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Do You Share Prescription Drugs?

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:00:00 PDT

If you pass the occasional pill to your friends, you are not alone. According to a recent study published in The Journal of Women’s Health, sharing prescription drugs is common among young adults, especially 18- to 44-year-old women. The recent survey of 25,000 people found that more than one-third of the women polled shared prescription drugs with friends or took pills from their pals. The drugs included everything from allergy meds to pain pills. I'm definitely guilty of offering the occasional Allegra to friends who also take the drug, but how about you?

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Are Your Birth Control Pills Safe?

Shape — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:06:17 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Last year during my annual exam, when I complained to my doctor about my terrible PMS, she was quick to pull out her pad and give me a prescription for the birth control pill Yaz. "You're going to love this," she said. "All of my patients that are on it think it's the best. It's even helped some of them lose weight!"

Less PMS and not having to worry about my weight? I was sold, even though I'd only intended to talk to her about lifestyle and/or diet modifications since my birth control needs were already taken care of. Before I stopped into the pharmacy, however, I looked up the pill online (Paging Dr. Google!). The results were anything but the lovefest I'd been promised. In fact, the information I found scared me so badly that I never filled that prescription.

Am I Normal? Your Top Six Sex Questions Answered

It quickly became evident that I wasn't the only woman concerned when Yaz and it's sister pill Yazmin, two of the most popular pills on the market, came up for review by the FDA after reports that the manufacturer may have hid and minimized critical health risks. But is the hysteria warranted?

Find out how safe birth control pills are after the break!

5 Risks First Lady Betty Ford Took For Women

Annie Scudder — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:00:51 PDT

Former First Lady Betty Ford died last weekend at the age of 93. Betty wasn't afraid to share her liberal or moderate positions on social issues, and some presidential historians believe her legacy could outweigh her husband's. Betty took risks more cautious presidential wives would not have, and as The New York Times wrote in its obituary, she was an "outspoken and much-admired" first lady. Here are five examples of how Betty made the most of her brief time in the White House by making a difference for American women.

Supported Equal Rights Amendment: Betty lent her full support to the controversial and ultimately unsuccessful Equal Rights Amendment. She called legislators and gave speeches across the country. She also was a vocal supporter of equal pay.
Talked Openly About Breast Cancer: Within two months of becoming first lady, Betty found out she had breast cancer. Instead of trying to hide it, she discussed her mastectomy in public with hopes of helping other women detect and treat breast cancer. Of losing her breasts, she said: "Once it's done, put it behind you and go on with your life." As more American women headed to the doctor's for breast exams, she received more than 50,000 cards filled with gratitude.
Pro Legal Abortion: Despite the Republican party's official opposition to abortion, Betty openly supported it.
Realistic About Premarital Sex: During a 60 Minutes interview, Betty said she would provide her 18-year-old daughter support or "counsel" if she had premarital sex. As for marital sex, Betty also raised eyebrows for openly admitting that she planned to share a bed with her husband in the White House, and she said she slept with the president "as often as I can."
Honest About Substance Abuse: After doctors prescribed her pain medication for a pinched nerve in 1964, Betty struggled with a prescription drug and alcohol problem until her family held an intervention in 1978. In her memoir, Betty: A Glad Awakening, she discussed the loneliness associated with being a politician's wife, which contributed to her abuse: "On one hand, I loved being 'the wife of;' on the other hand, I was convinced that the more important Jerry became, the less important I became." Instead of being ashamed of her addiction, Betty recovered and then opened her famous rehab center, the Betty Ford Clinic, in California to help treat many other women - and men - with addiction.

See pictures of First Lady Betty Ford over the years now.