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!
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.
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!
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.
__________________
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." Langston Hughes
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!
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.
__________________
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." Langston Hughes
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.
Quote:
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.
Ortho Tri-Cyclin and depression 
