Hey Anna
Still feeling on edge. I was crying last night and this morning because im so tired of feeling this. One moment im feeling better then setbacks happen.. it drags me down to be honest. Im so dizzy and lightheaded.. scared im gonna pass out any second and die..
I hope you're feeling better today.
We all just guess what triggers our physical anxiety but we dont know for sure and that sucks so much. There are days i just wanna sleep all day so i will not feel like this..
I wish all of us will wake up tomorrow feeling like our old self. Wishful thinking i know but im feeling desperate atm..
Martha
Still feeling on edge. I was crying last night and this morning because im so tired of feeling this. One moment im feeling better then setbacks happen.. it drags me down to be honest. Im so dizzy and lightheaded.. scared im gonna pass out any second and die..
I hope you're feeling better today.
We all just guess what triggers our physical anxiety but we dont know for sure and that sucks so much. There are days i just wanna sleep all day so i will not feel like this..
I wish all of us will wake up tomorrow feeling like our old self. Wishful thinking i know but im feeling desperate atm..
Martha
Hi Martha,
I am feeling the exact same way today...completely on edge. I can't shake the feeling of anxiety and am SO frustrated because I had a good day yesterday and then early this morning around 6AM I woke up because I heard some loud banging from my neighbors below me and from then on I had terrible anxiety. I tried to go for a walk earlier but then also started to feel dizzy and worried I was going to faint so I had to go back home. I know exactly how you feel... I had almost 2 good days in a row and then this setback. It makes me think that I will never feel good longterm again. I am sitting in bed writing this because I can't walk around without feeling lightheaded and am worried that something is seriously wrong with me right now. I hope you feel better. I wish we would all wake up and go back to feeling normal too. These setbacks are the worst...its like my own mind and body are playing tricks on me and I can't control anything. I'm scared of how I feel right now, I wish it would just all pass. Anyway, let me know how you're feeling. As for me, I'm going to watch movies in bed and sleep for the rest of the day because I don't think I can do much else right now.
Anna
Hi Anna
That's what i do as well on bad days like this. Lie down all day and try to do some stuff to take my mind off this awful feeling. Yeah i know that feeling of questuoning if you will be normal again and if this will be your life forever. Always scared that anxiety will kick in.
I can't even plan ahead.. it always have to depend on how i feel each day.
I'm so frustrated because i have been having good days.. if anxiety kicks in most of the time it goes away after 2 hours. But now it has been 4 days of feeling bad, scared & sometimes angry why it happened to me.
How long did you take the pill again Anna?
I read that you are also doing acupuncture. That's good because it helped me a lot too! As well as meditation and deeo breathing. But I aint gonna lie that on bad days even those things dont work or maybe my mind is tricking me that it doesn't.
It's currently 9am from where I'm at and its another day to fight and struggle and survive...
Thanks for being there.. it definitely helps to talk to someone who can understand 100% how i feel.
Martha
That's what i do as well on bad days like this. Lie down all day and try to do some stuff to take my mind off this awful feeling. Yeah i know that feeling of questuoning if you will be normal again and if this will be your life forever. Always scared that anxiety will kick in.
I can't even plan ahead.. it always have to depend on how i feel each day.
I'm so frustrated because i have been having good days.. if anxiety kicks in most of the time it goes away after 2 hours. But now it has been 4 days of feeling bad, scared & sometimes angry why it happened to me.
How long did you take the pill again Anna?
I read that you are also doing acupuncture. That's good because it helped me a lot too! As well as meditation and deeo breathing. But I aint gonna lie that on bad days even those things dont work or maybe my mind is tricking me that it doesn't.
It's currently 9am from where I'm at and its another day to fight and struggle and survive...
Thanks for being there.. it definitely helps to talk to someone who can understand 100% how i feel.
Martha
Hi Martha,
I was so happy to see your response. It is so nice to have someone to talk to about this who understands what it feels like. Of course I wish neither of us had to go through this, but at least there is this forum and on bad days it makes me feel better to read about everyone elses journeys and to talk to you. I am the same way, I can never make plans anymore...especially if they involve my friends because I never know how I will feel day of. I think that makes me feel isolated and even more depressed. On your good days do you experience no symptoms at all? Or are your symptoms just less intense? I'm sorry you've had the anxiety and bad feelings for 4 days straight...believe me, I have had that before too (the week before my period) and I had depression as well so I could barely function those days. Yesterday I was angry too. I kept wondering why me? Why other people go off the pill and don't experience anything? What am I supposed to learn from this? It is frustrating for sure. Yes, I started doing acupuncture about 3 weeks ago. I would say that it has definitely helped me. My first and second sessions were the best, the 3rd one I'm not sure as I felt anxious the day after so don't know what happened. Yes, on really bad days those types of techniques help a little but I still have the anxiety there and it comes back shortly after I meditate. There are so many ups and downs too, one moment I will feel perfectly fine and just a few minutes later I'll be anxious or crying or feeling like I'm going to faint. I think also if I had a definite timeline of when this will all pass I would feel better about it, but not knowing when it will end makes it so much more terrifying for me and makes me more anxious and depressed. Anyway, to answer your question I took the pill for 1 year and 2 months straight before getting off and I have been off of it 6 weeks ago today, oh and I am 31 years old. How long were you on it again? Sorry I think I probably asked you before. Anyway, I hope your day was good...you said it was 9AM when you wrote your post, it is almost 9AM here now so now I have a long day ahead of me too. Hope you're feeling better.
Anna
I was so happy to see your response. It is so nice to have someone to talk to about this who understands what it feels like. Of course I wish neither of us had to go through this, but at least there is this forum and on bad days it makes me feel better to read about everyone elses journeys and to talk to you. I am the same way, I can never make plans anymore...especially if they involve my friends because I never know how I will feel day of. I think that makes me feel isolated and even more depressed. On your good days do you experience no symptoms at all? Or are your symptoms just less intense? I'm sorry you've had the anxiety and bad feelings for 4 days straight...believe me, I have had that before too (the week before my period) and I had depression as well so I could barely function those days. Yesterday I was angry too. I kept wondering why me? Why other people go off the pill and don't experience anything? What am I supposed to learn from this? It is frustrating for sure. Yes, I started doing acupuncture about 3 weeks ago. I would say that it has definitely helped me. My first and second sessions were the best, the 3rd one I'm not sure as I felt anxious the day after so don't know what happened. Yes, on really bad days those types of techniques help a little but I still have the anxiety there and it comes back shortly after I meditate. There are so many ups and downs too, one moment I will feel perfectly fine and just a few minutes later I'll be anxious or crying or feeling like I'm going to faint. I think also if I had a definite timeline of when this will all pass I would feel better about it, but not knowing when it will end makes it so much more terrifying for me and makes me more anxious and depressed. Anyway, to answer your question I took the pill for 1 year and 2 months straight before getting off and I have been off of it 6 weeks ago today, oh and I am 31 years old. How long were you on it again? Sorry I think I probably asked you before. Anyway, I hope your day was good...you said it was 9AM when you wrote your post, it is almost 9AM here now so now I have a long day ahead of me too. Hope you're feeling better.
Anna
Hey Anna
I was on bcp a lil over 4 years. I'm 35 years old.. I never should have taken that pill! Haha
Today was better but still feeling on edge. 9 feel the anxiety rising from time to time.. and im just so tired..
I talked to a friend that said full recovery took her almost 2 years to be 100% back.. that long.. so i guess we have to brave this for a while. We will come out stronger than ever!
Martha
I was on bcp a lil over 4 years. I'm 35 years old.. I never should have taken that pill! Haha
Today was better but still feeling on edge. 9 feel the anxiety rising from time to time.. and im just so tired..
I talked to a friend that said full recovery took her almost 2 years to be 100% back.. that long.. so i guess we have to brave this for a while. We will come out stronger than ever!
Martha
Hi Martha,
Glad you are feeling better today! Most of yesterday and today have been a little better for me too. I was able to go for a walk for an hour today because its really nice outside and I'm going to yoga class in a little bit too. Wow, 2 years...that is so crazy. That's so long. How long was she on the pill for though? I know we will be able to make it through this though, while the bad days can be really bad, I try and remember the good days then and remember that things won't always be like this. I was listening to a Podcast yesterday and something new was introduced to me, it is called "Post-Birth Control Syndrome" and I really think that is what I have. You should Google it and see some of the information about it. The good news is it does not last forever but has to do with the poison of the birth control we put into our bodies and now healing from that. For every woman the healing process and time is different. I hope that you continue to feel better and have a nice weekend! Keep me posted on how you're feeling and I'll do the same :)
Anna
Hey guys, I've been perusing this thread on and off as I've been having the very same problems. IRL I've been on my own so finding this place has been a blessing.
Basically, for me my menstrual cycle was always a bit longer than most at 3-4 months and that was normal for me. Always thought I might've had a bit of an hormonal imbalance due to my cycles. Also was diagnosed for mild depression in 2008. Anyway, cue to early November of 2016. I had just went through something very stressful at the time and for the following next 10 months I had a nonstop period. Most of the time it was light spotting but it basically never went away.
Around early September of last year I went to a gyno to get myself looked at. I explained my problem and my preexisting depression and was told my hormonal imbalance was likely exacerbated due to stress so I was given the HBC Alyacen to balance out my hormones. It being my first HBC I went through the usual adjustment period and it wasn't too bad but around late January my side effects took a nosedive. Wasn't eating, couldn't sleep, depression got so much worse and I was suddenly having severe anxiety. My reactions to everything around me became very irrational and I was terrified. So in early February I went to my nurse practitioner for help with the stress and back to my gyno to figure out if I should get off the pill. Nurse practitioner gave me a low dose antihistamine for anxiety and got off the pill like my gyno advised.
The first two months getting off the pill where some of the worst days of my life and my side effects got twice as bad. Had prolonged anxiety attacks, bad mood swings, constant intrusive and irrational thoughts with it always being at its worst at night. Here I am now in May and the side effects are still present but are a bit more "dulled" which may be due to the antihistamine and a vitamin B complex I've been taking.
Which leads me to why I finally wanted to speak up and post here: for the last week and a half I've been spotting every day and my anxiety has started spiking because I'm worried that I'm all the way back to square one with the continual spotting.
Is there a chance my body is still merely regulating and it's too early to be worried?
Basically, for me my menstrual cycle was always a bit longer than most at 3-4 months and that was normal for me. Always thought I might've had a bit of an hormonal imbalance due to my cycles. Also was diagnosed for mild depression in 2008. Anyway, cue to early November of 2016. I had just went through something very stressful at the time and for the following next 10 months I had a nonstop period. Most of the time it was light spotting but it basically never went away.
Around early September of last year I went to a gyno to get myself looked at. I explained my problem and my preexisting depression and was told my hormonal imbalance was likely exacerbated due to stress so I was given the HBC Alyacen to balance out my hormones. It being my first HBC I went through the usual adjustment period and it wasn't too bad but around late January my side effects took a nosedive. Wasn't eating, couldn't sleep, depression got so much worse and I was suddenly having severe anxiety. My reactions to everything around me became very irrational and I was terrified. So in early February I went to my nurse practitioner for help with the stress and back to my gyno to figure out if I should get off the pill. Nurse practitioner gave me a low dose antihistamine for anxiety and got off the pill like my gyno advised.
The first two months getting off the pill where some of the worst days of my life and my side effects got twice as bad. Had prolonged anxiety attacks, bad mood swings, constant intrusive and irrational thoughts with it always being at its worst at night. Here I am now in May and the side effects are still present but are a bit more "dulled" which may be due to the antihistamine and a vitamin B complex I've been taking.
Which leads me to why I finally wanted to speak up and post here: for the last week and a half I've been spotting every day and my anxiety has started spiking because I'm worried that I'm all the way back to square one with the continual spotting.
Is there a chance my body is still merely regulating and it's too early to be worried?
Hi Dani,
Nice to meet you! My name is Anna and I have been pretty active on this forum over the past month or so, I am only about 6 weeks off of the birth control pill at this time and still experiencing some pretty crazy symptoms so believe me, I know what its like and just know that you're not alone. A lot of women write on here that the first 2-4 months are usually the worst for them when coming off the pill, and boy do I believe it. This past month and a half has been most likely the hardest time in my life so far; granted, I am only 31 but still - no one should have to go through this especially without any warning! Anyway, I'm sorry that you're going through this too. I'm glad that at least your symptoms are not as strong as they were in the beginning - that is super important and I'm sure makes your life actually livable! About the spotting, I would say that yes, there is definitely a chance that your body is regulating and your hormones balancing themselves out. I have read about the effects of quitting birth control a lot over the past few months and spotting is definitely very common. Right now your body is really confused so it may just take some time for things to go back to normal. I would say that about any symptom that women are experiencing after stopping the pill though - hormones control so much of a woman's body that when they are fluctuating a lot of scary and weird stuff can happen. Since you said you experienced the spotting for 10 months straight prior to going on the pill though, I would definitely check with your doctor if this continues for the next few weeks. Could it be your period? My first period off of the pill started with spotting and was very light, but it lasted about 4.5 days. I would not worry about it too much for now since it has only been a week and chances are your body is trying to figure things out, but if it continues for a while definitely seek your doctor's opinion. I've been to my doctor about 4 times over the last 2 months because of this whole mess and called with questions almost every week lol. What other symptoms do you experience now aside from the spotting?
Anna
Nice to meet you! My name is Anna and I have been pretty active on this forum over the past month or so, I am only about 6 weeks off of the birth control pill at this time and still experiencing some pretty crazy symptoms so believe me, I know what its like and just know that you're not alone. A lot of women write on here that the first 2-4 months are usually the worst for them when coming off the pill, and boy do I believe it. This past month and a half has been most likely the hardest time in my life so far; granted, I am only 31 but still - no one should have to go through this especially without any warning! Anyway, I'm sorry that you're going through this too. I'm glad that at least your symptoms are not as strong as they were in the beginning - that is super important and I'm sure makes your life actually livable! About the spotting, I would say that yes, there is definitely a chance that your body is regulating and your hormones balancing themselves out. I have read about the effects of quitting birth control a lot over the past few months and spotting is definitely very common. Right now your body is really confused so it may just take some time for things to go back to normal. I would say that about any symptom that women are experiencing after stopping the pill though - hormones control so much of a woman's body that when they are fluctuating a lot of scary and weird stuff can happen. Since you said you experienced the spotting for 10 months straight prior to going on the pill though, I would definitely check with your doctor if this continues for the next few weeks. Could it be your period? My first period off of the pill started with spotting and was very light, but it lasted about 4.5 days. I would not worry about it too much for now since it has only been a week and chances are your body is trying to figure things out, but if it continues for a while definitely seek your doctor's opinion. I've been to my doctor about 4 times over the last 2 months because of this whole mess and called with questions almost every week lol. What other symptoms do you experience now aside from the spotting?
Anna
Hey Anna
Ive been reading about that months ago too! Post Birth Control syndrome and PMDD also..
I have been on edge since last week. I feel like my anxiety will attack any second. Yesterday while shopping for my meds and snacks at a local healthy options i got dizzy and the spiral of fear kicked in that i was gonna faint and die.. just so tired of the same thing over and over. I just have to remind myself that good days are coming again so i dont feel so down.
My friend was on bcp for only a year.. i guess that goes to show the amount of time we are on the pill doesnt really affect our recovery timeframe.
How are you feeling? Its good to know u were able to go for a walk for an hour! That's a big leap Anna :) i loove days where i can functiom better like tjat also. How was your yoga class?
Martha
Ive been reading about that months ago too! Post Birth Control syndrome and PMDD also..
I have been on edge since last week. I feel like my anxiety will attack any second. Yesterday while shopping for my meds and snacks at a local healthy options i got dizzy and the spiral of fear kicked in that i was gonna faint and die.. just so tired of the same thing over and over. I just have to remind myself that good days are coming again so i dont feel so down.
My friend was on bcp for only a year.. i guess that goes to show the amount of time we are on the pill doesnt really affect our recovery timeframe.
How are you feeling? Its good to know u were able to go for a walk for an hour! That's a big leap Anna :) i loove days where i can functiom better like tjat also. How was your yoga class?
Martha
Hi Martha,
I'm so sorry you are still feeling on edge :( that is all a part of the anxiety, unfortunately. I have been feeling on edge and anxious on and off this weekend. Friday was a really good day and I had barely any symptoms and started feeling like my old self again. Saturday was pretty good too...but I did have some anxiety, although it wasn't too bad. Sunday (yesterday) I had an anxiety attack and felt dizzy, weak arms and legs, and like I was about to fall down and pass out in the morning, this only lasted for a couple of seconds but I couldn't shake the anxious feeling all day and then started feeling depressed and sorry for myself again. I've noticed it is like a cycle on my bad days - starts with anxiety and then ends with depression then sometimes back to anxiety again and I also feel foggy and tired. I made myself go out though and swim some laps to see if exercise would help - but then I just felt exhausted and depressed so spent most of the day in bed. Sometimes that happens, I am trying to be okay with it because there is not much else I can do right now.
I hope that you feel better today - yes you have to keep reminding yourself that good days are coming. Please know that they are. We are both experiencing the same things, so I am convinced it is because of the birth control that our anxiety is so high right now, but it will not always be like that. Some days will be better and some days will be worse until eventually we will barely notice the anxiety at all. I've noticed a cycle now - I have one or two good days and then one or two bad days, its just the way it is. Because there is really nothing I can do about it now, I have to adjust to this life and make the best of it. On my bad days I know that I just have to lay low and take care of myself - stay in bed, read books, watch TV, drink lots of calming teas, etc... I get awful intrusive thoughts about my health still but I am learning to manage it and not search for symptoms on the internet anymore. My yoga class went great! The weather is really nice here now so we were able to practice outside and I felt great the entire time and after also. Today I feel okay, it is 11:30 AM and the morning was a little rough (as usual) and I woke up with a tight chest and just feeling anxious but I am hoping the day will improve. Let me know how you feel tomorrow - I hope its a great day for you!
Take care of yourself,
Anna
I'm so sorry you are still feeling on edge :( that is all a part of the anxiety, unfortunately. I have been feeling on edge and anxious on and off this weekend. Friday was a really good day and I had barely any symptoms and started feeling like my old self again. Saturday was pretty good too...but I did have some anxiety, although it wasn't too bad. Sunday (yesterday) I had an anxiety attack and felt dizzy, weak arms and legs, and like I was about to fall down and pass out in the morning, this only lasted for a couple of seconds but I couldn't shake the anxious feeling all day and then started feeling depressed and sorry for myself again. I've noticed it is like a cycle on my bad days - starts with anxiety and then ends with depression then sometimes back to anxiety again and I also feel foggy and tired. I made myself go out though and swim some laps to see if exercise would help - but then I just felt exhausted and depressed so spent most of the day in bed. Sometimes that happens, I am trying to be okay with it because there is not much else I can do right now.
I hope that you feel better today - yes you have to keep reminding yourself that good days are coming. Please know that they are. We are both experiencing the same things, so I am convinced it is because of the birth control that our anxiety is so high right now, but it will not always be like that. Some days will be better and some days will be worse until eventually we will barely notice the anxiety at all. I've noticed a cycle now - I have one or two good days and then one or two bad days, its just the way it is. Because there is really nothing I can do about it now, I have to adjust to this life and make the best of it. On my bad days I know that I just have to lay low and take care of myself - stay in bed, read books, watch TV, drink lots of calming teas, etc... I get awful intrusive thoughts about my health still but I am learning to manage it and not search for symptoms on the internet anymore. My yoga class went great! The weather is really nice here now so we were able to practice outside and I felt great the entire time and after also. Today I feel okay, it is 11:30 AM and the morning was a little rough (as usual) and I woke up with a tight chest and just feeling anxious but I am hoping the day will improve. Let me know how you feel tomorrow - I hope its a great day for you!
Take care of yourself,
Anna
Hey Anna, nice to meet you as well!
Sorry to hear you've been having a rough time. I hope that by being here that you feel a bit uplifted about things. Had no clue the first 4 months or so can be the worst. Reading your response has definitely made me feel better lemme tell ya!
In regards to it being a period, it could be so I've making notes just in case. Didn't know spotting was so common during this time so that's good to know. Also makes me feel better about being in contact with the doctor often in case of things potentially worsening because I figured I was just bothering them too much haha. With stuff like this is definitely better to be safe than sorry. As for other side effects, at the start anxiety was giving me bad insomnia but that got better with the meds and vitamin B stuff. I mean I don't rightly know if my body is getting better along with the meds or not but it is what it is. There's been some noticeable hair loss but nothing super bad.
How are you faring today?
Sorry to hear you've been having a rough time. I hope that by being here that you feel a bit uplifted about things. Had no clue the first 4 months or so can be the worst. Reading your response has definitely made me feel better lemme tell ya!
In regards to it being a period, it could be so I've making notes just in case. Didn't know spotting was so common during this time so that's good to know. Also makes me feel better about being in contact with the doctor often in case of things potentially worsening because I figured I was just bothering them too much haha. With stuff like this is definitely better to be safe than sorry. As for other side effects, at the start anxiety was giving me bad insomnia but that got better with the meds and vitamin B stuff. I mean I don't rightly know if my body is getting better along with the meds or not but it is what it is. There's been some noticeable hair loss but nothing super bad.
How are you faring today?
Hi!
Thank you, yes it has been rough but I've kind of gotten used to it at this point. I'm glad that my response made you feel better. I'm wondering, have you ever consider an integrative or naturopathic doctor? I have my first appointment with one next week and they are going to test my hormones and adrenals. These types of doctors look at things from a different perspective and may be able to help find the route of the issue with your spotting, so might be worth a shot. Anyway, my anxiety has been pretty bad and when I'm not anxious I feel like I'm in a fog. Sometimes is worse than others, but I've only been off the pill for a little over 6 weeks at this points so not even 2 months so I'm guessing it will continue for a while. I hope you are doing well!
Anna
Thank you, yes it has been rough but I've kind of gotten used to it at this point. I'm glad that my response made you feel better. I'm wondering, have you ever consider an integrative or naturopathic doctor? I have my first appointment with one next week and they are going to test my hormones and adrenals. These types of doctors look at things from a different perspective and may be able to help find the route of the issue with your spotting, so might be worth a shot. Anyway, my anxiety has been pretty bad and when I'm not anxious I feel like I'm in a fog. Sometimes is worse than others, but I've only been off the pill for a little over 6 weeks at this points so not even 2 months so I'm guessing it will continue for a while. I hope you are doing well!
Anna
Hey guys, I often try to stay away from this thread just because it reminds me that something in wrong. In the beginning I was on this thing 24/7 and it really helped but I hate that I still feel this way! so it’s been a little over a year now since I’m off the pill. I had some very great days this past year but it’s mostly been filled with ROCD, depression and anxiety. It comes in waves and it’s uncontrollable which sucks the most. I’ll go weeks with negative thoughts about my relationship and then some days I’ll feel great about it. I’ve had months at a time where I’ve felt okay and then weeks and weeks of feeling terrible. It’s all really regarding my relationship and I think that strikes the anxiety and depression. I almost feel like I don’t know what I want anymore or who I am. It completely altered the way I think about things and the people who once meant the world to me. I still love my boyfriend and I try my best to act normal around him but I’m always bring tortured with the thought of it not being the way it used to me. I feel as if I fell out of love with my old relationship and now we have a totally new one if that makes sense. I think I just view him differently especially when I focus on his physical features that often bother me. His height, his looks, and sometimes the way he acts. I compare him to other guys and think, “maybe I want to be with someone else” This has been taunting me for 1 year! It’s really so sad to want to love someone so much but something telling you that you don’t. I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel like I shouldn’t feel like this anymore. The thought of letting go of my relationship doesn’t seem right to me. I love him so much but I just feel like I don’t know what I want ( tears coming down my eyes because it breaks my heart to say that) I’ve always said that I just want to be happy with him and if I have happiness with him I’ll be okay. I want to marry this man because he is perfect in every way but my mind is telling me that I need to let go and it’s the scariest thing ever. Someone please help :(
I’m the one who posted the previous post. Also another question, have any of you noticed significant results on zolof??? I wanted to try to stay away from medicine but I feel like it’s my only option sometimes.
Help! I stopped taking the pill just under a year ago and I am still feeling these horrific symptoms. However instead of getting better they are getting worse as my feelings of depression, anxiety, paranoia used to come every 3 months before menstruating and now it is every month!! I can't bare to think that this isn't getting better. For months I thought I had PMDD because the days leading up I just couldn't cope - I can't go to work, I can't sleep, I'm having panic attacks, I feel extremely unconfident and it's causing issues with my partner due to me being paranoid about everything. This is not who I am!! I feel like a completely different person. And then it just lifts... one minute it's there and one minute it's not! What things can I do to help me feeling like this without taking antidepressants etc? Would really appreciate some feed back!