Progesterone and depression - should I stop the POP?

[Dazy]

I've read a few comments on other threads linking progesterone and depression and it's got me thinking.

I've got myself in a right state over the last few months with depression and anxiety and have just started on antidepressents which thankfully seem to be working.

But I'm also taking cerazette (POP) which I started not long before I started to go down hill mentally. Is there any chance this could be a factor? It doesn't seem to be working that well for me anyway in that I seem to be having constant periods.

It don't really want to stop it as the GP won't give me the combined pill (which I took happily for years) as I'm over 35 but then I don't want to be on Ads either.

Any advice?

I had problems with depression and an older mini-pill - Micronor. I would get PMT verging on clinical depression for a few days before a period - and I was having periods every ten days. Once I came off the Micronor I was much better virtually straight away. So yes, the POP can be a factor. I would start keeping a mood diary, see if the bleeds and your moods are linked. Also you could try another POP, see if it suits you better.

Thanks for the idea of the mood diary - I definitely felt worse when my period started last week but then I'd not long been on the AD's and having lots of side effects too.

I'll start keeping tabs in a bit more detail. I guess I'm just concerned that the ADs will keep me artificially happy for a few months and then when I stop them I'll be back to before.

Hi,

I'm having really bad depression problems and have been pretty much since the adrenalin rush of birth wore off.

I'm on Micronor too and have been wondering about it's effects on my moods as my depression started to get a hell of a lot worse once I started on the tables.

The thing is, I still haven't had a period since giving birth (23 weeks ago now) and there doesn't really seem to be any pattern to my ups and downs.

I've been talking to my Doctor and health visitor. HV has been great - having weekly talks about things. GP was rubbish - wrote me off as a looney, saying there was a history of mental illness in my family, therefore pills were the way forward! Might ask for an alternative to the POP I'm on, just to see.

Hannie, my periods didn't return for ages either too - not until I stopped BF at 18m. This makes me wonder if I'm extra senstive to some of these baby related hormones. I've also had problems with the POP in the past, in that it didn't stop breakthrough bleeding and I had to have the combined pill to stop this.

I'm not sure if changing POP would help - aren't they basically the same hormone?

Anyway, hope things get better for you. Having someone to talk too is definitely the best help..MN has really helped me through this patch.