[HALLIEBETH87]

So let me ask you a question........

I took birth control for a about 2 months and it made me a complete lunatic. I quickly become depressed and SO moody I couldnt cope. Has anyone had a similar experience. I needed to take them because I have really irregualr periods (like every 2-3 months) and even then its a short one! But I had to stop taking them because I got to the point I even thought about SI (which I havent done in 3 years!)

Anyone had this happen??

[salukigirl]

Have you spoken with you OBGYN about these feelings? What kind of pills were you on? I had some pretty bad issues with Orthotricycline and had to be switched to Yaz which has much lower estrogen dosages.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Originally Posted by salukigirl

Have you spoken with you OBGYN about these feelings? What kind of pills were you on? I had some pretty bad issues with Orthotricycline and had to be switched to Yaz which has much lower estrogen dosages.

I forget which one it was but I was so scared of what could happen that I stopped taking them and never took another one!

[turquoisesea]

you should talk to your OBGYN about it. they're trained to know that kind of side effect and might be able to find a way of getting you birth control without the side effects - never hurts to ask =)

[HALLIEBETH87]

scares me....I was really really really considering si and there was no reason to be! i dont want to go back there

[Flooded]

I've found all forms of birth control with synthetic hormones will send me over the edge.
Even the latest IUD which has only localised hormone release had me in a bad way.

Husband is heading for the snip very shortly

[HALLIEBETH87]

I know i need to be taking them becasue honestly i dont remember a period since ummm maybe july??

[zbmom]

You don't have to take birth control for irregular periods. It's OK for them to be irregular. The only time you'd run into issues would be if you were trying to get pregnant it might be harder. There are non hormonal methods like the paragard IUD and Natural Family Planning. I cannot tolerate hormones, I've had irregular periods for years so I don't use hormonal birth control. My husband and I practice Natural Family planning. I recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility if you're interested in it.

[HALLIEBETH87]

well i wanted them because id get all the symptoms of a period then no period!

[nicoleb2]

i use the mirena iud. I have not had a period in about 4 years

[salukigirl]

I wanted Mirena but it was not covered under insurance. Are you using them only for periods or also for protection from pregnancy? If it's only for periods, I agree, it's not too terrible for them to be irregular. The problem comes when there is massive pain, lots of bleeding or abnormal changes to your periods. If the only problem is that they come every few months - I'd let them be irregular and NOT deal with a monthly period!!!!

[HALLIEBETH87]

thats what im gonna do. my dr wanted me to take the pills though. i didnt tell em im not taking em. ill tell her next yr!

[Flooded]

I had the Mirena in for 3 months. I was close to "exit" from a week after I had it put in.

It was very, very scary

[Fresia]

If you decide to continue to go the pill route: There are SO many different kinds of pills out there. I have had reactions to some and not to others causing the symptoms you describe. Unfortunately it is trial and error to find the right one. But you know what it feels like now to catch the signs of a problem sooner than later. Once discussed with your OB/GYN, they can narrow down which ones would be better suited given the reaction you had and still control your irregular cycle.

Mirena is an nice option as the hormones are delivered directly to the pelvic organs without entering the bloodstream, so fewer to no side-effects like you would have with the traditional pill. The cost upfront is expensive if not covered by insurance. However, if figure the cost over however many years you will have it, it may even out or be affordable. For me, it still would be more expensive, was not covered by my insurance but I would love to switch to it.

Again, there are a lot of options with pills or mirena. Talk to your doctor; they are there to help.

[Fresia]

Some offices, if you call them to let them know the reaction you are having, will call in another for you to start w/o having to make another office visit; ask them to call something else in. If you don't want to wait until next year call them. If you don't want to have another visit and they require it, decide from there but most offices know these things happen with some pills.

A cycle that is irregular is annoying but is not uncommon and still healthy. Unless as mentioned above, you have pain, abnormal bleeding, discharges, distension of your abdomen, etc. So with whatever you decide, GOOD LUCK!

[tattoogirl33]

I too had NO tollerence for the pill.. so my Dr. tried the Depo shot. BIG MISTAKE! it's takes the 12 weeks to leave your system. I'm am sooooo surprised I'm still here! It was a rough 6 months as I had no idea it was the cause of my "mood swinging". I am Bipolar 1 and Borderline.. NOT good combo with any Birth Control I've even taken but Depo was the worst! Just 6 weeks ago I had the Novasure procedure done (look it up.. lol) But this cannot be done if you EVER want children. Thankfuly I had my "tubes tied" 7 yrs ago after my third child so this was an easy choice for me..

Good luck in whatever you choose to do. But I think Fresia had a good point.. Call the Dr office, they will most likely change the pill you're on!

[Mynxie123]

I was on nuvaring for a month, and I had similar problems. my roommate called my gyno and told her that i needed to be off of it. I didnt even realize quite how bad it was. I am switching to a different gyno. Look for someone who specializes in PMDD. They are more open to other treatments. IF you want, you can message me with what general area you are in (i.e. south west US), and I can ask my mother who is around there. My mother is a nurse, and helped me do research on which gynos are open to other options

[alwaysrejoice]

It took me a few tries before I found the right pill. I agree with the post above just call the doctor and tell them what is going on, they will give you something else.

[zbmom]

I don't understand why you want to have a period every month, ok so you get the symptoms but you don't have to deal with the bleeding! It's really not harmful to not have them monthly. In fact it was very normal for women to be irregular before we got to a point of constant sources of food and security. Also before birth control many women spent a large part of their life pregnant or breastfeeding and thus not menstruating. The idea that a period every 28 days is normal or healthy is a myth. There is a huge variation in normalcy.

[Switch]

I'm the same as nicoleb2, I use the mirena iud, and don't worry about age. I got it in when I was 18 because I had similar issues. I to this day blaim my BC pills for my bipolar. I've always been bipolar, but it only became an issue after that hell of the pill. Very nearly ruined my life in so many ways.

Don't worry about irregular periods. With my IUD I get the symptoms of my period (I have cramps right now) but to a significantly lesser extent (if I didn't have my IUD in I wouldn't be able to type or move from the floor because my camps hurt so bad) but if you want to have some form of BC for whatever reason, do look into IUD's. It's localized hormones, and essentially what it does (or so I've had it explained to me) is the hormones circulate in your uterus, and make the lining thiner so that when your period comes, you have nothing to really 'bleed out', and if you have sex, the fertilized egg can't stick to the think lining so you don't get pregnant.

But yes, definitely talk to your OBGYN, or finding one if you don't have one. And don't worry about talking to your GP about finding one. He'll understand.

PS, I only read the first page of this, lol. So I'm missing parts of the conversation.