anxiety attacks after stopping birth control

Hi, I'm not sure if you will even receive this message. But I have been off of BC for 2weeks today. And since I have struggled with OCD intrusive thoughts and anxiety with depression. I have become paralyzed by fear over the stupidest things. Fears that I have no reason to fear. I am a nurse so in one way it helps and in another way it makes it worse. All I can say is one moment I was fine and the next I was not. I am now on a very strict diet, I'm a runner and yogis. I have started to practice mindfulness and meditation. I have done a lot of research on CBT and exposure therapy. So I am doing my best to apply them as well. I PRAY a lot. I can say everyday seems a wee bit better. Your post has been the most encouraging because you actually described what was going through your head and the fact that you are a nurse as well. I have started taken organic vitamins and minerals to replace what the BC depleted me of. I know our mind is powerful and can make links according to our emotions and thought process so I am doing my best to tackle this everyday. I know if I do not, it will become even more difficult to defeat. Please message me back if you receive this, encouraging words help.

Reading your experience is so comforting me, although I'm sorry that anyone has to feel like this. I have had those exact same intrusive thoughts, and they are so terrifying and disorienting. My anxiety also started while I was on the pill, and it took me 4 months to figure out that was the cause. I've only been off the pills for 2 days now, but am still having those thoughts as well as frequent crying spells and depression. I know it's been months since you posted but I was just wondering how you're doing now. Hope things are finally going better for you!

Have you fully recovered now currently on week four got period last Monday and have been suffering panic attacks, aniexty feeling really low. Just want some hope I suppose

Anyone here has relationship OCD after stopping birthcontrol negative thoughts about partner overwhelm feeling of guilt intrusive thoughts, wanting to vent or confess thoughts to partner. Sexual intrusive thoughts that make u feel guilty or wanting to confess OCD. All centralized in your relationship if u do please share not sure if it's the same started occurring I believe two months before stopping pill or after stopping pill it's going on two years it's like the fears tag u along like a self proclaimed prophecy.. I fear bad intrusive thoughts I get them then feel guilty then start venting to SIgnificant other. Help!!! Anyone with similar please write here maybe we can talk private

I am so glad that I found this forum. I was on Lo Loestrin Fe for over 5 years and stopped taking it at the end of my last pack. it's been a little over a week since I stopped taking it, and about 12 days since I had any "active" pills. I have had the absolute worst anxiety, depression, overall feeling of sadness, etc. since I stopped taking it. I had no idea that this could happen. I just do not feel like myself at all. I've dealt with minor anxiety from time to time while taking it. But nothing to this extent. I've had intrusive thoughts, I ruminate often, have difficulty sleeping, and just flat out do not feel good. I have zero energy. I used to workout at least four times a week, and haven't made it to the gym a single day this month. I went to my gyno yesterday for my annual appointment and told her what I was experiencing. She said it was not common and the pill was already out of my system and seems to contribute my symptoms to a mild generalized anxiety disorder and sent me home with a script for Lexapro. I've since talked with multiple pharmacists, one of which specializes in compounding and is familiar with hormones and issues that imbalances can cause. All the pharmacists I've talked to say that this absolutely does happen when coming off the pill. and that it takes a while for your body to get back to normal and function on its own. The compounding pharmacist recommended that I try a progesterone cream, 20 mg/day until my period comes back, break for 12 days, then resume the cream again until the next period as an attempt to get my body back to what it was made to do. I am going to try it so we shall see what happens. Also was encouraged to take a b complex vitamin to aid in getting my energy back. I am so glad to know I'm not the only one going through issues after stopping the pill. If I'd had any idea that this could happen, I'd never ever started taking it. Good luck to all of us going through this. This too shall pass it sounds like it is a matter of getting our bodies back to normal.

Sorry your going through this (to the post above me) please let us know about the progestorone cream and how that helps. I feel like ever since I stopped the pill and stuff I went from feeling "flat" to then completely feeling like I was going crazy I mean everything and I mean EVERYTHING would pretty much in a way trigger my anxiety and anxiety symptoms I wasn't diagnosed with general anxiety and OCD until I stopped these stupid pills. Never again! Its been over a year but hopeful it will resolve I'll keep u guys posted I think we should create names for when we reply so we don't get confuse. Sincerely (Wish1234)

Thanks for responding to my post. I tried the cream last night, on my inner arms. I woke up this morning with some very very light spotting. Not sure if the cream helped or if this is just a coincidence. I don't know if it will just be spotting or will turn into abnormal period as the day progresses. My anxiety/depression seems to be not quite as bad today but it is definitely still present and I just don't feel right. Will try to keep you posted on my progress. How long did it take before your symptoms eased off?

I like all of you have never had anxiety or depression after switching to lolo for 2 months I had my first panic attack. I stayed on it for an extra month until my symptoms got worse. All that changed was a low dosage birth control so I decided to go off. That was the worst week of my life I couldn't eat or leave the couch or function. I had sever anxiety and depression and about 4 panic Attacks in 3 weeks. It did slowly start to get better, being active and eating right helps, and even though it's hard you have to push past the feelings you have. Smile and stay happy even though it hurts so bad. I'm 25 and been off almost 3 months now. I got my period twice and it seems pretty normal so I'm hoping it's a good sign. I haven't had any more panic attacks and my depression is almost gone but I still struggle with anxiety about 1-3 times a week. It's getting better it's just very slow. If anyone wants to talk about it and have some by your side ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** You aren't alone and I would like to not feel alone too!

Hi, ladies my name is Hope if you are here that means you are probably going through anxiety, OCD, mood swings etc. and are like me who thinks nothing has changed in their life besides getting on and off birth control. I want to share my story to allow others to share in vivid detail, not hold back so we can all figure this out together. Often times we don't want to tell our friends and family due to fear of thinking we completely lost it and just embarrassment.

I have been on birth control for several years, got off the low-dose pill and got an IUD Skyla to be exact low hormones. Afterward (a month after) I decided yeah let me get it off was starting to feel off since I got off the pill and then I assumed it was the IUD. I got off the IUD and my world turned over from what felt like a "flat nonchalant" emotion turned until Anxiety/OCD. I would obsess and I mean obsessed about having intrusive sexual thoughts about people, or sexual memories anything remotely "horrible" that would be so bad and make me feel so guilty that I would have to confess to my boyfriend that I had an "inappropriate thought" this went on for months and then the more I feared it, the more the thoughts and the occurrence of the thoughts magnify. Now I'm overwhelmed with fear of having an inappropriate sexual thought and reacting physically to it, it makes me question myself. It literarily is ruining my life this anxiety and fear, it's like I wake up and I fear it that it becomes a self-proclaimed prophecy. A cycle that can't be broken, no matter how much I want it to go away.. (they were not all of sexual nature) some were just negative things about small things, about people, about my past, about being mean, doubting myself etc. Any thought that would be Negative, made me feel guilty, made me uncomfortable and made me do my compulsion of "confessing to my boyfriend" was triggered into my brain. It's as if my own brain was playing tricks on me, defeating me and if my own bully was my own head. It's like I was divided into two my self, trying to rationalize but consumed in fear/anxiety and constantly crying out of frustration and then the bully side of my brain that felt like a demon trying to break me down and sabotage my relationship with obsessive fear over bad thoughts and will duplicate maliciously those thoughts 24/7 morning to night. It's been over a year and a half..i'm still with my boyfriend and we have pulled through this really horrible phase I'm going to but I'm desperate for answers, help and just trying to fix it.  I want to be back to how thing's were, well it would be better if I heal bc I feel like this has def something difficult to overcome and I will just appreciate life itself once it's over I have been feeling trap and I know this is something exhausting and troubling in our relationship. Even if I don't want to say it, or I hold in the thought or need to vent I get overwhelmed feel panicky,anxious, sometimes nauseous from the fear,debilitating fear, then I feel like I'm a fake girlfriend if I hide it and fake a smile, so I end up normally crying from the fact that im so frustrating. I was never like this and it's going to be two years and having this all day everyday is something inescapable and it starts kind of breaking you down. I feel stuck and I don't know how to rewind all the damage this anxiety has caused me, I want to be able to the person I was before and not keep going on this path and it's not something easy to deal with. My anxiety doesn't seem to affect anything but directly my relationship. I only have to vent to my boyfriend (I guess it's because I really care what he thinks for me, it's like every time I vent I need reassurance, it's definitely a compulsion.) It's something that is difficult because it's not once or twice a day it's like ongoing through the day so the repetition gets exhausting for us. We are worn out but hopefully, it will get better, I just feel like I have to fix this but have no answers.  My anxiety attacks my relationship, it's like "what if he looks like someone from my past" "what if I kiss him and someone else pops in my head" etc. they DON'T  all start with "what ifs" but they are negative, unwelcome and a lot of things trigger me. 

From eating a fruit to going to the restroom, I even fear to get intimate or kissing my own bf. (Which I want to just hug him and be like before) This anxiety has killed my ability to do everything. I struggle with everything, everything triggers me even the TV. I try to sometimes deal with it but I feel like everything that once was so effortlessly is so OVERWHELMING and my head is on auto pilot (the bad part) ready to trigger me with a thought that would push me to anxiety. I already wake up drained to know the whole day I will be having intrusive thoughts that will overwhelm me with guilt and have me repeatedly 50x times a day confess to my boyfriend. This is not how things were meant to be.

1. This started after I stopped birth control

2. I tested my hormones a year ago;blood it said normal but test are faulty and I have to recheck.

3. Everything else comes out normal. I'm in almost perfect health (according to my physician)

4. No family history of mental illness.

5. I was on anti-depressants no help. I tried therapy no help.



I believe it's hormonal imbalance after stopping pill and while on the pill. I have no idea what's going on with me. I could go on for days with how my anxiety has halted my relationship and tried breaking me down with fear. I just don't know what to do. Sometimes my boyfriend tells me it's okay I don't have to tell him, sometimes he goes like okay please don't tell me it's enough for one day and he's supportive but my head when is in anxiety mode which is pretty much always doesn't think like stop it's like takes over 100% my fear. I don't want to keep like having to vent/seek reassurance and have all these thoughts but I really feel like have no control. It's like an impulse to do the compulsion to get rid of the guilt/anxiety etc. It's like I'm inside a maze with no way out.

8. It's so hard to just let these intrusive thoughts just flow away like clouds when they surface I go into internal fear, guilt, panic and checking how do I feel, am I reacting to this (if it's of sexual nature) if it's not of sexual nature I just wonder why is this happening. Is like I lost my ability of just being happy, positive and disregard the intrusive thoughts. I know random thoughts pop into everyone's head but these are more disturbing the more I fear them and anxious I get the worse they are and overpower me. It's hard to explain. It's like if intrusive thoughts were a wave before they would just be at my waist flowing and I would be in my own world ignoring and just enjoying the moment "the happy day" and now it's like I'm just in the ocean scared of a wave coming and every time they come it's like 8 foot waves and It defeats me. I feel like if I don't fix this my life will cripple down entirely I feel like I'm hanging on a thread I have been working so long to be in a happy relationship, graduate and all this is here and I can't seem to enjoy it. I often think if I continue like this what's going to happen to me. I refuse to give up my boyfriend just because my anxiety/ocd has taken over to sabotage and try to directly hurt me by the person I truly care about. It's so unfair how we must have to go through things like this. I just feel like I lost 70% of the girl I used to be because this has affected me so much. Medicine doesn't work, therapy is not helping, trying to let the thoughts go by doesn't help, trying not to think about it doesn't help, venting/confessing to my bf helps (temporarily) until the next thought or whatever appears. I'm at wits ends. I'm currently trying to take vitamins, eating a mix of organic and less meat/no soy or milk products and just writing online because honestly, that's the only thing I can do. 

I'm going to do more testings including urine hormone test to see what might be going on and go to a naturopath. I will be updating you here but I really want to hear from everyone.



Has anyone experienced this? What has helped you? anyone overcome this? ANyones anxiety as severe as mine? (or based on relationship) I have heard death and health which are bad but mine seems to be not common, so I'm worried.

hi hope 2017. you're not alone I went through the exact same thing. I stopped HBC about 2 months ago and I still have days I feel extremely depressed and anxious bt it has been better than how I felt 2 months ago.

Wait you had the same type of thoughts sexual and relationship anxiety/ocd or different?
Thanks for replying.

I believe everything takes time. Do you feel like you have ocd..like u have to do something to relief the anxiety/stress. In my case is confessing. I hope you feel better! I really think any imbalance in the body...can cause our brain chemicals to take a hit. I strongly believe its hormonal even though my blood test from awhile back said normal. I will be retesting next month.

I am sitting here literally crying over this thread. I had no idea why I was feeling the way I am but I finally have an answer. I took Vestura for about a year and about two months ago started getting tension headaches. I wanted to rule out birth control as the cause so i stopped taking it about a month ago. The past few weeks have been the worst of my life- a full on panic attack that sent me to the ER because I had never experienced something like that, another one while driving, and just feeling horrible. I had no idea how to explain how I was feeling other than completely unlike myself. I have had the worst anxiety symptoms relentlessly- tight chest, insomnia, dizziness, tight throat, restlessness. My neck is stiff, I've had 0 appetite the past few days, and I can barely get up and do anything. I feel so exhausted, and it even caused me to have to leave work early multiple times. I have had bad health anxiety because I didn't understand what was happening to my body at all. Reading all of these posts made me finally have an appetite because I realized that whatever I am going through, I'm not alone, and it will pass.

Hang in there. I posted here a few weeks ago. I stopped taking Lo Loestrin Fe after over five years. I felt terrible for about two and a half weeks and had good luck using hormone cream - Pro Gest is what it is called I believe. My gyno didn't seem to think I was having symptoms from coming off the bc, but my regular md and pharmacist said I absolutely was. I have felt so much better over the last few weeks and it honestly feels like I've slowly come out of a "fog". My anxiety has reduced significantly and I do not feel depressed like I did a few weeks ago. I'm also happy to say that my period came back after being absent for over three years! My best advice I can give you is be patient while you ride this out. It does get better. I was at an all time low. I will never take bc pills again, ever. There are too many other options available that I will consider going forward. Best of luck to you.

Hi, has anybody gotten through this to feel normal again? I had to start taking birth control again due to the horrible anxiety, panic attacks, lack of appetite (I have lost 15 lbs in 2 months). I have been back on it for 2 weeks and I am still experiencing these things. I am so scared that I will never be normal again. I have found multiple posts about women with similar experiences after going off birth control but none that tell me how long it takes to get back to normal. I am wondering if anybody that has gone through this could please share their recovery experience with me. I am desperate, my kids and husband need me.