The distance is making me depressed - I need advice.

[mmmaddie]

Hi. I’ve been seeing my bf of long distance for 3 months now. He lives in Florida and I live in Missouri. I’ve never struggled with depression, but recently my mental health has been plummeting. My friends have noticed I’m not the same as I used to be, my family has noticed too. My boyfriend could not be more supportive and is doing everything right. He is the sweetest, most understanding person, but the distance is really affecting me mentally and putting me into a depression. Neither one of us see breaking up as an option and neither of us want that, but I don’t know what to do. (Also for the ladies, I just started taking birth control about a month ago and am wondering if that might be contributing to the depression??) I am in desperate need of advice or ways to keep me happy.

[OhioJim]

Welcome to the forum, mmmadie! You are certain to find all kinds of support, advice, and encouragement on this forum. There are a bunch of really nice people here.

I don't have any personal experience with birth control, but in general any medicine, particularly ones that mess with your hormones, may cause depression. You have the package there with you? Do a search on the internet for the name. They always list the side effects.

Or you could just ask your doctor or pharmacist about the pills causing depression. Pharmacists know more about the side effects and interactions than doctors, by the way. Perhaps there is an alternative you could use.

I know it is a sensitive topic with some women, but some have wide mood swings with their monthly periods. Have you ever felt down like that before taking the pills? Maybe the pills are just magnifying the problem.

Not to belittle your problem, but you don't have to look very far to find members here with worse problems than yours. Some have not seen their SO in years (2 years now for me). I say this to let you know that you are not alone! Everyone here knows what you are going through.

[autumn1790]

From my experience and research, birth control can definitely cause depression! I would talk to your doctor. My doctor basically told me that to treat the depression side effect of the birth control, I could take an antidepressant...Nah, not for me, I switched methods and it's so much better! Do your research, google the name of the drug and side effects and there's online forums where people discuss their experiences. Sometimes it just takes some time to adjust to a new med, but I found trialing a med for a whole daggum year like my doctor wanted to be a frustrating miserable waste of time. You're the only one in your body and your body processes things the way it wants to, so only you can feel how it's going!

If you do decide to change bc and the depression doesn't lift, my advice would be to make sure you're not letting your relationship disrupt any sort of routines or hobbies that are important for your mental health. Relationships are a part of life, not your whole life. Best wishes!