Being in the late reproductive phase still, I'm on week 3 of Balziva, after a year of fighting insomnia with this wired out caffeinated feeling in my brain, horrible anxiety, hot flashes and muscle weakness only on periods, heart palpitations, and hideous depression. This pack features 35mcg of estradiol and a mere 0.4mg of norethindrone for progestin.
The good news on this pill is, my thoughts aren't nearly as anxious, and my heart palpitations are gone again after the Velivet pack had brought them back. (Previous birth control packs made the hot flashes and muscle weakness go away, too.) Best of all, I found myself needing to lower my Trazodone over the course of the last week. I found myself suddenly getting wired out and a bit too happy on only 50mg, and then crashing in the morning emotionally and feeling exhausted. So I lowered my dose. Was sleeping pretty good. Found myself still mentally exhausted and depressed during the day. Last night, I went completely off Trazodone after having cut down to 12.5mg the night before...and still slept. Eight hours. Then lay there for another hour, then dozed off for another hour. Didn't want to get up, but I had to.
It looks like on this pill I might not need Trazodone to sleep anymore. But, my brain just wants to nap, even if it can't sleep, all the time. It's like it's in a zombie coma. It still has no positive interests. I'm still scared on the inside, asking if I'll ever find the right anything to make my brain happy and alive again, and still able to sleep like a baby like I used to.
But, this is progress.
My question is, now that I've finally proven that my body hates too much progestin, what would you try next in my shoes? I know I should give it a few more weeks before I throw in the towel, and I will, largely because the OBGYN nurse won't give me another choice. But this roller coaster of trying out different pills, and the Trazodone suddenly making me wired and almost manic, has left me so exhausted. I feel paralyzed as to what to try next. Is it time for a proper antidepressant? But what if that makes me manic like the Trazodone did? I swear Trazodone was interacting with my hormone levels and gear shifting from sleep aid to antidepressant. This wasn't the first time. It was weird. I'm also scared of becoming dependent on an antidepressant. There are consequences that have to be considered when one takes those. It feels like my happy serotonin cushion is still gone, but also that I have no dopamine to give me positive drive during the day. My brain's felt so weird over the last year. I worry that I'll never enjoy normal hobbies again.
What would you ask your OBGYN to try next? My OBGYN nurse has a lot of dumb ideas. She wanted to take me off the estradiol all together and stick me on the Mirena coil by itself. Like, what?!?!? Shucks, she even suggested taking me off all birth control and seeing if the depression would go away over time with just Trazodone! What!!!!! I had to remind her that I had been having hot flashes without the birth control pills. I can't trust her to have good ideas. So far, you guys have suggested testosterone or going on levonorgestrel for progestin. Yaz and Yasmin were also suggested, but those sound like they have fairly high progestin in them, and I might not sleep again. I definitely don't want to go backwards. This is the closest I've ever gotten to a solution.
How about the Xulane patch (has 35mcg ethinyl estradiol plus norelgestromin)? Maybe I'm just one of those oddballs who likes lots of estradiol, more than anyone normally would? Is that even possible? But it also has a lot of progestin to counter it, so I'm thinking it might be worthless.
Any thoughts? What would you do in my shoes? I just don't know enough about this stuff. I feel so overwhelmed.
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Topic: Balziva (Ovcon-35/Femcon): Sleeping again, but...don't want to stop sleeping! (Read 652 times)