Hi all, this is my first post. I was just diagnosed with PCOS about 3 months ago and was prescribed Metformin and Seasonique, which have helped a lot with the sugar cravings and the constant weight gain I had for over a year. I have actually lost 10 lbs. The bad part of it is, I feel like I've never been a woman before now :-) I just have such wild mood swings. I get extremely depressed about how I look and normal girl stuff, then I get really angry and frustrated, and then I'll be fine five minutes later, etc. I feel crazy! These feelings aren't every day, I'll have a few normal days, and then 3 or 4 of these "crazy days," where my mood changes every five minutes. I assure you all, I never feel the need to hurt myself or anything of that sort, but I am wondering if this is normal for the first few months. I had bad side effects during the first week of metformin (stomach-related, not mood), and now it's fine. I had zero mood swings for the first month on seasonique, but starting in the second month (I'm almost into the 3rd now) was when I started having mood swings. Is this worth it? I am really loving the seasonique, but my boyfriend (who is amazing and completely understanding!) very gently suggested that if the mood swings don't improve, I may want to ask my doctor about starting a mild antidepressant, and I have to agree that it may be a necessity. I hate taking pills, it took me a week to start taking metformin at first because I so hate taking pills and relying on them, but if it means the mood swings will stop I think I would rather take pills. Could some of you give me your thoughts on this, and share similar experiences and what was done about it, etc.? Thanks for reading this and for taking the time for me, I need a hug or something...

Sorry that it is not going well for you emotionally.

For me I struggled with pretty severe chronic depression for a long time. When I finally got my pcos diagnosis & started treating the symptoms my depression seemed to ease as well.

Hopefully as your body & symptoms settle down you'll find your moods do as well.

Kittyno, I have days were I feel depressed and sad. I find my self riding the waves on pain in those moments. After a couple of hours I check in with myself and remind myself that we all have valley's and peaks in life.

For whatever reason, I have this illness that alters my mind and moody but I will not allow it to alter my spirit. I still feel down but I try to do things to comfort myself. Try to be less hard on your self on these days. Take some time to do things that make you feel good. Some times I take a hot shower, get my jammies on and go to bed early because I don’t want to affect my loved ones.

Other days I try to meet with one of my girlfriends who talks so much I forget all about me and am tuned into them. After listening for a while, my situation doesn’t always seem half bad.

Long story short, you cannot allow this syndrome to control your life. Don't sulk in the valleys but comfort yourself during these times. Continue to post messages to these kinds of boards.

I don’t suggest taking medication. In fact, I am against any non-natural products. I understand there are some things that you cannot live without but try hard not to take medication.

I am in a situation where I am having side effects and my doctors just want to prescribe another pill... I don’t' want to take multiple medications. I encourage you to look at the Velvety Skin discussion thread.

Start exercising and being less critical of yourself. Love yourself and your companion. Make the best of your position in life whether you’re in a valley or on top of a peak.

I am having the same question....I started taking Metformin back in April but was forgetting to take it in the morning, skipping pills, etc. I started buckling down and taking it every day without missing a pill and my hormones feel like they are crazy. My hormones were SO bad the week before my period I could have SWORN I was pregnant. My periods have changed too - these past two months I have had a 4 day period. SO unusual for me - they used to spot for 3-4 days then come and then spot 2-3 more days, so my period used to last a week and a half in total. I feel like something is wrong with these 4 days short and quick periods! I guess its my body's way of showing me my hormones are regulating.
If its just happening in the short term Kittyno, maybe that is what it is, your hormones straightening out on you!

Most women diagnosed with pcos suffer the same problem. I believe that its not the meds that do the trick, its your attitude and the weight loss that helps regulate the hormones etc.
I personally noticed that when I'm exercising regularly my mood swings tend to subside. Just keep it up, you'll get there

I have the same type of mood swings. One minute I'm happy, the next, I am ready to bite someone's head off. I thing, in my case, it has a lot to do with my bcp. I am going to call my dr and see about changing to something else.

Well I thought I would give everyone on here an update, since it is my post. I'm just finishing up the 3rd month on Seasonique and Metformin and my mood has leveled out. I'm sure it was the massive dose of hormones. I also feel that part of what I was feeling what kind of "turning back into a woman." That may sound bad to you, but I have had such high levels of androgens for god knows how long, and getting that massive dose of hormones when I wasn't used to it at all. I do feel a bit more "in touch" with my emotions (those damn visa commercials with the past olympians and morgan freeman narrating get me every time)!

Anyway, I feel fine now, and I'm losing weight!

Yeah - starting birth control is almost always associated (for many women) with going a bit nutty from the hormones. Glad it evened out for you!

I figured out what the problem was-- Seasonique! That birth control is horrible! I mean, I loved only having a period every 3 months, but my hormones were so outta whack, and I actually developed a cyst in my breast from the seasonique, and my bra size went up from a D to an E (DD), almost F (DDD). and that's not from the cyst, either, because the "cyst-less" breast grew too.

3 months after quitting the seasonique and taking Alesse instead, my mood is back to normal, I feel like a normal person again. I don't cry over commercials anymore. I still have that cyst in my breast, but it has gone down a lot (not cancerous, just growth stimulated from the seasonique's high hormones, so says my doc). I may have to have the cyst drained with a needle (eeek!), but I am just glad to feel normal again. And my Fiance is grateful for the mood change (and the boobs) :-D

The BC will do that to you. I have been slightly moody since I started yasmine. I try not to be mean or anything - just do a couple breathing excercises and I'm fine. I'm normally a really up beat person so at time the mood shift can be a pain. Funny thing is people started to ask if I was pregnant because of it.