MILWAUKEE — Demand is increasing for emergency contraceptive pills, like Plan B, following the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade last week. Those pills are also know as morning after pills.
Across the country, including in Wisconsin, there are reports of people stocking up on the drug, but some pharmacists are discouraging that.
Dr. Hasim Zaibak at Hayat Pharmacy in Milwaukee said he has already had customers come in to buy multiple units of the drug.
"Honestly, we're discouraging it," Zaibak said.
He said he's discouraging people from stocking up on the medicine because it's important that it remains available when people need it and that there's equitable access to it. He also said emergency contraceptives have a shelf life of about nine to 12 months and aren't effective past their expiration date.
He said there's no issue with supply right now.
"The wholesalers have a lot of it. Maybe at the retail level, some of the retailers are out because of the panic, but at the wholesale level there's really no shortage," Zaibak said. "We actually ordered a lot of them to let people know, don't worry, we have it and we have a lot of it."
But because of the increased demand, some national drugstore chains have limited the number of units you can purchase at a time.
Zaibak also wants people to know that emergency contraceptive pills are not abortion pills.
WATCH: Do you know the difference between emergency contraceptives and abortion pills?
"If the lady is pregnant, [Plan B] is not something she can use to cause abortion," Zaibak said.
According to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, emergency contraceptives have to be taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse and are only effective before an established pregnancy. Abortion pills can be used up to 10 weeks after becoming pregnant and are used to terminate an existing pregnancy.
