Implanon and Depression: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Mmv...
• November 17, 2010

For Birth Control "I have had Implanon for three years now and have an appointment next week to have it removed. I'm looking forward to it! Reasons being: since Implanon, my sex drive is gone.. and I'm only 24 years old! This has caused BAD problems with my marriage and has nearly caused divorce on more than one occasion. The past 3 years have been horrible with this side effect. After doing research, I have found that this may be permanent even after Implanon is removed. Another side effect that I have is severe depression. I have struggled with depression before Implanon, but it has made it worse. I have also experienced fatigue. The only good thing about Implanon is the fact it has kept me from getting pregnant."

• ebb...
• January 25, 2010

For Birth Control "Where do I start? I'm 22 years old, and I had Implanon inserted in the middle of July 2009. Insertion was painless, but side effects are unbearable. I've gained 50 lbs and counting, constant bleeding ever since I got it; severe anxiety/depression and mood swings. No sex drive, increased vaginal discharge, acne... did I mention I've been bleeding for 6 months! I want to switch to Yaz, but I smoke."

• Anonymous
• September 28, 2010

For Birth Control "I have had the Implanon for about 12 weeks and am going to have it removed next week. Although a good form of contraception for preventing babies, I have found it made me moody, anxious, and at times downright depressed. Also sometimes aggressive, and my libido dwindled to nothing (rather defeats the object). My poor young boys think an alien has inhabited their mummy's body, and they are the final reason I am having it taken out. I have been irritable beyond belief with them and never was before this went in. My husband wants his wife back, my kids want their mum back, and I want my life back. It works for some people. It has not worked for me."

• lii...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 27, 2015

For Birth Control "I just got my 3rd rod in Feb. 2015, and I am not sure why I got another one instead of trying something different. It does work very well, but the side effects are terrible. I got on it because I thought it would make my periods go away, and it didn't, it just made them much longer, and I recently had to start taking iron pills to help. The first 2 years, I gained 30 pounds, and I became very depressed and anxious (which is still going on in year 7). I do not sleep very well, and I am not sure if it is the birth control or not, but I am always tired and never have energy. I have a sex drive, but sometimes I get a really sharp pain in my lower stomach that makes me not want to have sex because the pain it causes is not worth it."

• sta...
• April 27, 2009

For Birth Control "December 1, 2008, I had the Implanon inserted and have had problems since. I have mood swings like crazy. I am now taking depression and anxiety pills because they think it was postpartum depression. It's not, though. I have been snapping at my 7-month-old son and husband. I was admitted to Green Leaf since they thought I was a danger to my family. Turned out that the Implanon is causing this. I cry all the time for no reason, and I am now taking depression and anxiety pills. I bleed all the time. The Implanon has been hurting since I had it done, I have gained 25 lbs because of this as well. I am taking it out this week for the sake of me and my family."

• Hot...
• January 11, 2016

For Birth Control "The depression I suffered with the Implanon was scary. Until I had it removed, I had no idea what a horrid grip it had on my emotions. I wanted to die most of the time. As soon as it came out, I cried almost nonstop for a few days and then started feeling better. Almost back to my normal self now. Thank goodness."

• Imp...
• November 27, 2016

For Birth Control "I've had the Implanon for just over a year now, and I've never felt so low in my life. I suffer from mental issues, and I feel as this has made it worse. It is good for preventing pregnancy, but the side effects are too scary. I've had multiple pregnancy symptoms, which keep scaring me. I also gain weight, have no motivation to do anything, and really bad mood swings, which affect others around me, so I think it's time to take this thing out and see a bigger difference!"

• Oma...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 10, 2017

For Birth Control "Inserted October 2014. Started tracking May 1st, 2016 because I had been bleeding a week before that. Today is Feb 10th, 2017. In the past 286 days, I've bled 192. It's effective as hell because you can't ever have sex, nor is the desire even there. We used to go multiple times a day, now it's maybe 1 time a week. I had no acne. No weight gain. Hair started balding in some areas. Cry every day, never used to. Depressed to the point where I'll cut it out myself (no longer insured), and if I die, it's better than another day with this thing. I'm no longer the same person I was in October, and I'm so disappointed I didn't do enough research. My hormones are compromising my relationship, friendships, and Implanon was easily the worst decision I've made."

• don...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 13, 2015

For Birth Control "I've had my birth control in for almost 2 and a half years now and finally made an appointment to get it out next week. I was in denial that the zero sex drive, long-lasting periods, mood swings, depression, and 45-pound weight gain was because of that. Don't get me wrong, it does its job. Bc for me, I had no urge to have sex so there was no way for me to get pregnant. Hoping to see a turnaround in my life after the removal and hopeful to patch my relationships affected by my raging hormones."

• LLe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 29, 2016

For Birth Control "The Implanon is horrible. I got it put in Feb. 2016, getting it taken out the end of the month. It made me really depressed, had major weight loss, nervous, paranoid, anxiety, and I wasn't myself. I lost interest in everything. I do not recommend this BC at all."

• Ano...
• March 14, 2014

For Birth Control "It works, didn't get pregnant for the full 3 years, however, I had some mood swings from hell, headaches, anxiety, depression, dryness, and little to no sex drive. I didn't gain a lot of weight (maybe a couple of pounds). However, everyone is different, so side effects can be different."

• ano...
• August 24, 2010

For Birth Control "I had it since March 2009. I was breastfeeding, and it was great. Until I stopped breastfeeding in June 2010. Since then, I have been on my period. Super bad bleeding with the worst cramps ever or spotting still with cramps. NO SEX drive at all. I'm mad all the time at someone for doing anything. Always feeling sad. Feeling that I'm sick all the time, and my tummy hurts. I'm always sleepy. I HAD great skin, now not so much. I'm getting it out as soon as possible. No more for me."

• Nat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 19, 2016

For Birth Control "I would never recommend this form of contraception to anyone. I have never heard of a single woman (who I have known personally) who has had a good experience with the Implanon. I had it in for 7 months. I bled non-stop for the first 3 months, then did not bleed for one month and then bled again (consistently) for 3 more months. I had terrible anxiety and depression. My mood swings were horrendous and I was so uptight and moody. As soon as I got it out, within days, I felt better and my periods returned to normal (like clockwork). My husband said that I was not myself when I had the Implanon in and that having it inserted changed me into a completely different person."

• Emi...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 13, 2016

For Birth Control "I have had the Implanon implant for the past 7 years. My experience has been very positive, I have had complete loss of period since getting the implant and no noticeable side effects apart from a lower sex drive, which I have only discovered since getting it removed. 2 months ago, I had my third implant removed after talking with my boyfriend and deciding that I no longer required birth control and would like to experience my natural body cycles again. I have had a few side effects since getting it removed, but nothing too bad (some breakouts, exhaustion, lack of motivation), only my period still hasn't returned yet. My doctor said it may take a few months, so hopefully it returns soon."

• Viv...
• April 3, 2017

For Birth Control "I've had Implanon for about 3 years now, and it has been super effective in preventing pregnancy, but I plan to have it removed soon. I have gained almost 30 pounds, my hair falls out like crazy, and my hormones are so out of whack. I'm constantly feeling lazy, depressed, and super anxious."

• Cal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 16, 2015

For Birth Control "Ok, I got my implant in April 2015. Since I got it implanted, I have not had a period. It's now October 2015. My periods before I got the implant were regular every month for 3-5 days. Before the birth control, I had beautiful skin. I never broke out on my face, not even as a teenager. I'm 29 now. Since I had the implant, my face is always broken out with a lot of bumps all over my face. My weight has gone up. I have no urge whatsoever to have sex. I also get depressed and have major mood swings. Sometimes I get mad for no reason. I also feel fatigue at times and sleep way more. My husband wants me to take it out. He has noticed all the side effects. The only reason I have kept it in so long is because I don't get a period. I don't recommend."

• SMi...
• April 14, 2018

For Birth Control "I never really share experiences on these forums, but if this helps just one other woman, then it's worth it. I had the Implanon NXT inserted in January 2018. I had no apprehension about using it as I had it several years ago, and it was great. This time around, though, I wasn't so lucky. Since January, my life has been extremely difficult. Aside from constant bleeding the first few weeks and gaining 10 lbs, the anxiety and depression have been the worst. It took me a long time to realize that the Implanon was the cause of my anxiety, paranoia, and mood swings. I felt like I was going crazy. I tried everything: holistic therapy, meditation, diet & exercise, and eventually, by process of elimination, I realized it was the Implanon causing my mental health issues. Implanon removed yesterday, and already I feel better in my mood, and my mind has slowed down. I've always been a mentally strong person and a fighter, who luckily never suffered from mental health problems."

• Web...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 5, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on this for nearly 3 years and on my 4th one, each time was different. This time I was constantly bleeding, had mood swings, felt so depressed, gained 6 stone. Just felt like eating all the time, even sometimes no matter how much I ate I wasn't getting full. Also affected my mood/personality - one day I'm shy but another day I could be really confident. Had it out yesterday and feel so much more energetic. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone at all."

• Tin...
• October 17, 2018

For Birth Control "I only had it in for 6 months (this was about 5 years ago). Wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I used to be VERY fit and healthy. The doctor recommended it to assist with period pain. Within the 6 months and still training and eating healthy, I gained over 25 kg!!! Weight I've since never been able to lose, even 5 years later! It also caused my hormones to go crazy. I felt extreme depression, crying over everything and anything, it was unbearable. I demanded to take it out as I feared becoming suicidal! Against the doctor's suggestions to wait longer for my body to get used to it, I just went somewhere else and had it removed immediately. The depression has gone away. Getting this inserted was the worst decision I have ever made."

• Thi...
• September 25, 2017

For Birth Control "This birth control has been hell for me. I've been on the shot, and I had to stop after 2 years because it drove me crazy and I started having bone issues. So I decided to get on Implanon after my daughter. I thought things were going okay, but it is not, and I really need this thing out of me ASAP. Since having this thing in my arm, I've had non-stop spotting and periods all month, no energy, mood swings, depression, dizziness on a daily basis, and I've been having tingling in my arm and legs, but especially in the arm that the implant is in. I've also experienced weight gain and sharp pains where the implant is inserted. I touch and feel it on a daily basis, and it is still in the spot the doctor put it in. I think I'll just go without birth control."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 3, 2015

For Birth Control "Since getting the implant in, I had a few longer periods, and now I haven't gotten it for a couple of months. That has been the only advantage so far for me. I was always skinny, then gained 30 pounds from this. Being in my 20s, I was horrified. I have to get all new clothes because of mine not fitting, and I was so embarrassed to even go out. I've also never had acne before, and now I've been having major breakouts constantly. I also have no sex drive anymore, I have no energy, and I have been very depressed, which has never happened to me before. I am now getting this removed after 5 months of having it. Overall, I would not recommend this option. But of course, this doesn't happen to everyone."

• Dan...
• July 24, 2015

For Birth Control "I gave this method of birth control a 10 because it worked too damn good!! No periods. No pregnancies. That was the one thing it was GREAT for. However, on the flip side of that, it made my hormones go buck wild. Suicidal thoughts and actions. Anxiety. Paranoia. Depression. Back pain. For the longest time, I ignored all these signs. I thought I was going crazy. It was inserted back in 2010. It was only good for 3 years. By the 2nd year, I noticed a difference in me. I was very anxious. Irritable. Low patience. Not like me at all. People didn't understand why I was tripping. Hell, I didn't understand it myself. I told multiple people, 'there is something wrong. I need help.' Not realizing that the only help I needed was for them to take this thing out!!"

• Cas...
• July 21, 2016

For Birth Control "I was writing this wonderful, very wordy review on this when I discovered that I have a word limit. Dang. In a nutshell: I've never had so many problems with a BC. Significant weight gain, headaches, nausea, fatigue/insomnia, no periods for months and then weeks of bleeding. The worst is the change in my mood. DEPRESSION. I couldn't no longer trust my instincts. Everyone noticed a change in my attitude. It may be a convenience to just pop a rod in your arm, but it is NOT WORTH IT. I am telling you, stay away. I cannot wait to have mine removed."

• 1Ki...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 23, 2016

For Birth Control "I have never had a worse experience on a birth control before, but don't get me wrong, for some people this works! But for me, my moods were totally insane, completely up and down, and I could not control my emotions. I felt constantly depressed, and my sex drive basically disappeared. On top of that, I gained 15 pounds and could not lose it. I was the heaviest I've ever been on this birth control. I really can't stress enough how much it affected me mentally, though, it was intense, and everyone around me had to go through my terrible mood swings and anger too. I personally could not recommend this to anyone because of the side effects I endured. I got the implant out 7 months later and lost the weight I had gained and started feeling better."

• Sha...
• June 19, 2017

For Birth Control "I have had the Implanon for the past year. For the first couple of months, I started gaining weight, but I thought it was just me. I also began to develop depression, which was strange for me because I'm usually the happy girl without mental illness. After 12 months, I got the courage to see a doctor about these issues, and the doctors have put these issues down to the Implanon."