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

[RedFraggle]

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!!!

(I posted on here ages ago as katyt1)
Have decided to stop taking cerazette as of today.

Have discussed with dh and he agrees that i have not been myself, and it is getting worse
I snap at anything, go from happy to extremely fed up in seconds, ds1 drives me insane (well he might still do that but hopefully i'll react better!) and i have started worrying in ways i never used too, not as bad as anxiety attacks i don't think, just fretting about nonsense.

So having read all your accounts, i'm giving up. it's condoms from here on (until we ttc no3 that is!).....

here's hoping for a new me

I have just started on Cerazette - my baby is 8 weeks old and I am breastfeeding.

I started taking the pills 10 days ago and have been having a bit of spotting since yesterday - did anyone else have similar when starting on this pill?

I was suprised to see the blood as I am breastfeeding and it seemed a bit early - so wonder whether it could be the pills?

Any thoughts gratefully received!

Im new on this page, i was on cerazette for 9 months and had very bad panic attacks couldnt get out the house feeling that im going to faint, crying over nothing, i was put under the mental heath ,I was reading this page 2 weeks ago and ive stopped the cerazette thats two weeks ago now,,, i am feeling 100% better no more panic attaks or hot sweats, crying, those pills are the most powerfull thing ever, i wount be taking them again ever, im now wondering how long does it takr for your period to start again.

i'm wondering that too firkingal, been off the pill for 4 days now and feel like i'm back to the 'knicker checking' stage of never knowing when something's going to happen
will have to start carrying stuff with me i think!

a liitle update for you all, not taken this nasty drug for eight days now feel so much better no anxiety or panic attacks my head feels so clear and i am so relaxed im sleeping through the night its great just one thing no sign of a period but hey im not going to worry about it whats the point this pill made my hormones spiral out of control so will take a while to settle down again it will happen when my body is ready. hope everyone is feeling as good as i do its a relief to no i am not going insane love to you all x x

Since stopping this pill I have been steadily improving. I am not completely back to normal so think that I probably was having a depressive episode but that it was magnified/made worse by this pill. I have managed to reduce my Ad's and am plodding along ok atm. I think it is defiantly worth yellow carding this drug.

Still no af....

But I am def returning to my old self, much more positive and upbeat
Took about 10 days i reckon, so stick with it.

I am new on this page too, i goggled in cerazette last week to see side effects. I have been taking it for a year and in that time have become a different person, it was such a relief to see other people suffering in the same way due to cerazette, i really thought i was going mad . i have suffered severe mood swings, anxiety attacks complete loss of confidence and have been very tearful. My partner is on verge of giving up on me and i don't blame him. however i stopped taking the pill last friday and am feeling as though a big black cloud is being lifted from me, i feel so much calmer. it makes me angry that when i have been to GP they just offer anti depressants . thank goodness i found this page

Well ive been off cerazette for 3 weeks now and im nearly 100% normal, but im still waiting for my period, ive got all the syptoms but yet nothing. how long does it take for your period to go normal?

Well ive been off cerazette for 3 weeks now and im nearly 100% normal, but im still waiting for my period, ive got all the syptoms but yet nothing. how long does it take for your period to go normal?

I took Cezaratte for a few months after the birth of DS. It made me feel really miserable and panicky. As soon as came off it I felt so much better. I'm worried about what I will do if bf is successful this time as I won't take Cezarette again, hopefully there may be other options.

I had taken the pill (Dianette) for years and it never gave me any problems.

be warnedi felt great for the first 3 weeks!! ive just had my first period 4 weeks after coming off this pill and it is the worst period i have ever had in my life i have never had such a painfull heavy bleed ever not even after the birth of my daughter. ive no energy at all and am so tired spent 2 days in bed also had bad heart palpatations went to the doctors who is testing me for a thyroid problem now, i never had a problem until starting this pill and wish i never took it in the first place i blame this for my ill health at the moment i guess i still have some hormones in my system and am wondering how long they will take to settle down if i have to go through this again next month i dont no how i will cope

Well I felt great for the first month and was so pleased that I was experiencing no side effects. Sadly it hasnt lasted! Like many of you I too have felt very down, quite tearful and depressed. I have just had baby number 3 and thought these symptoms were just a result of being busy and perhaps a bit run down. But now I feel like an invalid. I am very tired, have got an mouth ulcer that I cannot get rid of and am now taking antibiotics for mastitis and cystitis. Lovely!! I am breastfeeding my daughter of 4 months and cant stand feeling like this anymore. So after reading through all the experiences I am going to stop taking it. I think the problem is it is a gradual process and we dont realise how bad it is making us feel till we stop taking it. I am usually very healthy and full of beans so its rather a shock to feel so fragile. Good luck to you all !!

hi i cant believe how many people have suffered the same problem with this pill, i have been off this pill since my last post and have felt so much better,
ive had alot of relationship stuff i have been going through recently and i know that if i was still on the pill there is noway i could have coped with it all. i did think about have a coil but have decided against it to give my body a break from being forced to do whats not natural.lol. anyway i hope your all feeling better now. xxxx

just a little advice have been told the hormones can stay in your body for at least 4 months and a soya supplement is good to take it helps with eastrogeon levels. hope this is of help to anyone

having af now, finally think that's about a month off cerazette...

Hi, I've today googled cerazette due to my unsatisfactory symptoms I'm having and am shocked to find these comments, thank you for posting them.
I've been on Cerazette mini-pill for about two years (can't believe it's that long!). I was put on Cerazette after having key hole surgery and a cist removed from my filopian tube (I had two and they left the other cist in my womb - eek). They said it would 'give my body a rest'. I have always had severe periods every month since they started (about 20 years ago)and am bedridden every month (with one or two exceptions) being sick and feeling like dying kinda stuff. This has disrupted my work life considerably being off sick and I've indeed lost jobs to this health issue.
Due to having open heart surgery as a child I am not allowed to take the full pill due to extra health risks that they carry and I can only be put on the mini-pill according to my present doctor hense going on the mini-pill.
My symptoms on this cerazette pill are that I've had boils-spots on my face constantly now, although the strange thing is that these spots and boils have been there permanently (not intermittantly) since about a year or so ago, so did not have them say the first 10 months. I was going through a stressful time about a year ago so thought it was stress spots or something! Then I was diagnosed with being allergic to cats (of which I have two for about 5 years now!) so I've been thinking my symptoms are the cats and was for a short while taking hay fever tablets they mild form-forget the name. I've stopped them about two weeks ago. Then also two weeks ago, (as I was abroad for a week),I started to take half my mini pill (yes I actually cut them tiny little pills in half with scissors!)Last night I just didn't take the half pill due to someone commenting on my spots while I was out at a bar for the first time in months. My appearance is no longer a happy one and I just don't want to be sociable, also the mini-pill has made me put on weight. I noticed this as soon as I started taking the pill and was quite pleased at the time, as I'd been previously under weight a year before that (about nearly 3 stone!-due to stress). And I was also please as my boobs were a bit bigger!! Now from my holiday pics, I have been more shocked and my eyes more opened to my health problem. My bottom part of my face almost looks like it reacting to something and swollen,(my eyes look kinda sunken) and my weight is just not right and too big. Also Symptoms are fatigue, I've not had a full time job for some time(I had a cleaning job about a year ago and had to lay down before going to it-just two hours a day job!I had a full time job at high school for a couple of weeks, but had to reduce my days (it was temping so this was easy to do), but my anxiety got that in the morning after going to the loo, I'd start coughing, which turned into 'reaching' then trying to throw up into the loo, but then just sobbing into the toilet! (which actually made me feel so relieved) then I'd start yawning- and have to lie down! The job is known to be a fairly stressful one, so thought it was the job -or just me as I had depression in my teens due to family situation, and counselling in my 20's etc.
I'm a bit worried about lilly's warning of the worst period pain ever when coming off cerazette, and would like to know if this is other people's experience too? As my periods were always bad anyhow. I just lived in fear of them. Going on cerazette gave me relief, and took a lot of fear out of my life. I had bad pmt before cerazette, and this was reduced for a while when taking cerazette, but I still have anger bursts but not quite like before, this may be that a stressful period is now over in personal circumstances so hard to measure it.
I just feel cross and fed up though now with my symptoms.-mainly the fatigue,anxiety,rash/spot/boily face and weight. I guess I ought to tell my GP what I'm doing, I hate the docs.and pills.
Thank for your post again. x

Thanks for everyone who's posted here. I can't believe its taken me so long to make the connection, I've been on Cerazette for a year. Yesterday i realised that I started feeling depressed around the same time i started on the pill. Also had the anxiety and zero sex drive. It's been a very difficult year, I really hope the cerazette is to blame. DH and I have just decided to stop taking it and see what happens.

I have been on cerazette on and off for about 2 years now. I had been on the combined pill for about 5 years before this until I was told migraine sufferers should not take the combined pill (why had it taken 5 years for a Dr to alert me to this?!) and that the mini pill was better. The first time I took cerazette I was on it for about 9 months and had no problems at all. I have a history of depression and had not been off my happy pills long before I started cerazette. Unlike some of the poor ladies on here, I did not have any problem with mood swings or feeling down. I felt quite emotional for the first 2 weeks I started taking it but I guessed that was the change in hormone levels in my body. I did not have one period in the 9 months I was on it which for me, was great. I stopped taking it due to very painful boil like spots on my face. I did not have a face full, just one or two at a time but as soon as one went, another started to appear! However, when I stopped taking it, I had very painful and heavy periods, which I never used to suffer from before I took the POP. So after about 4 months I went back on cerazette. That was 9 months ago and again the painful and unsightly spots have reappeared. I would say the advantages for me are no periods, larger breasts (I was an A cup before and I love my fuller boobs!)and no adverse affect on my history of depression. The only disadvantage for me is these spots - it sounds like a small price to pay for what is otherwise, I think, an excellent pill, but they are affecting my confidence. My husband and I are looking to start a family next year so combined with the acne, that is my reason for stopping this pill however I would definitely consider it again in the future. I am so sorry to hear that so many of you have had such a rough ride on cerazette. Thank you all for your posts x

Thank god for this thread!I thought I was going mad,and it's all down to this blooming pill.I am coming off it this minute!!!
Went from being a very happy person to seriously depressed,and all that's changed is that pill!
Was prescribed it to deal with bad pmt(mood swings),but instead it just gave me permanent moodswings!

wow, this thread actually confirms what I always suspected and after years I stopped taking cerazette. I'd been on the combined for a few years, very happy with it, unitl one day I just couldn't see from one eye and developed migraines so was put on the mini pill. after not long I was on the cerazette I felt very depressed. Thought it had to do with stressful house move and having FIL living with us for nearly 2 months (he's a very exhausting person to be around and always end up having big arguments...). I got to the point of being very suicidal and in a very critical moment I thought that no matter what was going on, it wasn't enough for me to get in that state. Went to the GP and told him how I was feeling and thought it could be the pill. His answer was "are you sure there's nothing making you depressed" and offered antidepressants. was quite p'd off, as I thought that there was no need for that straight away, just wanted to try a different pill. So went home, threw away the cerazette and within days I felt absolutlely fine! But felt so ashamed of what I nealry did that I've never told anyone, and all because of a stupid pill!! such a big relief to have the confirmation I was right! though I tried different mini-pills (unfortunately I seem to get nearly 2-3 wks of bleeding and spotting with all of them so won't take them again), none had the same effect.

I WAS PERSCRIBED A MINI PILL opps caps, when dd was 4 weeks old as i was bf,

within days i was depressed, i was crying, not coping, telling dp i was an awful mum, thinking i couldnt love dd,

one night all came to a head and dp suggested i stop taking it just incase it was having an effect,

i stopped and within 3 days i was totally normal again,

yep, same one

Hello all!
SNAP!

This happened to me also - I was prescribed Noriday - norgestimate - three months after DD was born, as I was b/f and I think it really wrecked my experience of being a mum.
Within days I had searing headaches and by the end of the months I was considering suicide 'you'll all be better off without me' was my sobbing mantra.

It's a nightmare - my OLD GP was unsympathetic, and told me that I was to let it settle down, but I quit taking it after one month. My poor DH had had enough of seeing me wailing and collapsing in tears, whilst holding my throbbing head. DD was getting spooked.

After a months or two of taking St John's wort and going natural - no pills - I began to make up lost ground. But that first christmas was HORRIFIC.

I still feel angry at my GP, (and myself TBH) for telling me that there were no side effects and that I should carry on taking it, to let it settle, even though I knew my body was telling me enough.

The mini pill stole my babymoon!

These stories are al so awful - i hope you all have the same effect coming off as i have.
I'm still the same stroppy sod i've always been but without the crazy mood swings.
also an added plus, i've started losing weight, really easily, so far
must be hormonal as i'm still bf and still eating quite a lot.

Good luck to everyone coming off it