anxiety attacks after stopping birth control

I hope the women on here has experienced some relief...I have been experiencing. It since August 2011 when I had my first ever anxiety attack which was absolutely horrible for me. I still am experiencing anxiety now 17 months later, not as bad as before but it can still get pretty bad at times & it's scary!!! I have never had anxiety before this and I absolutely hate feeling like this! I just wish it would go away completely!! I want my life back!! I hate when all the crazy thoughts cause me to panic, it could be the stupidest thing and it will spark anxiety in me..has anyone else experienced stupid fears that have seemed to come with this anxiety like being scared over something completely stupid..if so please tell me. I feel alone in this and hope it goes away soon. I hate being like this!!! Please if you pray..please pray for me..you all will be in my prayers...if anyone wants to talk i have yahoo messenger (mommyofaidyn) Thank you!!!!

Anxiouslyawaitingforthistogoaway: you're not alone! I do get some pretty scary thoughts. If you want email me to lisyj1 at aol it feels a lot better speaking to people that are going through the same thing!

If anybody needs to talk feel free to message me, I'm going through the same thing it is absolutely horrible.

Omg!!! So glad I've found this site seriously thought I've been going mad!!I've been off microgynon 30 now since the end of November and have experienced my first panic attack about 5 weeks ago, it's absolutely awful I dont feel like I'm the same girl anymore :( I've come off the pill In preparation to start trying for a baby but at the moment can't even work let alone try for a baby!! My stomach is in knots constantly and this week have lost 6lbs down to not been able to eat ! I love my food normally too :( I've been having heart palpitations too which has resulted in me going on beta blockers arrgghhh so fed up now, I'm wondering when or if my hormones will ever get back to normal x

Hi im 26 and in Nov came off the Birth Control pill ive had my first panic attack about mid december for no reason at all, just sat down for tea one night and it came on?? Ive had another attack around 2 weeks ago and then this last Tuesday, im getting fed up now, my doctor says im suffering with anxiety attacks, but i really have no reason to be anxious etc, after reading about stopping the pill im sure theres a link between the two, just hope it goes quick!!!!

I understand how all you guys feel,I have been on birth control since I was 17..I am 25 now. I stopped my birth control End of July 2010 suffered my first anxiety attack August 1st. I literally thought I was going crazy. I couldn't eat..sleep..let alone think straight! I have never been like this before, I was in fear all the time because of the anxiety/thoughts that were running through my head..I lost 25lbs! I was like that for months with very few good days, so I decided to go back on birth control in order to control it... What a bad idea that was!! Didn't seem to help but I stayed on it hoping it would help but never did!! I stopped taking it again March 2011 the anxiety/thoughts/fear hit me 10x harder than before! It's been 11 months since stopping the second time around and I still have really bad days..some good days though!! The anxiety thoughts are what scare me the most, I hate feeling/being like this! I want to be my old happy self again.. I'm hoping that will be soon! When does this hormone nightmare end??? 

Would love to chat with you about your experiences. I am also 25 and began bc when I was 16. I stopped bc back in February 2011 and have had horrible anxiety, panic attacks, tachycardia, weightloss, dizzy spells, you name it! I have had all of my levels checked but only by an endocrinologist. Will be visiting a naturopath this week and hoping for some kind of help. I have since gone gluten free- good sensitivity test- exercising- no alcohol- no caffeine- acupuncture- massage- something has got to give! Praying that if indeed birth control is to blame- my levels will balance out soon. I have had an extensive work up of tests and everything Has come back negative. Must be hormones!!! Ready to have my life back.  ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

I definitely know what all of you are going through. I took for a few months in 2010 and after I stopped because my body never got used to it, I had the worst panic attacks ever. I would just completely break down thinking that I was going to die or that something horrible was going to happen. I couldn't enjoy life at all. I have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder due to some other things that I was dealing with earlier in that year and they are convinced that that is why I was having so much anxiety. I stayed off BC until Nov of 2011 and stopped taking it right after the first of 2012 due to my bf asking me to stop. He was convinced it was making me crazy. I was out of it, depressed, disconnected..just the whole 9 yards. I was starting to have bad mood swings and crying spells too. I stopped taking it and maybe a week or so later starting having intense anxiety and depression. Everything terrifies me. I can't make it through the day without obsessing over something. It has turned extreme and is threatening not only my sanity (or what little is left) but also my relationship. I will never take the pill again. I can't help but think there is some connection between my two extreme runs of anxiety and panic attacks and the fact that I had just stopped BC and then it all kicked in. Grumble, grumble...I am so ready to be back to normal again!

I sympathize with everyone on here, it's horrible & life changing to have to experience this nightmare. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy!  ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

I really understand how all you women feel on here, If anybody needs to talk..I am here Michellemomof1 at aol. It helps to know that someone is going through the same thing! You all will be in my prayers

Thank you all for sharing what you're going through...it makes me feel a bit of relief about what i've been going through in the past weeks... i stopped taking the pill Diane 35 in december and in the beginning of january i was feeling so down, with some depression symptoms, dizynness... then i felt better for a couple of weeks (maybe after i had my first period after the pill, even if it was just for 2 or 3 days and was very light), and now again i' ve been feeling very down...my period is already late for about 2 weeks (i took a pregnancy test and i am not pregnant...), i've been feeling dizyness, anxiety and also had some bad panic attacks....i also feel desmotivated at work because with all this stress i can't do a lot and have difficulty focusing on my work... :( i had anxiety issues before (including the panic attacks), but before i stopped the pill i was feeling better...now they're getting worst and not better...i wonder how long this will last....or if there's anything besides antidepressants that can help me, as i really don't want to take antidepressants...

Girls!! For anyone that's gone through this or going through this me and a couple of other girls really want to try and get the word out about this! Please message me at lisyj1 at aol or email Cfoster at sjc dot edu
You're not alone and we can create a great support system for each other and other girls.

I have been on bc for a month, stopped taking it 3 days ago, well 2 days ago my sleep left me. Zero hours. Anxiety and paranoia have been ridiculous. I'm sure it's all bc. I started taking it again tonight. I'd rather take it for the rest of my life and not deal with how paranoid I have been. Took a Xanax tonight. Hopefully it'll calm me down enough to sleep. Have an appointment with the Obgyn in 2 days. I just want this to end ): I'm glad it's not just me.

Hi Ladies,

I went through a lot of the symptoms mentioned in this thread and have RECOVERED!  Our bodies are AMAZING machines.  YOU WILL GET BETTER!  Here is my story.  I hope this helps.

I went on the pill when I was 14.  I took the pill every day thereafter until I was 29.  I never experienced anxiety, panic, or sleeplessness in all those years while taking the pill.  In November 2010, I went off the pill cold turkey; I never researched what might happen as a result of stopping the pill. 

Within the first week of being off the pill, I experienced a sudden rush of nervousness and racing thoughts.  These feelings were especially triggered in social or group situations.  I had trouble "hanging out" at a friends house during that first weekend after stopping the pill.  I felt short of breath, and I experienced a strong instinct to leave.  These symptoms continued and escalated over the next few weeks.  I really couldn't understand what was happening to me.

I experienced my first panic attack in late December 2010.  After sitting quietly at work, I went to get some lunch.  I suddenly experienced the classic symptoms: feeling like I couldn't breathe, racing heart, sweaty palms, a rush of heat.  I was in line for pizza!  I didn't even wait for my order and immediately went home.  I could not stop crying and had a lot of trouble calming myself down.  I was convinced I would never be normal again.  It was difficult for me to return to work.  Everything and every place seemed to trigger fear of another panic attack.

I also experienced some other symptoms.  My joints were very achy for the first few months after stopping the pill.  My sleep became interrupted on a nightly basis.  It was like clockwork; I seemed to wake up every night at 3am wide-eyed with a racing heart.  I lost approximately 10 pounds.  I stopped eating normally because eating seemed to make my heart race even more.  I stopped seeing friends, and I missed work frequently.  I feared ridiculous things.  Suddenly, modes of transportation were very scary to me - flying, driving, being on a bus or subway, etc.  Most likely because I always felt the need to escape suddenly.  I began to fear that I would hurt myself or someone around me.  Mostly I felt like I lost all control of who I was.  It was hard for me to remember how I could be so brave in my prior pill-filled life.

I went to my family doctor in January 2011.  She did not believe me when I said that I thought the pill had caused this change in me.  She recommended Prozac and finding ways to destress.  She also suggested that I talk to a therapist.  I left her office disheartened that she did not see a link between the pill and my condition.  I wanted to avoid going on any other medication that would alter my hormones.  I also spoke with my Ob-Gyn doctor.  She also claimed to not know anything about the pill causing these issues.  She suggested I go on the Prozac recommended by my family doctor.  I refused.  Instead, I started seeing a psychologist on a weekly basis.  The therapist was AMAZING.  She agreed that we COULD overcome this without any further medication that might mess with my hormones.  She encouraged me to speak openly about how I felt, what I feared, and where I was headed.  I stuck with the talk therapy for about 6 months.  Some sessions were better than others, but mostly, it improved my confidence that I would get better.  Each week we set a goal for me to accomplish - something as simple as riding the bus, to staying at work through a moment of panic.  She taught me coping skills for when I was struck by a panic attack or sleepless night.  I now feel confident that I can breathe deeply and remain calm when I feel the urge to panic.  I have come a very long way. 

It is now March 2012, and I am doing MUCH better.  I believe that I improved due to a combination of my body adjusting to my natural hormones as well as seeking out help through talk therapy.  Our bodies are AMAZING machines.  Be good to yourself.  Seek out help.  Talk to others.  And most importantly, be patient and have faith.  YOU WILL GET BETTER!  I am posting my story because when I was in my time of need I was on this message thread nearly every night.  God bless you all and stay strong!!

I am new off birth control as well, I was on the IUD for about 2 1/2 years, I went on the weekly patch that same day i got the iud removed, about a month after using the patch i started to get a really bad headache and i started to get anxious and depressed, i couldnt eat i couldnt sleep, i couldnt even be left alone.... so i took the patch off..... i had this spaced out disconnected feeling in my hed... its really scary and i dont know how to feel better, i got better for about a week after starting a new job, and right before i started my first real period the scary feelings came back.... i am right back at where i started... i have a massive hadache that wont go away, i have this dosconnected dream feeling back and its whats making me scared because i know this isn't the way life is suppose to feel and i feel like im going to be this way forevr..... i try and try to get better but nothing works............ i need help.... im so scared..... has anybody felt this dosconnected feeling? like your in a dream??  i hope all this is from coming off birth control then at least i know whats causing this......