Posted by bozeman on January 21, 2003, at 0:28:27
In reply to PMDD, depression and the pill, posted by bsm on January 20, 2003, at 16:51:42
Hi Brandy -- Unfortunately, the doctors don't usually warn you, but severe depression is a known side effect of the pill for some people. In some women the estrogen is to blame; but many things can play into it.
Here's a website that has fabulous information on pill formulations, side effects, and how to pick the right pill to minimize the side effects you're having.
http://www.fpnotebook.com/GYN79.htm
The progestin-only pills are not as likely to have the mood-altering effects, in my experience, but my gyn insists they are not as effective at preventing pregnancy (but if you look up the statistics, it's the same as tubal ligation. :-) Your doctor should be willing to explain these factors to you, but forewarned is forearmed, I think, and the website gave me enough information to argue intelligently and non-threateningly with my doctor, that estrogen pills are bad bad news for me. Since I was armed with information she didn't think I was a hypochondriac or an idiot.
If a progestin-only pill doesn't throw you for a loop, you could get the depo-provera (I think that's what it's called), the 3-month shot of progesterone. But like the progestin pill, you can't be at all late for your booster shots or you risk pregnancy. Every single method of birth control known to humanity fails at one time or another -- (have a friend who got pregnant on depo-provera - I always told her she was one in a million. :-) Pregnancy is just one of the risks of having sex, however small the risk If pregnancy is absolutely, positively not an option, don't risk it.
Even taking the pill to control PMS or wildly erratic cycles doesn't seem worth sacrificing inner peace, fragile as it can be sometimes.
Be *sure* to tell your pdoc that you went on the pill and that you were one of the unfortunate few who became depressed as a result. Knowing this may give him/her insight into how to get you back to your old self more quickly. A medication change or dosage change could be in order.
Best of luck to you. I believe mental health and feeling of well-being (not being depressed) is more important than just about anything. Choosing depressed sex or happy abstinence is an easier choice for me than probably most people, but it's my choice to be happy.
Be well --
bozeman
> I started taking Effexor XR last Jan (2002).
> After a couple months I noticed a major
> improvement. My depression was gone and stayed
> that way until Augst 2002 when I started taking
> the pill. By the end of the 1st month the
> depression had returned along with severe PMS
> or PMDD. I tried a couple different pill brands
> but the depression never went away. So I went
> off the pill in November 2002. I'm still on the
> Effexor and have been off the pill for 3 months
> now but neither the depression or the PMDD has went
> away. What could be going on with my body? What
> should I do? What should I try next?
> Brandy
poster:bozeman
thread:136775
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030119/msgs/136834.html