# Antidepressants and your cycle



## asdjkl12345

I was wondering if anyone has any insight into this:

I was on Sertraline, the generic of Zoloft for almost 2 years. It is an SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) and is used to treat depression and anxiety. I took it to manage some extreme anxiety I was having.

I started to wean off the medicine around July/August and was finally totally off it in the end of October. After I went off it I noticed my hormones and cycles went a bit nuts. My skin broke out like CRAZY (it still is, although it's a little bit better as I got a prescription for Retin-A), and my cycles have gone a little haywire. Back in January I had a 46 day cycle with a 23 day luteal phase or something like that and I WASN'T pregnant (I had a blood test around 17 or 19 dpo). Then this past cycle my luteal phase was only 10 days!

My question is: does anyone know if going on/off SSRIs can mess with you cycle and your hormones? Has this happened to anyone else? And if you know anything about it, how long does it take everything to settle back to normal?

I asked my psychiatrist and he said that since I'll be more stressed and anxious after coming off the medicine the stress will mess with my hormones. The thing is, my anxiety and stress have not been bad at all, so I don't think they are the cause of it.


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## newbie123

Those drugs definitely mess with your hormones. I can't tell you how long it will last, but unfortunately doctors often don't fully understand the withdrawal syndrome from those drugs and are quick to blame your emotions. I'd recommend talking to a good pharmacist.


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## k.mcmahan2010

Hmm wonder If that would explain why my cycles have been so messed up since I went off my depression/anxiety meds (which actually was the same that you are taking)....


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## asdjkl12345

I heard that your body can develop a physiological dependance on the drug as far as Serotonin levels go. Maybe we just need to increase our Serotonin? I know certain foods can do that. Bananas are one. I'll try to google some others!


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## asdjkl12345

Hmm... according to what I've read so far, basically just eat a healthy and balanced diet: complex carbs, proteins, fruits, veggies, healthy fats. Avoid too many carbs but don't cut them out all together, and stay away from too much sugar. 

Things we should all do anyway haha. I read somewhere Evening Primrose Oil may help too. I take it in the first half of my cycle and do a multi vitamin with B vitamins and Folic Acid for the second half.


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## k.mcmahan2010

Hmm as soon as I get this essay done I think I need to look into this a bit more.


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## Leafy

hmmm, this has really intrigued me. ever since coming off AD's (when we began TTC) my cycles have been anywhere between 33-60 days!!! never thought it could be anything to do with the coming off meds. However my anxiety has got so extreme I am now 3 weeks into a different AD and now hoping my cycles straighten out again if it IS to do with the meds! x


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## asdjkl12345

Let us know if it changes anything at all! I'm okay with my cycles being a bit irregular since my ovulation day has always fluctuated by a week or so. It's more that my lp seems to be fluctuating as well. 

I'm starting to wonder if my 42 day cycle was actually an accidental miscarriage. We were careful around the time of ovulation, but I guess it's not impossible. I did have a triphasic cycle that month, a 23 day lp, and a very faint positive pregnancy test but it was on a Target brand (although this brand uses blue dye and I read a review of a woman saying her husband got a positive on a Target brand test). I had a negative blood test that same day, so you would think that if the hpt was positive the blood would have been. I just chalked it up to an evap line. I went on to get 2 more negative hpts before af arrived. My gyno said it was probably just a weird hormonal fluke.


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## Happymama64

Hi Ladies, I stumbled upon this site while googling cycle changes after going off Zoloft. I read your posts and decided to chime in. Although I'm probably past the baby making stage of life (48 years old) I may have some insight as I've researched this quite a bit. It took me nearly 3 months to taper off as I was at a high dose (200 mg). I've not yet seen my doc so next week I'm sure she will have some info foe me. My experience is that it does effect our hormonal systems, in which way I'm not sure. As I went off my bra cup size went down and I lost weight, yay! But I've also noticed that my cycles are about 3 days shorter. I would chalk that up to perimenopause except that the timing was so obvious. Luckily after 7 years of being on Zoloft I find that aside from the withdrawal symptoms which have abated, the process was rather easy. My anxiety has not come back. I feel that my hormones and cycle and body are where they should be for my age. No more hot flashes, huge sore boobs...and my libido seems stronger. I've tried unsuccessfully in the past to taper off and I'm happy that this try was a keeper. Anecdotally I can only imagine that if I were in a fertile time of life I would become pregnant more confidently than if I were on the drugs. However, if you are young and fertile and in need of Ssri than I would encourage you to stay on them until your doc prescribes otherwise. We all know the risks involved, but a happy mama is a happy baby. Maybe it's my age talking but I encourage you all who are dealing with this issue to take a deep breath and at some point in time know that you will be able to go off. I was very surprised at my happy outcome even without the hope of a baby in the back of my mind. Not that I would mind that either. I feel ready for anything!!! Good luck and baby dust all around.


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## Rachelle351

I never noticed a difference. I was on Celexa (which is also a SSRI) for 2 years. I have Major Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I was gradually dropped from 60mg in November to nothing in March. I never noticed any difference in my mensuration. They never warned me that my period would be different either. I think this is something you need to talk to the doc about. 

Before I was on Celexa, they had me on Zoloft. That stuff made me sick to my stomach, and the worst headaches I have ever experienced in my entire life, on top of over-riding the Ambiem they gave me, and woke me up at 3 am, with the shakes. Ugh. Never again. Glad it worked for you tho!!!! 

If you need to talk, I'm here for you!!! I know what its like.


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## BabyBean14

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## TTCnov2012

I was on sentraline as well for anxiety and depression- I weaned myself off last summer so it's been 1 year of no meds... I'm not sure if it has anything to do with my cycle being weird... I guess it's something to look into though!!


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