Coming off birth control and having to go on antidepressants

[dmc6262]

For context I’m a 25(f). I had the contraceptive implant ages 14-18, then went on the pill for 6 months aged 19. Came off then went back on aged 21 for 6 months. This year will be 3 years since birth control.

Ever since 2021 my mental health has slowly been getting worse. In my personal life NOTHING has changed. Same partner, job, money etc. I started getting random panic attacks, which now 3 years later has led to me becoming agoraphobic. I’ve spent the last year going from my home to the supermarket and not much else. I cried daily and couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Recently got put on antidepressants (Sertraline 0.75mg) I’ve been on them for 12 weeks and I feel no change. I never thought that coming of birth control could have anything to do with panic attacks/depression.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Debating about going back on the pill. It’s the happiest I’ve ever been.

 

[toe]

@dmc6262 There is nothing wrong with getting back on the pill if you and your doctors think it could help.

However, mental illness often starts when people are in their early-mid 20s so it could be a coincidence that your symptoms started after stopping birth control.

If your symptoms are worse in the second half of your cycle, and they improve or disappear after your period starts, there is a chance that you may have PMDD.

You can talk about this possibility with your doctor, and there are symptoms trackers you can use to get a diagnosis.
https://iapmd.org/symptom-tracker

 

[jumanji]

@dmc6262 Sorry to hear this is happening to you. I haven't personally experienced something similar, but is there a reason you quit BC 3 years ago, like bad symptoms or blood clot risk, etc?

For the most part, there's no risk in taking them again when you had a good experience with them before, if you think it'll help

 

[dmc6262]

@jumanji Thanks for replying! I had no bad experiences, not one at all. I didn’t feel like I needed to continue taking them, I wanted to go natural I guess (at the time I didn’t know about the consequences of stopping).

 

[jumanji]

@dmc6262 It's hard to say if your specific bad experiences were really from stopping BC, but going back on is definitely one way to test!

Sometimes mental health problems just come out of nowhere unfortunately. And moving into early 20s, in combo with pandemic recovery...that's prime time for things to start up unfortunately.

But it's possible that BC can help. I feel like I read a comment here saying the same thing once, but I can't find it again now

 

[sonorous]

@dmc6262 Yes to the crying everyday. But as for partner I've had about 300 new ones

 

[stevefuller]

@dmc6262 Yes. I'm on Yaz and I tried to get off it for one month. Got depressed. Started taking yaz again and I've been fine. Terrified of what could happen if I can't access these pills at any point

 

[hana123]

@stevefuller I stopped taking Yaz after 10 continuous years in February and I’ve had some of the worst anxiety including panic attacks I’ve ever had in my life. I debated getting back on, but have seen so many negative things regarding birth control and am now scared to take them lol

 

[dmc6262]

@hana123 I feel like we’re exactly the same! But me refusing to go on birth control has led to me taking antidepressants. So I don’t know which one is worse to be honest.

 

[hana123]

@dmc6262 I’ve been debating the same. Have they helped you at all? Stopping the birth control also caused me to have a major fluctuation and issue with my thyroid hormones which has been awful to deal with all in itself so that makes me even more worried to take them again. I wondered about the IUD, but I’ve heard it doesn’t help these symptoms much.

 

[dmc6262]

@hana123 The antidepressants are good. I mean I’ve only been on them 12 weeks. They’ve saved me from a lot of panic attacks. But overall I’m not at the level of happiness I’d like to be. My cousin also takes Sertraline and has the patch and she’s really happy with both. My next step is to get my hormones checked and maybe trial out the pill. If I feel myself then I know it’s the pill.

What I always think is that I was on the contraceptive implant from ages 14 to 18. So being so young I feel like my body got used to those hormones. But again, my mother had hormone problems and had to go on the pill so I don’t know!

 

[hana123]

@dmc6262 I agree! I’ve been on birth control from 14-25 so I think my body got used to the hormones and is now in shock. I was hoping it would regulate but it doesn’t seem to be. I may have to get back on the pill also!