Is the pill making me depressed

[WhyNotFeeling]

Having not been taking the contraceptive pill for probably a couple of years, I started back on it at end August. (Hoped it might improve our sex-life not worrying about condoms/pregnancy).

When I stopped the pill previously, it was mostly because I’d run out and not got around to making an appointment for a new prescription. Partly I had a feeling it might be responsible for my low moods. To be honest, I can’t remember whether or not I felt an improvement to my moods of anything significance after stopping.

Started back on a protesterone only pill (desogestral) end August. For the last 3 weeks I’ve been feeling really down/miserable & lacking motivation.

How likely is the pill to blame for this? Stopped taking it in case .... how long might I expect it to take to feel more myself again having stopped (assuming the pill is my problem)?

Depression isn't a listed side effect for it, so it's probably not the cause. How long ago did you stop taking it.

Only stopped 2 days ago!
Googling suggests there may be some link and I certainly feel like there might be in my case, but so hard to pin point cause/effect ... Could also be a seasonal thing although I’ve been out a lot and the nights aren’t dark too early yet so not sure that’s likely either really

Yes yes yes! I always suffered this when I tried to go on the pill, the progesterone only one was particularly awful, I could feel myself sliding down and down into the abyss. So I stopped. I'm a bit of an old bint now and take HRT. They put me on a basic version and on the days I had to take the progesterone part I was terrible, really terrible. Floods of tears, life wasn't worth living, it was awful. I couldn't carry on like that so now take a natural progesterone HRT and I'm fine.

We had a young girl round here who tragically committed suicide a few years ago and the inquest verdict put her progesterone only pill as a contributory factor. Same GP as me coincidentally. She was one of those outstanding young girls who was really clever and sporty who should have had an amazing future ahead of her, but....

Some people are sensitive to synthetic progesterones, you might find one that you can tolerate.

I ended up using the cap which did the job in that I never ended up pregnant whilst using it. There aren't many other options available.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/03/pill-linked-depression-doctors-hormonal-contraceptives

More "up to date" research dismisses the effects again, but personally I'd be cynical as let's face it it's not in the manufacturers interests to have too many women complaining they're miserable in it...

I thought this too. Again hard to pinpoint but I came off it and very quickly felt better (apart from during PMT times). I get a bit teary with PMT and I felt like the pill was making me feel like I had PMT all the time.

Interesting...really hope I start to feel better soon!

I am feeling like I’m in a better place (& that’s despite having a stonking cold!)... whether it’s due to having stopped the pill, the psychological (placebo?) affect of thinking I might feel better because I did, or just because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to know for sure!

I suffered depression while I was on the pill. Not in that I felt sad but I lacked motivation, felt so tired and just kind of foggy all the time. I still lived with my parents then and I remember my room being such a mess and it would take me over a week to tidy it because I felt so exhausted and wouldn't be able to just get it done in one go.

I lacked any kind of emotion except when I would fly into fits of burning rage over tiny things. It was so bad, it was like a mist would descend and I felt completely entitled to be so angry and just wouldn't be able to calm myself down then it would pass and I would be left thinking what was that all about?!

I didn't even realise I'd been depressed until I was off it for a few months and was looking back. The whole time period is a blur and I have very few memories from it. For example, I graduated uni during that time and can hardly remember the day even though it was only two years ago and was a big life event.

It makes me so angry that women aren't properly warned about these side effects even though I know it's so common from talking to other women.