Brittney isn’t alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 30 percent of women go off the pill because they feel dissatisfied, foremost because of side effects like depression. And while Brittney’s doctor never addressed them when he prescribed the pill, once she noticed changes in her mood, she promptly found it listed as a side effect in the fine print. The results of depression and other birth control side effects can be devastating. One study2—this one followed nearly half a million women for about eight years—found that compared to those who never used hormonal contraceptives, current and recent users had a threefold increased risk for suicide. Sadly, adolescents had the highest relative risk here. Frustrated that her depression still lingered—even though she had been off the pill for three months—Brittney arrived in my office asking for an alternative to the antidepressants her doctor had prescribed. She didn’t want to try another pill; she wanted to fix the root cause of her symptoms. For me, Brittney’s inflammation provided a huge clue as to why she often felt depressed, but that wasn’t the whole story, and during subsequent consultations, her labs revealed that other potential imbalances contributed to Brittney’s depression. During that initial consultation, though, Brittney needed fast relief. We used these nine strategies to alleviate her symptoms and improve her mood: Brittney visited me several months later feeling far less depressed. She had been working with her counselor to deal with emotional issues, and subsequent consultations helped us pinpoint and eliminate other imbalances that contributed to her depression. Whether or not you’re on the pill, you never need to settle for depression. Speak with a naturopathic or functional medicine doctor to discuss non-hormonal alternatives for birth control and other medications. I even created a free post-birth-control syndrome detox diet to get you started! Curious about natural birth control methods? Here’s everything you need to know about birth control apps.
