Is this normal - spotting and stomach cramps from starting birth control pills?

Opill is a progestin-only pill, which makes it different from other birth control pills that contain both estrogen and a progestin (such as Yaz, Junel FE, Lutera, or Sprintec) although you can get progestin-only pills (such as Cerazette, errin, and Heather) on prescription. Progestin-only pills are often called mini-pills, so Opill is a type of mini-pill. Continue reading

Ibuprofen is short acting, while naproxen is long acting and more likely to cause an upset stomach. Naproxen also increases the risk of uncontrolled bleeding in people taking blood thinners by 4-fold, and ibuprofen increases the risk 2-fold. Naproxen and ibuprofen are both NSAIDs so they are similar in many ways, but there are important differences. Continue reading

Despite popular belief that you have to take ibuprofen with food, you can take ibuprofen on an empty stomach and this will give you faster pain relief than taking it with food. Food increases the time it takes for ibuprofen to be absorbed, although it won't affect how much is absorbed. There is actually no evidence that taking ibuprofen with food prevents gastric irritation – ibuprofen at OTC doses has a low incidence of gastric irritation anyway. Continue reading