Plan B Users' Guide
The non-prescription version of Plan B, the controversial emergency contraceptive drug, recently arrived in pharmacies.
And, while the Food and Drug Administration recently made it much more readily available, there are still strict rules regarding who can get it and how, said The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay.
Senay also spelled out the circumstances under which the drug is meant to be used, and how to use it.
"Plan B is emergency contraception," Senay explained, "to be used within 72 hours, three days after unprotected sex, to reduce the chance of pregnancy. If it is used correctly, the company that makes it, Barr Pharmaceuticals, says it will reduce the chance of pregnancy by about 89 percent.
"There's a lot of confusion between this and the so-called abortion pill. This is like oral contraceptives, taken in a slightly different way. The way this is used is within 72 hours, but as soon as possible after unprotected sex, you need to take that first pill. Then, 12 hours later, you take the second pill. This actually prevents pregnancy from occurring. RU-486 is an abortion pill, used in an entirely different way."
Who can buy Plan B and where is what's new, Senay said.
"Basically, what the FDA has done is they have allowed the sale without a prescription, but only to women 18 or older," she said. "Now, women younger than that must have a prescription to purchase this. And it's even a little more complicated, because it's not something you're gonna be able to grab it off the shelf. You're gonna have to show ID to a pharmacist who will have it behind the counter. You won't find it next to the typical products in the drugstore. And it must be sold at a store that has licensed pharmacists there."
There are some side effects, Senay noted, though they're "pretty much what you expect with the oral contraceptive pill. There can be a little bit of nausea, some tiredness. Some women experience breast tenderness. It might delay your next menstrual cycle by a week or so. But most women have a pretty OK time with it and no serious side effects at all."
As for the controversy surrounding Plan B, and the FDA's new approach to it, Senay said it's been controversial "for a number of different reasons. Some believed it would encourage teens to have unsafe sex. It was controversial because, I think, of confusion with other types of pills that are out there. Now, it is the source of — and the focus of — an FDA investigation right now looking into why it was delayed so long for approval within the FDA, looking to see if there wasn't some political influence over whether it was approved, ultimately, by the FDA, for over-the-counter sale."
Pharmacies can still opt not to carry Plan B, Senay said, adding: "They should refer women to pharmacies who will carry it. But now it should be in many pharmacies, and it's gonna cost somewhere between $25 to $50, depending on where you are."