On The Pill & Mood Swings

[DGrey]

I've been on Ortho TriCyclen Lo for quite some time and it's the only pill I've never had a problem with. I can't carry any more children and almost opted for the Mirena IUD but decided against it. Now, I just take the pill continuously (you don't need to be on Seasonale to do that either) so I get 4 periods a year. Makes for great playtime and I don't have a monthly reminder that I can't have another baby.

E

[MrsHidalgo]

Originally Posted by DGrey

I've been on Ortho TriCyclen Lo for quite some time and it's the only pill I've never had a problem with. Makes for great playtime and I don't have a monthly reminder that I can't have another baby.

E

Same situation here. OT Lo has been great, and besides......I DISDAIN condoms when with my DH. Love the feel when he fills me up........ facelick

[AuroraDD]

How interesting I read this thread... I just recently took myself off NuvaRing, which I loved as far as the no-period experience, but had absolutely no desire to have sex. So I'm glad to see there are other methods of b/c that work and keep the desire...

[puddles]

Now as to the "does a woman smell or taste different" question; add "feel different" and the answer is yes, but. Even without the pill, there are changes in all 3 areas at certain points in the cycle. There is a period, usually the week before menstruation, when the vagina is hotter, more frictive (if that's a word, from friction), with a spongy feel and smells more stongly of sex (in "Cocaine Nights, a novel by J.G. Ballard, the narrator tells us that these sex smells are emitted by glands near the anus). I'm not sure, but might this concur with the period of greatest fertility, when the ovae are best placed in relation to the womb? I would expect the pill to make this effect stronger, as eostrogen-type hormones seem to enhance pretty much every feminine aspect of the person taking them.

[kenora_guy]

Yes, my life partner was the happiest and horniest female I'd ever met until she started on the pill. Then, she became withdrawn, lacked a smile and sex, what's that? we haven't tried taking her off it as we don't want any more rugrats for a couple years and I'd be willing to get snipped but she is insistent that we have a child together (eventually) although I'd rather adopt or be a foster parent because of genetic reasons...

Guess I'll just have to wait till she goes off it to find out if it is the cause...

[puddles]

Kenora Guy, I feel for you - this is not good. Off the top of my head, the only advice I can offer - and this may be something you already know - is this;
a surprising proportion of prescription drugs, if taken long-term, will interfere with the absorption of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.) enough to cause at least a mild deficiency, and a mild deficiency is all it takes to produce results like mild depression. That this is well-understood to be a problem on the pill, and that there is some concensus on the likely causes, is shown by the different supplements I've seen that aim to address the problem with much the same ingredients. Many doctors seem aware of the need for some extra B vitamins on the pill (B6 is a common one) but these problems tend to be more across-the-board (meaning more of the B complex and synergistic minerals may be wanting by the time you notice anything wrong). While herbs are sometimes recommended, just remember that tho' herbs can be useful (and one or two are NOT recommended on the pill) they can't replace essential nutrients.

[jsgal31]

I can't say enough good things about the Mirena IUD! I've had mine for almost 4 years. It's one of the best things I've EVER gotten. I don't have to mess with pills, patches, or shots anymore. I'm basically maintenance free for another year-- they last for FIVE YEARS!!! It's so amazing. DO NOT HESITATE to get an IUD! I'm so serious-- you will thank me!

[prettylady]

6 years ago, after my daughter was born I had my tubes tied.
Best form of bc going.
No mood swings, no break outs, no cramps. But I am finished having children so this works for me.
I used Depro and had good results, I am using it now to control my periods. Still have no troubles with it.
Trial and error unfortuatly is the way to go, what works for one will not nessarly work for another.
best of luck
Your friend,
Prettylady

[appleblossoms20]

You absolutely have to do what is comfortable for you. There are no guarantees with birth control or even sterilization so ALWAYS practice safe sex regardless. I have a two year old who came to be 4 years AFTER my tubes were tied. The little boy down the street is the result of a vasectomy gone bad.

[Pepper & Drew]

Originally Posted by prettylady

6 years ago, after my daughter was born I had my tubes tied.
Best form of bc going.
No mood swings, no break outs, no cramps. But I am finished having children so this works for me.
I used Depro and had good results, I am using it now to control my periods. Still have no troubles with it.
Trial and error unfortuatly is the way to go, what works for one will not nessarly work for another.
best of luck
Your friend,
Prettylady

That's definitely true. I tried Depo Prevera 11 years ago while I was at college and ended up with severe clinical depression, where I could not get out of bed somedays, would cry uncontrolable, and had serious thoughts of suicide. A year later, when I visited my gyno in my home town, he said that he never prescribed Depo because it was notorious for causing depression. Before that and ever since, I'd been on the pill with absolutely no problems. The best thing to do is do your research, talk to your doctor and then try till you find the best thing for you.

Currently, I'm on ortho-novum 1/35 and I take it 3 months at a time too.

Pepper

[Relaxed_n_Fun]

From a pharmacist’s experience, most of the replies are right: try something else!!! Hubby and I went through about 8 or 9 different options (Depo, the ring, different pills) before we found one that works. Every woman is different which is why there are so many options! I could recommend something, but since I don’t know you, it would be as useful as throwing a dart at a board.

My sympathies, I know it is frustrating trying to find one that works!

[ShellyM]

Originally Posted by puddles

He writes: She went on the Pill (Levlen ED - low dose combined). Soon we were fighting every day - massive dramas about next to nothings. Suspecting the pill, she stopped taking it (month or more ago now) - and things got sweet again almost right away. She's not had a period since, mind. And, on the pill, She was as sexed up as She was aggressive; chemically enhanced Muliebrity. Luckily she's back to her normal highly sexed self again now. But imagine we never suspected a chemical cause - if we always thought it was just us? Someone coulda got murdered! Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Granted, its been years since I was on the pill.....you may need to ask Jay this question because I think I'm always a perfect angel They can mess you up though. You may want to seek other birth control avenues, the best one to ask is her ob/gyn about it.