Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a question

[autumngems]

I have been reading a lot lately and it says that Birth control pills can be a cause of depression and anxiety. I see so many posts from people telling the horror stories of being on BC pills.
I ask because my daughter is 18 and she has developed some depression and anxiety and I look back and see that this is when she changed, when she started BC.
I started her on BC because of extremely heavy periods and irregular ones as well and now because she has a boyfriend.

She has tried 3 different pills, the first two didn't make her periods any lighter.

I am wondering if it's worth a try to take her off the BC pills or if the progesterone only ones would be better and alleviate the depression and anxiety?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

I used to have issues with BC pills, and went the Nuvaring route with no problems. This was before I had a tubal (that was about 8 years ago). I believe the ring had less mood issues associated with it; not sure if she'd be open to trying that instead. Good luck!

 

[missy]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

My experience with birth control meds is that it made me terribly depressed and I had to stop taking them. I tried all the different bc meds on the market at the time including very low dose bc pills (at least 5 different meds) and they all made me moody and just so depressed. I had no choice but to discontinue all of them. I hope your DD starts feeling better soon and my advice is if she is sensitive to the meds (and it certainly sounds that way) do NOT take them anymore. Not worth it and there are other methods of birth control. However beware of any of the methods that introduce hormones etc into her body since she is sensitive to that. I would suggest non hormonal methods. (Condoms work!).

Also, what does her OB/GYN say about her heavy periods? There might be something else going on and if they figure it out she might be able to get relief from her heavy periods without meds. Has she had an ultrasound or any other tests to figure out why?

 

[wildcat03]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

I saw some recent study on male birth control that was discontinued due to mood effects in the subjects. I read (but didn't confirm) that birth control for women had an even higher incidence of mood effects in the subjects when it was originally studied in the 1950s.

FWIW, I had the skyla IUD and it was great. Placement was very uncomfortable for about 10 minutes, but then I didn't have to worry about it for 3 years!!

 

[PierreBear]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

I just wanted to echo some of the other comments. I don't have experience with birth control but I've had 2 IUDs thus far (believe it's called the Mirena) and it's been nothing but benefits from my perspective. A bit discomfort and spotting when it was first put in but other then that you forget it's in there doing the job. I haven't had a period in 8 years but surprisingly I still get "bloaty" and a bit moody when it's that time of the month. It's just hard to keep track since you never see obvious physical signs of your body changing. Hope this helps as another consideration other than birth control pills. Good luck to you and your daughter!

 

[House Cat]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

I have bipolar disorder, C-PTSD, and anxiety. Birth control pills of any brand just made things worse.

I don't know how things work for "normal" people. I'm not sure birth control pills can actually be the cause of anxiety for someone who isn't predisposed. But if someone has anxiety issues and they suspect that hormonal birth control is making things worse, it's time to chuck it.

 

[missy]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

Yes, there is definite evidence that hormonal imbalances can cause anxiety and bc pills can cause hormonal imbalances. Whether or not one is prone to anxiety, bc pills, in and of themselves, can cause anxiety due to changes in ones estrogen and/or progesterone. It is a delicate balance. As an aside thyroid hormones/imbalance can also contribute or cause anxiety.

 

[maccers]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

I used to have issues with BC pills, and went the Nuvaring route with no problems. This was before I had a tubal (that was about 8 years ago). I believe the ring had less mood issues associated with it; not sure if she'd be open to trying that instead. Good luck!

Just be aware that Nuvaring is like the pill and dispenses synthetic hormones. I had a terrible physical reaction to the Nuvaring at the start of each cycle each month. I loved the convenience but had to discontinue.

 

[sonnyjane]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

I used to have issues with BC pills, and went the Nuvaring route with no problems. This was before I had a tubal (that was about 8 years ago). I believe the ring had less mood issues associated with it; not sure if she'd be open to trying that instead. Good luck!

Same. I tried at least a dozen pills before switching to the ring ten years ago.

 

[ruby59]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

I have been reading a lot lately and it says that Birth control pills can be a cause of depression and anxiety. I see so many posts from people telling the horror stories of being on BC pills.
I ask because my daughter is 18 and she has developed some depression and anxiety and I look back and see that this is when she changed, when she started BC.
I started her on BC because of extremely heavy periods and irregular ones as well and now because she has a boyfriend.

She has tried 3 different pills, the first two didn't make her periods any lighter.

I am wondering if it's worth a try to take her off the BC pills or if the progesterone only ones would be better and alleviate the depression and anxiety?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

One of my girls is on Ocella because she has PCOS. And it did cause an increase in anxiety for her.

But with her condition, she would not get a period without it, so she has had to "live" with it.

So yes for my daughter there was a definite connection between the pill and her onset of anxiety.

 

[partgypsy]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

There must be individual differences. I'm on BC and even though I can be on the anxious side (even as a kid), aside from the first few months of feeling more "teary" no problems with mood. In fact in addition to lessening my heavy periods, it really helps me with reducing PMS-like symptoms before periods. At some point I will have to go off because I am getting older, but until then I will stay on them.
So, if she hasn't been on them for 6 months, wait 6 months to see if she evens out. Otherwise try for something non-hormonal.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

Just be aware that Nuvaring is like the pill and dispenses synthetic hormones. I had a terrible physical reaction to the Nuvaring at the start of each cycle each month. I loved the convenience but had to discontinue.

I totally understand. It's amazing how different we all are, react differently to the same things, etc. I'd also tried the Mirena IUD (which - TMI warning - my OB said during the procedure my cervix was like Fort Knox ), but I had cycle/spotting problems with that long beyond what I should have. My cousin on the other hand got Mirena about a year ago, and is absolutely thrilled with it. I hate any BC I have to 'think about', so since I was certain my baby-making days were done I went the tubal route.

Autumngems - Does DD think/suspect that her mood swings may be related to the BC, or are you just doing some preliminary digging around on the matter? Unfortunately, you/DD may just need to keep trying some alternatives until you/she finds one that is right for her, and I hope (for her sake) she gets some balance; it really can be rough but good luck. Thankfully, there ARE a lot of options.

 

[autumngems]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

Thank you all for your replies. This is her 3rd type of BC pill we have tried the others didn't lesson her heavy bleeding but this one did. I just wonder if the BC is the cause of the depression and anxiety as I have read so much about it. In looking back about the time she started on BC (3 years) is the time I noticed a change in her.

We tried Zoloft with not so good outcome so now she is on Prozac for about 3 weeks now.(Prescribed by general doctor aboard the base) She has an apt with a psychiatrist on the 20th.

I am going to talk to her tonight and suggest we give it a try (no BC), I know she is worried about the heavy periods and possible acne as well.

I have also read a lot about IUD's and it scares me

 

[msop04]

Re: Ladies, Are there any OB/GYN's out there? I have a ques

You could have her try the non-hormonal copper IUD, ParaGard. There are no hormones in it. I used to be on BCPs, but came off them because I'm very estrogen dominant (in addition to low testosterone) and didn't need extra hormones -- and I'd just had a baby.

Since having the IUD, my periods are lighter, but that's not the case for everyone. ParaGard can cause heavier periods as well. It just depends on the woman. IUDs typically work best for those who have carried a baby (per my OB/GYN), but I have three friends who've never been pregnant who use them. One friend had the copper one, but had to have hers removed because it was causing inflammation due becoming improperly imbedded. The other two have no problems whatsoever (one uses copper, the other Mirena).

It may be worth a try to avoid the extra hormones. Hope this helps!