How and where can a non-Italian citizen who is living in Sardegna recieve this method of birth control? What are the requirements? Thank you.

You can buy it over the counter in some pharmacies. Otherwise I guess you need to get it prescribed by a GP.

Are there really pharmacies doing this?! I mean, it's dangerous to play with hormones!

quote:

Originally posted by Delina:
You can buy it over the counter in some pharmacies. Otherwise I guess you need to get it prescribed by a GP.

If it's sold OTC it's done illegally! Estroprogesitnics must be sold strictly with medical prescription, be it the GP (some pills are provided by the health system, not all, these are free with medical prescription).

Jenny, visit a doctor, preferably a gynecologist, and have him or her prescribe you your usual pill. Notice that the pill you are taking may just not exist in Italy, or it may exist with another name, or there may be a similar pill with the same name (for instance, Yasmin in Italy is old as 21 pills + one week break, while elsewhere it's sold as 24 active pills + 4 placebo pills).

Awesome thanks. I use Yasmin and it seems I can get it in Italy, that's great!

yes, you can get it in Italy. I used Yasmin for six months and it almost killed me (honest!).
As I stated above, though, if you are used to its US formulation you should be aware that in italy it's formulated a bit differently, the boxes have 21 pills and will require a one week pause between one box and the next.
I also suggest you browse the YasminSurvivors forum to get informed of the possible hazards of using Yasmin. you may one of the lucky ones that never experience such disastrous effects, but since its side effects are extremely dangerous and strong, you should better be informed in case anything odd happens.

I live in Canada right now and Yasmin here is a 21 day cycle with one week off. So it's the same. Ive had no side effects of this pill. Nothing at all. Ive been on it well over a year now. Im sorry that you didnt have the same experience.

quote:

If it's sold OTC it's done illegally!

Yes, I know this, but still it is done by quite a few pharmacists around here. Some will refuse to sell it you, but you just go down the road to one who will.

I don't use the pill anymore (IMO it messes around with your system too much), but when I did and I wasn't signed up with the health service here I used to buy it directly from the pharmacist.

Jenny, if you take in an empty box from what you were prescribed in Canada, then you will surely be able to buy it which might be useful to begin with before you sign up with a GP.

Great thanks for the info Delina. I will definatly be bringing an empty pack with me. Would make the transaction much easier for me as I don't speak Italian ... yet.

Try also consultorio Familiare they are in every town and they I have heard are very helpful and give family planning advice and so will probably be able to precibe for you.

If you have any "family" or close friends you can usually go to their doctor and have them write out a prescription- in smaller towns.
No it isn't legal but so what.... the legal way is obvious- go to a gyno - get a check up and get the pill

Actually that is fully legal. Geting a full visit from a gyecologist every year is a good pratice but it's not mandatory (I still suggest getting it AT LEAST yearly, even beter every 6 months), but any doctor, including a dentist, can write a perfectly legal prescription for anyone. As a matter of facts, since a prescription lasts for 6 months. the common pratice is to have it renewed from another doctor.
What no other doctor except for the GP you are registered with at the ASL can do is to write a prescription for purchasing a medicine offered by the SSN (that means for free or with a tiny copayment), but since Yasmine is not included in the SSN offer, this can't be done anyhow.

Jenny,

I live in a small town and get Yasmin without a prescription. The pharmacy in the next town won't give it to me without a prescription!

I guess it all depends....

Anna

Speaking of hormones... does anyone know if Tibolone (aka Livial) is sold in Italy? Does it require a prescription? Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Jenny~in~Sardegna:
How and where can a non-Italian citizen who is living in Sardegna recieve this method of birth control? What are the requirements? Thank you.

Where in Sardegna are you? If you are in Sorso, things may be a bit different than in, say, Sassari. A little filu ferru will do the job.

Thanks for all the great info. Ive been lucky enough to acquire enough birth control here in Canada to last me 15 months. Cheers.

Enjoy the porceddu and cannonau as well!

Really careless advice suggesting people obtain the pill over the counter/illegally and very concerning that i seems there are a few pharmacists who are supposed to be professionals willing to do this.
The combined oral contraceptive pill can have serious side effects and followup and monitoring should be done at least bi-anually.
Iwonder what action would you take if as a result of this careless giving of potentially dangerous pill you suffered an embolus or stroke because you had an uncheked high blood pressue, would you consider the pharmacist helpful then?

use an iud - the technology is much simpler and a lot less risky to your health over time. the current models (particularly the mini-iuds) are super-effective and do not have the negative side-effects of previous generations. that said, it is common for them to have monthly spotting and discomfort for up to 6 months.

iuds have been bashed a lot...but by whom? they are cheaper and therefore a LOT less profitable to 3rd party reimbursers than an iud.

OCPs are the highest-prescribed drug in the world.

that means a lot of money is invested in the market, yet the research is not there...this is a causal relationship.

it's hard to recommend anyone taking the OCP after working in the pharma biz in the USA.

my main clients were sexual medicine doctors - one group had a urologist and an endocrinologist who did the only published study linking the OCP to FSD (female sexual dysfunction). they had nothing to lose and saw patterns over time with women who suffered from FSD. the main predictor was the OCP.

turns out that the OCP shuts down your ovaries for 21 of 28 days per month. sure, you don't get preggers, but it's like fixing a wristwatch with a hammer. it literally turns off all functions of your ovaries.

by shutting down your ovaries, you end up with zero bioavailable testosterone. the result is that you lose your sex drive, the genital nerve sensitivity and the ability to lubricate during arousal...you also lose muscle and bone density over time. loss of testosterone is a huge factor in loss of energy and elevated depression...interesting footnote: all antidepressants (except wellbutrin) accentuate the loss of sex drive. what does your doctor do if you are showing signs of depression? do they consider taking you off the pill? um, no.

the effects of the OCP are subtle, as sex is a complicated subject. check for yourself: this study referenced below found that the longer women screw with your hormones (via the OCP), the longer the negative effect can last. FSD symptoms can become permanant after as few as 5 years of using the OCP (i.e. high school and college).

here's some real info:
http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/002795.html