Birth Control Pills

[CarrieM]

Just a thought about the sugar cravings....how much of the birth control pill you are taking is sugar? what about the TOM week of pills? Many of the TOM week pills are just plain sugar in a little pill!

[flowerbunnylove]

Maybe you should just get an insulin resistance test done? In my experience with patients, it's just a simple blood draw. Insulin resistance has been a buzz phrase in healthcare for the last couple of years, so I'm guessing your MD would mind ordering one for you.

I have recently been diagnosed with type II diabetes. Get the test done before you get to be in my position. Then you know for sure.

As far as birth control pills go, I have heard of weight gain and water retention. Also, it is generally not prescribed for women over the age of 35, it's not good for women who smoke, it can increase cardiac risks, ie increased blood pressure, clotting.

[MrsJim]

Originally Posted by CarrieM

Just a thought about the sugar cravings....how much of the birth control pill you are taking is sugar? what about the TOM week of pills? Many of the TOM week pills are just plain sugar in a little pill!

Hmmm - I don't know how big your BCPs are, but mine are itty bitty...

I wonder how much sugar can POSSIBLY be in those tiny pills. The times I've accidentally not swallowed them right away (this goes for the "week off" pills as well as the active ones) they didn't taste sweet in the slightest to me!

The BCP I take (taken for over 10 years now) is MICROGESTIN FE - the nonactive pills are made of 75 mg ferrous fumarate, which is basically an iron supplement.

Before I was on Microgestin, my PCP had me on Triphasil. I just did a google search for ingredients of Triphasil and while both lactose and sucrose are listed - they're just two of SEVERAL ingredients as you can see here:

TRIPHASIL red reminder pills contain the following inactive ingredients:
* lactose
* maize starch
* povidone
* talc
* magnesium stearate
* sucrose
* macrogol 6000
* calcium carbonate
* brilliant scarlet 4R CI 16255
* erythrosine CI 45430 (127)
* glycol/butylene glycol montanate

I'm no chemist (that would be my dad! ) but I would be willing to bet that there is probably more sugar in 2 Life Savers than there is in one whole MONTH's supply of Triphasil...

Of course, different BCPs have different ingredients - but given that you can probably fit a week's worth of pills in a teaspoon, and they aren't just made of pure sugar (and even if they were, they're so FREAKIN' TINY!!) IMO you shouldn't worry about how many calories are in your daily birth control pill...just my two cents...

Of course, if it REALLY bugs you, just don't take the 'reminder' pills - rather toss them down the drain or something. (I need the extra iron, which is why my PCP changed my prescription, so I do take the reminder pills - which don't always fall at the same time as my period so I don't think of them as my TOM pills...)