I've been on ortho tri-cyclen lo for 2 years now but the past 2 months it seems like I've been depressed. I really thought I was pregnant again but the test says I'm not. Is it possible its a side affect of the pill that is just now showing up? If I skip a does it seems like I'm alot happier. Does anyone have a advice or experiance in this? Please help.
I second it...call your doctor! I was on the pill for about 10 years and never had any major problems, but last year I switched to Mirena (IUD) and I am SO much happier with it. There are other options out there with fewer side effects, even if it is just another brand of pills.
i've been happily using seasonale for about 2 years. (i absolutely love it, only 4 periods a year, YAY!). then they came out with the generic version, so i got that as its much cheaper. but the side effects are much stronger. i don't know what the difference is! you'd think the formula would be the same. but i may have to switch back to the name brand.
well I use nordette and I love that brand. Everything is so easy on it. I just recently learned that the health department where I get my pills for free is closing down .. now I have to go in search of another location to get everything taken care of and I am not to happy about that .. I am not one for change!!
I used six different brands ofcontraceptive pill and experience side effects such as depression, headaches, low sex drive etc. I also had three breats lumps removed during this time. In the end I had to admit that the pill just isn't for me. Everybody is different and it may be that you need to try another brand or you may need to try another contraceptive method, your doctor and partner/friends can help you talk it through.
Well ortho tri-cyclen lo was the only brand of birthcontrol I didn't have serious side effects on, I just got pregnant with #4 while on it 
I love my son but I was severly depressed when I found out that I was one of 6 people with in a 3 week span to get pregnant off of the same bc pill. My doc called the company and they told him "That's why we say it's 99.9 percent effective, mistakes happen" They had a defective batch go out and I got those pills.
My DH now has been fixed 
He practically ran to the office after we had Cameron and laid on the table 
My friend switched to the IUD and absolutely loves it. Everyones body reacts different though to any meds so make sure you keep that doc appt.
Wow! you better watch it! I was on that stuff for 2 months and went crazy in the head! Really, I felt like I was going out of my mind. you need to call your doctor right away.
yikes, ortho tri-cyclen tried to kill me years ago. i went to my dr and he said it was getting absorbed into my blood wrong, and if i took it any longer, i wouldn't be here telling you about it.
i tried so many things, the patch (hated it), the nuvaring, several low hormone pills that caused estrogen headaches, and now i am on seasonique (the newer version of seasonale). i hate the pill, but am not ready to trust another method of bc. and my dh and i aren't ready to get snipped/fixed/etc. yet.
good luck, i hope you get answers soon.
I have gone through many bouts of depression since I started the pill several years ago, but I can't say it was the pill that drove me to this. I mostly suffer from seasonal depression, but I have noticed that this year it hasn't seemed to go away. All this said, I no longer take any birth control. I tried the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch and was a HUGE promoter of it until I ended up in the hospital fighting for my life with large, extensive blood clots. I now am STRONGLY AGAINST it (and cannot take or use anything that contains estrogen)!!!
I think calling the doctor was the right decision. We have so much going on in our lives and others seem to expect so much of us, that I think it is more common than uncommon to feel some level of depression. In order to take care of yourself, you (or anyone) should talk to someone and get help that is readily available. I wish you the best!
~Amber
My DH now has been fixed
He practically ran to the office after we had Cameron and laid on the table .
ROTFLMBO!! Dang that was hillarous!
I say call your doctor tomorrow. Do not go another day.
My obgyn put me on Aygestin to stop my periods, the pill did not help me at ALL. I am still having my period & that dang medicatin has messed with me so bad. I have a docs appointment tomorrow.
Good luck 
I really can't say enough about the Mirena IUD...it's worth asking your dr. about for those of you who have problems with the pill, or just don't like it. For most women, it reduces your period 90% within a year, for me it did within a month. And they have a payment plan if insurance is an issues...something like $30 a month.
Hormonal birth control of any sort can be dangerous. Go and check with your doctor. If they don't take your side effects seriously, find another doctor. I was on the Depo-Provera shot for 3 years and had serious depression, weight gain, lowered sex drive, etc, but since I was a college student my doctor didn't really take my concerns seriously. Once I got off of the stuff it took me nearly two years for my body to straighten itself out! Scary stuff...
I've been considering trying Mirena since I had my daughter. So you guys like it?
manderfrog, I LOVE Mirena! The dr. placed it in less than 5 minutes, it took effect immediately, and I have not had one single side effect other than the good ones, like not having to take a pill every day and not having visits from Aunt Flow anymore! It's such a relief to not have to think about bc EVERY DAY anymore!
Also, if you decide you want to get pregnant, they can remove it and you can get pg immediately.
If you decide to get it, and have health insurance, it's VERY important to talk to your ins. company BEFORE you get it. Mine covered it, but it had to be billed a certain way. I had to actually buy the device from the company, then the dr. billed for the placement. If the dr. had billed for the whole she-bang, they wouldn't have covered it. Doing it that way, it only cost $60.
I'm on the generic version of Loestrin, I like it because it definetely cut my period bleeding 2/3 and I rarely get PMS. But the sex drive is not what it used to be.
I ordered my prescription late through my mail order (and I ran out) and I haven't been taking it since Sunday and my sex drive is way better.
I am going to research that Mirena and see if my insurance covers it...I should also consider getting my tubes tied, I don't think I will have any more children since I already have one and would rather adopt if we do have more children. I had post-partum depression after my first (and only) child, and I really do NOT want to deal with it again if I have another baby.
I actually went with the Paraguard after six years on depo. Paraguard is non hormonal and almost the entire thing was covered on my insurance. It felt great to go hormone free. With the Mirena your have lighter periods. With Paraguard they can be heavy for months. I actually had cramping for a month or so as I adjusted to having it. Now I don't even think about it.
I've only been on Depo, I was on it for a couple years and finally just said I wasn't going back for another shot because I was sick of the migranes. The shot would never have worked for me, I'm not good at remembering pills.
My husband was one who happily went in to get snipped after our last child, we were sure we had finished our family.
I am probably the biggest supporter of the Mirena IUD. I went to the Dr last year to have my tubes tied but b/c I was having constant periods, my dr suggested the IUD. He was afraid that if he tied my tubes I'd still need to take hormones to regulate the bleeding. I haven't had a menstral cycle in 8 months! The only downfall is occasional cramps, easily solved by a motrin...
Don;t know if anyone is still watchng this post, But..
I hav not had any extra hormones in my body for almost 7 years. I had my first child, was put on the pill and experienced HORRIBLE post partum depression. I tried to commit suicide 2 times. After that I went on Zoloft and an IUD with no hormones. It was great. Now orry birth control and the only side effect was some heavier periods, but not bad. I did that for 3 yrs had another baby, no depression (was on zoloft at the end of my pregnancy). had the IUD put back in. 3 1/2 yrs later we are expecting number 3 in august and Ill have that sucker put right back in. I can't bear the thoguht of hormomes. It is so scary to me.
Totally with ya on the depression. That's the reason my husband I and chose not to have anymore. Fortunately, I wasn't suicidal - as in hurt myself intentionally, but I cannot deny that I didn't care if I woke up the next morning. At that point in my life, I took care of my son (now 4) because I chose to have him and it was my responsibility, not b/c I really wanted to. It was sad b/c he felt it too and cried for 18 mos. I still cry (when I see other happy mothers w/newborns) b/c we didn't "bond" as a mother and child should have, but we have such a wonderful bond now. zoloft helped me as well, although I ate everything in site
yeah I would look into alternative BC......I think its terrible how many of us were just put on the pill so easily without considering (or testing) for if we are at higher risks for blood clots. The pills didnt work for me, anxiety, depression the works....I do not need any extra hormones!!! one of my closest friends just lost 2 babies (one still birth the other preterm labor) so she was undergoing a ton of blood work to determine if there were any underlining problems, and one thing they found is that she is at risk for blood clots and should NEVER take hormones (and she had been for years).......my DH and I use condoms and they have worked..... I know my DH doesnt love to use condoms, but he loves having a happy, healthy wife more.
yeah I would look into alternative BC......I think its terrible how many of us were just put on the pill so easily without considering (or testing) for if we are at higher risks for blood clots. The pills didnt work for me, anxiety, depression the works....I do not need any extra hormones!!! one of my closest friends just lost 2 babies (one still birth the other preterm labor) so she was undergoing a ton of blood work to determine if there were any underlining problems, and one thing they found is that she is at risk for blood clots and should NEVER take hormones (and she had been for years).......my DH and I use condoms and they have worked..... I know my DH doesnt love to use condoms, but he loves having a happy, healthy wife more.
I too am appalled at how hormones are given out so freely and without much comment except to be faithful about taking them and perhaps to not mix them with smoking and antibiotics. Like, giving BC to regular a woman's period... um... excuse me, shouldn't a doctor find out WHY it's irregular instead of giving something to make it regular yet not fertile regular? Huh??? The problem won't disappear - it's just masked and then when a woman WANTS to get pregnant later she has to do all the legwork then when all she wants is a baby! Makes NO SENSE.
My DH has used condoms for bc/std prevention since he became sexually active when he was 18 and he has NEVER had one slip or break and he's 40 years old. I know I've said we've had "nada" for the last couple years, but that wasn't always the case and he was a young man with super libido before too (and always had a steady girlfriend except when he first moved here). They just need to be used properly and once you get used to them, no biggee really.
Though, at this point, we should do permanent BC as we are done with babymaking!
Melissa
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