Hello all,
I have been following this topic and multiple threads for the past couple weeks and wanted to chime in about my experience and hopefully lend some encouragement. I am going through the terrible effects of stopping birth control, after taking Falmina (or whatever generic brand of BCP the pharmacy had) for the past 10-11 years since I was 16. About 2 months ago I decided to stop cold turkey because I knew that it wasn't good to be pumping synthetic hormones into my body for that long of a period and I also wanted to see if my sex drive would improve. I also had some bad health issues ranging from stomach problems, fatigue, moodiness and other things that I think were caused by the BCP - but that's another subject for another time.
Anyway, for the first week off BCP I was fine, and then out of nowhere I had my first panic attack after having a shot of espresso. It was terrifying and I ended up going to the ER because I thought I was dying! For the next couple weeks I was anxious off and on, and one day I felt so dizzy that I had to leave my office to go home and I called 911 just to talk to someone while I was driving to ensure that I wasn't going to die (again). I had multiple little panic attacks since then, which terrified me and sent me into a state of pure fear and anxiety at all times. Since then it's been a horrendous experience and have also dealt with dizziness, weak muscles, heart palpitations, light headed essay shortness of breath, off and on nausea, fatigue, severe mood swings and being super emotional, as well as being startled easily and stressed out in seemingly normal situations - such as watching an intense movie, or hearing a loud noise that makes my heart beat fast and I jump out of my seat. I had intrusive thoughts and felt depressed, scared for no reason, and overall just dark and miserable. I have dealt with minor phobias and anxiety before all this started but NOTHING to this extent, and normally I was so happy and outgoing. I have felt like someone has taken control of my mind and body and it is a terrible feeling!!
All of this led to me being agoraphobic and not wanting to leave the house in fear that I would have another panic attack. Some weeks I only leave the house to walk my dog or go on a drive with my mom, and I had to stop working because I could not handle the stressed of going to the office and dealing with clients. Luckily I moved back in with my parents after college so I don't have to worry about a mortgage or rent right now - I don't know how I'd survive! This has been going on for the past 2 months or so, and I have seen my doctor as well as a naturopath and plan on seeing a cardiologist just to be sure. My doc just suggested counseling and antidepressants and kind of dismissed the issue, which honestly offended me. The counseling however has been a huge help emotionally because it helps just to vent a cry and get feedback from a professional. My naturopath on the other hand wanted to try and get to the bottom of this and gave me a few supplements to help my brain get back to its normal functioning ways and promised they would help. I am also going to get my blood tested again to ensure nothing is wrong with my thyroid...my estrogen was in normal range but they didn't test my progesterone, so I am getting that tested again tomorrow. My naturopath said that it is most likely that I am low on progesterone, so he gave me Progestaid, which is supposed to help with balancing the hormones - and also Gabatone and ProDHA for the brain. I would recommend researching these supplements as they have a lot of great vitamins and minerals that can help someone dealing with anxiety or depression. I have been taking the supplements for the past week and I already think I see a difference. For the past couple days I have been able to leave the house to run errands and go eat at restaurants. I feel happier and less anxious. This is a HUGE deal for me! I know that due to my cycle and hormones dropping and rising that my anxiety will come and go for the most part, but I really do feel like the supplements have been helping a ton and I am feeling optimistic.
I did a lot of research online and many people say that BCP's deplete vitamins and minerals in our bodies. Since I stopped cold turkey while I was unhealthy, eating terrible, not working out, not taking vitamins, and on top of that STRESSED from a new job and relationship issues, it all tumbled down on me and my body crashed after the shift in chemicals in my brain. I was so used to having those fake hormones in my body that when I stopped, everything freaked out and didn't know what was going on! So it's really important to give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs in order to heal itself and help you balance your hormones naturally. I cut out dairy, gluten and all processed foods. I eat organic as much as possible and no sugar or caffeine. A healthy diet is essential. Also, mediation and yoga helps as well as a lot of sleep.
Since I am starting to feel better and more positive, I wanted to write to let women know that it can and WILL get better even though it feels like the worst thing ever while you're in the midst of it! You just have to give your body the good things that it needs in order to heal! Brain health is important as it controls the rest of your body and hormones....don't neglect it. Not long ago I was thinking about the most depressing things, wondering if I'll ever get better and even having thoughts of suicide. I would never hurt myself but the thought of giving up and not having to live in constant fear and anxiety sounded better than suffering! IT WILL GET BETTER. Hang in there and stay positive, and most of all, but KIND to yourself and your body!! Sending love and light to everyone suffering from this - keep your head up! XOXO
I decided to get on celexa after being 8 months post pill (after stopping pill) had 8 months of full anxiety! I decided to do what one of the girls did and it was to get on celexa for a few months to give my body a mental rest then get off. by this time hopefully my hormonal withdrawals had subsided...if that was the culprit..who knows,
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It's been 3 years and 1 month since I stopped the pill and that little episode happened. The depression and anxiety did go away after a year and a bit, but the experience changed me, I won't lie. That was a very traumatic time and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Eventually once my period and hormones leveled back out and I didn't feel so "off", I was able to get my mental state back on track.
My advice is to keep living life as usual. Don't shut ppl out, talk about it to those you trust and keep going out and doing things even if you get scared and it triggers the anxiety - it will all but surely disappear if you let it come at you with everything it's got. Let the thoughts come and go as they please. They're thoughts, they mean nothing and everyone has them, it's just in your state you're a little more sensative atm. The more attention you give them, the longer they stick around. Don't analyse them. Trust me on this one!
life is good again! And I feel for all you girls going though this. I remember sitting up at night readying stories on here, crying thinking I would never be the same again. And although I'm not the 'same' person I was before this experience, I can honestly say that I am healthy and happy again. Let your body heal, rest when you need to, go for walks and eat a little healthier. You'll get there in the end xo
Just wanted to add my own experience to this thread, because collections of stories like this have definitely helped me in what I feel like has been a very dark period in my life.
I got on the pill the first time last year when I was 25 because I had gone almost a year without having a period. Going several months without a period has been pretty normal for me since puberty, and I hadn't looked for answers before then because I didn't have any debilitating symptoms, but I know it's not what is supposed to be normal, so my GP recommended me taking the pill as a way to regulate my cycles. I've had previous experience with depression, which I was hoping was a symptom of whatever was causing me to miss periods, but nothing like what happened when I was on the pill (I think it was Sprintec)--I had just started a new job, and the first week I cried uncontrollably, and I've never been one to cry very often or without reason. So I got off it and immediately felt better, but I stopped having periods again.
Fast forward several months later, and I decided to go back on the pill. I went with Ortho-Tri Cyclen Lo, hoping it wouldn't effect me the same way as the Sprintec. I took it for three months and didn't experience any mood swings, but lost my insurance this past February, so I had to stop taking it. I took the last of the pills at the beginning of April, and immediately after I started getting anxiety so bad that I couldn't sleep, which has never happened to me before. It was coupled with physical symptoms, like heart palpitations, high blood pressure, flushing, pains in the chest, jitteriness, lack of appetite, and recently tingling in the extremities. I still get anxiety pains even when I'm not thinking of anything in particular--like when I'm watching TV or walking down the ice cream aisle at the grocery store. When it started, it was bizarre, to say the least, and I knew that something was wrong, so I immediately started looking around the internet for other women who have had similar experiences and was amazed at how many people have suffered through the same thing.
And it definitely helped to know I was not alone, but lately my symptoms have changed in the worst way--instead of anxiety-induced insomnia, I'll go a day feeling normal, and then later that day or the next day I will cry uncontrollably for hours. And the depression has also come back, after I thought that I had finally beat it for good, and coupled with the anxiety, it feels like I'm being buried. By far the worst part of this is that I don't feel like my mind is my own anymore, like I can't trust what I'm thinking. I've been very lucky to have the support of my family and friends, and right now I'm just taking it day by day. I've found the best way to deal with the intrusive dark thoughts and anxiety pains is to just "shut off" my thoughts and just focus on what I'm doing or what's going on around me without actually thinking about it. It's not a solution, but I find that my moods will often fluctuate from despair back to normal on their own if I wait long enough, so that's the best way I've found to deal for right now. I thought about trying to wait it out until my hormones go back to normal, but I don't know if I can deal with what I'm going through for several more months. I will have had these symptoms two months next month, and that has already been way too long. It's honestly felt like the longest two months of my life. I've also always felt better while looking for a solution, so I'm going to schedule a gynecology appointment asap and see where to go from there.
Something that I have come across is that some of these symptoms are very similar to menopause, and I came across an article about a woman who went into early menopause after stopping the birth control pill. There's an over-the-counter medicine called Estroven that is said to help menopause symptoms, one of the main ingredients of which is black cohosh, which contains a chemical that mimics estrogen and is supposed to "act similar to estrogen in some people", according to WebMD. I've only been taking it for a few days, and it recommends taking it for at least two months for full effect, but I can tentatively say that I feel a bit more balanced. At least, I haven't gone on an hours-long crying jag since I started taking it. That may just be the placebo effect, or wishful thinking, but I'll try pretty much anything except more prescription meds at this point, and I wanted to mention it, because if it's something that someone else hasn't thought to try yet and it works for them, then that's really the whole point of this post.
To everyone out there struggling and even as a reminder to myself: find something or someone to focus on that will get you through day-by-day. Like a lot of people have said already, it will pass...I'm thinking of getting that as a tattoo so I can remind myself every day. And never be afraid to reach out and talk about what you're going through! Your happiness and healthiness is more important than what others may think, and there's always someone, somewhere who will help, and who has gone through something similar. Love you all and stay strong.
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