birth control pill issues

hello ladies! (warning: long and personal) i've been on ortho-tris for over 4 years now and never really thought i had any problems with them...my periods are super regular which i love, pre-pills i would get bad cramps the first day but never had any since i started, clear skin, etc. a few weeks ago a coworker mentioned that she was switching her pills bc she feels like they made her very moody (she too had taken them for a long time). i was thinking about it, and i am and have been for a while now very easily irritated and easily upset at times (i am thinking probably more at certain times each month, but i would have to track it to be sure). also, for the past year or so i have experienced a decline in my sex drive (which completely *****!). i googled the issue and found this board with a 2 year ongoing post about it...http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/7/75.html

has anyone else experienced such effects after a long time on the pill? i was thinking of switching to a lower dose, but maybe quitting them all together is better, i am not sure. pills have always been a 'back-up method' for us (we use condoms too bc we are paranoid lol). i would love to hear some opinions! thanks~lacey

I had a similar problem with my pill. It was making me moodier and affecting my cycle a little. My Dr switched me to Ortho-Lo which is the lower dose one (obviously ) and I was much happier.

Of course then that stopped working for me too, and now I'm on Yasmin which keeps the hormones level all month, rather than fluctuating like the orthos.

Talk to your Dr, maybe a different script is all you need.

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Posted by wc0143

I was on bcp for over ten years (the last several on Ortho Tricyclen) and never had any side effects.

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Me too. I don't think I am prone to depression though. My best friend fights depression even while not on BC, and found it made her much more depressed and moody. They keep switching her, so I am not sure what she is on now.