Implanon causing mood swings?

Hello, I am a 32 year old woman with no history of mental illness.  I do suffer from migraines and was taken to the ER last week for re-hydration.  I was given stemetil IM for nausea which I reacted very badly to, I had extreme anxiety, nervousness and heart palpitations, I felt totally out of control and could not be subdued.  The Dr gave me cogentin (sp?) which worked immediately and calmed me down.  I have also had this reaction to maxalon.  4 days ago I had the progesterone implant Implanon put in and I have been suffering from anxiety and severe mood swings ever since.  I had the implant removed today and feel a little better.  I am still very frightened as I have never felt like this before in my life - I feel disconnected to the world around me and am very teary and feel depressed, but the next minute I feel fine again - could these mood swings be due to the implant or some residual stemetil drug reaction?  I am too embarrased to talk to my GP about it.  How long does it take for the synthetic progesterone to leave my body? I just want to feel normal again, the way I did before I had stemetil and the implanon. I never had this feeling whilst on the pill. Thank you for this service.

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

It sounds to me as if the implanted progesterone malfunctioned in some significant way and gave you a larger than usual initial burst into your bloodstream.  If that is true, you should be feeling better each day.  Don't be ashamed to talk to your doctor about this...this is a serious medical problem, if I am right, and he or she should know about this.

[dodgybeats]

Thankyou very much for your answer.  It has been 48 hours now since the implanon was removed and I feel close to 100% better.  I'm sure it is a good contraception for some but obviously not me!! Perhaps I am more vulnerable to the anti-serotonin effects of progestagen due to my migraines, or like you said, maybe it was faulty implant that secreted far too much hormone.  Either way, for the first time in my life I can completely empathise with people who must deal with organic depression and anxiety everyday and i now realise how brave these people are.

[Skizo]

Implanon, depot medroxyprogesterone (DMPA) and Norplant used to prevent ovulation are well known for causing depressive moods and  emotional lability,

  Stemetil is used for nausea and is related to medications used in psychiatry (phenothiazines) which cause very troublesome side effects; that is the reason you were given Cogentin.

The effects of Implanon should wear off soon. Neither of these medication should have permanent consequences. Good luck

[dodgybeats]

thanks so much for your comment - it was very reassuring, I do feel better without the implanon but not completely normal yet, I guess it will take longer to get it all out of my system.  I thought I was fine until last night when I had a bad anxiety attack.  Never will I try progestin again!!

[nightcap71]

Hi there,
I know exactly how you are feeling!!! And I also know those feeling of feeling like a complete lunatic. I had implanon put in exactly 1 year ago, and sunk into a hole of depression (which I didn't realise at the time and just kept battling on) then the anxiety attacks happened but I didn't know what they were either and thats the only reason my doctor found out what was going on.. i thought i was having a heart attack or something! lol.. i am also only 31 with absolutely no mental problems in my life, the closest i have had to mood swings, was only after the birth of my 3rd child, i couldn't take the pill due to them, but nothing like the extremes I have had since the implanon! I had it removed 4 months after it was put in, did 3 weeks on anti-depressants and came off them. Since then, the depression only pops up every now and again, and is not severe, i can pull myself out of it after a day or 2. However, the anxiety attacks come and go still. Sometimes i can go 2 months without one, then they're monthly, at the moment they're weekly it seems. I finally got some medication to deal with them just this week from my doctor. I am however researching what on earth is causing them. I do believe that they have set off something in me (don't know what though as i have no knowledge there) however, the more i research the web, the more people i find on forums such as this one, that have had the same thing happen to them. I am annoyed though as no side effects like this are mentioned when having it put in. And if the Implanon did indeed cause this, how did it cause it and how can it be fixed??!!! I spoke to one person who is still on anti-depressants one year after having it removed! I am very interested in hearing from other people that have experienced anything similar from implanon and what they have done to "fix" it.
Thanks and good luck with the anxiety, I hope it clears itself up quickly for you.
Regards,
Melinda

[dodgybeats]

thank you so much for your post! it is so nice to hear that I am not alone in this.  I agree that this side effect should be highlighted more as questioning your own sanity is no fun.  I have friends who have had the implanon and have no side effects at all but then I was talking to another woman today who is getting hers removed because of depression.  I am saddened to hear that your symptoms persist....i hope you feel better too.  I am mostly ok today but have moments of mild depression/anxiety still which is really annoying as I have never had this before in my life.  I am a scientist and consider myself very rational but - if only I could go back in time I would NEVER have got that thing put in me. I found a website that you may be interested in, the Dr on it seems very informed re progestin and mood changes:
http://www.wdxcyber.com
I have posted my question above to him so hopefully should get his opinion soon.  Best of luck to you

Jenny

[nightcap71]

Nope you're definitely not alone, I keep finding people on forums like this one although haven't had much luck on the aussie forums. I'll be interested what the other forum has to say about it... theres just not enough publication about it! My doctor assured me that i'd be fine on implanon.. yeah right! lol

[Skizo]

The connection between hormones and the stress response has been known for a long time. Although most of the literature refers to cortisol,thyroid,prolactin etc. lately there have been some studies of the so-called neurosteroids which include progesterone.

The interesting thing is that it is suppose to act as a antianxiety agent because it works in the GABA system, the same place of action for benzodiazepines.

The fact that oral contraceptives cause depression and panic attacks has been known for a long time.

Norplant, which is similar to Implanon, has been known for a few years to produce depression, panic attacks and obsessive behavior.

Why some people present such problems?   The behavioral and neuroendocrine responses vary widely from individual to individual, most likely based on genetically-determined differences in the nervous system.

Where these individuals predisposed to depression and panic? Maybe, but the cases in the literature are of people that were "free" from psychiatric disorders.

The good news is that the problems are of short duration, or so they say.

[dodgybeats]

hi again, thanks for your comments skizo, they are very helpful.  Here is the answer I got from the Dr at the wdx cyber website in response to my question above:

"It can take a week or more to clear the effects of stemetil. It sounds as though you had a very bad side effect reaction to it and then the progesterone implant compounded it to a panic attack level of disruption.

Estrogen is much better for anyone who has suffered panic attacks and that is why you would do better on the pills than just a progesterone alone regimen which might worsen the panic attacks.

I think this will clear from your system if you are able to stay away from needing such medicines. A birth control pill might better, however if you need contraception"

I agree 100%, I will NEVER take unopposed progestin again!
ps I am feeling better and better everyday now, hope you are all well too.
Jenny

[nightcap71]

Thanks for your post, you sound like you have a fair bit of information on it all! I'd be interested in any other info. you may have :)
I was told because it didn't have oestregen (spelling?) in it that it would be very unusual for it to cause any mood changes, etc. I am now a bit wiser on doing a bit of my own research into things :)

[nightcap71]

I'm glad its all worked out well for you.. i'm still trying to find the meanings of all these new words that i'm learning! lol

I'm guessing that perhaps it is something i must have had festering somewhere in me, and the implanon just set it off.. now if i could just work out how to get rid of it i'd be right! lol

[jinglebts]

what is Implanont?

I do know that i had an iud (inrra-uterine devce, for birth control) implanted some 20 years ago, and it yanked me out of control -- up, down, sideways mood swings, the lot -- it was when i tried to slap my daughter across the face that i was absolutely horrified, and went to have it taken out ...

and the gyno, being a man, pooh- poohed my tale until i said that my husband had noticed my mood swings -- then he yanked it out quite painfully, but at least it was out ...

it's so awful to feel out of control, and  be at the mercy of our chemistry ...

[jinglebts]

and no, you didn't have ANYTHING festering in you!!!

[dodgybeats]

Implanon is a small rod which inserted into your upper arm and is meant to secrete about 68 mcgs of progestin into your bloodstream daily.  I believe in my case it malfunctioned somehow and secreted far too much which resulted in severe nausea and moodswings.  For me it was like having severe daily PMS, within 2 weeks of having it removed, I felt completely normal again.  It is supposedly a rare side effect. Natural progesterone apparently does not have this effect but progestins (synthetic progesterone) have been well known for years to cause depression and moodswings in SOME people. In fact there are numerous law suits going on now in America by women who had the Depo provera injections (again a progestin) and who have suffered these side effects.  Some IUDs also secreted progestins and this might have been your problem too.  Some Drs I have spoken to regarding moodswings and progestin look at me blankly and disagree and yet others nod knowingly.  I guess it all depends on your Dr's experience.

[D-man]

I hate to intrude on this specific question here, but I didn't want to pay the $5 to post a question.
I'm a 24 yr old male and for the past 6 years I have suffered with anxiety, panic attacks, and depression of some sort.
I've done just about every test known to man to see what's going on with digestive tract, and why I'm constantly fatiqued.
I have been on many antidepressents but have only made me MUCH MUCH worse. It seems now that my body is rejecting EVERYTHING, including things like caffiene.
I've been out of work for the past year on disability, and now forced onto unemployement. I go to the gym about 5 x's a week and try to play tennis 2-4 x's a week.
I've seeked treatement from therapists, acupucturist, cranialsacrial docs, massage therepists, and even hypnotherapy.
Since my body had such a horrible reaction from the previous antidepressants (Wellbutrin, Celexa, Remeron, and Prozac...and I think even a few more like Butral) I AM EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED to go back on one once again.
I feel like I'm back at square one all over again. No one has been able to help me at all.

Bottom line is, I don't feel depressed, I just feel really fatiqued all the time and mostly sick to my stomach.
I have been tested for just about everything including Chronic Fatique syndrome, Epstein bar, liver, kidney, etc. I've had about 10 CT scans within the past 2 years, and now I'm at the point in my life when the only one that can help me is ME.

I meditate everyday, pratice Qi Gong and Bac Hu.


Please HELP!!!

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

D-man

[slushy]

Thankyou!!
i really belive that finding this forum has been a life saver to me.
i had my implanon inserted just six months ago
the first six weeks were great, no bleeding and no other problems. however things then deteriorated fast. my bleeding pattern has been 14 days on 14 days off, and my mood swings have been violent to say the least. i have been fine one minute then either so enraged i could have killed or so depressed i actually threatned to jump off a 31 floor balcony. afterwards i would calm down and look at what i had just said or just did and wonder who that person was. i didnt recognize myself at all and felt so so ashamed of some of the foul language i used and the theats an accusations i leveled at my partner.
He had noticed that i had become like this since the implant was inserted but no way would i accept that or listen. then last week, i was at my very lowest point, constantly angry and hating the world, also depressed and really seeing no reason to live, and i came across this forum ( also one or two others afterwards ) which made me see i was not going insane, that others had felt like me , and that there was help available.
i saw my Dr and explained i wanted implanon out..NOW.. lol.. but they persuaded me to try an alternative first.
i have been taking a combined oral contraceptive pill now for 5 days ( yes with the implant still in ) and this has made me feel like a new woman.
according to the dr the bleeds and moods will almost definately be stabilized for the three months that i take the pill, and most likely there after, my hormones just need a little help stabilising .
if the lastthree days have been anything to go by , it works. i am 100% better and feel optimistic that the effects will belong term. i really hope so... wil let you all know once the pills have stopped again :)

[dodgybeats]

Your experience is very intersting, about 12 hours after I had the implanon put in me I started feeling strange - I would think about purposely crashing my car into every tree I drove past when I was at my lowest point...Perhaps your implant malfunctioned too, or perhaps we are part of the minority who are very sensitive to progestins.  All I know is that I wouldn't wish those feelings on my worst enemy.  I hope you continue to feel better on the pill. Jenny.

[costinni]

I am an 19 year old student with no history of mental illness recently I had implanon put in my arm and lately I have been feeling very emtional. The smallest things make me burst in to tears and feel low. I have also  compeletly lost my appetite and have had spotting but the main thing that worries me is the constant flow of tears. I don't feel like me. Is anyone else suffering like this?

[rollercoaster7]

Hi all,
I had implanon for 7 months. the first month my period didn't stop and then for the next 6 months i didn't get it all. In October last year i almost had a nervous breakdown, nearly left my boyfriend and plunged into depression that i still suffer from today. At the end of October I had it out but only after begging my doctor. I had my suspisions that not having a period for 6 months may have had an effect on my mental state.I told my doc that i wanted it out because i hadn't had a period which he said was common and to persevere but when i persisted he asked if i was suffuring from depression. when i said yes he said that he would take it out. The fact that he asked me that made me wonder how common a side effect it was. I certainly would not have so readily had implanon inserted. I am wrapped that you girls are experiencing similar things. not because i would wish it upon anyone, but it's so nice not to feel alone or like you are going crazy. It is a form of closure because it is answering a lot of questions about why I have felt this way. Sometimes i hate my boyfriend, my family, think i feel unfeminine, have panic attacks, cant fall asleep then over sleep, have irrational thoughts, convince myself of things that are not true. I really feel like i'm going crazy. I do what my counsellor(when I was seeing one) told me. Reassure myself of what is true, keep a journal. Remind my self what is true, like how much i love my boyfriend, how much he loves me. We will be together 2 years next week and we live together, I went back to uni this year. it does get better. there are setbacks as there always are in life. keep at it, be open with your loved ones, don't suffer alone, talk to your doctor.
Good luck girls, thanks for sharing and letting me share.

[rollercoaster7]

Hi all,
I had implanon for 7 months. the first month my period didn't stop and then for the next 6 months i didn't get it all. In October last year i almost had a nervous breakdown, nearly left my boyfriend and plunged into depression that i still suffer from today. At the end of October I had it out but only after begging my doctor. I had my suspisions that not having a period for 6 months may have had an effect on my mental state.I told my doc that i wanted it out because i hadn't had a period which he said was common and to persevere but when i persisted he asked if i was suffuring from depression. when i said yes he said that he would take it out. The fact that he asked me that made me wonder how common a side effect it was. I certainly would not have so readily had implanon inserted. I am wrapped that you girls are experiencing similar things. not because i would wish it upon anyone, but it's so nice not to feel alone or like you are going crazy. It is a form of closure because it is answering a lot of questions about why I have felt this way. Sometimes i hate my boyfriend, my family, think i feel unfeminine, have panic attacks, cant fall asleep then over sleep, have irrational thoughts, convince myself of things that are not true. I really feel like i'm going crazy. I do what my counsellor(when I was seeing one) told me. Reassure myself of what is true, keep a journal. Remind my self what is true, like how much i love my boyfriend, how much he loves me. We will be together 2 years next week and we live together, I went back to uni this year. it does get better. there are setbacks as there always are in life. keep at it, be open with your loved ones, don't suffer alone, talk to your doctor.
Good luck girls, thanks for sharing and letting me share.

[rollercoaster7]

Hi all,
I had implanon for 7 months. the first month my period didn't stop and then for the next 6 months i didn't get it all. In October last year i almost had a nervous breakdown, nearly left my boyfriend and plunged into depression that i still suffer from today. At the end of October I had it out but only after begging my doctor. I had my suspisions that not having a period for 6 months may have had an effect on my mental state.I told my doc that i wanted it out because i hadn't had a period which he said was common and to persevere but when i persisted he asked if i was suffuring from depression. when i said yes he said that he would take it out. The fact that he asked me that made me wonder how common a side effect it was. I certainly would not have so readily had implanon inserted. I am wrapped that you girls are experiencing similar things. not because i would wish it upon anyone, but it's so nice not to feel alone or like you are going crazy. It is a form of closure because it is answering a lot of questions about why I have felt this way. Sometimes i hate my boyfriend, my family, think i feel unfeminine, have panic attacks, cant fall asleep then over sleep, have irrational thoughts, convince myself of things that are not true. I really feel like i'm going crazy. I do what my counsellor(when I was seeing one) told me. Reassure myself of what is true, keep a journal. Remind my self what is true, like how much i love my boyfriend, how much he loves me. We will be together 2 years next week and we live together, I went back to uni this year. it does get better. there are setbacks as there always are in life. keep at it, be open with your loved ones, don't suffer alone, talk to your doctor.
Good luck girls, thanks for sharing and letting me share.

[Cheriesimone1]

I'm with you all, had the implanon removed today! Only had it for 3 months...oh and was it three months if horror!, mood swings, constant panic attacks, and feelings of impending doom, super sensitive to alcohol, like getting drunk to the point I couldnt remember after only drinking two drinks! I was like jeckle and hyde,i still feel horrible now still having panic attacks tonight. Looking forward to the progesterone wearing off......i have never experienced anything like this in my life! That implant is a death wish!