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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TrishP on June 5, 2006, at 8:50:19
Is it better for a woman who is soft bipolar to have her female hormones stabilized on birth control pills?
I'm 38 and kind of confused. I get a lot of mixed answers. I'm not sure if I would be complicating the situation or helping?
I recently starting taking Trileptal again and that has helped tremendously to stop the cycling.
Posted by Nina78 on June 5, 2006, at 8:59:37
In reply to Bipolar and hormones..., posted by TrishP on June 5, 2006, at 8:50:19
Hi Trish,
I've tried birth control pills a few times, but if anything, they made my moods worse (microgynon & yasmin). The last 1 I was on (cileste) seemed to stabalize me in de 1st 2 months, but after that I got more depressed. I also seemed to have a hugh outburst of emotion (crying & angry) during the stopweek.Anyone else maybe ideas/experiences on which b/c pills don't make the moods worse?
Nina
Posted by Phillipa on June 5, 2006, at 13:00:22
In reply to Re: Bipolar and hormones..., posted by Nina78 on June 5, 2006, at 8:59:37
How bout having them tested the hormones and find a compounding pharmacy who will mix a dose for you or is this only an option in menopause. Not sure. Love Phillipa
Posted by ClearSkies on June 5, 2006, at 13:26:17
In reply to Bipolar and hormones..., posted by TrishP on June 5, 2006, at 8:50:19
My bipolar2 diagnosis coincided with perimenopause - no surprise, in hindsight. My GYN has been completely unsupportive in recognizing the association between my depression and anxiety and my suddenly flucuating ride in the hormone funhouse. ""S*cks to be you" were her exact words...
My pdoc kept referring me back to a GP or my GYN for any associated tests having to do with hormonal issues. In desperation, I ended up in a chiropractor's office. He also practises Applied Kinesiology. In spite of the absence of any medical endorsement, I have had extraordinary success in his care. It's working for me - you might want to investigate it if only to see whether it can help you too.
Best of luck,
ClearSkies
Posted by Nina78 on June 5, 2006, at 13:29:47
In reply to Bipolar and hormones..., posted by TrishP on June 5, 2006, at 8:50:19
The best I found on internet was:
Bipolar disorder - what pill to use?Are there any specific birth control pills that are recommended for women with bipolar disorder? I have tried Ortho-tricyclen® and Tri-Levelen®. With both of them, I have had depressions worse than before I ever started on Lithium. I could really use some help.
In general it is felt that the progestogen component of birth control pills has the most effect on aggravating depression. Estrogen has the opposite effect, it usually improves depression. The progestogen in Levlen® is stronger than the progestogen in Tricyclen® milligram per milligram. I would expect Levlen® to be slightly more depressive than Tricyclen® but there is a confounding factor. Both have varying doses of the hormones throughout the cycle. The could conceivably worsen a cyclic process like manic-depression. I would think it would be better to be on a mono phasic pill that had a low progestogen potency such as Orthocyclen®, Norinyl 1/35 ®or Desogen 1/35®. It's possible, however, that any combination could worsen the symptoms. Basically this solution involves trying different pills and giving each one about 2-3 mos before drawing a conclusion. There is almost no scientific investigation in this area, i.e. effect of OCPS on manic-depression that I know of.
Posted by CEK on June 6, 2006, at 12:47:39
In reply to on the internet, posted by Nina78 on June 5, 2006, at 13:29:47
I've always read that women seem to suffer from depression more than men do. It makes you wonder if it is because of the hormones. Maybe that's what most of our problems as women are caused from. There are some alternative websites that beleive this and talk about different therapies. The pdocs don't ever look into these things. I think alot of times there are other things causing our depression but the only help we get is a pill to try to deal with it but not find out the real reason we're having it. We're not gettin fixed, just getting some sort of med to cope with it. Just my opinion.
Posted by Nina78 on June 6, 2006, at 12:55:56
In reply to Re: on the internet » Nina78, posted by CEK on June 6, 2006, at 12:47:39
I completely agree!
Todays healthcare is more & more about suppressing symtoms rather than curing (or even identifying) illness. It's what keeps the costs of medical personel down, and the pharmaceutical industry thriving.I feel it's stronger here in the UK than it was in NL, long live NHS! Not sure what it's like in the US.
Posted by CEK on June 6, 2006, at 13:05:36
In reply to Re: on the internet » CEK, posted by Nina78 on June 6, 2006, at 12:55:56
From my experience, they just give us something to shut us up and make us keep coming back for more. I live here in the U.S. and it's always been this way for me. I can tell the docs that I think something is wrong with this or that (in my body) but since I don't know my butt from a whole in the ground to them, they do nothing about it, no checking into anything and just keep giving me more meds guessing as to what they are treating. Makes you wonder why the meds don't work. Shouldn't they get a clue that there maybe more to it than what THEY think? Nope. I'm sure they would hate to end the vicious cycle of prescribing more meds and us paying them for more visits. Our sickness is just putting more money in their pockets while we suffer. We ought to get a kick back check for helping them get richer. You know, like a commision check.
This is the end of the thread.
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