Navigating Emotions on Medication

Hi Monday. I struggle with the same thing. The first time I was put on birth control, I gained a crap ton of weight. The second time (July 2021), I ended up in the hospital suicidal. Started feeling less suicidal once I stopped the birth control. I would talk to you OB and see about a different birth control option that doesn’t alter your hormones as much. I agree with Snowy, all your emotions are real and valid. Feel them, sit with them, and let go of the emotions. It’s really hard to differentiate and figure out what works best for you..

Oh my gosh I understand this completely!!! It's so hard!! Birth control, antidepressants, gluten, dairy, you name it. Those things mess with my head so bad. I guess the one piece of wisdom I have as I've been experiencing this is that all of the emotions you're feeling ARE real simply because you are feeling them. The question then becomes less about differentiating "real" feelings from "medication" feelings (or in my case also, gluten feelings), but rational/kind and irrational/unkind responses. If I can tell that I'm reacting really irrationally or in an abnormally unkind way, I try to remove myself from others until I can work through what I'm feeling. Sometimes I don't realize until after it's too late and I've already hurt people, then I feel really bad. I just apologize, explain what happened as best as I can, and try to do better next time. That is my go-to response for the irrationally angry or irritable feelings I get from gluten especially. For feelings of sadness or joy, I treat them just like "normal" feelings. Just because it's induced by my medication doesn't make the experience less real or valid.