This information was taken from
‘Petition on Hormonal Contraceptives’:
The Real Effects of Hormonal Birth Control
By Susan Ciancio
According to the study group, “The largest study of incident depression and use of anti-depressant medication (Skovlund 2016) indicates significantly increased risks for both COCs and POCs for both outcomes. The same group studied suicide attempts and suicides (Skovlund 2018). Elevated risks were seen, and this was the case for both COCs and POCs. The recent NCHA study (Gregory 2018) showed a similar trend.”
The authors claim that their research has shown an “increased risk for depression, suicide risk, and suicide within 3 months of beginning to use the drugs and tapering off after 6 months, partly due to attenuation of symptoms, partly due to discontinuation due to adverse effects.”
The comments section of the website paints a dismal picture and offers evidence that these hormones cause new mental health problems and exacerbate existing or latent ones.
Julie Baltz, a family practice clinician who has practiced medicine for over 20 years, states that she has seen the psychological harm caused by hormonal contraceptives. She wrote: Even more subtle and underreported are the psychological effects. These patients simply state “I didn’t feel right” and often think that there is something wrong with them and that they don’t tolerate this type of medication. I’ve seen insomnia, anxiety, depression, anhedonia, anorexia, and poor libido directly improve within my clinical office by discontinuing a combined OCP. Another person, known only as TF, wrote in to say:
“In 2011 I was prescribed hormonal birth control to “fix” a very irregular cycle. Three
months later I started to struggle with crippling fatigue, loss of appetite, and disinterest
in everything except sleeping. I was shortly after that diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, and still to this day have to be on medication to remain functional. I still struggle with my energy levels, unfortunately, medication can’t cure depression and make it disappear. My doctor and I both believe that the hormonal birth control was likely a trigger to a predisposition for Major Depressive Disorder.”
A woman who wishes to remain anonymous stated: “In my early twenties I was prescribed birth control pills. The first cycle I took the pills as prescribed. I began to feel depressed, anxious, and crying daily, with mood swings. Prior to beginning the oral contraceptive pills,I had none of these symptoms. After completing the first 2 weeks of the medication packet, I called the nurse practitioner at the OB/GYN clinic where I originally got the prescription. She told me that the changes in my mood, depression, and anxiety among others, could not be due to the new medication, that it must have just been life. She changed me to a lower-dose contraceptive pill. After three weeks of taking the second prescription pack as directed, I decided to discontinue use of oral contraceptives due to the side effects. I had gained 15 pounds and felt terrible. “
The site is filled with story after story of people who have suffered—mentally and physically— because of these drugs. The authors want a black box warning about this side effect and warnings on patient-related materials.
