Mood Swings & the Pill

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2004
Mood Swings & the Pill
2
Tue, 08-10-2004 - 1:35pm
Okay...I have been off the pill for over a year now and have been thinking of going back on it but can't decide on the best kind for me. In the past, I have been on regular Ortho-Cyclen and then Lo-Estren, both of which, after a few months being on it, caused me to become depressed and have oh-so-fun mood swings, not to mention crying at the drop of a hat. Is there some type of pill that will lessen the effects on my mood, while still clearing up my skin and killing cramps? Please advise!!!! Thanks a bunch...
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 08-11-2004 - 8:18am
Well, in theory, if you try lower doses of hormones, the side effects should be less. That's not always the case, but... Ortho Cyclen is has a low progestin activity (not a whole lot of progestin compared to the amount of estrogen), Loestrin has a high progestin activity (lots of progestin compared with the estrogen). They're at opposite ends of the spectrum as far as pills go, even though some doctors will either not realize or ignore that when prescribing first one and then the other.

The good news is that any pill should help with hormone-related acne and decrease cramping. The hard part to work on is the mood swings, which can be due to either too much estrogen or too much progestin. You might want to talk to your doctor about a middle-of-the-road pill like Ovcon 35, or a very low dose pill like Alesse, or if you wanted even lower doses of hormones, you could try Nuvaring. The consistency of Nuvaring may be an asset as far as stability of moods goes too--if you're not familiar with it, check www.nuvaring.com or just ask!

As far as an exact fit goes, you'll pretty much have to start trying pills out to see what is better or worse for you. I know that's not great news, but those of us that have had to play around with pills to find the right combination have been in your shoes before (me too).

Good luck, let us know how it goes?

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-28-2004
Tue, 08-17-2004 - 2:43pm
I had the same problem as you are having, what a pain in the a**! My Dr. changed me over to the NuvaRing, my mood swings and all other side effects were taken care of with the switch!