Is your DD taking Birth Control Pill to stabilize her mood?

[Anonymous]

DD is 15 with Autism, ADHD, Anxiety (and possibly OCD). Currently on Mirtazapine (to help with sleep), Guanfacine and Zoloft. I have a detailed daily journal on her meds and behaviors. I notice that her verbal outbursts (intense screaming), extreme anxiety, intrusive thoughts, difficulty falling and staying asleep, happen 4-7 days before her period.

How's your DD experience taking birth control pills to regulate her emotion? What kind of BPC? Which doctor prescribes it (pediatrician, psychiatrist, gyn)?

TIA

[Anonymous]

In the same boat and following.

[Anonymous]

I don’t have experience as a parent because I have boys, but as a special educator who works with kids with ID, many of whom also have ASD, I have seen birth control make an enormous difference for many teens and young adults. I don’t know the specifics, but parents usually choose the continuous kind where the period stops. I have also had kids with IUD’s for the same reason.

[Anonymous]

Adding to the above, the gynecologist at Children’s is who most of my families use for teens who are developmentally pretty delayed.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for bringing this up. I’m putting it on my list of things to discuss with physicians for my similar profile DD who is just starting puberty. Are doctors open to doing it so young? Ours is a wait and see kind of physician — but, any info we can be prepared with helps.

Having PCOS my self, the right” low dose BC has changed my life. I can only imagine how my DD will respond since every feeling is amplified for her…

[Anonymous]

I realized well into adulthood, at maybe 40, that my lifelong struggle with mood was correlated to my cycle and going on birth control pills, although I am a lesbian, helped me so much. Might not be for all cases, but worth a try. I have depression, anxiety, and OCD, and realized I was spiking, especially with depression, every month. I also still had acne and that cleared up considerably.

[Anonymous]

Ha Ha..when my son was 3 and we were meeting with the dev ped, I described his mood swings as a "teenage girl during her first year of her period".

Dev ped laughed and I joked that it would be great if we could put him on BCP to stabilize him moods.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I wish it's the "typical teenager mood swing". This one significantly triggered the anxiety and OCD to the point that I'm concerned about her safety.

[Anonymous]

It helps many people with mood but just be mindful that for others it increases mood problems and irritability. (Gyns are pretty bad abt warning about the possibility of psychiatric side effects of hormonal contraception so it’s good to be aware if she starts.)

[Anonymous]

Can a psychiatrist prescribe BCP instead of gyn?

[Anonymous]

Just came to report I have been tracking my cycle for a decade and have increased anxiety/ depression around ovulation and then day before my period starts. Researching it this is also when hormones are in the biggest flux. I didn't have a great experience with the added hormones of pills i tried other than the mini pill but there is newer stuff out there. Sometimes just being able to label your feelings and knowing they will end soon helps.