Personal question, I know.
Has anyone here taken the morning after pill (emergency contraception)? If so, what can one expect in terms of side effects? Googled it, and the side effect listings are vague, so I’m looking for some personal stories here.
Yes, but I don’t think my experience will help much, because it differs widely from woman to woman. Personally, it just made me a bit queasy, but then the regular pill doesn’t affect me much either. But I’ve known other women who’ve felt really ill after taking it.
I did once. It was the day of my stepgrandmother’s funeral. Bad timing, but biology doesn’t wait. I was dreading feeling sick on top of the usual bad funeral feelings. However, I didn’t notice a single thing at all so was free to get on with being mentally miserable.
So if you’re lucky the side effect will be non-existent.
I took it once about 6 years ago, teenage panicking, no real need to.
In my experience: vomiting, lots of vomiting (thankfully, outside of the 4 hour window, so I didn’t have to take it again).
But that was the old Schering PC4, I think the newer ones are better, but in case not, get an anti-emetic too.
Also, it can make your period come early OR late, so don’t freak out if it’s a day or two late until you’ve done a test.
I haven’t taken it, but my friend did. Lots of vomiting, that’s about it.
You speak of vomiting as if it is nothing. That is the one side effect, above all others, that really bothers me. 
I took it once about 10 years ago.
It was the one where you had to take two tablets, with several hours between.
I feel horrendously ill. Nausia, cramping, hot & cold sweats.
I did manage not to throw up, but then I don’t tend to actually vomit even if I’m feeling really bad.
Wasn’t a pleasant experience, and it was pretty obvious to my Mother what was going on. (I was 17/18 at the time, so legal in the UK, but still, didn’t really want my mother knowing about it)
I also took a two-part dose about a year ago. I was okay after the first but once I took the second I became quite sick. Crampy, pukey, and feverish for nearly a day afterwards. Compared to another pregnancy and child though, the experience was nothing. Definitely worth it for me.
I took the two-pill version about fifteen years ago after a… hardware malfunction, let’s say.
It was as sick as I’d ever been to that point. I threw up damn near constantly for 24 hours. Wasn’t a lot of fun in a dorm room, trying to turn myself inside out. I don’t really remember if there were other effects; the puking was so bad it’s all I can picture.
But I remain to this day convinced that I would have been pregnant otherwise, and it sure did beat having a baby essentially by myself when I was a college freshman. Now that would have been hard.
Thanks, all, for sharing your stories.
I took it once with no ill effects.
I took it once in 1989, (IIRC, it was a set of 2 x 2 normal BC-pills of a brand with i higher dosage of hormones then my usual BC pill). I was a bit nauseous for the evening. Nothing so bad it couldn’t be handled with lying in bed and sleeping, though.
I took it again sixteen years later, a few weeks ago. This time it was two tablets of Nor-Levo. I was lucky; in the Netherlands you can now get them at the pharmacist’s, without a doctor’s prescription, for about 15 dollars. That has only been the case for some months now, and I think it’s a smart move. It makes the theshold lower, as women won’t have to face their GP or have to wait till the weekend is over (in the Netherlands healtcare is mainly an office-hours thing, emergencies aside) This time I had no ill side-effects whatsoever.
The information-leaflet with the pill told me that only about 15% of the women taking the pill get really sick.
So no, there is no “just punishment” for women taking the morning-after pill. 
Accidents will happen, and it’s only prudent to prevent further problems.
Yes, the ‘one’ that was eight birth control pills, four taken at a time, twelve hours apart.
I got a little bit of stomach upset. Cured by ginger ale.
I’m told it varies widely, though.
I think this is the one that I’d be taking. I’m going to the family planning clinic today at lunch. Not sure how much it will cost, but IMHO, it’s important enough not to care
Took it 3.5 years ago, 2 doses 12 hours apart. I was expecting side effects (since when I took BCPs and had to double up, I always got nauseated), but had no ill effects.
I went back on the pill shortly thereafter.
Good luck, Rebekkah. Hope you’re one of the 85% who does not get sick.
I took it last year. I got a little bit ill-feeling, but no vomiting. It didn’t work, as I was ovulating at the time of our malfunction.
Just to clarify Ginger’s statement, ovulation doesn’t automatically override MAP effectiveness since it has a two-way mechanism. 1–Possibly prevent fertilization of the egg, or, failing that, 2–Prevent implantation of the egg onto the wall of the uterus.
Apparently Ginger’s sprout was a bit more determined than the average bear.
[QUOTE=GingerOfTheNorth]
It didn’t work…[/quote[
Apparently. 
To the OP - I took it about 13 years ago and had no ill effects - I did get my period a few days early, but thats it.
I hope you’re OK.
No ill effects that I recall when I took it after a IUD failure about 3 years ago. I think it was a single dose.