BC Pill and Depression!
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BC Pill and Depression!
| Sun, 04-16-2006 - 3:47pm |
Hi!
I am looking to switch from the Nuvaring to a BC Pill. I had A LOT of side effects on the nuvaring and my boyfriend found it very uncomfortable during sex.
I am on anti-depressants and suffer from depression and the worst part about the Nuvaring was that it made me very fatigued and brough my depression back.
Does anyone know of any BC pills that are less likely to cause depression?? I can deal with other side effects, but I DO NOT want my depression coming back. I can't "wait it out" the 3 months either because it ruins my life.
Thank you so much for your help!!

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Treating depression and using birth control pills can be quite a bit of trial and error because either of the two hormones in the pill can affect your brain chemistry.
Hi, I am new to this board but not to ivillage. I am a concerned husband and although DW is likely to make any changes to her meds, I have to ask this out of curiousity.
DW has never had a high sex drive in our marriage of over 12 years, but over the last year, she has stated she is depressed-had a miscarriage, then we had a child in a short time frame and this is why she says she is depressed. She does show signs for sure so I had no problem with her getting the meds-even though a side effect I have read about is decreased sexdrive(her doctor did NOT tell her this btw). Well, she also has started taking bc pills again as she has mild endo and she really likes how bc pills regulate her cycle and help with her cramping etc with her periods. I have read articles about BC pills causing lack of libido as well. SO, this is like a double whammy for me it appears. I guess my question is, what can I do?? She is on zoloft and yasmin I think is the bc pills. I have wondered if these two drugs are safe to take at the same time or what kind of effect it could have on her with all the chemicals on her brain etc. She recently dropped a bombshell on me and I am really not sure what to say or do-she has always had a low libido but recently told me she has NO desire for sex. I can't help but think these meds are a big cause for that but again, she is very unwilling to change or talk to her doctor. Is there anything you can tell me about the bc pills I mention. I am grasping at straws here but just trying to gather information for my own good. If she is unwilling to change her meds, there is really nothing I can do but like I say, curiousity is getting to me so I am just looking for answers.
Hi haney2001, welcome to the Birth Control board!
I am so sorry about DW's MC and postpartum depression. I was recently on Zoloft and did find that it seemed to depress my libido slightly but depending on the dosage and the individual the side effects can vary. All hormonal methods of contraception have the potential to decrease libido because the progestin in them decreases the amount of free testosterone that fuels the libido. There are several different progestins used in hormonal contraceptives so one may have less effect on her libido than another but it's pretty much a trial and error process to find one that may be better. It usually takes about 3 months for a woman's body to adjust to the hormones in a particular pill so if she hasn't been on Yasmin for that length of time it's possible that things might get better.
Yasmin and Zoloft should be safe to take at the same time. For more information on Zoloft see: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a697048.html For more information about Yasmin see: http://berlex.com/html/products/pi/fhc/Yasmin_PPI.pdf If DW is willing she could talk with her doctor and see her doctor thinks a switch of her depression meds might help
Do you know if she has considered using a nonhormonal method of birth control? A ParaGard IUD www.paragard.com has no hormones (copper is the active element), is very effective and very low maintenance (just check the strings once a month) and lasts for 10 years. A Mirena IUD www.mirena-us.com is the other IUD available in the U.S. Mirena continuously releases a tiny bit of progestin. It is very effective, is low maintenance and lasts for 5 years. A possible side effect of ParaGard is heavier periods. Possible side effects of Mirena are lighter and shorter periods and some women may even stop having periods. There can also be loss of libido with Mirena but the likelihood is less than when on the pill because the amount of progestin is much lower.
If you would like to know more about the contraceptive methods available and their possible side effects there is a lot of good information in the posts in our FAQs. The physical and mental effort required to care for a baby can be exhausting and overwhelming so that may also account for some of her lack of interest in sex. If there are close members of your family or hers who can care for your baby for a day or two it might be a good idea to take her on a mini-vacation and see how she responds.
Thanks for coming by. It’s good to have a guy posting. If you have more questions, please ask. I hope she is feeling better soon. Please stop back by and let us know how you and she are doing, ok?
Good luck,
Jill
Thanks for your reply. As for options of bc, she wants to stay on the pill so it would have to be other brands of pills I would imagine. Problem is, she is very reluctant to talk to her doctors-if it were another issue the pill was causing(non-sexual) she would have no problem asking to switch meds but she does NOT like discussing ANYTHING sexual with anybody-including me. She gets very embarrassed and is very inhibited talking on that subject.
I like to present her with the information and hope she takes it from there. Unfortunately, she seems to either not care of simply just does not feel the need to make any changes. In fairness, she has been on her bc pill yasmin now for about 4 months-maybe 5 so maybe she needs more time. I think it is the anti-depressants myself because she has always had a lower drive-from day 1 and has been on BC pills for 3/4 or more of our relationship but when she said she had NO desire, that was a real red flag. She has been on the zoloft for many months now so I would imagine she has felt that way for many months but just didn't tell me until she felt pressed to tell me during our most recent conversation/fight on the sex subject.
I think it is pretty stupid to pay $20 month to be on the pill but then have sex 1 or 2 times a month. Condoms would be much cheaper and I have NO problem wearing them. I know she gets some benefits from the pill in regards to her cycle etc but she has also made comments about how she likes condoms because she doesn't have to deal with the "mess". I guess the pill benefits are worth her dealing with "mess" but there again, she only has to deal with it 1-2x every cycle.
Hi Guy, welcome back!
Usually the interval for adjustment to a BCP is about 3 months. If DW has been on Yasmin for 4 or 5 months then she should have adjusted to the hormones by now. Embarrassment about and lack of interest in sex are a tough combination for couples to deal with. And with major depression and a new infant she has a lot on her plate right now. Have you considered discussing your concerns with her doctor? Her doctor may only listen but s/he might be able to suggest another approach that may be successful. Or s/he may recommend waiting to see if DW’s depression can be successfully treated before going further. Or, you might benefit from consulting a sex therapist on your own. (I’m assuming DW wouldn’t want to participate.) Explain your situation and see what a professional recommends.
Let us know how you and DW are doing, ok? Wishing you both the very best of luck.
Hugs,
Jill
Hi again haney2001, welcome!
Jill
Thanks for your opinion-maybe I am asking for too much-from what you have said, it makes me think I am. Just seems that we should have sex more than 1x in a month-which is what we are currently on for the month of April. I guess I need to start initiating again-but that is just so hard for me to hear no. Of course my wife does make it easy on me to be honest because sometime between when I arrive home and before we put the kids to bed, she will have already told me she is SOOO tired or has a mild to moderate headache. Those are two things that if I hear, I KNOW not to even try.
I hear you about the counseling-I am giving that more and more thought by the day. I do not like the idea but at the same time, I do need to be able to talk about the issue even if it is with a stranger. Also, if she knows I am going, it might be just the shock her system needs to realize this is very important to me. Thanks for allowing me vent and post my situation-I appreciate your patience with me.
Hi there....sometimes a lack of desire, as Jill pointed out, is not just a chemical issue.
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