Hormonal birth control, or stress?

[ms-octopus-lady.livejournal.com]

I have been rather moody and really tired these past few months. I honestly can't tell if it is because I'm amazingly stressed out here at college, and things in terms of school and my relationships with friends and my boyfriend are only going to get much, much worse, or if it's because of my hormonal birth control. The slightest thing can turn a great day into a terrible day. For example, I had a really nice day today, but when I came home and called my boyfriend, he only had a few minutes to talk and spent that time complaining about what a bad day he had. He usually never does that, he just had a really bad day. When I hung up the phone, I actually felt so crushed that I didn't get to tell him about my day that I almost felt like he broke up with me. And I'm seeing him tomorrow night, so I have not a clue why I am so sad about this.

I'm taking Levlen 28, been on it for about nine or ten months.

I'm tired of being so easy to upset, and situations that I once looked forward to now seem to cause dread in me, but again that might be because of academic and social issues. How can I tell if my current emotional is caused by outside interactions, or interactions my body is having to my pill? I would see a doctor, but the nearest appointment I could get with my therapist is 3 weeks from now, and my gynecologist appointment is in a month and half.

Comments

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

Mood disturbances are most likely in the first 3 months of hormonal birth control, when your body is still adjusting, but that doesn't mean the pill can't have an effect at this point in the game. One thing you might try is taking a multivitamin with a B6/B12 supplement -- B vitamins can really help hormone-related mood swings in some cases. I know they really saved me from completely unwarranted mood issues when I first started the Ring. I would go ahead and make that therapist appointment for 3 weeks from now. If the B vitamins are going to help, they should help in that time period.

Can you schedule an appointment to talk with a counselor at your college? I didn't have the school's insurance but it still only cost me a few bucks (on my student account, I didn't have to pay up front), or possibly even nothing (can't remember) to just go in and talk to someone. Even just one session of talking to someone who didn't know anything about me was such a relief. You might try that to tide you over until you can get to your regular therapist.

It's hard to say for sure if it's your BC, outside stressors, or some combination that are stressing you out. Either way, though, make sure to get plenty of sleep, eat and drink well, and exercise regularly to try and keep yourself on an even keel. Good luck!