anxiety attacks after stopping birth control

Jeez!! What did your Dr say he attributes your anxiety to? Have you always had panic attacks and anxiety? Or did this just start when you stopped the pill. The BC I was on was the Nuvaring and I swear a year ago I was NOT the person I am today. I'm going soon to have my hormones tested. I think you should get a 2nd opinion. I take Xanax 'as needed' .25mg but I'm very careful with how much and how often I take it. It really helps and there is nothing wrong with it unless your abusing it or taking too much. I never take more then one .25mg a day.

I've never had this happen until I went off BC. I had been on it regularly for the past 12 years. I think I should have weaned myself off of it. No MD here will test your hormones. Only alternative doctors will do it. The only hormone test an MD will do is like thyroid and an FSH to see if you're in menopause. I need mine tested throughout the whole month to see what's out of balance. I can do a saliva test from my acupuncturist. Are they reliable?

I am so glad im not alone in all this! I was taking yaz for about 4 or 5 months and have decided to go off it because it makes me nauseaus. I am going absolutley crazy. I am paranoid, having horrible panic attacks, becoming depressed and am having headaches. This is awful and dont know if its worth going off the pill or not. At least on the pill I was constant but I dont really want to be dependant on a birth control pill for no reason. Hope everyone makes it through all this okay.

Heather. Thank you so much for sharing this. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. I am a 25 year old female who has been off the pill for months now and I am still strugling. Thank you.[


quote="HeatherG13"]I would love to share my story.

i have been on Yaz for about 3 years, and I had to stop due to financial issues. Since i stopped, about a month later I had my FIRST PANIC ATTACK. Had crazy emotions and feelings that were not me. I felt hopeless. My doctors put me on Lexapro 10mg a day and Lorazepam (generic for Ativan), but I have taken Lexapro for about 2 weeks, and do not want antidepressants. Im normally a happy happy person. I appreciate everything and love life. this took a big toll because since the panic attack i was extremely scared. I have to admit it has been about 3 months from being off and I am feeling so much better. I honestly cannot tell anyone how i got thru it because it was the worst thing i have been through yet! Sunday I got back on Yaz and am planning on going to the GYN to get on a more less hormonal BC so this will never happen again. I want all of u to know it DOES GET BETTER!!! I know it is God AWFUL but in time it gets better. DONT SUCKER INTO THE PANIC AND DEPRESSION.. do not think about it too muich because you will just go back into it. Keep yourself busy and be around friends. Good luck to you all!!! If you need a support buddy my email ****... feel free to talk to me because I too am going through it even though it is getting so much better!! love to you all!!!


**edited by moderator** **e-mails are not allowed**

Oh My Gosh! I am soo glad I found this! I'm 15 and I have been on the pill for about a year, because I had realllly bad cramps and my mom and doctor thought that it would help, which it did. But my body never got used to it I guess because every month when I started taking them again, I would feel sick and get bad headaches, the same symptoms you get when you start for the first time, and that never went away. I'm pretty sure my teachers hate me because at least 2 days a month I would have to stay home because of that, and then fieldtrips on top of that. On Monday, my mom picked me up from school (feeling sick) and she said that she was going to have me stop taking them. And I did, but since them I have been feeling really nervous all the time (anxeity I believe) and I have been stressed out and I have trouble sleeping, which causes more anxiety. I told my mom, but she just brushed it off. I'm doing a little research myself, and I was so happy when I saw all the posts about you guys having the same issues as me! Does it really take a couple of months to re balance? Also, I would like something that my mom would approve of :-P

I too am so happy to have stumbled apon this site. It has brought me immence comfort. I got off the pill about 3-4 weeks ago, since then I have been depressed and anxious. At first I had no idea what was wrong with me. I started feeling like I was going to die soon, this brought on extreme anxiety. So bad that it has begun affecting my daily life, its all I think about. I was terrified!! Ive been talking to my mom about everything and she has been a huge support, she even ran to a health food store late at night to get me some Mood Support pills. However after finding this site I put 2 and 2 together and realized that I too was a vicitim of the side effects that come with getting off the pill. Something that has helped me alot is simply learning how to breath again. I slowly take a deep breath in through my nose then hold it and blow out through my mouth, as I do this I picture every muscle in my body relaxing, Also, when a negative thought comes into my head I quickly eliminate it by telling myself its just anxiety and depression caused by me coming off the pill. I hope this helps even just one person because all of your post have helped me so much. I thank you all. I am amazed that there is no scientific explanation for all of this, it seems to be affecting alot of women. remember to breath :-)

Hi ladies, I just wanted to share my experience. I came off the pill in March 2010 and within a few months, I noticed I was more stressed (chronically - i.e. for no real reason), anxious, had low self esteem (partially due to my new acne breakouts) and I was incredibly moody. I'd cry at the drop of a hat. My mood fluctuated with my cycle. This went on for months.

Finally I came upon evening primrose oil. I took the maximum (as directed on the label) and I found that my breakouts became less severe and my mood has finally returned to normal.

AND maintaining a healthy lifestyle... i.e. eating healthy, working out, and keeping alcohol to a minimum... all will help keep the effects more manageable.

Good luck! :-)

Had the same exact issue and I am now on antidepressants which is helping, but sucks because I dont want to be on any medications. The doctors told me the same thing about birth control not causing anxiety. My anxiety attacks were VERY extreme. Sometimes I felt absolutely delusional. If I could do it over again I would not take birth control pills. They are awful, and side effects are awful. About three weeks after stopping birth control my anxiety started to kick in. Hopefully next year I can stop taking antidepressants and be medication free!

I stopped birth control 2+ months ago and I'm wondering what anyone has experienced during this time.

For the first month after I stopped birth control, I felt very off, had tons of anxiety and some depression. Overall I just felt weird and very, very, very bad. Then, the second month was pretty good, I got more active, more social, I did not feel horrible but the anxiety and bad feelings sometimes would show up, but less. Then I finally had my first real period after about 2 months. During my period I felt good. But as soon as it ended, my anxiety went really really high again! I felt sooo horrible for about 3 days, and I had a panic attack for the first time in a long while. By now it's a few days later and I'm feeling a lot better. But not 100% good. It feels like I had a huge setback for 3 days :-(

I'm wondering how long it took people to feel okay again, and what sort of things people have experienced in the first couple of months coming off birth control.

:'( Well sorry to say this but I've been messed up from going off the pill now for9 months. Anxiety, weird feeling, muscle twitches, head weirdness, etc. I'm trying BHRT but it's like a puzzle and you have to find the right pieces to the puzzle. The low progesterone is causing most of these symptoms. I don't know how old you are but when I went off the pill I had just turned 46 so I'm also in perimen. with severe symptoms from being on the pill for too long. Get your hormones tested to see if your prog. is low. I have to taake small doses of xanex several days a week too because of anxiety. I also get acupuncture once a week. take vitamiins and mineral supplements, protein, and try to exercise when I feel like it. the imbalance in my hormones has also made my thyroid low. I'll be so glad when I get this figured out. Good luck.

I am so appreciative for all of your posts. I have been through the worst 4 weeks, but finally getting better. I have been on birth control for almost 18 years due to progesterone deficiency in teen years and went off one month ago following a 3 mth trial of orthotricyclen lo which gave me terrible side effects: anxiety, hot flashes, irritable, high blood pressure and high heart rate. After going off the pill, my mood improved and blood pressure/heart rate, but I started having terrible panic attacks and constant anxiety for one month-musle twitches too. My period came on time that month, but after that period I had the worst panic attack (I am a social worker in a hospital-this was horrible!) at work. I have been out of work since then-no more panic attacks, but constant anxiety and for two weeks horrible tearfulness. I am taking small amounts of xanax to cope, which I hate doing, but none of us can stop our lives. I tried zoloft and was very sick-I do not want antidepressants! even though it is all the dr can offer to help with these effects. They want me to take Celexa now. I am not anxious or worried about anything, but my body feels so anxious. I wonder about the evening primrose oil...the dr. says she doesn't know about this and both primary and OB say antidepressants are all they know to help. They have been testing my hormones and they have been way off. I have just shut down, and I really have to go back to work and start functioning. Any help? People rarely write that it gets better or once it gets better? I am exercising and eating right (when I feel like eating-so bloated and sick feeling). I want to try to get pregnant soon so going back on the pill is not an option. How can I get my life back? How are you all making it through? I miss my old self-so confident and in control-happy and busy. Thank you to all of you for putting your stories out there-thank goodness for all of you, because my dr's couldn't tell me what was going on-"extreme reaction" they said. I have great support and a secure job despite how stressful it can be, but no one really understands this.

Hi all! Was going to wait to respond but am up and decided I should try and share asap- I know how the anxiety is so hopefully anything I say can help. First of all- this chain has literally helped to keep me sane. Like many of you I have felt like I have potentially been losing my mind and then fixating on all the negative thought my mind can muster. It definitely does not help that I am a little OCD naturally and have suffered from Post Traumatic Stress. I Believe There Is Hope- eventhough it may not feel like it at times we still have control- in times of panic I try to remember that it is hormonal and repeat the words "it's just a thought" to myself and breathe in deeply. I also find that trying to focus on it being withdrawals from the BCP help me calm into thinking that everything will be okay. THAT is most important- reassure yourself that in this moment (even if it may not seem like it) you are very much alive, you are fine and you will be ok. I have taken Birth Control for 8 years starting in high school for regulation (was encouraged that it is even safe to continue use forever.. which through my withdrawal experience I may not believe is so) and two months after I stopped I began to experience severe anxiety and panic attacks, thinking negative thoughts, feeling out of control and well you know... I'm a thinker which is bad for getting stuck in bouts of panic but good for research. Whether or not what I am abut to say is completely accurate it may help you or lead you to find your solution so here it is- During anxiety and panic attacks your body releases something called Cortisol, as I was told by my therapist (who is helping with calming relaxation techniques for anxiety and my PTS). What happens is this chemical is essentially the opposite of endorphins. The more and more you panic the greater the cortisol outweighs the good. Thus exercise is great and helps some people find or maintain a healthy happy mindset. When you have a hormone imbalance this can make it more difficult to get the chemistry in balance and many times saratonin levels drop in result of constant worry and vitamin deficiency. I recently found that the pill for many users can lower iron levels and many people can become anemic. Iron is great attributor to balancing hormones and hormone regulation. A low level of which may also reflect headaches and migranes. The same goes for the presence of Bvitamins. As for me I am still struggling with anxiety and will see my gynecologist this week as I have yet to do so since getting off- I know my hormones are out of whack it just makes sense. I am very gung ho on not taking anti depressants or more hormones to adjust but rather finding a way to self regulate and maintain calm. I found the following website which I will discuss with my doctor this week as too much of any of these (which I must point out have not been approved by the FDA) can cause other effects. But if she can help me get a nutritional plan to bring up my iron and get my hormones regular once more I am confident all else will follow suit as many others have mentioned. ***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed (notice the correlation between iron and hormone balance) I hope this can help some of you or that you can find your path better with my own experience- Best to all <3

Also- I have undergone hypnosis for immediate relief and recommend it to those suffering- you do not "go under" like they show in movies but rather are guided into a state of deep relaxation that otherwise is difficult to meet alone- this immediately helps to release endorphins which can help fight the release of cortisol from the anxiety :-)

I was wondering what type of thoughts do/did anxiety make you think? Like did you worry about everything,did you read or watch something then you were afraid you had it,did you fear things you never feared before like objects/people/situations/insects or animals? Did the fears go away once the anxiety went away? Is it just the anxiety causing you to think these things when in reality you don't fear any of it?

I have felt nervious about everything and then the things that I normally might feel a little anxiety about were so much worse. I can tell you that it is getting much better as I go through this month (beginning of month 3 of bc). I am waiting on labs to see if hormones have settled some, but I think my body is telling me they have. I think it has been more situations that produce anxiety for me because I just felt so uncomfortable-the feelings just never went away even at home. But they are better now-there is hope. I have been taking vitamin d and just started accupuncture. I think guided relaxation before bed really helps, too. I tried to explain to the dr and a therapist that it was the feelings that made me have the anxiety and that I didn't really fear any of these situations and didn't feel anxious any times before this happened. The therapist understood and the dr just said, "well, its all connected". This has been the craziest experience. I am still trying to figure out why this happened and will it be gone when my body adjusts. I want to be able to trust my body and be comfortable again. If anyone is going through this, try to hang on...it is really tough!