I'm looking for some help. I took ortho tri-cyclin for about a year and one of the side effects that occurred was depression. It took me awhile to realize that it was linked to the birth control but I recently switched to modicon and I seem to be doing much better. However, I'm interested in exploring this problem via an article I'm planning on writing to make people more aware of this topic. I knew that depression was a side effect yet when I started getting depressed, I didn't link it to the birth control until I talked to a couple of friends who had experienced the same thing. the symptoms we experienced were acute and serious. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share any stories they might have related to depression and tri-cyclin (or other birth control)or even answer a questionaire. If included in the article, no personal information will be included.

Thanks for your help, please respond to my email if interested and we can further work out the details!

Kourtney

I take Ortho Tri-Cyclen and have noticed that my depression has gotten worse, however, I am taking Prozac for my depression so it's hard to say whether it was related to the bc pills.
As a lifelong sufferer of depression, I have discovered hormones have ALOT to do with it. I have a whole bunch of "female" problems which are all related to my hormone levels being "off". Doctors don't make the correlation between the two, but for myself, I know it's got alot to do with my hormones.

Not sure this helps, just FYI. :-)

I was also taking Ortho Tri Cyclen and I have been having many medical problems that doctors can't seem to pinpoint. He asked me are you depressed. I didn't think so at the time, but during the last few weeks I have been thinking about it. I am going back on Friday to see if I have PMDD or some kind of depression. I would love to hear from others who are having the same problems.

I would be more than willing to help you with an article or book. I took Ortho for 9 months and also didn't realize my symptoms could be related to the pill until I spoke with others who had the same experiences. Once I started paying attention to it, I noticed that my symptoms and depression got worse each month. It was horrible and I was miserable. I would cry for no reason at all; the list goes on. I have been off the pill for a month now and I have felt amazingly better with every passing day. So if you need to ask me anything, go right ahead. I would love to be able to help others out there experiencing the same thing.

I've been on Ortho tri cyclin for about 4 months, the first 2 were unstable and I was bleeding all the time. My Ob-Gyn ask me nothing about my medical hx and periods. I was put on it to control acne, not for birth control. I was on tetricyclin for acne that worked great and had never been on any birth control (didn't need to) before. I became sexually active and discovered the world of yeast infections. So they dropped me off the antibiotics and on to this. If you read the side effects, it can aggrivate yeast infections so why they put me on it is odd. I don't like it and it hasn't done squat for my acne which is now back as bad as ever. I tend to be naturally some what depressed (I have never sought treatment, nor will I) which gets worse depending on my cycle. This damn birth control pill has made me all but suicidal. The only thing that mitigates it is the fact that I KNOW it is this pill and to ignore it, but let me tell you it really is annoying. The only reason I haven't hopped off it is I'm afraid I become unstable with the bleeding again, and bleed straight for the next 2 months.......

i also took that pill for 5 years i have been off for about 3 weeks and my life has really changed alot. i dont scream and get mad any more, cry , nervous and so on . my marrage has improved alot he said i'm like a new person. it also effected my sex life i never wanted to have sex. i was never aroused or interested i would just assume go to sleep. now i cant get enough sex since i'm off othro tri cyclin (spelled wrong). i am so glad i'm off that stuff. did it have an effect on amy one else's sex life?

i also took that pill for 5 years i have been off for about 3 weeks and my life has really changed alot. i dont scream and get mad any more, cry , nervous and so on . my marrage has improved alot he said i'm like a new person. it also effected my sex life i never wanted to have sex. i was never aroused or interested i would just assume go to sleep. now i cant get enough sex since i'm off othro tri cyclin (spelled wrong). i am so glad i'm off that stuff. did it have an effect on amy one else's sex life?

Hi Linny - It absolutely had an effect on my sex drive as well. In fact, it was practically non-existent! There was a sort of "warning" in the packaging that mentioned a "diminished libido", but I didn't think it would ever be that extreme. A friend of mine that was on Ortho experienced the same problem too. We are both off of it now and feel soooo much better. My whole quality of life has improved since I went off that pill.

i know my life and every bodys around me is much better now. i will never take that pill again i will find something different. i am planning to get pregnant soon is the reason i quit taking them i had know idea that they had that much of an effect on me.

I am finishing up my 3rd week of Ortho Tri-Cyclen after having been off birth control for the last 8 months. Everyone around me has brought to my attention that I just haven't been myself lately. After doing some research on the net, I have found several articles and posts by women claiming that the increasing level of progestin in the tri-phase pills causes many women to have severe depression that is not in character for them. I do not want to stop taking the pill if I can find a way to control this, or if these changes will eventually level out. (Some say that you need to give it 3 months for your body to adjust). My concern is that I may kill someone (or they may kill me!) if I stay on the current track. I feel like I am going out of my mind lately and I want to hear from other women with similar experiences on Ortho Tri-Cyclen.
I sat down and wrote out some of my most notable emotional changes and they have been:

*DEPRESSION- at times I find myself so down and depressed and I can't really put my finger on WHY? This is totally not like me!

*CRYING - sometimes I just break down and cry and I am not sure what has triggered it

*TROUBLE SLEEPING - I have always been a night person, but lately I find myself tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep

*OUT OF CONTROL - Sometimes I feel like I have no control over my life and I just feel helpless to everything. Things seem so much "larger than life" to deal with.

*NERVOUSNESS - nervous with no particular trigger

*SHORT TEMPER/LITTLE PATIENCE/CRANKY - I have always been very easy to get along with and am very even-tempered. Lately I have yelled at people, gotten upset at them and been angry. (TOTALLY NOT ME.. I NEVER ARGUE!)

*NEGATIVE/PESSIMISTIC - I am generally very cheerful and positive and am always looking for the good in things.. till the last 3 weeks... everything seems doom & gloom!

*UNMOTIVATED/LACK OF FOCUS - There is so much I want/need to be doing im my life yet some days I have found it hard to even want to take a shower or get of the sofa.

*FEELING UNATTRACTIVE - I think this has mostly been due to weight gain. I have gained 10 pounds in the last 3 weeks!!! Yet strangely enough, I have lost my appetite! I believe that it is water retention from the pill and the bloaty feeling just makes me miserable.

*FEELING FRIGHTENED - sometimes I get scared and frightened and think that I am all alone in this world! (I have plenty of family & friends that love me and I know that logically!) It's been the "poor me syndrome"... TOTALLY not my style!

All of the emotional symptons I have listed have been increasing with severity over the last 3 weeks and looking back, It is very clear to me now. The reason I have felt so depressed and out of control is that I have been a TOTALLY different person! It's like I have been living in some sort of a hell with someone else in my body. I didn't even link it to the pill till my roommate reminded me yesterday of how whacked out she became a couple of years ago when she went on the pill.

I feel so much better now that I understand that it hasn't been my fault. I also learned that the birth control pill causes a depletion of the vitamin B6. And that a depletion of B6 causes DEPRESSION! Duh, why don't the doctors tell us this??? SO I went out today and bought some B6!

I think that being aware of what is going on in my body will help me to look at things logically and not become so irrational. The plan is to ride it out for these first 3 months, hope that my body will regulate itself, continue to monitor what emotional and physical changes are happening to me, exercise, avoid caffeine and other stimulants, and stay calm!! I haven't even begun to tell you all the PHYSICAL changes in me over the last few weeks... but for those of you that think I am crazy... the last pill I was on (Estrostep) last year caused HAIR LOSS. Clumps of it when I took a shower! I didn't link it to the pill till months after I stopped taking it!

The good news? My bizzare adult acne that started when I went OFF the pill last year has almost disappeared in the last 3 weeks! No new outbreaks! And I am protected against pregnancey if I have sex..... but who the heck wants to sleep with a woman that has been the nut case I have been lately?...lol

Hopefully I have not alienated anyone in my life from my bizzare depression and actions the last few weeks. I just want to feel normal again and I am sure they want me to also! I just have to keep my sense of humor about this whole thing!

Tara : )

Great, I just went to the doctor today and got a presription filled for Ortho Tr-Cyclen. I will watch out for warning signs. I got to a clinic that is very concerned with depression though, so I am sure they will listen to me if I have any problems. I have also just started dating a man younger than me and I am already crazy about him, so that will help!
I have been on other pills in the past and they didn't bother me. Norplant was awful for me though. So I think it all depends on your body. I wonder if the age of the user matters also? I am 36.

thanks so much for the support from everyone that has emailed me! I was really starting to feel alone in this wackiness!

: )

I truly believe that by recognizing what is changing, and keeping a journal, it will help to stay focused and deal with things logically, not over-emotionally!

I really want to know why women are not better informed about these complications associated with taking the pill.

This isn't my first time on the pill, but I never recall having such severe complications from it before! I had been off of it for 8 months and I want that "Me" back that I used to know! She was happy, cheerful, positive, never argued... she was very even keeled.

The irony in this whole experience for me is that I decided to go back on the pill because I met a great guy that I wanted to be sexually active with and I didn't want to be worried about becoming pregnant..... BUT (here is the irony).... he probably doesn't even want to deal with me right now let alone sleep with me based on the way I have treated him over the last few weeks!

Well, I am hoping for the best and hoping that he will try to understand what has happened to me without jumping to the conclusion that I must just be a whacko!...lol

Thanks for everyone's support... please keep the letters coming, it is TRULY helping!

: )

Tara

I think that each pill really differs with each person because I have been taking Ortho for over a year & love it, but I was on TriPhasil 28 & had horrible symtoms like you guys are talking about.

I am now on my 4th week and the only complaint that I have is the bloating and the upset stomach. Got my period this morning and I had absolutely no PMS symptoms, not even tender breasts. And for me, my sex drive has actually increased. Of course this could have something to do with the fact that I am 36 and I have a new boyfriend who is 24.

I would just like to add that I too became very depressed on this pill. The first year or so I was o.k. Then the longer I took it the more depressed I became. It was like a gray cloud was over me all the time. I would cry for no reason and was very pessimistic. Now that I have been off of the pill about seven or so months I have still yet to have a normal period on my own and that is why I'm still unhappy but otherwise I feel much better emotionally. I will never touch a bcp ever as long as I live.

Kourtney, are you still gathering ortho tri-cyclin info? I have experienced severe fatigue, mood swings, depression, etc. and can prove it's from the ortho. Also caused acne (which I barely ever had before). Stopped taking ortho for two months and all symptoms vanished. Curious what you have found. Wonder if blood type is a factor? For example, people with type A typically crave carbohydrates, so why can't the pharmaceutical co.'s study which pills are better suited for different groups of women? If anyone has found a pleasant replacement for ortho, please let me know: THANKS.

Originally posted by Kourtney:
I'm looking for some help. I took ortho tri-cyclin for about a year and one of the side effects that occurred was depression. It took me awhile to realize that it was linked to the birth control but I recently switched to modicon and I seem to be doing much better. However, I'm interested in exploring this problem via an article I'm planning on writing to make people more aware of this topic. I knew that depression was a side effect yet when I started getting depressed, I didn't link it to the birth control until I talked to a couple of friends who had experienced the same thing. the symptoms we experienced were acute and serious. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share any stories they might have related to depression and tri-cyclin (or other birth control)or even answer a questionaire. If included in the article, no personal information will be included.

Thanks for your help, please respond to my email if interested and we can further work out the details!

Kourtney



[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 05-01-2002).]

I was on it four about 6 months. I couldn't stand it. I never stabilized.....bled the whole time. And I went on it for acne, not birth control. The damn dr's didn't tell me the side effects. It made me moody and a bit depressed. I switched to Lomitril (sp?) and that was horrible. I stabilized, and had very very light periods, a definite plus, but was virtually suicidal on it. I dropped off and then started losing hair by the handfuls, my hair is my vanity. I found out later, that this also can occur went you drop/switch pills.

Based on my experience with those pills I'd rather have a hysterectomy than ever go on any pill again.

I am sooo glad I am not alone in the birth control problems. Is anyone taking any godd birth control pills (prefer the pill not the shot) that does not have many side effects?

Kourtney - I have just gone through the same thing. I went through 4 rounds of depression in 3 years and only now have I discovered the culprit - my birth control pill . . . Mircette! I am interested in completing you questionnaire and chatting with you.


[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 07-17-2002).]

I'm 17 and just started taking ortho try cyclin about 3 weeks ago. My family has a history of depression and anxiety and over the past year i've been getting hit pretty hard with it. I would cry for no reason, get upset with my bf about nothing... just basically feel horrible all the time. Now that i began taking these pills i've actually balanced out a little. i've even been motivated in school and college. Its pretty great. It has only been three weeks, i'm hoping i stay a little balanced. It usually gets bad about a week before my period, i'll want to just cry in my room all day. I'll know in about a week if that will remain the same. But i've been feeling a lot better,

i'm actually hoping to gain some weight from this pill, thats actually one of the reasons that i started it, i only weigh 100 lbs, and i'm 5 foot 7...
anyhow, i've just been feeling a lot better since i've been on this pill, except that last week i started bleeding alittle, not to be graphic, but it was a brownish color, like it usually is on my last day of my period. but yesterday, it turned red... and is just hardly existant, yet still there. I've heard that this is normal, and would like to know if anyone else goes through this. I'm hoping to go back to the clinic soon to ask some questions, but if anyone here can help me out... i'd really appreciate it.

I guess i could say that my sex drive has been down a lil too since i started taking the pill... my bf even noticed and mentioned it to me. I'd rather just relax and lay around. But i guess theres nothing wrong with that. I'm only 17 and dont need to be having sex like a wild cat anyways. I'm kinda also worried about the hair loss thing! i haven't experienced it, but definetly don't want to! ... but my doctor told me that it was unsafe somewhat to use the pill after the age of 35 anyways in some circumstances... and that danger doubles if the 35 year old smokes, if fact she told me that they won't even give 35 year old women that smoke the pill. I don't know if any of you fit that simple criteria, but maybe you should ask ur doctor.

oh yeah, i also wanted to ask...

the other day i came home from a rehersal later than i expected. I took my pill about an hour later than usual. How late is late enough to have an effect on the effectiveness of the pill?

(sorry, word choice sounds really bad in that, but i'm sure everyone can understand what i'm trying to say)

I am 22 and had started taking bcps when i was 15. Every couple of years i switched brands. When i was 20 i started getting severe depression and anxiety, even though this was one of the most stress free years of my life. My doctors convinced me i had anxiety disorder and i went on a bunch of antidepressants, they made me worse and i wound up in a MENTAL HOSPITAL for 5 days. A nurse in there noticed that i wasnt exactly like the rest and asked me what was going on, i told her all about my mental and physical symptoms. She said i sounded like a menopausal women at 20. She got all my medical charts and noticed that when all this started my gyno had switched me to orthro tri cyclen. Well i stopped and feel amazing. No meds. No crying. No anxiety. No more feeling sick.
But does anyone know any good pills??

About three months ago I went off OrthoTri and I got off of it due to depression as well. I know exactly what others mean that they feel as though they are going to kill themselves or someone else. It's such and intense feeling. I switched to Yasmin, but now I'm researching to find out if my vaginal infection/discharge that started with it is related to it. I'm thinking of getting off of the pill entirely. I say let my boyfriend wear a rubber for a while, I'm sick of dealing with the emotional and physical side effects.

Your vaginal infections might have to do with a hormonal change. I got a few when i went off the pills then they stopped. In the mean time you should take acidolphilus. Its really good in preventing them, sounds nuts but you can even insert a capsule in your vagina over night to get rid of one. They even sell acidolphilus kits in the health food store just for yeast infections.

This message is addressed to Kourtney and any others who have experienced severe depression as a side effect of taking birth control, particularly Ortho Tri Cyclin. I had a personal experience with this and would like to talk to others who have had similar experiences. My goal is to gain a better undestanding about the relationship between Ortho (and other bc) and depression, and possibly to raise awareness about the potential for negative psychological effects when taking bc. Anyone who wants to share their own personal experience or who has any information. {Removed}
Thanks,
Valerie

I was also on "ortho tri-clyclin" for a year. My mood swings were OUT of control and had a problem with Break through bleeding for a couple months near thte end. After only a few months of taking it, I knew something wasn't right and told my Dr. to put me on something else. Hs repy was, "why, it's one of the best." I just KNEW that I didn't feel right. Since then, I have switched Dr. and BC. Feeling much much better. I am not totally against BC but my sister also had problems on the ortho try-cylcin pill so I DO NOT RECOMMEND this type.

Hey, I have switched From Ortho tri - cyclin to Ortho - Cept (actually has a couple other names) and have done EXTREMELY well. I also had problems with Ortho tri - cyclin and since the change in June have felt so much better.

I am thrilled that I found this discussion board.

Over the past 6 years I took birth control off and on. I tried half a dozen different brands. At first my side effects were bleeding and nausea. But then after the first year I started to feel that something just wasn't right, I wasn't myself. It took me years to figure out that the drop in my libido and on/off depression was being caused by the birth control pill. Usually about three months into taking the pill I found that becoming aroused was almost impossible and I had little to no interest in having sex. On top of that my emotions were all over the place.

I became invloved with my current boyfriend about two years ago and since then we have experienced a rollercoaster of emotional stabilty and sexual desire based on if I was on the pill or not. I tried(yet again) taking the pill twice in the past two years and based on my experience I will never ever take it again!!

Ladies: if you are experiencing depression and/or changes in your sex drive I urge you to stop taking the pill! My life and relationship has improved so much since I stopped taking it. It took 6 months after this last pill for me to have a normal period and I finally feel stable!

I would be happy to answer questions about my experiences taking the pill. I find it alarming that there is almost no information on these side effects associated with taking the pill. When I first suspected that my depression/low libido might be linked to birth control I couldn't find anyone that new anything about it or had a similar experience, not even the doctors. I know other women who take birth control and are also on anti-depressants and fear that they may not be aware of the relationship between the two.

Your mental health is a very important thing, don't sacrafice it. I shopped around for condoms and found a wonderful brand that my boyfriend and I don't mind one bit. I would rather feel great and have a great emotional and sexual realtionship while using condoms then be grouchy, moody and never ever having sex while taking the pill.

BIG QUESTION GIRLS....

Were any of you on the generic Ortho-Tri-cylcen instead of the brand name? I took the brand name fine for 10 years and then was switched over to the generic and experienced everything you all have mentioned and then some...thought I was losing my mind. NEver had anything like this in 30 years. It took me awhile to attribute it to the possible differences in generic and lo and behold the FDA allows a more significant gap than we all think in terms of ingredients. Then I found out last week that the generic Ortho-Tri-Cylcen had been taken off of the market for "failure to break down chemicals" properly thus causing very unpleasant side effects. I have been back on brand name and everything is fine...a little more expensive of course but let's face it....it;s worth it. I'm very cuious to know which of you out there were on the generic. Please respond. Hope this helps.

I have been on Ortho-Tri-Low for about 1 year, also the same time my sex drive began to drop drastically, and I wake up sad and moody most days. I have never in my life felt this way, or acted this way. I light bulb went off last week when brainstorming with a friend that it is my BC pills!!! I am stopping my pills today and just going to use condoms until I get into my doctor and discuss my options. In college I was on a progest. only pills but they made me have extreme breasts tenderness and swelling. Are there any pills that someone has switched to from Ort-Tri that they are now happy with?

I was on brand-name ortho tri-cyclin for 6 years in high school and early college (stopped 5 years ago) to help with acne and regulate my cycles. I LOVED it! I stopped because, after my acne was under control, my doctor said that if there's no real reason for me to be taking it (I'm not sexually active) then it might be best for me to be off. I'm getting married in May and started on the generic brand for ortho tri-cyclin in January, looking forward to the same wonderful side-effects I had before (clock-work, light periods, no cramping, no pms, etc). I was on it for three months and thought I was going crazy. I doubted whether I should marry my fiance, wasn't attracted to him anymore, we didn't seem to have fun like we did before, and I was just generally unhappy. It never crossed my mind to consider that it was the pill doing this to me because I had never had any problems with it before. Then my prescription ran out and in the two weeks it took me to have my period and get my prescriptopn refilled I miraculously felt better. The trauma of the previous three months (I have never felt so anxious and desperate) still had my mind going way too much, but things felt so much better. I coincidentally asked my doctor for a different prescription when I renewed for other reasons (I requested the NuvaRing because I had problems with remembering the pill a couple times). Things have been a little better on this one (it's etonogestrel/ethinyl estradiol) but not as good as I would like (I want to be in love, certain, and happy on my wedding day, not depressed, anxious, and confused). I'm going to be calling my doctor in the next couple days to talk to her about this because I have one more cycle to try another brand before the big day. I found this forum while looking for alternatives. I've heard that different hormone mixes may work differently with individuals. I found a couple suggestions through this forum. Thank you. If anyone has any suggestions, I am eager (very eager) to hear them.

I have had trouble with a lot of bcps but this particular brand literally made me insane. I cried all the time, all I wanted to do was eat. One night I became obsessed with my nose and I thought there was a new dent in it that wasn't always there :confused:

I proceeded to freak out and cry and drive around like a mad woman. My parents were so frightened, they didn't know what was wrong with me.

one of my friends informed that this brand was one of the strongest ones and she was shocked my doctor even put me on it

thank you girls!!!!! I am not alone!!! This makes me so happy! (strange, since lately all I felt was depressed). I'd felt so alone for months. I stopped taking OTC a week ago. To hell with it!

Oh my gosh I am going thu the exact same thing right now. I have been on tri-sprintec for about 8 months now and my sex drive is gone!!! and I had a very happy sex drive prior to getting on birth control. I due have clockwork periods and no cramps, My boobs grew a cup size as well. but for me its not worth it. I even have been going thru a slight deppresion I keep starting fights with him and I don't even find him attractive any more. I just stopped takeing the pill for 1 month and I will see if thats the reason. If so then I will think about takeing a very LO dose hormone. But I'v heard good things about Nuva Ring also.

I can't stop laughing when I'm reading these posts. Not because I think it is funny. Only because I feel like I'm reading about myself. I just recently switched from OTC to YAZ because I was having severe PMDD. The YAZ has made everything worse and two days agao I told my boyfriend not to propose to me! I am no longer my old self. I think maybe I should just buy some condoms.

I was so glad when I found this message board! I thought I was going crazy. I've been on ortho tri-cyclin for 2 months now & have had major depression (not to mention decreased sex-drive - which I knew was a side effect). I am recently married & knew I was happy with my relationship but would cry for no reason & want to go off on people for no reason. I also started to isolate myself from people at work & my friends. I didn't know what was wrong & after reading some of your post I feel exactly the same way. I am going to quit using b.c. pills not worth it!

my god, this really gives me flash backs to the worst time in my life. How can drug companies and doctors insist these extreme side effects do not happen as a result of the pill?

The evidence is all around us.

deleted.....

My guess is that they deny it for one reason and one reason only: money. They deny it so they can keep switching your pills and get more money. Seems like with all the women complaining about it, some doctor or pharmaceutical company would have at least investigated the problem by now. Hmmm.

This message board has changed my life!!! I (as most of the women here) thought that I was going crazy! I began taking Zovia about two months ago to help control my acne. I am an extremely enthusiastic outgoing person by nature. But in the last two months I have become a person that I don't even recognize. I've withdrawn completely from activities that I loved taking part in, and I've started hating my life. I've been mean to people and I've been so depressed I've been staying in bed on the weekends until 4pm. These things are just not like me! Over the last couple months I think I've said at least 50 times that I just miss me. I didn't know where I went, I just knew the the old me was gone! Today I was having an "out of nowhere" breakdown at work, and crying about basically nothing, when someone asked me if I was on my period. I told her that I was, because this was the week I am off my pill. Then she mentioned that her birth control used to cause her depression. So when I got back into my office I googled "birth control and depression" and found this page.

Everything that you women have said, is exactly what I have been saying for two months. I felt so completely hopelessly alone, but to hear what you all have said, I just can't put it into words! It's like a light has gone on for me, I know that this isn't my fault! It's the stupid pill!!! My doctor did not warn me about this depression and anger as a side effect at all! I really really wish that she had. It could have saved me two of the most horrible months of my life! I would rather have pimples and be myself, than look perfect and be a monster!!! LOL

I will no longer be using Zovia or any other birth control for that matter. And from what I've read, Zovia isn't even as bad a YAZ, so I can only imagine what you poor other women have gone through! Thank you all so very much for sharing your stories! I cringe to think what my life would turn into if I continue to take birth control. Thank you all for helping me to see the light!

:angel:

Love you all!

Jaime