anxiety attacks after stopping birth control

@Jennifer I have too have experienced the disconnected feeling. I also have a long list of symptoms that started after stopping the birth control pill. But you also stated that you experience headaches/migraines, the headache could be the cause of the disconnected feeling. You could have migraine/headache with an aura..an aura can make you feel spaced out/something's not right feeling. My migraines make me feel spaced out even more so after stopping the birth control pill.  ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

This site is a relief.  I was on Yasmin for years and stopped taking it last month.  I have been crying about everything.  Every day I fear that my long-term boyfriend is going to leave me, every comment he makes triggers unnecessary hysterics.  Headaches, blurry vision, depression, you name it, I have been experiencing it.  It has even affected my job performance.  I had no idea it was going to be this difficult.  Fortunately I have a wonderful, supportive man, a best friend and prayer to help me through this.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE LADIES!!!

Don't go on anti-depressants and do NOT go back on birth control pills. Purchase Dr. John Lee's book or search his work on Google. You will find that the hormones in the birth control pills have caused a hormone imbalance and it is likely that you have too much estrogen, too low progesterone or both. Birth control pills have progestin in them which are completely FOREIGN to your body and therefore your body is depleted of real progesterone. Luckily, there are natural creams and oils with REAL progesterone in them and I would suggest taking that but do some research. I have had the exact same panic attacks due to stopping birth control pills and now I know why. You are not crazy and you don't have depression. You have a hormone imbalance which can be easy to fix with the right natural creams. Hope this helps!

Came off of bcp (lo loestrin ) around first of April. It is now June 2 and I have had 3 periods (or at least I think that is what they were)..they lasted for 5 to 7 days. Anyway this last time I started to tremble inside my body, having weird sensations throughout and felt like I was going to pass out. Since then, my upper back has felt like muscles have been tense and makes me feel panicky thinking something is wrong. Also I will note that during the beginning of period, I got really cold and then in the morning while getting dressed for work, I suddenly got hot. I called my dr and they said that it was just that I came off the bcp and would take a while for my body to get to norm...whatever that is ( I know what they mean..but after taking them for a while, I forgot what it was like to be normal) . Can it also cause heart palpatations? Please tell me someone has been through this. I went through a similar situation last year when I was on orthotricyclen lo...I guess they quit working as well for hormones in my body so I was switched to lo loestrin. I decided to come off cause hubby and I want to try for baby #2. First time I came off of bcp I got preg immediately...this time not so lucky. Thanks in advance for helping me ease my mind.

Loulou44- I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone! I too was on Loestrin FE (actually the generic type Microgestin) for only about 5 months.  I started getting a lot of headaches and chest pain and just felt light headed on them so decided I would stop.  Soon after about 2 weeks or so I had my first full blown Panic attack...that was the scariest thing in my life! I had no idea what was going on, I just woke up from a nap on the couch and felt super light headed like I was going to pass out, my checst hurt, I had a hard time catching my breath and it just felt like the room was spinning!  For about the next 3 weeks I felt the same way and then lost my appetite and started feeling super down and depressed.  The scariest part of all of this was that I kept thinking I had NO reason to feel so down and panicky!...it really scared me.  I went to my Dr ( who I would never really see because I don't go to the Dr much) and she was No help at all.  Without even talking to be about what was going on she prescribed me an anti-depressant and told me to come back in 3 weeks to see if I was feeling better.  I refused to take the medication she prescribed and went to see a nurse practioner....he was much more understanding and patient in explaining what was going on with me.  He stated that it sounded Like I was having a hormonal imbalance from coming off the Microgestin and going to the Nuvaring.  He had me completely stop both and prescribed an antideppresant anyway.  I started taking them and felt better in about two weeks.  About 4 weeks later i found out I was pregnant.  I had to wean off the antidepressant but have felt fine ever since!  I am so scared of the anxiety and depression to return....it was literally the worst month of my life. I Never want to go through that again!  Im so glad I will never have to be on any type of hormonal birth control after this child because I seriously feel like its just not for me. My body doesn't know how to react to the fake hormones that I would put in it. 
Hang in there......it does get better with time.  One thing I would suggest is taking a woman's multivitamin with some extra B12. One main reason our body goes through this hormonal imbalance is because it doesn't have the right nutrients to fight off the crazy thoughts. 
Best of luck in TTC.  ANd remember.....with time it will get better :)

I went off my birth control (Seasonale) in March and weened off the antidepressant Lexapro at the same time since my husband and I had decided to try and start a family, per advice from my PCP.  I have been on birth control for 9 years and the antidepressant for about 6.  I have always been an anxious person (especially racing thoughts at night), but the Lexapro (10mg) REALLY helped!  I was 'normal' and happy and fun to be around, but after I stopped taking everything in hopes of getting pregnant, a switch flipped one day out of the blue.  For about a week, I wasn't able to eat, sleep or concentrate on anything.  I felt lost and severely depressed.  My doctor called in a scrip for Zoloft which is an AD that has been approved for pregnancy.  After about a month, the pharmacy refilled my scrip, but gave me  a different brand (without really telling me!) and  I had a panic attack (which I had never had before!).  It freaked my husband and I out, but after an hour I was able to calm down, relax and go to sleep.  The next day at work, I had another panic attack, a little more severe, that caused me to have to leave work for the day; my wonderful husband was beside me every step of the way and took me to the doctor.  She gave me Vistiril for the panic attacks and upped my dose of Zoloft.  All of this left me very groggy, foggy and unable to go to work for 4 days.  That Saturday, I had a full blown panic attack that took me to the ER unable to calm my heart rate or BP...I cried all day (a good 9 hours).  They gave me a small dose of Ativan and it worked instantly.  After a long heart-to-heart with my husband, we decided to put the baby thing on hold until I am healthy and comfortable.  This type of stress is not good on an adult, let alone a fetus.  At that point, we also decided I need to go back on the Lexapro as it always worked for me in the past.  We know that it has not been approved for use during pregnancy, so we are just waiting to see what happens next and using alternate protection.  However, I am on week 3 of Lexapro and I am just not myself.  I am thinking I need to go back on my BC to see if that balances me out, get myself healthy, and when the hubby and I decide we are to that point again, we might try some type of hormone replacement therapy if I ever go back off the pill again to TTC.  The biggest problem for me right now is I wake up in the morning feeling shaky and feel a "rush" or "swoosh" of heat, adrenaline, sweep through my body to my feet.  I can't control it; it's like I am in flight or fight response with NOTHING to be worried about.  I am blessed with a great job, wonderful family and the most supportive husband anyone in the universe could ask for.  I just want to know if anyone has had any real luck with going back on BC or HRT?  Thank you for being a listening ear!

I went off my birth control (Seasonale) in March and weened off the antidepressant Lexapro at the same time since my husband and I had decided to try and start a family, per advice from my PCP. I have been on birth control for 9 years and the antidepressant for about 6. I have always been an anxious person (especially racing thoughts at night), but the Lexapro (10mg) REALLY helped! I was 'normal' and happy and fun to be around, but after I stopped taking everything in hopes of getting pregnant, a switch flipped one day out of the blue. For about a week, I wasn't able to eat, sleep or concentrate on anything. I felt lost and severely depressed. My doctor called in a scrip for Zoloft which is an AD that has been approved for pregnancy. After about a month, the pharmacy refilled my scrip, but gave me a different brand (without really telling me!) and I had a panic attack (which I had never had before!). It freaked my husband and I out, but after an hour I was able to calm down, relax and go to sleep. The next day at work, I had another panic attack, a little more severe, that caused me to have to leave work for the day; my wonderful husband was beside me every step of the way and took me to the doctor. She gave me Vistiril for the panic attacks and upped my dose of Zoloft. All of this left me very groggy, foggy and unable to go to work for 4 days. That Saturday, I had a full blown panic attack that took me to the ER unable to calm my heart rate or BP...I cried all day (a good 9 hours). They gave me a small dose of Ativan and it worked instantly. After a long heart-to-heart with my husband, we decided to put the baby thing on hold until I am healthy and comfortable. This type of stress is not good on an adult, let alone a fetus. At that point, we also decided I need to go back on the Lexapro as it always worked for me in the past. We know that it has not been approved for use during pregnancy, so we are just waiting to see what happens next and using alternate protection. However, I am on week 3 of Lexapro and I am just not myself. I am thinking I need to go back on my BC to see if that balances me out, get myself healthy, and when the hubby and I decide we are to that point again, we might try some type of hormone replacement therapy if I ever go back off the pill again to TTC. The biggest problem for me right now is I wake up in the morning feeling shaky and feel a "rush" or "swoosh" of heat, adrenaline, sweep through my body to my feet. I can't control it; it's like I am in flight or fight response with NOTHING to be worried about. I am blessed with a great job, wonderful family and the most supportive husband anyone in the universe could ask for. I just want to know if anyone has had any real luck with going back on BC or HRT? Thank you for being a listening ear!

I had the same symptoms. I think you should go back on lexapro and give your body time to adjust to being off the pill. Going off those both at once was too much for your body to handle. It took me 8 months to get my normal period and for my body to adjust to being off the pill. You can also take lo doses of xanax as needed for the panic attacks while you're bodies adjusting.

Hi I have been off birth control for just over 4 weeks now after being on it for 3 years and I feel like I am losing my mind. The first 2 weeks i suffered from nausea, bloating and the general feeling of being unwell. Now that has been replaced with anxiety and i always have worrying/racing thoughts, heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Sometimes finding it hard to sleep unless I tire myself out, I am totally not myself, I am only 18 and usually very happy and chirpy and now I just feel like I am never gonna go back to the normal me. I have just come on my first period since stopping BC so my question is does it get any better from here? I am starting uni in 5 weeks time and I just want to be normal again :(

Let the feelings come. Acceptance is key when dealing with the anxiety. No that it will pass. I too had the racing tachycardia and have controlled it with magnesium. Check with a doc first. Try meditating and calming your mind. I was on them for 8 years and have had issues for the past year with coming off. But I also have crohns disease which is not well right now. If at all possible find a doctor that will test your hormone levels. I started natural progesterone cream and a few other hormones to help balance my very low levels. It has helped my anxiety so much!!! Don't go back on the pill you can get through this. I have fought hard for a year and keep telling myself if will all work out. Keep your head up. I know how scary it is. Stop searching online for answers. I did that and drove myself crazy. You must stop searching. Your levels will go back to normal you must keep your faith. Blessings.

I have experienced this hormonal nightmare the pill causes. I unfortunately started having symptoms in Jan and didn't realize it was the pill. Finally it had gotten so, so bad and I realized it was probably the birth control pill. I've never had an anxiety attack in my life before this! So I quit the pill at the end of March. I continued to have the same horrible side effects- anxiety that almost never goes away, depression, heart palpitations, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, loss of sleep, loss of sex drive, feeling like I'm "in a dream"....you name it...I've had it.

So I had my hormones checked- I had VERY low progesterone, almost NO dhea, testosterone, or cortisol. This was after 7 weeks off the pill.  Finally proof of why I have felt so horrible!! Progesterone is a building block hormone- so because of my body not making it, it had stopped making the others as well. I have been on BHRT, but it's like figuring a puzzle out, so I don't know how much it's helping so far. I was actually sicker when first starting it as it "awakens" your receptors again. Ughhhhh!!!

So, it's now 4.5 months since stopping the pill. I would say most days I'm about a 5 or 6 out of 10. Not so good. But 4 months ago I was like a 1 every day. It just takes time. I know it is absolutely horrible, it's HELL, but, hang in there, it gets better over time. It just can't go fast enough....

Hi Ladies, I have been reading through this forum for 8 months now, and I want to share my experience. After going off birth control in November, I developed anxiety out of the blue in January, I'm now back to 100% on almost all days but I had to restart my birth control in March because mine got so bad :( This is long but It's my experience and hope it gives you all some hope:

My Story: Living with anxiety and panic attacks<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

So It all started when I awoke one day from sleep (yes one day, I work night shift). I woke up heart pounding, dry mouth, and unable to sit down. All I could think is, “ I can’t go to work like this, I can’t function, all I can think about is my heart about to jump out of my chest, how am I suppose to look after other people while I can’t even fix myself?”. So I sent myself (little did I know at that time, that I was creating a monster) into full on panic. It started with a E.D. visit, where I c/o LUQ pain, which wasn’t a lie, I did have it (and looking back I think that is what brought on the anxiety and made the “discomfort more apparent”). I had noticed the pain a night before and googled lymphoma and it did match my symptoms  . However, the GI work up was negative. X-ray’s and labs all negative. So then I thought, “well i didn’t mention the palpitations maybe it could stem from that.” Now I’m a nurse, I know that’s not the case, but my heart rate was in the 100’s, that I could physically assess, so  I was concerned. So 3 days later, after missing 3 days of work I visited my PCP about my palpitations. MY HR was in the 100’s on the EKG and at that time I did ask him about panic attacks, because even he noticed I couldn’t catch my breath. He sent me for labs to check for a PE since I had previously been on birth control but stopped 3 months ago. The labs were negative but he then consulted cardiology. I saw my cardiologist the next day who then put me on a halter monitor and did a echo, all was normal except for a few PAC’s and tachycardia, but nothing sustained, and as a nurse, I know this is normal. So now that I look back I realize how anxious I was because I was calling to make my appointments ASAP and was even trying to move appointments up, half because I was concerned and other half was because I was concerned I couldn’t work anymore and wanted to get this fixed. So about 3 weeks passed and just before I started a, “on the pill kind of period” I call it because I still haven’t had a normal one which makes me think this is all hormonal related, I had a full on panic attack during a meeting. I wanted to DIE, no joke! The very next day I saw my PCP and choked out the fact that I was extremely anxious, at this time I hadn’t eaten for days and only slept for 3 hours at a time. He prescribed Celexa and Xanax and I only took both once. I attempted to see a psychologist, but I got so anxious about them possibly telling me I’m schizophrenic, I didn’t go. Looking back, I see how crazy these thoughts were, but being a nurse and knowing what health care professionals think of there patient’s and the stigma related to these disorders, is not helpful, just made things worse. The celexa put me in a haze with raging insomnia, shakiness, nausea, diarrhea, cramping, and tingling throughout my body. The Xanax did help me but I don’t like the dependency trend on it, so I just keep it incase I ABSOLUTELY need it. So I decided I would try supplements. I bought chamomile tea for sleep. I only tried that once, but It made me way to groogy. Then I moved on to magnesium and fish oil, they both helped! However then I dealt with constipation, which I’m still battling. I use Metamucil twice a day and it does work. I refuse to go back to the doctors due to “frequent flyer” status and I know, as a nurse, we won’t do anything unless there is something physically wrong. I have fought this monster myself! I went through a few weeks (2) of thinking maybe I didn’t exist due to depersonalization, which I got through because I made myself think, “well, even if I don’t, might as well keep trucking, because this “dream” world isn’t going to stop for me.” I think that feeling was brought on from the extreme anxiety from the panic attack.  Cortisol levels sore during panic attacks which fog memory, and create blurred vision. Depersonalization is the brains way of self preservation, it makes you stop thinking essentially. Your brain is saying, “your in overdrive, stop it!” That passed and currently what I’ve been struggling with is memory problems and extreme tiredness. I don’t sleep that much, but I tell myself not to stress about it because we’ve all learned from now is that anxiety is nothing but a cycle and the only way to break a cycle is to “change it”. So I stay awake as long as I want, and guess what, insomnia never killed anyone! I sleep alittle better now but my current complaint is panic attacks while I’m sleeping. I think this is because I can’t really control my thoughts while I sleep. I can’t consciously say, “stop thinking that, It will send you into panic” until I wake up and then I do. So I do don’t sleep that much but I can say it’s not that bad, sometimes I get more things done. The problem is when you decide to build on your anxiety and over analyzing it. It’s true, you must ACCEPT it for what it is, or else, you will drive yourself crazy and will only develop more anxiety. Think of anxiety as an bacteria, the more you feed it, the more it will spread. It will sink into every thought you have until, you have a full panic attack. The point is, don’t let it rule you, you will have to make a conscious decision everyday to not let it get you. I have just now been able to recognize the feeling of it “coming on”. I like to describe it as an AURA like with epilepsy. I feel the feeling and then shake it off. I refuse to recognize it. Anxiety is physical but the mind is powerful and a lot of anxiety is behavioral, we acknowledge the feeling and then it takes control. I DENY anxiety. Don’t let it get to the uncontrollable level. You must nip it in the bud when you finally can recognize it coming on (this took me about 2 months to do). I will admit at first my anxiety was so EXTREME and I can’t even emphasize that enough, I mean I couldn’t even talk about it or it would send me into PANIC, which should tell you how much better I am now J that I couldn’t think straight, so many thoughts, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t think, I was crippled. I will tell you the worst thing you can do is deny what your really feeling and think it’s something worse, the mind is powerful and will create whatever you think to be real. Anxiety and self doubt go hand in hand, you must be able to see what your doing and what your thinking to be able to stop it. I thought at first if I give in and do what my mind tells me it will subside, but with my generalized anxiety, compulsion does not relieve the anxiety, it feeds it! Don’t acknowledge anxiety, only accept it. In the early stages you may need medication to slow down your thoughts so you can deal with them one at a time, which is why therapy helps the best with medication because you can cut out the thoughts long enough to develop an “escape plan” which is what I like to think of it as. This is the scariest thing Ive ever had to deal with. It’s a battle with yourself everyday. I had days where I didn’t want to wake up to deal with it and days I didn’t want to sleep because I’d have to deal with it all over again but you will survive and you will learn to deal. I’m not even close to 100%,, but ive come a long way in the past 2 months. My main drive is, “I will not let this define and beat me.” We all know what life felt like before this which should be our drive, we can feel that way again, I promise. Think positive! As for the intrusive thoughts, write them down, you may have 100, write them all down and only acknowledge the ones that are important that day, not the one’s years from now (which believe it or not, I was doing) or the one’s that are unreal, like driving (which was a big one for me). Refuse to think about the ones that are dumb and keep pestering you. Even talk to yourself. Self talk is a huge therapy strategy.  MY OCD also ran rampede with my anxiety, shocker huh! I would recognize my obsessive thoughts, tell myself why they are obsurd and then refuse to think about them. After this step, the next big thing is to recognize the feeling of the thoughts coming on and then shut them OUT! In the beginning I literally made myself physically sick from anxiety, don’t do this!

 

Good things for anxiety: Find a supplement that works for you. Exercise. Healthy food. Carry on with life, it’s not going to stop (even though walking out the front door seems like the hardest thing in the world). Relaxation. SLOW down! Drink lots of water. Keep yourself busy. Diary. Do things to distract yourself. Take care of yourself.

Bad things for anxiety: Thinking beyond today. Caffeine. ALCOHOL. Stopping what you like to do. Dwelling on your anxiety! Feeding your anxiety!

 

Anxiety is a hungry ever increasing in size merry go round. If you feed it, It will grow. If you spin it, it will continue to circle. The mind is a powerful thing and it only thinks what you want it to think. The mind can either be bad or positive. Some of anxiety can not be helped with just behavioral changes, which in this case medication is required, but I believe that if you can slow down your thoughts long enough to address each and everyone, you can beat it! You can train your mind to not acknowledge them and once you can recognize the “aura” I think you can come off the medication. The important thing here I believe is that you can’t change behaviorally on medication. You must stomach up the strength to beat this by yourself, it’s the only way you can recognize the feelings to stop it. It’s always gets worse before it gets better. My pattern started with GAD, I had anxiety from sitting on the couch to walking out the front door, I was never “calm”. Then I over came walking outside to driving. Then I started with the crazy thoughts about schizophrenia, where I thought I saw things, but I knew they weren’t real, talked myself out of those. Even over came the thought that I wasn’t real. Don’t get me wrong, I still think these from times to time, but I refuse to entertain them to send me back where I was. Now I’ve developed panic attacks while I sleep, but they are much more controllable now when I wake up. The scariest part was how I didn’t know what was happening. If you’ve never had it before, you might as well disregard this because trust me “you have no idea.” Everyone has a panic attack from time to time and anxiety to appropriate situations. However the anxiety I had was disporportinate to any situation and panic attacks that were brought on by nothing, this is when it is a disorder. Everyday I work on my problems and everyday is a struggle, but it’s worth the struggle just to be happy.

And remember these panic attacks are now stored as memories, just like a memory of being in love, you remember how that felt and you can temporarily remember these and feel it. However these panic attacks can also be relieved by simply reminiscing because the body remembers the “feeling.” Our bodies are pretty amazing. We must learn to forget these feelings in order to suppress the attacks.

 

So trust me when I say, I have had every symptom and have been at my darkest moments. Your not alone! We are all in this together J

 

OMG this SUCKS! I was at my month mark of taking birth control when suddenly I was having a hard time sleeping due to anxiety, fast heartbeats, and my acid reflux coming on (because of the anxiety). I've had sleeping problems a few years back due to acid reflux because of taking too much advil during my wisdom tooth recovery but this time it was different. It wasn't anything physical but it was more mental...and it was driving me CRAZY (and still is). It hit me then that it might be because of the birth control. Therefore, I stopped taking it and a few days later the anxiety subsided. But a few days after when I thought I was normal again, it started happening... and it's like a cycle. It has ruined how I sleep and made me more anxious than I have ever been. I'm glad reading all these posts to know that I'm not just going crazy and need help. Before all of this I was perfectly fine, going about life worrying about what I was going to wear and who I was going to impress. It's only been a couple of weeks and there are times when I feel like I'm going to get better but then there are times where I feel like there is no hope. I want someone to talk to and relate to. Therefore, thank you everyone! I really hope this all gets better in time. All I can say for now is that don't worry you are NOT alone and this will all go away in time... pray! Peace & love. 

I been going through this anxiety mess since I had the baby and she 8 months now I was orthro necon ever since I stopped anxiety is back I wonder do b12 work

Hi Ladies,

I am so thankful that I have found this forum. I have been reading through it almost everyday since I have stopped my bcp. It has been a little over a month since I stopped and I have gone through a number of symtoms. I stopped taking the bcp because I was extremely nauseous every day for 2 months while still on it. I developed anxiety about possibly throwing up everywhere I went and lost my appetite. For the first week off I was nauseous, dizzy, hot head, got terrible migraines, and had to leave work constantly because I couldn't make it through the day. During this time, I had 2 major panic attaks in the subway where I thought I was having a heart attack. I have now been out of work for 2 weeks. Those were the worst so far and seem to be getting slowly better. I was so anxious that my body was in full shakes throughout every day. I became extremely emotional crying all day in bed and very depressed. It was like I felt possessed! I was not in control of my own mind. That is very scary. I had a fear of even walking outside my front door and being alone. NONE of this is like me at all! I am generally an easy going person who has been through plenty of tough times in my life and knows how to handle things. I have never been on any other long term medication other than bcp. During that 2 weeks I even ended up in the ER because I had strong sharp abdominal pain. Everything came back fine. I had a ct scan, bloodwork, urinalysis, and ultrasound. I then went to see a GP and they gave me Zoloft and Xanax. I refused to take these. I have been taking supplements now everyday and eating really healthy. I am hoping to return to work soon, but not quite there yet. It gets better just slowly. I now have the worst anxiety when I sleep. I wake up constantly in a sweat and shaking. Throughout the day I feel much better. I have still been experiencing the dizziness with blurred vision though. I find it very hard to focus or concentrate on anything, hence why it would be hard for me to work at my intense stressful job. I have been taking a multi vitamin, Evening Primrose, and Fish Oil supplement everyday. I also ordered some Chinese herbs called Easy Wanderer. I hope this will help as well. I believe being patient with your body will help! Our bodies are smart and resilient! Much smarter than synthetic drugs and quick fixes from doctors which creates more problems. I have learned a lot from journey so far and am looking forward to being 100 percent me again! Sending out my love to all of you who are going through a similar situation.