Birth control that won't affect my mood

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone!

I've been on a generic version of Ortho Tri Cyclen for about four months now, and it isn't working out for me. I get extremely moody the first week of my pack, I think it's contributing to my depression, and I've been getting migraine headaches more frequently since going on it. I have the migraines under control for the most part, but the mood issues are really unbearable. I was wondering if any of you could suggest another pill or birth control form that would be less likely to affect my mood and make me depressed. I don't think it's hormones, but rather ortho's specific combination of hormones that is doing it, because I was on DepoProvera for a short period of time without any noticeable mood issues. I'm not sure if an IUD would be the best choice since I'm still young and haven't had a child yet, but to be honest I don't know that much about them. Any advice? Also a form of birth control that would also get rid of the migraines would be awesome, but it isn't a must since I have some pills to take for them and other coping strategies.

Comments

[archangelbeth]

Unfortunately, it's hard to pick out what might or might not mess with you -- you might need lower dose, higher dose, different progesterone, something without estrogen...

If you're moody on the first week, that suggests that you might want to have a higher dose pill, since tri-phasics ramp up the hormone dose from low (week 1) to high (week 3).

You might also want to investigate progesterone-only pills, if Depo didn't bug you.

IUDs are certainly a possibility, even if you haven't had a kid. You have a slightly higher chance of not having a big enough uterus, but they can "sound" (measure by inserting a narrow rod) and find out if that's the case. You want a more experienced person doing the inserting, though, since a smaller uterus is a bit trickier.

(If you get migraines, you are at a somewhat increased risk of stroke when taking any hormonal birth control at all (slightly less if it's progesterone only) -- presumably you know this, but sometimes doctors don't ask.)

I hope that's useful! And that someone less distracted than I comes with other good ideas.

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, this was very useful :) I think I'll try switching pills first, and if that doesn't work I'll investigate IUDs. I think, weirdly enough, it is a low as opposed to high dose of hormones that does it for me, since by weeks two and three the mood issues are a lot better.

[porcelain-ocean.livejournal.com]

I get migraines as well and found the triphasic pills (such as Tri Cyclen) really messed up my head and moods. The single dose variety were far better for me, but ultimately I would get a migraine any time I was off them, so I stack and get my period 4ish times a year.

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think I'm definitely going to try a pill that isn't triphasic -- I think something about the amount of hormones in the first and somewhat second week really sets off the mood issues.

[lilylemons.livejournal.com]

I got the Mirena IUD when I was 18 (no children). It has a low dose of hormones (progestin only, I think) and tends to work well for a lot of women who are sensitive to hormones. Unfortunately, I am ULTRA sensitive to hormones so after about 2-2 1/2 years on that I began to get severe mood issues with it, so I had it taken out.

The Paragard IUD doesn't have any hormones in it at all, though... which is what I'm planning to try next for long-term birth control. I've tried pills, the Nuvaring, etc... anything with the slightest amount of hormones turns me into a wreck. It's probably different for you though since you said you were on Depo at one point and didn't notice any mood problems. If I were to recommend anything I'd say try out an IUD. They're really, really nice and convenient if your uterus can take it (which you'll usually find out within the first month or so of having it inserted -- whether it gets rejected or what). I never had any problems with it besides Mirena and the hormones involved.

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

If I can't find a pill that works, I think I'll definitely try something like Paraguard. I'm just worried that getting it might be a hassle, since most doctors won't even mention it to me as a birth control option since I don't have kids.

[lilylemons.livejournal.com]

Yeah, mine didn't even mention it either, but I told them that's what I wanted to try anyway so they did it for me. I think the main thing with not having children before having it inserted is the pain you may experience during insertion, since you haven't previously been stretched up there by birthing a baby.

I've heard that it doesn't tend to hurt most women much, but when I got mine inserted it felt like he had driven a knife into my uterus. It was such a quick and severe pain that I broke out into a cold sweat immediately, but the pain faded right after that. An hour or so later I began to get some pretty bad cramping (comparable to menstrual cramps), so I just took a few Ibuprofen and relaxed. I don't recall having any other issues with it after that day.

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

I checked out IUD_Divas, and it sounds like the pain thing isn't uncommon. The med center that I'm close to is generally pretty good, so I'm hoping that if I go the IUD route I'll get someone who has a lot of experience with them, and who can make the process as painless as possible.

[svexsal.livejournal.com]

I would check out iud_divas. They were a wealth of info when I was trying to make the same decision about birth control.

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

I checked them out -- it seems like it does have tons of info that'll be really useful if I end up going with an IUD. An IUD will probably be my next option if a new pill doesn't work out, I'm just worried that it might be a bit of a hassle to get one.

[calliope-music.livejournal.com]

for me, when i took a triphasic pill, it was bad news bears. i need to take a monophasic (currently on Yasmin) and it really helped with my mood. perhaps that may be helpful. good luck!

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

I hope that works for me -- I think it might be something about the varying levels of hormones that messes me up.

[karenoh.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth:

I have had my Paragard copper IUD (non-hormonal) for about one year now and I love it.

It won't help your migraines, but it shouldn't affect your mood in anyway.

I've never had kids, either, but many folks who haven't had children do just fine with IUDs.

Also, the Paragard is very cost effective -even of you have to pay out of pocket- as it lasts for ten years!

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

A lot of people on here have reccomended Mirena, but I think I might consider Paraguard too, just because I like the idea of something that is completely hormone free appeals to me. It's good to hear that people who haven't had kids don't have problems with it, since I know that's usually the concern doctors have.

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

Advice in the UK is very firmly that if you get migraines (esp. with aura), or upon taking the combined pill start getting migraines (ditto), then you should avoid taking synthetic oestrogens due to the increased stroke risk.

In both the UK and the US, nulliparous people (those who haven't given birth) tend to have a bit more difficulty accessing IUDs, but recent guidance is very much along the lines of "there's no reason not to".

Unfortunately, with any form of HBC there's about a 10% chance of mood/depressive effects - it's just that *which* 10% of the population is affected varies massively between forms.

It might be worth you looking into the Mirena: it's the lowest available dose of hormones, it's progesterone-only, and it lasts five years. As you already know you don't get noticeable mood issues with at least one form of progesterone-only contraception (any prog-only option sends me into a depressive nosedive), it might very well be worth looking into. Here's the Patient Information Leaflet (http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/2796/PIL/mirena/) if you'd like to do more reading.

[sorry about the generally unsourced nature of this comment - I'm a bit bleary. Let me know if you'd like me to hunt down sources backing it up!]

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the leaflet -- it gave me a lot of info I didn't know about the IUD. If I can't find a pill that works, I'm probably going to try Mirena or Paraguard -- they look like they may even be a bit more effective for me, since I can miss a pill but I can't exactly miss wearing my IUD for a day.

[savethegluten.livejournal.com]

hey bb! bummer on your mood swings. are you on an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety med/taking some course of action to regain serenity? sometimes you need the stuff from a bottle, but sometimes yoga/counseling/kickboxing/whatever can do it. life's too short to be unhappy for any appreciable percentage of the time! :)

ok, now, here's what i came to share: i have been on all different kids of bc since 18, along with several different varieties of psychotropic drugs during the same time frame. felt very hormoney with any kind of pill. depo shot caused lots of breakthrough bleeding. patch fell off ALL THE TIME. finally got an iud (mirena) at age 22, no children although hoped to have some. kept in for 1.5 yrs, no problems at all. in fact, periods were almost nonexistent after first couple of cycles. then had removed when we decided to have baby. quick procedure during routine gyn exam, relatively painless, got preggo next month. no issues. child now 2.5 yrs old, going back to get another iud next month. so for me, it's been the perfect option. but AGREE with pp's rec on iud divas community. they are great great great knowledgeable people there!

good luck dear!

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

The Depo shot did the same thing to me -- I had a three week period at one point when I was on it, which is why I switched to the pill in the first place.

Even before I was on the pill, I struggled somewhat with depression, but the pill has definitely made my issues with it worse. I'm trying to avoid taking an antidepressant if I can, since the one I used to take just KILLED my ability to orgasm or concentrate, which is why switching birth control is a big priority to me right now. I'm also seeing a counselor about once a month, which will hopefully help some.

I'm definitely considering IUDs as an option -- I like that they have such low hormone levels, or in the case of Paraguard, are even hormone free.

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

life's too short to be unhappy for any appreciable percentage of the time!

I totally get that you said this in a really supportive context, but I just wanted to mention that even with "yoga/counseling/kickboxing/whatever" and/or prescription medications, there are still some of us with depression or other mental illnesses that are unhappy for an "appreciable percentage of the time." It's really easy to feel that this kind of statement means we should just try harder - and while I do understand that's not what you meant, it would be awesome if you could maybe phrase things a little differently in future?

I do really appreciate that your comment is inclusive of both medicinal therapies and other approaches like yoga; it's great that you are suggesting a multi-faceted solution. And thank you so much for being supportive and generally awesome!

[dkwgdk.livejournal.com]

I found that birth control pills of many stripes inflamed my underlying mood disorder, but I started to get bleeding that was not only inconveniently heavy but possibly dangerous. I have never been pregnant, but I got a Mirena to help with the bleeding. (I don't have any of the typical causes of such bleeding -- no polyps, no adenomyosis, etc.) It's done a great job, and it doesn't seem to have had any effect on my mood. I did have to change my antidepressant part-way through my time with the Mirena, but I think it was just my usual pattern of having ADs crap out after a couple of years or so.

It might be worth trying the Mirena and carefully tracking your mood while you are on it to see how it goes. I'm so happy with the relief from my bleeding and cramps!

(Edited to add: Exercise does help my mood a great deal, but on its own it's not enough. Oral contraceptives also triggered my migraines, but since getting off of them and getting some acupuncture, I only get two or three a year.)

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

The idea of only having a migraine about two or three times a year sounds like heaven! A lot of posters on here have mentioned good things about Mirena -- I will definitely check it out, it sounds like it has the lowest hormone level possible.

[just-j0yce.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about IUDs, but previously a pill I was on (or rather, different generic versions of the same pill) caused frequent headaches and mood swings. I thought it was just something I would have to deal with if I wanted to be on the pill, but actually a few months ago I mentioned this to my doctor and they simply switched me to a different pill. On the new one, I don't experience any headaches and hardly any mood swings.

My advice is to discuss your side effects with your doctor and see whether they can switch you to a different pill. It may be all it takes to get rid of the annoying side effects.

[piano-player-94.livejournal.com]

That's one of the first things I'm going to try -- if it works for me too, it seems like the easiest solution to my problem, since I'm already taking a pill anyways.

[tigress35.livejournal.com]

Are you in a big city or area where you can see different gynos? I haven't had a child and mine didn't bat an eye when I said I wanted one. If your insurance allows, shop around if your usual or first refuses or balks. The other alternative if you have trouble with insurance or finding a gyno is Planned Parenthood, who should open minded and up to date on birth controls if you have one nearby.

[tigress35.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I'm talking about IUDs specifically.