I am writing this post not to scare or worry people who are taking or looking to take a progesterone only pill, but to offer my personal experience in the hope that it may help other women in a similar situation. I cannot stress enough that different people have different side effects when they take medication and probably the majority of women are fine but I want to extend a glimmer of hope to women that may be struggling and have no idea why.
My son is now 6 months of age and roughly 3 months following his birth I started taking Noriday (progesterone only pill) which was prescribed by my GP as it was the most appropriate due to breast feeding. The months following this I can only describe as some of the worst months of my life, which is sad considering it was my first child and I wanted to enjoy every moment. I have always suffered with anxiety and depression throughout my life, but the feelings that I have felt throughout the last few months have been on a completely different scale. I soon became unrecognisable to my self, suicidal, angry, aggressive, anxious and paranoid. I also began suffering with debilitating panic attacks. Unfortunately my husband has been at the brunt of all of these emotions and i am extremely grateful he is a tough cookie and has managed to stay despite living with a complete nightmare for the last three months. I have never felt so hopeless, empty and scared of absolutely everything. I can only emphasise that that was not me at all and i felt my personality had been completely destroyed.
Last week i decided enough was enough and having had a niggling feeling that it was related to hormones i decided to have the copper (non hormonal) coil inserted. I stopped taking Noriday five days ago now and I feel like a dark fog has been instantly lifted. The aggression and irritability has disappeared and i can now have a conversation without getting frustrated for the first time in months. I feel happy, smiley and am enjoying the time with my son so much more. I feel i can look forward to the future again and get back on track with my husband.
I have also taken the decision to 'yellow card' this drug, which for anyone that doesn't know is the process where you can report adverse drug reactions to the British National Formulary so they can monitor to ensure that it isn't dangerous to the general public. I feel that more care should be taken prescribing this drug to post natal women who have a history of mental health disorders or are susceptible to PND.
Sorry for the long post but I really hope that this may help other women if they find themselves in the same position as I have been. I would hate to think that anybody is going through the same thing and could risk losing their marriage/relationship or the ability to enjoy the time with their children due to this little pill. I dread to think what could have happened to me if I continued to take this drug and I stress how serious it had gotten. I vow to never take hormonal contraceptives again to protect my mind and my body.
Thanks for taking the time to read! xx