[brownhairedgirl]

Hey all,

I'm twenty years old, and I've been a very unhappy person since I was about eleven. My unhappiness got worse as I went through my teen years, mainly due to low self-esteem, lack of friends, and dissatisfaction with the way my life was going.

I went to a dermatologist a few days ago, and she decided to give me a prescription for Yaz to improve my acne. I've never been on birth control and hadn't really thought about it before, so when my doctor told me I should start taking it, I didn't have any strong opinions about it. Yesterday I got myself a three-month supply of Yaz.

Now that I've been researching more into the side effects of the pill, I've become more concerned, especially since it can cause "severe depression." I've never been suicidal, but I'm still an unhappy person. My greatest desire is to achieve happiness. I'm worried that these birth control pills will damage my psychological health.

Has anyone here ever taken Yaz? Is it common or rare for women to get depression from this pill? Do you all have any advice?

[ItsASecret]

Birth control pills first and foremost are not psychological pharmaceuticals, they are not prescribed for the purpose of changing a persons mood in any particular fashion. The job of the pill is to prevent ovulation and have the body think it is already pregnant so that you have a much lesser chance of becoming pregnant. IT IS NOT made to alter the psyche. If a symptom occurs that is psychological it goes under the "side effects may include...." because no drug comes without side effects. Not all women are affected the same way and there is absolutely no way to predict how you will react while being on the pill. Some notice absolutely no difference in their behavior, and some claim that the pill just does not work well with their body creating a difference in psyche (like mood swings, crying for no reason, headaches etc). Different pills will also react differently in each person, one may be perfect for one woman and terrible for the next. Only talking to your doctor can help you find one that suits you best if Yaz does not end up working for you. In addition, if you are looking for an antidepressant medication then you can simply ask, doctors are quick to prescribe because it is so unbelievably common for patients to ask. If medication is not your idea of a method to help your depression than you can still ask your doctor what other options would be.

[CHANDLERS WISH]

Can we talk seeing as you are anonyomous about what happened from 11 years of age? I can relate to that part and maybe it has nothing to do with the pill.

Welcome sweet.