Those side effects they list on the package are just there because they have to be, right?  They never actually happen to someone.

Wrong.

I started birth control pills when my boyfriend and I started dating in January of last year; my doctor started me on Alesse, which is a low-dose estrogen/progesterone pill.  After a couple weeks I noticed some extreme mood swings which were unusual for me, but friends of mine told me it was normal: they had the same problems for the first couple months until their body got used to the hormones, so I waited.  Midterms came, and with the extra stress came daily panic attacks and severe mood swings which had me calling my mom every night, crying so hard I could barely breath; it often took me 10 minutes before I could calm down enough to call, because I was dizzy from lack of oxygen.  I started blaming my depression on my boyfriend which caused relationship issues, and I started going to counseling with my faculty counselor.  His suggestion was sleeping pills and anti-depressants which I refused; I now realize that his knowledge of birth control pills should have given him a different diagnosis.

After five months I suspected it was the birth control causing my depression, but I didn't want to stop taking it because I'm paranoid of getting pregnant - even with the use of condoms.  However, as my sister pointed out, being depressed just isn't worth it, so I stopped taking it for a month and noticed some improvement.  I talked to my doctor about my depression and learned a few things:

• Progesterone contributes to depression and estrogen counters that effect.  So switching to a pill with a lower P:E ratio will sometimes help.
• Taking vitamin B every day also helps prevent depression when on the pill (she recommended 50mg daily).

She switched me to Tricyclen Lo and told me that this was the lowest dose pill available, and that if it didn't work out I would not be able to take birth control pills.

I swore this time I would be more careful and watch for signs of depression; I took 60mg of vitamin B every day and noticed how my mood changed if I forgot to take it.  Once again, I started having problems and couldn't tell whether it was the pill or my relationship, and my sister's comment was if you have to take a pill [vitamin B] to like your boyfriend, there's something wrong.  My academic stress got to me again, and I burnt out in the middle of finals and failed a course.  I decided I needed to break up with my boyfriend, and spent most of Christmas break agonizing over the decision and planning how and when to tell him.  I broke it off a year after we started dating.

When we broke up, I went off the pill because obviously I didn't need it anymore, and that's when I realized how depressed I was while I was taking it.  Depression is sneaky like that - you think you're just stressed, or your relationship is causing your paranoia, but once you find the reason you realize how much easier life is when you're happy.

I was lucky, because I my depression was much less severe than that of many people: I never contemplated suicide and the worst thing that happened as a result of my state of mind was a failed course.  I also got out of it when I stopped birth control pills and I wish there was such an easy fix for everyone who is depressed.  The only problem I still have is a more permanent form of birth control since the pill is no longer an option for me and I don't completely trust condoms.

If you've used birth control other than hormones, what were your experiences?  If you haven't, what would you recommend?