them in the little blister packs with days of the week on them in order to help people remember to take them properly. They even provide placebo, sugar pills so that you don't get out of the habit of taking them when you have the 7 day break from the active pills.

If you miss one of your active pills (didn't take it within 12 hours of the time you were supposed to then:

Use alternative birth control (not rythmn or withdrawal) for 7 days.

If you miss one of your active pills in the first week of active tablets in your pack and you had intercourse in ANY OF THE SEVEN DAYS PRECEEDING THAT WEEK you need to get pregnancy tested.

If you miss one of your active pills within 7 days of finishing an active pill cycle then you should not take the placebo pills - you should move straight into your next active cycle and apply the 7 day rule (alternative birth control - not rythmn or withdrawal) for 7 days.

So... Either you borrow one from next month (so you have 21 this month) and next month borrow one from the next month (so you have 21) etc etc etc...

Or...

You should have started up the next active cycle without break and applied the 7 day rule...

I don't think you will be protected until 7 continuous days of taking active pills... But if you took your break (and didn't get straight into the next active pill cycle) then I'd use the 14 day rule to be safe...

Thanks alexandra I did the OR at the bottom... and got my period! It makes me SOOO angry my fiance gets so hissy about using condoms. Last night we were fooling around and I reached for the condoms and he said oh... never mind. Which I responded, "wrong answer buddy!!!" Although this morning he was all sweet and about it and had no problem wearing one.