Gynecologists do not sufficiently criticize pharmacist consultation with pill afterwards

Gynecologists do not complain about adequate pharmacist consultation with pill afterwards
For about a year, the so-called "pill thereafter" is available without prescription in pharmacies. Sales of this drug have increased significantly since then. However, the professional association of gynecologists now criticizes that the advice in pharmacies is not sufficient. The Federal Chamber of Pharmacists sees it differently.

Since the recipe freedom more drugs are sold
Since March last year, the pill is then available over the counter in pharmacies. Sales figures show: More and more women are using emergency contraception since they were free of prescriptions. But gynecologists have now accused the pharmacists, women after the effect of the pill is not sufficiently clear. The recipe freedom would sell more preparations for emergency contraception after unprotected sex, it says in a message from the news agency dpa. But the share, which remains ineffective, according to the statistics is higher than before, said the President of the Professional Association of Gynecologists, Christian Albring, told the German Press Agency. "Obviously, essential consulting content in the pharmacy is not communicated with the necessary urgency."
The pill is available for over one year without a prescription. Gynecologists complain: the advice of pharmacists is not enough. (Image: Teteline / fotolia.com)
Gynecologists warned against release
Since mid-March 2015, girls and women are no longer given the pill only on prescription and after a consultation by a doctor, but can buy it directly from pharmacies without a prescription. Before prescription freedom had been decided, health experts had warned of potential risks by releasing the pill thereafter. Gynecologists had already pointed out that the necessary detailed advice, which is imposed on the pharmacists, in the customer interview is not to afford. The drugs, according to physicians massively in the hormone balance of the recipients. In addition, various side effects such as headache, dizziness, pelvic pain, bleeding, nausea and vomiting have been reported. Although the drug is similar to the conventional "anti-baby pill", however, the concentrations of the active ingredients are many times higher.

Pharmacist Association sees no security problems
According to dpa, the Federal Chamber of Pharmacists had already declared in mid-February that the demand for the new rules was logically increased. However, she also said: "The pharmacists give intensive advice. And so far we have not been able to detect any safety problems. "Only recently did the Federal Statistical Office report that about 99,200 abortions had been reported last year. That is 0.5 percent less than the year before. It is said that this is continuing a trend that has lasted for years - since 2004, the number has declined steadily.

Years of decline in abortions stopped
However, the gynecologist association interpreted this development differently. For example, the year-long decline in abortions continues in the first quarter of 2015, but then stops. In the second to fourth quarter, according to the medical profession, there are more abortions than in the previous year. "The only temporal context that we see here is the fact that both drugs for emergency contraception since the middle of March are available over the counter in the pharmacy," said Albring. According to the Association of Pharmacists, sales of the pill then skyrocketed after release and have been fairly steady since the summer at around 60,000 packs a month. In the month before the recipe freedom, the amount was still slightly more than 38,000 units sold. (Ad)