Brith control=Anxiety

[what-is-written.livejournal.com]

I am 22 years old.
I have suffered from anxiety sine I was 9 and have Panic Disorder/GAD. I also struggle with depression.

I realized recently that my birth control is a HUGE factor in why my anxiety/depression is more severe than normal lately. Its just so uncontrollably bad. (I am on the pill Lutera)

I have tried 4 different birth control pills. Lutera is the only one that didnt hurt my sensitive stomache/make me nauseas. However, I cant stand how much worse my anxiety is. (I have been on it for about a year)

I dont knwo what to do. I have a great sex life with my husband, but I DONT want to be on this pill anymore. Condoms hurt me and take away much on the sensation.

I am really looking for some advice on other methods of birth control that wont make me feel so awful all the time. I cant live like this; sex isnt worth it.

Anyone go through something similar? What should I do?

Comments

[xxxkaliaxxx.livejournal.com]

I had a lot of depression/anxiety symptoms on numerous birth control pills (I tried about 5 in total) and found that the ring worked best for me in terms of the least amount of physical or emotional side effects.

[what-is-written.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you.
But I heard the ring was only available for a woman who had already had a child?

[koliebo.livejournal.com]

No, women who haven't had any children can still use the ring. I think you're probably thinking of IUDs (intrauterine devices), which some doctors won't give to women who haven't had a child.

[recuntulous.livejournal.com]

the pill isn't the only form of reliable birth control! have you thought about an IUD? there are some with small amounts of hormones and some with no hormones, and they're extremely effective. check out the community iud_divas for more info. Good luck! you don't have to deal with those hormones, and I hope you get out of them soon!

[ravaged-storm.livejournal.com]

I agree.

[dnl2002.livejournal.com]

I third this.

A Paragard (copper) IUD is a great alternative if you don't want the hormones. They are more effective than some forms of sterilization, cost effective, have few side effects, and are good for 12 years. Your fertility returns pretty much immediately after having one removed too, which is nice if you decide later that you'd like to conceive.

I <3 my IUD.

iud_divas really is an awesome resource if you'd like to learn more. :)

[ms-empathy.livejournal.com]

4thed! IUDs rock!

[http://users.livejournal.com/__onthebound/]

5thed


though FAM is also a viable option

[recuntulous.livejournal.com]

Yeah FAM! read about FAM too. You learn LOTS about your body, even if you aren't using it for birth control or for trying to conceive.

[what-is-written.livejournal.com]

and so you dont need to have had a child to have an IUD? I heard somewhere that that was the case

[h0rsegurrrl.livejournal.com]

No, you don't need a child to get an IUD. I got my copper ParaGard IUD when I was 18 and nulliparous, and while some doctors may be reluctant to insert an IUD into a woman with no children, there is no basis in this because it is perfectly safe to do so. Definitely check out iud_divas, there are tons of resources there and we can answer any question you have.

[munchkins04.livejournal.com]

I don't have anxiety, but I do have depression, and I have to say that the best thing that I found was the Ring.

Also, something I discovered after a lengthy talk with my doctor, that I had never known before. Sometimes the generics have different effects than the namebrand medicine. The generic birth control I was on for about a year gave me deathly cramps and nausea that the name brand never had. And the generic zoloft I was on made my depression worse than normal.

Thats just a piece of advice, possibly not helpful at all, but maybe you could talk to your doctor if you are taking any generic meds.

I hope some o fthise helps at least a little and I really suggest you try the Ring. It squicked me out a little when I first thought of inserting and removing it, but honestly, I haven't had any problems since the very first time.

[munchkins04.livejournal.com]

Sorry I didn't spell check first... My bad.

[hoodwink.livejournal.com]

Maybe the pill (I've been on it around 5 years) is why my anxiety has gotten so much worse...

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

I have problems with anxiety and depression, and found that the nuvaring made them worse. It's the only kind of HBC that I've tried, because quite frankly, I said "fuck this shit, I don't have time to be extra depressed!" So I didn't want to waste more months of my life trying other types of HBC.

I went out and got a copper IUD. The change in my mood was immediate and obvious to those around me. It's the best health decision I've ever made.

Good luck finding something that works for you. On the sidebar there is a link to all the entries tagged "non-hormonal birth control" or something - you might check that out for more options. Because there are also diaphrams and other barrier methods, as well as FAM and withdrawal. And IUD is far more effective than any of those, but depending on your level of comfort, there are a range of options.

[what-is-written.livejournal.com]

thank you!

[yvettel.livejournal.com]

Ill be the third to mention an IUD. I was crazy on pills. and I tried a lot of them. ParaGard (nonhormonal) IUD on board since April 22, 2007. And happy with it

[onehundredmoons.livejournal.com]

I've been in your shoes. The pill wrecked havoc on my emotions, and for me, it just wasn't worth it. The IUD sounds like a good idea, but I also recommend charting as described in Taking Charge of Your Fertility> (http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-0392283-1466562?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192821719&sr=8-1). The book helps you get to know when you're ovulating, so you can always avoid PIV sex on those days if you're avoiding pregnancy. It's worked great for us. Good luck to you!

[recuntulous.livejournal.com]

Yes! I always recommend FAM to people who are down on the hormonal birth control too. it takes more daily effort than other kinds, but it's awesome how much you learn about what your body is doing! there's a live journal community called FAM with lots of information, and that's not the only book on it, but it's probably the most popular.

[queenofdelosers.livejournal.com]

I have had panic attacks since I was young too. I was on the NuvaRing and had no problems. Then I switched to Ortho Tri Cylen Lo and the panic attacks got so much worse. Now I'm back on the NuvaRing and the panic attacks have gone back to how they were before I ever went on birth control. It's also nice because I don't have to take a pill, so that won't make you nauseous. Maybe you should look into the Ring.

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

You can still experience nausea on the Ring -- even though you don't take it orally the hormones still circulate throughout the body, which can cause nausea in some users. Ask my belly a year and a half ago ;)

To the OP: the Ring has ended up working fine for me in the end, but my first two months were miserable from a variety of side effects (frequent headache, nausea, cramps, MOOD SWINGS gah). It doesn't necessarily work great for everyone, just so you're aware that if you try it and it doesn't work with your body at all, you aren't alone. Just like any HBC some people experience no side effects, others experience some that go away, and still others experience miserable ones.

I'd probably recommend an IUD since you sound pretty fed up with hormones.

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

You can still experience nausea on the Ring -- even though you don't take it orally the hormones still circulate throughout the body, which can cause nausea in some users. Ask my belly a year and a half ago ;)

Ditto.

[pinkpromises.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to thank you for this post.
I too am suffering the same issue and have been meaning to post in here.
I have switched pills and actually went to see a therapist to get anti-depressants, which actually cause not so fun sexual side effects.
So now with all these comments I believe I will look into the ring, which I am a bit skepticle about and an IUD.

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Hey! Sounds like you could benefit from looking through our Vulvapedia entry on non-hormonal birth control (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=Non-Hormonal_Birth_Control) to see if any of the options there sound good to you. Good luck!

[crango.livejournal.com]

I have super bad anxiety myself and use the ring. Besides being really easy to manage, it hasn't screwed with my mental balance, which is awesome.

[subarashiine.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if I should suggest my own birth control, called Kariva, but it has never given me a SINGLE negative side effect in the two years I have used it, and I should mention that depression and anxiety also runs in the brain chemistry of my family.

[elialshadowpine.livejournal.com]

The only thing I would add to what people have mentioned here is that you didn't specify how long you were on the pills that caused you nausea for before trying a new one. It can take three months for the hormones to settle in, so it may not be until the fourth month that you really "know" how your body will react long-term. When I was on my first pill, Lo-Ovral, I was mainly living on yogurt shakes the first two months. (Oddly, I didn't have that problem the second time I went on it.)

I would also second the ring, because the ring has the least amount of hormones of any form of birth control and is thus less likely to cause severe side effects.

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately low-dose doesn't mean low incidence of side effects necessarily. It differs from person to person. Some people do much better on higher dosages than lower dosages, some do fine on both, some do better on low-dose, but it's different for everybody and the Ring has the same potential to cause side effects as every other HBC (alas!).

[elialshadowpine.livejournal.com]

Well, everyone's different, but what I was told by my doc was that generally speaking, low dose forms are less likely to have side effects. Doesn't mean they don't, but it just means it's not as likely. :)