…but not in the way you think.
The side effects have killed me. The short version: over the last 6 years I’ve tried 3 different kinds of hormonal birth control, once to try and reduce the pain of cramps, once for actual birth control, and once for acne. Every time, I became depressed. It seems my body HATES having my hormones f’ed with.
About a month and a half ago, I started a new kind (for acne) with great trepidation. It was a tentative, I’ll give it a try…but at the first sign of depression, the pills are in the trash. Well, the first signs came a couple weeks ago. But I thought I’d stick it out until my dermatologist appointment this week so we could discuss. And then, this weekend, I got a MIGRAINE.
It was horrible. I got a headache on Tuesday and it built all week, getting worse and worse. Saturday (at my in-laws), I woke up at 4 am puking and continued to throw up all day. From 4 a.m., when I tried to eat some toast, until 5 pm I didn’t keep a single thing down. Not even 7-Up. It wasn’t the flu. I’m pretty positive it was the headache. Now, I’ve never had a migraine, but I think this qualifies. I laid in a cool, dark room all day. Movement made it worse. Every time I ventured out to check on my mother-in-law and Meg, I ended up running to the bathroom instead. And this is the most important part: once Tylenol took the edge off the migraine, I could keep food down. Of course, I didn’t manage to keep any Tylenol down until the afternoon, which is why I didn’t manage to eat any food until dinner.
We were in town for a wedding. I missed it. I love weddings. It really stunk being sick away from home, but I do have to admit it was nice to have an eager babysitter (my mother-in-law) around all day!
I will NOT be trying this birth control pill again. Since hope springs eternal, I always think that maybe, just maybe, I’ll find one that doesn’t give me depression, so I’ll probably try again. I have to, if I want to take the super-strong-pills-that-cause-birth-defects for a shot at “curing” the acne (two forms of birth control are required). Although, I was on the fence about it anyway, so I think I’ll shelve it for awhile.
P.S. I know someone warned me about the potential for migraines on this particular kind of BC – was that here? If so, thank you! It helped to have a probable reason for why this happened – and how to make it never happen again.
P.P.S In case I wasn't clear enough: we do use back-up birth control and will continue to. We're not trying to get pregnant right now.
May I suggest you get a copy of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" ? (I have loaned mine out, so I cannot remember the author, but that is the exact title and you can look it up on Amazon) if you have such issues with hormonal BC pills, then you should really check into the natural options. And before you roll your eyes at the "rhythm method" it is WAY more than that! This book will teach you way more about your body and your cycles than you even thought possible. I used it 3 times to get pregnant. (the book shows you both to not get pregnant and to get pregnant) (And seriously, people make such a big deal about charting and it is SO easy, especially if you're getting up for work anyway and you set an alarm, but even if not) Anyhow, I SWEAR by this book. I recommend it to EVERYBODY. I even lent mine to my oldest friend when she got married last year and wasn't quite ready to start a family right away. And if you already hate the pill, then you will likely LOVE this.
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