Does anyone else find relief from the bcp for hormone related anxiety?

Hi everyone~

After successfully weaning-off of Effexor (which I had been on for several years), I have come to realize that my anxiety is hormone related.  The only time it tends to rear its ugly head, is when I'm ovulating or right around my period (two days before, two days during).  My doctor strongly suggests going on the birth control pill, which at 45 yrs old, I have never been on and I'm hesitant to try.  He feels that if my hormones are leveled out, that I will be just fine.

I know there are known risks with the bcp, stroke and bloodclots amongst them.  Before trying it, I thought I would ask and see if anyone else has taken the bcp for hormone related anxiety.  Being that I'm in peri, this could go on for many years.........

Hugs,

Karen

Karen,

Did you ever taper off Prozac and onto Lexapro?

My anxiety and OCD are reallllly bad around PMS time, and I just started to switch from a pooped-out Paxil to Lexapro.

I am praying it helps!

thanks!
Dawnie

I've been in peri menopause for over 10 years and my doctor has suggested that some of my anxiety may be my hormones and suggested the birth control pill for my menopause symptoms (severe hot flashes and insomnia) but I decided to not do it.  Just my personal choice.  I took the pill when I was in my 20s and had mixed reactions to it so have decided to just suffer thru. I've known a couple women who had what was supposedly hormone related anxiety and they took the pill and it didn't seem to make much of a difference for them.  I think it just depends on the person and their body.