Irritable On Oral Contraceptive

[Charliesunnysky10]

My 16 year old has been taking the combined pill for just 1 week and in that short time has become short-tempered, emotional and argumentative. She was previously very easy-going and we had a great relationship, always chatting, seeing the humour in things.

In the past week she's asked me to stay out of her room, when I've come to see her, been short with her boyfriend (they never fall out as they're both really sweet and loving), and rude to a teacher, which in the 4.5 years she's been high school hasn't happened before.

I know all of these things are typical teen behaviour as I have a 22 year old, but for her, they are very out of character and the change is so sudden.

She says she can't control her emotions the same. She doesn't want to be rude/irritable but she says she just reacts so differently to things now.

She had gone onto the pill to regulate her periods, and because she's in a steady relationship for the past 5 months and they may think about becoming sexually active soon. She is very open with me about where they are up to and we were always honest about things, but she hardly speaks to me now.

Could it be this surge of hormones from the pill? Will it settle down or is this permanent? How long should we give it?

The pill isn't suitable for everyone. It made me moody and depressed. It's worth going back to the GP about it

@FlibbedyFlobbedyFloo Sorry it wasn't right for you. Should she do that now, or give it another week to see if it settles? Did you find a good alternative?

Might be that she needs a different pill

For my DD, the irritability settled after the first month, but I wouldn't have given it a lot longer than that to see. There are other pills to try if the first one doesn't work out.

gpnotebook.com/pages/gynaecology/oestrogen-and-progestogen-effects-of-coc

Sure it could be the pill but equally something else may have changed to cause this behaviour. You say the relationship is sweet and loving but my concern would be pressure (or more) from the boyfriend now that she is on the pill, problems with friendship groups or something else. I wouldn't jump straight to the pill without ensuring there isn't a deeper issue

@keye Thank you. It was my daughter that said she thinks its the pill causing the moods swings - but it's good advice to look at the whole picture.

They do say it takes 3 months for things to settle, bit if it’s bad, she may not want to wait that long.

I have a copper coil now, but that’s probably not an option for her at this stage

I've taken various contraceptive pills over the years but one (Dianette) had a massive impact on my mental health. I had wild mood settings, became argumentative, crying all the time... only stopped when a different GP refused to repeat my prescription. It was only then I realised the impact it had had

@ZuliKyanLarsFoz It IS Dianette. They may have been a bit swayed by her keen-ness for one that may reduce acne

@DingDongMerrilyWithPie Thank you...some real blasts from the past, there. I was on Marvelon 40 years ago!

Give it a few weeks to settle down - last time I changed pills I was an emotional mess for a good fortnight.

@rbe78 Oh dear. I hope you've got the right product for you now. The joys, eh!

I'll suggest she makes an appointment at the end of next week if she's still struggling. Being a teenager is tricky enough, and she was given a load of condoms which offers wider protection anyway. I'd rather they used those and have her back to being her sunny self, before she loses her relationship, and gets excluded.

@Charliesunnysky10 Yep, no side effects once things had settled down. I've been on the pill pretty much all of my adult life and that was the only time I had any negative effects. In general, I've found the freedom from period pain (and periods for the most part, as I run packs together) to be revolutionary - and the contraeptive effect is an added bonus.

A week isn't long enough to for the added hormones to settle. If she is still like this in a couple of months maybe try a different contraceptive

Aren't there just! I was on microgynon 30 for cycle regulation at 16 but it left me feeling low and angry and the GP said to stay on it for 3 months. Tried femodene when I was older and that was fine.

I hope she finds the right pill.

@DingDongMerrilyWithPie It's a pity we sometimes have to kiss a few frogs to find the right one. I hope some time in the future there will be a way of predicting which one will be a better fit, rather than the often miserable process of trial & error. I'm glad you later found what works for you.

I honestly wish I'd never taken it. It sounds like she is having a similar reaction to me. I understand that you have to give some things time to settle (I work in women's healthcare) but I'd honestly go and swap it asap. There are plenty of options that can help with acne.