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mini-pill (cerazette specifically) and depression/anxiety side-effects - a warning! Please read..

340 replies

RedFraggle · 29/09/2007 16:44

After my horrendous experience with a mini-pill I felt I had to post this here as well as on the feeling depressed board.

I had my DS three months ago and after initial baby blues was starting to feel better. Went for my 8 week postnatal check and was prescribed Cerazette (the mini-pill) as I am breastfeeding. After about a week I started to feel really miserable and paranoid, gradually got worse until I could no longer face taking my kids out for the day as I just didn't feel I could cope.
Carried on getting worse to the point I was suicidal and kept thinking about harming myself or my baby. Spent a lot of time sitting with him and my DD throwing tearful wobblers and me sitting on the floor crying too!
Asked my HV for help and she got me a Doctors appointment - my HADS score was extremely high and I was put on anti-depressants, they started to kick in (although the side-effects were horrid) and I felt a bit more normal and so popped on to here for a look about. i hadn't felt up to even doing that for weeks! I saw a post about cerazette and mood swings and alarm bells rang. Googled Cerazette and anxiety/depression and found lots of stuff. I spoke to my doctor and came off all medication and lo and behold - I am totally fine again! Cerazette made me so mentally unstable, it was terrifying. I have had it yellow carded and suggest anyone else with similar issues speaks to their GP and does the same.
The fact that this pill is being heavily marketed to doctors at the moment (according to my HV) means more people are likely to be prescribed it, and at a time when they have just had a baby and therefore their side-effect symptoms could easily be confused with PND.
If you have recently had a baby and were feeling ok but suddenly start to feel bad or not yourself shortly after starting a mini-pill it might be worth considering changing or stopping medication to just rule out a link. Check with your doctor first of course!!!

OP posts:
BimboBear · 15/11/2011 16:44

Sorry to hear people having bad experiences with the mini pill, but it's kinda comforting to know others as are in the same boat as me.
I started the mini pill (Micronor) about three months go, and for the last month or so have been experiencing a bit a depression. I'm usually a very happy and positive person, but have been feeling really out of sorts, kinda numb and not enjoying things I should be (was in Disneyland last month and walked about miserable). I have a bad habit of over thinking things and feeling the way I have been has made me over-analyize everything and its driving me crazy - feel like i'm going to explode sometimes. My GP doesn't really take me seriously and prescribed propanolol, but to be honest I just want to be myself again, wihtout the aid of medication. I've also been crying at the drop of a hat and had a but of acne which I didn't really even have as a teen. Sorry for the rant, but just had to offload :).

jolie1978 · 18/11/2011 00:06

Wow I can't believe I came across this thread I was googling cerazette due to my decreased or non existent sex drive which I believe to be due to this pill. I then find out my mood swings, generally feeling down in the dumps, paranoia, lack of confidence which are very bad at the moment! I just put it down to hormones and recently having a baby well he's six months now and I thought my sex drive would have returned its not that I don't want it as I do fancy my hubby but just don't have the get up and go in me and feel really self concious about making the first move for fear of getting knocked back which ironically I know wouldn't happen x

natty1234 · 18/11/2011 22:44

Thank you so much for sharing this. It's sounds extreme but Cerazette has literally ruined the last couple of months of my life. I have been riddled with severe anxiety, panic attacks and angry mood swings (seriously out of character). And now that I think about it in the early days I was having trouble sleeping too. I have also had reduced patience with my beautiful toddler girl and I feel terrible. My anxiety has got so bad I have started to avoid social situations when I am usually the most confident social person in the world. I've started to not even want to go to work. I had previously suffered some panic attacks as a teenager but to me they were a thing of the distant past. My life is ordinarily happy and settled and no other factors have changed apart from my contraceptive method which I began 3 months ago. The worst symptoms seem to have started after around 1 month of taking it, when referring to my diary. I went to see my Dr suspecting that the pill was causing these symptoms, and he refered to his little medical book and confirmed that Cerazette does not cause the symptoms I described, only depression was listed as a symptom which I have not suffered. I feel like printing off this page and taking it down to the surgery for him to stick into his book. The Dr happily sent me away with a further 6 months prescription, which I have now thrown in the bin and I feel better already (*sorry for the waste but they wouldn't have let me return them!). I wish the medical world were more receptive to patient experience. There is no doubt in my mind Cerazette has caused these symptoms in me. If I remained on Cerazette no doubt in a month or so they'd be treating me with other medication to cure my anxiety, a good income for them I guess. I wonder how many mental health problems are actually caused by inappropriate prescription of drugs. I think I will stay well away from Dr's surgeries from now on and trust my own instinct.

imnewhere91 · 25/11/2011 23:57

Hi guys, these posts are really reassuring! I have a question: has anyone here had a similar experience with Femulen? I've been on Femulen for three years and I'm having similar symptoms to the ones listed above; anxiety, frequent panic attacks, acting irrationally, feeling depressed and having extremely negative thoughts. I am having a stressful time at the moment but sometimes I think my behaviour is incredibly out of character, and I find every day tasks difficult and certain social situations almost impossible. I came off the pill for a few days over summer and even just in those days I felt less anxious... so I'm wondering if there's a connection. Maybe proestrogen only pills have this effect? My mother is a health visitor and she said she noticed a correlation between women feeling down and being on the mini- pill, and she discouraged me from taking it. Help please!

fridakahlo · 26/11/2011 00:25

Don't know about Femulen, sorry, but I do know hormones (esp fake ones) can do wierd things to you.
Would not have bothered posting as it seems to be pretty clear that lots of people have experienced weird side effects on it (anxiety/depression).
But for me it was different, whilst I was taking it, I felt very removed from my emotions, very numb, a sort of permanent period of dissociation. Also had no periods and no sex drive. But when I came off it, I had the worst bout of PMT I have ever had in my life. Really crazy pyscho stuff.
Just thought I should put that out there.

fridakahlo · 26/11/2011 00:26

I'd say stop taking it and see how you feel as a consequence.

chevytruck · 30/11/2011 16:46

OH MY GOD.
I have been utterly utterly miserable for months.
I'm taking TWO cerazette a day for dysfunctional uterine bleeding.
My husband thinks I'm depressed. We're really struggling to keep our relationship going. I have NO sex drive and as a consequence am finding his sex drive quite daunting.
I am aggressive, tired, moody (mainly down with VERY few ups). Feeling almost agrophobic.
I even went back to see my old pyschotherapist as I just couldn't decide what was wrong. She told me I was angry too.
Have been told to try a mirena coil and was scared because of the well-published side effects and lack of any guarantees.

But by the sounds of things I'd rather cope with the bleeding I get when I stop taking these pills if it will STOP ME FEELING MISERABLE.

Thank you.

betjam · 16/12/2011 11:46

Hello all, some of the post i have read read offer great advice ans support so i decided to jointhis site as i am desperate for advice.

I have just been prescribed cerazette and have been using it for roughly a month with no major side effects as yet but i missed two days of taking this pill which i think triggered my periods, i continued to take normally after the missed two days and have been continuing to do so.. The problem is i have been bleeding now for about 7 days, it's not particulary heavy but it is now a darkening in colour i'm just worried if this is normal.. should i still continue to take this pill daily?

Kfox1988 · 19/12/2011 15:41

Well i was on the cerazette took two a day i went from 8 stone 3 to 12 stone in a year and half, still kept eating the same food and exercised just could not budge the fat, also i was always moody and lost my libido, my partner was getting fed up and i was getting fed up.... Then a few weeks ago started gettin bad achy pains in my tummy (like id pulled a muscle) and feeling aick in the evening, just randomly took a pregnancy test and ohh im only pregnant So even after taking 2 pills dailey (at the same time too) i still got caught. :) i am now excited for my future

CrazyAlien06 · 30/12/2011 03:29

Hi
I got prescribed cerazette too but came off it after a week as my moods were horrendous !

Rerevisionist · 30/12/2011 03:34

Get hold of a copy of the BNF (British NAtional Formulary) - new edn I think every 6 months, in a new colour, cloth backed paperback style book; lists all drugs and has special side-effect listing, and risky combinations

ThompsonTwins · 30/12/2011 04:06

DD takes Cerazette. There are moods etc but she's 17 and I put it down to that. Will Google and lurk. Thanks OP

minimonkey11 · 07/01/2012 23:27

Oh my god like so many of you i googled cerazette and anxiety and found this site! I feel like i have been going mental but now i know why. Just finished 3rd month of this pill and i am angry, moody, constantly crying, increasingly impatient with my beautiful 5 month old baby, no sex drive and constantly tired. My boyfriend says i've changed so much over the last few months. I honestly thought i was going mad. I have an appointment to get some more of these on tues and i am going to tell the nurse exactly what i think! I am now even looking forward to period pain rather than this disgusting drug. I am now angry that this is still being given to people - accepting that there are people that have no side effects - there should surely be grounds for further testing? Thankyou all for taking a weight of my crazy mind xx

Rebeccalke · 11/01/2012 17:39

So happy my mum found this thread and emailed it to me, I was taking Cerazette for about 18 months and didnt really have any side effects except for a bit of added weight but nothing major but then a couple of months ago I decided to take a break from it just as I thought I needed it! Then after about a couple of months and a period I went back on it and since I went back on it I feel shocking! Crying all the time, feeling depressed and panic attacks and anxious all the time, it basically ruined Christmas 2011 for me, once my Mum showed me this I sat down and worked out when I had taken the pill and missed some and noticed a pattern and also after speaking to a Homeopathist who said she wouldnt touch contraceptive pills with a barge pole! Also the last time I had depression was when I was 17 and on the injection, basically im not putting any drugs in my body anymore! Messing with hormones can not be good! I feel a lot better for reading this thread, although its been here since 2007 its great to read it and to feel relief, im going to stop taking the pill today and will report back in a couple of weeks to let you all know how im feeling :):)

FedUp12 · 24/01/2012 11:36

I am so happy I found this site! I have been on cerazette for 5 months after the doctor decided my body didn't cope well with pills with oestrogen. For the last 5 months I have been depressed, anxious, panicky, having symptoms of pregnancy and pretty much wanting life to be over. I hate feeling like this as it is affecting my work and studies and not to mention my relationship. I have no sex drive I constantly have this brown disharge and I'm arguing constantly. Now I know it is possibly linked to cerazette I will be going to tell my doctor and hopefully get my pill changed! Thank you so much for all this information!!!

mumof2munchkins · 25/01/2012 18:09

I was on Cerazette after the birth of my son for two years and had no problem. I have been recently taken it again for about a year, following the birth of my daughter and have had a completetly horrible experience. Low libido, depressed, panic attacks, dizziness, and anxiety. I felt as though i was spiralling and was developing a sense of fear of leaving the house. I was losing confidence and was starting to become anxious talking to other people.
I eventually came across this thread, which is one of many out there, and decided to come off it immediately. That was about 6 weeks ago now and i am feeling much better each day. I have had a period every two weeks since stopping, and am suffering with the usual PMT symtoms, but nothing horrific.
I certainly feel better without it.
As others have mentioned, do get it yellow carded, either through your GP or online at www.yellowcard.gov.uk
Oh, and i've booked my husband in for a vasectomy x x

Mrsrobertduvall · 25/01/2012 18:19

Interesting.
Dd has just been put on it, and she does have mild depression.
Shock

mamamomojojo · 27/01/2012 20:07

Am supposed to be going on cerazette tomorrow but freaking out now. I think I've like a tendancy towards mild depression and moderate anxiety I would say. Dread to think what I'd be like if worse. Baby is 3 months and it's the happiest time ever. Would hate to ruin it. Weight gain, its a struggle to keep trim -i dont need That to be harder.. Husband wont sleep with me till I go on the pill. I really want to get back into it but don't want to think of losing libido??! :-/ don't want to take oestrogen ever as family hx oest-dep breast cancer, am breastfeeding at mo anyway. This forum might be biased in that it's visited only by peoole who suspect link with the 2 and is first item to come up if you google cerazette at all. Hmm.. The rational me... Will she remain... I'll let u know!

Mumofthreelittleangels · 07/02/2012 00:52

Hello Ladies!
I've been on it for 3.5 weeks now and in my opinion it's a "great" contraception - I haven't stopped bleeding since :-( I also developed hot flushes overnight, increased urge to wee all the time through the night (It feels like I am going to burst, but when I actually go - it's not much at all!), uncomfortable pain like feeling in lower abdomen, headaches and very sore boobs!!! Oh, and I put 3 pounds on in three weeks (and beleive me I am trying to be sensible with eating and work out 3 times a week in the gym too!). At the moment not happy at all - this supposed to be an alternative to my copper coil which is 5 years old now, but I think I will be sticking with coil.... may be it's just an early days yet.... will see my GP in the next few day, see what he has to say.

Mandahul · 18/02/2012 22:04

I wanted to share my experince with Cezarette. I have been on it for approx 2 years. Have a history of anxiety and stress since about the age of 14 have been prescribed antidepresents in the past but never taken them. I am now 33 years old with 2 boys. I had been on Microgynon for years no problems.

At a routine repeat pill check up the nurse informedme that as I was over 30 (31) and due to having a couple of recent headaches (due to needing to update my prescription with my contacts which i did tell her) and the fact I smoke about 5 a day I could no longer stay on Microgynon and HAD to switch to Cezarette. I was a little reluctant as I was happy on the ones I was on. I researched and remember reading this thread 2 years ago. Read the different views and thought I had to give them a go as the health professionals were recommeding them. I put this thread to the back of my mind. Until now.

The first few months were like others, I had symptoms similar to being pregnant. Sore swollen boobs (my boobs increased a whole size), nausea, emotional and weepy - hormonal, craving for sweet foods even an increased sense of smell. I even did a test which was negative. I settled into it and thought it was amazing. No periods (apart from the odd bit of spotting once or twice) and bigger boobs.

I did have a stressfull couple of years personally but am very aware of my depression and can spot when it is coming on and I can take appopriate action. However, for about 6 months I have been feeling physically ill. Tiredness so bad I have been having to lie down and close my eyes for 5 mins at work in the afternoon and panic about how I can even manage to get through the afternoon. I work, cook the dinner do the boys home work with them and then sleep. I no longer go out I dont even pick up my guitar and I was performing up untill 18 months ago.

I went to the doctors and was sent for test, anemia, thiroids and various others. I cried all the way home because I just wanted to be told I had something wrong with me that could be fixed. Or a difficency that could be treated with vitamins. I started waking every morning vith vertigo. Feeling very weak and dizzy and feeling sick. I struggle to even clean my teeth without being sick. Again I thought I may be pregnant and did a test, Again negative.

Two weeks ago the doctor prescribed me sleeping tablets and I took them the last 2 weekends as I may not have been getting the right type of sleep. I also showed him a rash that I had been getting for a bout a week, he said to take antihistamines. The rash has got worse. My skin goes bright red and burning hot and I get itchy lumps so itchy I want to rip my skin off. I went back this morning and saw a different doctor. I said the sleeping tablets were helping and I did feel a little beter for the first couple of days after taking them. But I was starting to think I was going mad or even on the brink of a complete mental break down and was losing my mind. The sleeping tablets made me realise I am half awake all night listening for every sound in the house and I sleep with the window open so I can listen for people approaching the house. My son started senior school September and I was distraght and frantic with worry every morning he left the house and racked with guilt I was putting him through this tramatic event. Constantly thinking something really bad is going to happen to one of the boys and living the grapic experience in my head unable to stop it and desgusted inmyself for thinking it. No sleep, triedness, withdrawn, dizzy spelly, weakness, out of breath and now itchy I was at my wits end. BUT when I told the doctor this morning about my hives - thats what she said they were and I said can they in anyway be conected. Its like something clicked in her head and she said what pill are you on. I said a new one for the last 18 months to 2 years. SHE told me to come off it straight away.

Its like it was obvious to her and normal for this pill to have these symptoms. I was elated and releaved to know I am not losing my mind and destined for a life of sleepless depression and exhaustion. She has given me antihistamines to take mightly so the drousyness will help me sleep and I can stop spending 6 hours a day scratching. I have to now come off the cezarette. I am hoping I will now get my life back my husband will get his wife back and my children will get there Mom back.

P.S. All of the symptoms I experienced are listed on the paperwork and it took a long time for them to effect me the way they have (If it is the cezarette) I pray in a way it is so I can live again. I missed all the signs this time of getting depressed. I put them down to life and rationalised all of my irrational behavoir down too being tired. I was actually tired due to being so paranoid and anxious. I googled the tablet along with warnings and came across this thread again and remember reading it all those months ago. I wish I had remembered it earlier x

iloveknittinghats · 16/03/2012 21:32

You wonderful women have no idea how much you have helped me. I hope you dont mind me writing on this forum though as i dont have children.

Two years ago i suffered some sort of breakdown due to pressures of work and events in my personal life. The doctor wasnt that brilliant but put me on a low dose of Citalopram. This did really help to ease the anxiety. Last summer i weaned myself off the Citalopram as i felt great and wanted to 'go it alone'. I also came off the contraceptive Ovranette. I had taken it for over 10 years and felt i needed to give my body a break. I had never had a problem with Ovranette. About 2 months later i decided to go back onto the pill as other contraceptives werent that great.

The day i went to get my contraceptive, i took home my prescription and received a call from my nurse by the time i got home. Because of my increase in weight, they wanted to change me onto Cerazette. As i was unable to get time from work again, the nurse left the new prescription for me over the counter, so no possible side effects were explained to me by anyone.

I continued with Ovranette until the end of my pack (as advised by the nurse) and then went straight onto Cerazette. This was in November last year. Initially things were ok. No bleeding or pain. Looking back, i started feeling quite withdrawn over Christmas and even that time didnt have the usual spark for me as it always has. Come January, i did not want to socialise and hubby was starting to get fed up of my anti-social ways. By February, i was becoming extremely irrational and paranoid. Breaking out in sweats, feeling guilty, having really foggy sight, my skin felt like it was burning and i would wake in the night from nightmares soaking wet. I was so anxious i felt like i was blind sometimes. I kept making strange connections in my mind and freaking out about things i wouldnt normally bat an eyelid at. I kept thinking that people i loved were going to die and i would be all alone and i kept thinking that myself or my loved ones could be capable of awful things. the skin at the top of my back and around my ears had become covered in cysts and i had terrible acne. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep all the time. Basically i was a wreck.

Because of the anxiety and thinking it was due to pressures in work, i again went to my doctor who put me onto Citalopram. After a couple of days, things spiralled and it started affecting my job which i was determined i didnt want to happen. I was crying all the time.

While all of this was happening, i started to have a period. It lasted 3 weeks and was the only symptom i associated with the Cerazette. Because of the bleeding, i Googled the symptoms of Cerazette and i couldnt believe that i found threads this like this one. So many women feeling like me and the one connection was Cerazette. As soon as i found this out i stopped my Cerazette.

I stopped taking it about 4 weeks ago and i do feel better than i did although am not 100%. I find that reading these threads every morning helps me to re-focus that i am not myself at the moment but that things will keep getting better and less scary.

The past few weeks have been terrifying and i cant thank you ladies enough for your honest stories and positive outlooks. I am hoping that the next few weeks will bring me back totally to myself and that i can like myself again.

Good luck to all of you whether your experience of Cerazette is bad or good.

Xxxxx

jemmaj83 · 18/03/2012 21:34

My little boy is 14 weeks old and life is wonderful with the exception of my horrific mood swings.... suprise suprise - I was prescribed cerazette at my 6week PN check up as I'm breast feeding. This morning, after searching the internet for an answer, I threw the rest of the packet in the bin.... Thank you all for sharing your experiences in detail as I feel exactly the same and have also gained weight through the food cravings (I thought it was supposed to fall off while b'feeding!)

steph35 · 19/04/2012 14:25

Thanks so much for this thread i've been on cerazette since after my son was born nearly 3 years i had not had a period for nearly 2 years till out of the blue come on tue.googled about it to find this thread & omg has opened my eyes to so much i've been moody,crying all time very tired etc i was put on 30mg cialopram as was told was depressed not wondering maybe most of it is to do with cerazettee?been to dr's today & said about it so stopping it from tomorrow see if makes a diffrerent told to give it 3 months.my hubby had snip now so don't really need to be on it only reason i still was was because stopped my peroids & i suffered very heavy/painful periods bleeding for weeks on end.I hope stopping it will make me feel better & treat my hubby better i think had enough of my moods & my no to sex all the time

iloveknittinghats · 22/04/2012 20:22

Hi everyone, how long has it taken people to feel better after stopping Cerazette? Especially in terms of depression/anxiety? I stopped mine 2 months ago and although i feel better, i am still getting times where I feel very anxious and paranoid. Ive started taking St. johns Wort to see if that helps but that will take a couple of weeks to kick in.

Thanks guys

Kidsmummy · 03/05/2012 11:54

I was prescribed Cerazette two weeks ago as I was having hormonal
Mood swings and it was felt that thIs pill would help. The last two weeks have been a living hell - I felt out of control, spaced out, depressed more than normal, having anixety attacks all the time. I have been on AD for 5 weeks and couldn't understand why they weren't fully working as
they had done in the past. After spending the morning sleeping on the sofa after another night of insomnia, I came across this site and all the threads to do with this pill. I had a EUREKA moment and realised that the last two weeks I have felt worse than before. From tomorrow I will
Not be taking this pill EVER AGAIN

Sincere thanks up everyone who has taken the time to
post to this thread, your comments have been invaluable to me as no doubt my GP would have dismissed my problems.

'tomorrow is a new day - Cerazette free!'