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Guide

 

Hi tmv179 and thanks for bringing your concerns to EmpowHER.

Emergency contraceptive pills contain the hormone levonorgestrel  which a common ingredient in some birth control pills. The dosage of this hormone in an ecp is higher than that in a birth control pill and the hormone estrogen, which is a common ingredient in birth control pills, is typically not used in ecps.

Taking a week's worth of birth control pills at one time is essentially an overdose. There may or may not be side effects. The possible side effects include

Breast tenderness

Discoloration of urine

Drowsiness

Excessive vaginal bleeding (2 - 7 days following the overdose)

Headache

Emotional changes

Nausea and vomiting

Rash

The overdose is unlikely to be life-threatening but if you do feel like you are seriously ill at any point you should contact your local area poison control center for advice.

In terms of whether the overdose will be effective in preventing pregnancy we do not have any clinical guidelines as this is not a common or recommended practice. We can tell you that emergency contraceptives, used as prescribed, reduce the risk of pregnancy by about 75-85%.

Perhaps some members of the community have done what you've done and can offer additional information.

Hope this helps,

Pam

November 4, 2014 - 5:41pm

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