PTSD/CPTSD and Birth Control Help!

[CathySupernova]

Hello!

I recently got an IUD placed. I’ve had it for ten days and I am noticing that I’m having extreme mood swings and irritability. I’m also having more anxiety over all and depressed thoughts. I don’t usually cry and I’ve been crying almost every day.
Has anyone else experienced serious side effects from birth control? I thought that a localized hormone would be a safer than a systemic one.
I’m also not sure if I should hold out longer if the symptoms may subside.
I have a follow up with my OB, but she told me that my diagnosis and medications shouldn’t be a problem.
I take lexapro and seroquel.

Please let me know if you have experience with an IUD!

Thanks!

 

[Friday]

I had a copper IUD for 15 years, as I can’t take hormones at all. (Hormonal birth control has never affected my PTSD, but does trigger a hormone driven cancer I’m prone to. Also, they don’t work for me. I’ve gotten pregnant on the pill more times than I can count.) The coppertop never affected my PTSD.

Any time you’re talking hormones, though, you’re talking about the possibility of psych symptoms either increasing or decreasing.

In general (excluding the shot which tends to have massive reactions attached to it), people have the strongest reactions to oral tablets, so if you were fine on those, it might be the decrease that’s affecting you. An easy way to tell would be to go back on the pill and see if you even right out, or are unaffected, or get worse.

 

[EveHarrington]

It’s not uncommon for birth control to cause mood issues, even for those without a mental illness. Throw in a mental illness and the mood swings can be INSANE!

I can’t take anything hormonal as it tears my body and mind apart. Heck, even the barrier methods cause funky issues with my body. It’s just a matter of finding what I can tolerate best.