Why so depressed?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-05-2004
Why so depressed?
8
Mon, 06-14-2004 - 1:52pm
Hi,

I am in the middle of my third pack of bcp (microgestin fe 1/20) and when I first started taking this third pack anything and everything made me want to cry. I normally get emotional when there is a valid reason but this is ridiculous. If I drop a pencil my eyes water, if I am in the middle of a discussion with someone, about anything, my voice cracks.. yesterday morning I was going to make me an omelette and because I didn't have enough cheese I burst into tears...I am not exagerating. It's making me very nervous, is this normal? By the way, my doctor says it is normal and it should go away when I start my next pack but I don't think she understands just how intense this is. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Mon, 06-14-2004 - 2:31pm
I think I understand how intense and brutal it is. I had the same problem when I started OTC, and to a lesser extent with Seasonale.

When I was on OTC I would cry at any and everything, I understand how awful it can be. My symptoms went away right around halfway through the third pack, yours may take another couple weeks. If they're not gone by the middle of your third pack, I'd suggest switching brands. Your doctor may want you to give it another cycle, just to be sure, but I really don't think you need to keep going through this kind of emotional trauma when a different brand might be all you need.

I'm currently getting over that depression on Seasonale, but I still find myself crying for no reason, choking up during otherwise normal conversations, that kind of thing, and a few things that help me are: backrubs from my boyfriend, having a good, hard cry at a sad movie, and just closing my eyes and breathing deeply whenever I start feeling overwhelmed. I'm 8 weeks into the Seasonale and I'm slowly evening out.

I hope things get better for you, too. *hugs*

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-05-2004
Mon, 06-14-2004 - 2:56pm
Thank you so much klannert. I greatly appreciate your input. I just wanted to ensure I wasn't going insane here. It's awful but I think I will heed your advise and wait another couple of weeks. Maybe I'll feel better into my next pack and if I start another brand now, I may start this all over again and I'm afraid the other side effects that I had and are now gone will return. You hit it on the nose, this is brutal and quite embarassing, I'm just afraid that those around me are probably thinking that I'm a basket case. I have tried having the good hard cry at home when I'm alone but all that does is make my eyes so swollen I can hardly open them and a headache to boot. :-) Thanks again.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2004
Mon, 06-14-2004 - 10:13pm
Hi,

I think you might want to consider something with a little less progestin if you end up switching pills and you don't have bad cramps/periods that you need to treat where you'd need it. Personally, progestin tends to make me cry easily, but I have bad cramps and take Microgestin for that right now. I had a worse experience on Mircette, I was crying and hungry all the time it seemed, and my skin was horrid; Mircette has a more potent progestin, desogestrel, so I would not recommend that if you don't like Microgestin and you end up switching.

Hope that helps you.

Anita

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2004
Mon, 06-14-2004 - 10:28pm
I am finishing my 3rd pack of the same pills and I have the exact same issues. Not to mention major break through bleeding and then when I should have my period, I don't...

what a mess....I understand what you are going through...

If anyone has suggestions of what I should try next, please let me know!

Thanks
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-05-2004
Mon, 06-14-2004 - 10:36pm
Thanks Anita... I think that if this continues next month I will ask for a change.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-05-2004
Mon, 06-14-2004 - 10:44pm
Thank you for your comments too! I wonder if it's the microgestin because I also have breakthrough bleeding and I don't get my period on the active pills. In fact, on my first pack I got breakthrough bleeding on my second week. On the second pack I got breakthrough bleeding on the third week and it ended the day before the sugar pills. This month I am in the middle of my third week and am experiencing breakthrough bleeding right now. I talked to my doctor about this and she said that because they are low in estrogen that this may happen every time. She actually said that I will probably never get my period during the sugar pills. Great ha? The only reason I'm reluctant to change pills is because just recently the nausea, acne and headaches stopped and I'm afraid to have that all over again. The headaches especially were brutal... right now it's just the depression and the breakthrough bleeding. Thanks again for sharing, I thought my system was out of wack.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2004
Tue, 06-15-2004 - 8:08pm
Wow, our bodies are reacting to these exactly the same. The first 2 months I had BTB on the 10th pill (second week) all the way to when I should have had a period. Now it has at least moved back to the third week as of my third month. It just freaked me out when I didn't start and actually have period on my inactive pills. Like you, other than the BTB and depression these pills are actually OK. I just can't deal with crying all the time, that is not me at all. My co-workers are going to kill me! I can't decide what I should switch to. I guess I need more estrogen to stop the BTB, but then I've read more estrogen causes more breast tenderness which was really really bad the past week or so. Yes, I did take a pregnancy test just to be sure...thankfully negative! I just don't know where to go from here....
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-05-2004
Tue, 06-15-2004 - 8:23pm
Listen, for what it's worth, my doctor did offer to give me a pill with more estrogen so the breakthrough bleeding will stop and I will get my period during the inactive pills but she also said that the only concern is that my depresssion will get worse on a new pill for a few months. That's when I said no thanks I will stick it out. I absolutely understand when you say that your coworkers want to kill you; mine actually tiptoe around me and I'm spending more of my lunch breaks alone :-( I don't blame them, who wants someone to cry over a cheeseburger! SMILE. Best of luck to you in whatever you decide. Thanks again for your post.