Hormonal birth control and depression

[kabith]

Hello! Man have the boards changed since I've been on here. I created a "new" account with my old username and all, so I hope that is ok or even helpful! Please correct me if I posted this in the wrong place or something.

Anywho, I was on hormonal birth control (the kind with estrogen, lowest dose possible) about a year ago, and stopped for a few months because my college nurse practitioner was afraid that I had a stroke risk. I met with my primary doctor back home a month ago, and after talking about the concerns that my old provider had, decided that I do not have much of a stroke risk and should be able to take the pill just fine.

I have been on it for about two weeks now. However, I have noticed some pretty big differences in my moods. I have definitely been a lot more depressed for about a week and a half than I used to be. It used to be that right before my period, I would be very sad. Now I have been feeling sad and overwhelmed for... well, a week and a half.

I seem to remember the pill HELPING my pre-period moods, but I don't remember this depression. Maybe I had just grown accustom to it though, I couldn't say for sure.

Could my birth control be causing this? If so, will things "settle down" after I have been on it for awhile (meaning, is this a temporary reaction to a change in my body?)

If I can't use the pill or other hormonal birth control options (such as the implant, which I had been considering) I am not really sure what to do. That really only leaves me with the IUD if I want to be super safe, and I am really uncomfortable with that >_<

(Also, I am not having and have never had penis-in-vagina sex. I just want to with my current long-term partner. But I want to sort out my birth control first, because a pregnancy could cause some very serious health concerns for me. In case you were wondering )

[Karyn]

Hormonal birth control can cause mood changes, so it's possible that your pill is the culprit here. Many side effects do lessen considerably after the first three months or so, and that might be the case with you as well, but if you feel like you'd rather not wait that long to find out, then you can always talk to your doctor about switching to a different pill brand or a different form of birth control all together.

Some people find that a progestin-only method, like the implant, is better for their moods, but like all medications, it's quite an individual thing.

[kabith]

Thank you Karyn! I think I'll try sticking this one out for a few months then. Or maybe I'll just go for the implant, since I was thinking about it anyway