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Womens Health > Birth Control Forum > Birth Control And Depression
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Q: Birth Control And Depression
asked by: KaraElyse on August 16th, 2006
New User
Hey ladies, i'm 20 years old and have been taking yasmin for about the past 4 months. I just wanted to say that reading all of your stories has helped take a huge weight (aka depression) off of me. I was diagnosed with depression and panic disorder at 15 and have been on zoloft eversince, and that combined with therapy has worked out great and allowed me to have a life unaffected by constant sadness. Since going on the pill however, I have been feeling sad and crying for no reason, feeling suspicious about my boyfriend and feeling like he doesn't care about me, getting frustrated about little things, and having trouble sleeping a few nights a week. I had been just blaming it on moving recently, and on starting a new waitressing job (which all you other servers know, can be very stressful! Lol)
today, I was driving home from my boyfriend's house and crying all the way. Why? There was no reason for me to be sad! I was thinking to myself, maybe I need to go on a higher dose of zoloft when all of a sudden it hit me- maybe I should go online and see if the pill has anything to do with depression? A little later, I was reading your stories and feeling amazed that so many women experienced the same feelings I do when they are on the pill. My symptoms didnt start right away, and snuck up on me, and I am realizing that instead of upping my zoloft, I need to look into alternatives for the pill!
So basically I wanted to say thank you for sharing your stories, and I want to add mine, that birth control has made me feel out of control moody and sad, not confident about my boyfriend, and restless. Now I can go back to being happy, and eventually, when i'm readu, go off zoloft as well. But i'll worry about that later on. For now, I need to get my hormones back in balance!
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deebaby621
replied on August 16th, 2006
Experienced User
I have been having the the same exact problem for about a month now.. I really wish I knew if the pill had something to do with it..
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Carifairy
replied on August 17th, 2006
Extremely eHealthy
Depression is worsened by the pill, and it is a known side effect..Many women with depression take the pill with no problems, but some, like me, cannot use hormonal birh control.

I have an iud, which is hormone free.
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pretty_baby
replied on August 17th, 2006
New User
I didn't know that sometimes depression is the side effect when taking a pill.
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cln1812
replied on August 17th, 2006
Active User, very eHealthy
Yep, it can be a side effect, and i'm really angry that none of my gynos in the past mentioned, "i see you have a history of depression. Just so you know, in some women, the pill can cause or exacerbate depression." not one doctor in over 7 years told me this, in fact, they don't even mention breakthrough bleeding, which is a very common side effect of the pill.

I seriously thought I was losing my mind this past spring and that I had a serious mental problem. I stopped the pill due to major bloating and swelling but had the unexpected side effect within 2 weeks of stopping having all my anxiety and depression and moodiness lift. Now, I wake up feeling happy...And I never would have believed this was possible a few months ago.
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eq
replied on August 17th, 2006
New User
I"ve read that birth control may lead to depression. Maybe talk to your doctor and see what he or she. I've just started on ortho tri cyclen and have noticed some moodiness. I"m giving these pills a month or two before I see if it's just pms or what. But talk to your doctor and see what the doc says.
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Carifairy
replied on August 17th, 2006
Extremely eHealthy
An iud(intrauterine device) is a great option, but many docs are reluctant to give them to women...

Planned parenthood is awesome at inserting iud's for anyone who is interested in hormone free birth control.

I have one and love it, I would never go back.
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