My girlfriend has been looking for the patch (Ortho Evra) but every pharmacist she has been to has been out and supposedly getting more in "next week." Problem is, the next week, turns in to next week again. Does anyone know where this is available in Bangkok?

Also, for any ladies that may be on this or know someone that is...how safe is this compared to the bc pill? I've heard differing reports as to its safety. I don't want her going on something that could cause her problems.

I haven't heard any bad things about it except for one difficulty. In high humidity (or if the person sweats alot) the patch doesn't stick very well, which is why I never bothered trying it.

My girlfriend has been looking for the patch (Ortho Evra) but every pharmacist she has been to has been out and supposedly getting more in "next week." Problem is, the next week, turns in to next week again. Does anyone know where this is available in Bangkok?

Also, for any ladies that may be on this or know someone that is...how safe is this compared to the bc pill? I've heard differing reports as to its safety. I don't want her going on something that could cause her problems.

Need to be careful, if any probs with bc pill, patch or any other longer term contraceptive definitely not suitable as dose cannot be reversed once given, need to check with doc 1st.

Thank you for the information. That was what I was worried about. She hasn't ever been on birth control per se, rather she has used the morning after pill in the past.

yeah she should definately see a doc first. AFAIK the patch works in much the same way as the pill, so I assume there would be similar things to consider. When you start taking the pill in the UK you must have your blood pressure checked, as the pill can rase it, this is also why it isn't a great idea to smoke if you are taking the pill, esp if you are over 30.

regular use of the morning after pill cannot be good --it is an emergency form of contraceptive and is a much higher dose of hormone than a regular bc pill. It is not recommended as an alternative form of birth control

Get her to an ob-gyn and get her on something more appropriate.

I got her to go to the doctor. He put her on the patch which turned out not to be good. I told her to make sure to ask a lot of questions regarding its safety etc. After only about 2 days she started getting localized pain where it was placed. The next day, she woke up with a bad headache, throwing up etc. He took her off that and is now using the pill and is feeling much better.

I would recommend any woman that might think about going on the patch to think twice. After doing a bit more reading, I found that this patch contains over 60% more estrogen than the pill.