Hi Suzie!
I just wrote this whole long response, but the website had an error when I tried to post it :(
Anyway, I wanted to tell you that it DOES get better and to hang in there! Not a lot of women post on this board anymore, but there are a bunch over at another forum and we'd love to welcome you there! I can't post links here because they'll remove them, but if you google "Aphrodite Women's Health Forum" and go to the "Contraception" section there is a board called "The Effects of Stopping Birth Control (part 4!)" - my name on there is Sierra.
I'm 7 months off now and am a lot better than I was in the beginning, although at times I still get anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I was on Yaz for a few years and then my pharmacy up and switched me to the generic Ocella and that's when my anxiety and panic attacks started. Then when I quit it got worse, but it is slowly getting better.
Hope to see you over at the other forum! We're all there to support each other and offer what has and has not worked for us.
Suzie--I know just how you feel, and I'll echo Sierra on this one, hang in there! I too dealt with going off the pill while being engaged, and it was definitely one of the most difficult times of my life. There I was, an extremely confused and unhappy person, knowing that my fiance was right for me, but suddenly not feeling any of the love I once had. It was horrifying. It took me a long time to open up to him, and to the girls on this forum, but I finally did and it made all the difference in the world. Please visit the Aphrodite's page as Sierra suggests, and read through the posts. I know I found SO much comfort and relief just knowing that I wasn't the only one experiencing those symptoms. I hope you are able to find what you need there as well!
Hi I too have the same sytoms. I was on the pill for almost 3 yrs and now I have been off the pill for excally 1 yr now and still having bad depression.....no energy....luthergic.....and weight gain but this started about 10 months of being off the pill but its benn a total of a yr that I been off. When will this stop? I would of thought my hormones would of been back to normal by now since its been 1 yr. Please if you have answers let me kw thanks
Yess.....I kw what u are talking about its been 1 yr and still nothing has got better feeling the same thing.....never thought the pill would do this I just hope this goes away soon I have never been this depressed this long and this bad glad to kw I'm not alone thanks for yr ply on here amy :)
Man this has been tough.
I had to go off birth control about a month ago, because a new study was published that said sufferers with migraines with auras shouldn't take estrogen because it increases their chances of a stroke by a lot. So I stopped taking ocella. It's been hell...the first couple of weeks weren't too bad, but then I got my first period. The period itself wasn't bad (something I was and still am worried about since that was the reason I went on the pills in the first place-horrible cramps). The bad part was the migraines. I have never had migraines that bad in my life-they were horrific. I had to lay in a dark room all day crying. Now my period is almost over (I hope-it's been like 8 days), and the migraines are a lot better but I am incredibly depressed and unmotivated. Usually I am a very enthusiastic person with lots of projects on the go at any one time, but now I don't feel inspired to work on anything.
Also-I did gain some weight between stopping the pills and my first period after coming off them, but now I have no appetite whatsoever. I just don't want to eat. Everything is gross and unappetizing. Yesterday I had a piece of toast and 4 pieroghis all day. The day before was pretty similar. I'm worried I'm not getting enough nutrients to stay healthy
From what I've read here, it could potentially take a long time to get back to normal. I'm scared. :/
Lilttlebittt--I was only on the pill for 8 days, but it took me several months to heal physically and get back on track with my periods. However, mentally, I couldn't have healed completely on my own without some help. In fact, I never felt like I could really handle my sadness until I started seeing a counselor. After just a few sessions, he said I could finish the healing myself, and for the most part I have. I just needed a professional to pull me out of the slump I was in. I would recommend counseling to ANYONE going off of BCP. Because the mental pain that's endured lasts long after the physical symptoms have went away.
Guest--the length of time it takes for people to heal is not a definite. And though every person is different, keeping a mood diary and tracking your symptoms is a great way to start seeing your improvement from month the month.
I encourage both of you to head over to another forum where tons of women with your experience post their struggles daily. It's on Aphrodites womens health. Search for The Effects of Stopping Birth Control (part 4!). I hope this helps!
Hi all, this site really makes me feel better. My husband and I decided we were ready to start a family so I stopped my bcp in early January. (Tri Sprintec) I was on it at least for 10 years. The first week off of it I felt great, then things started to go down hill. I just constantly cry and have a feeling that I am dying. The doctor can't seem to find anything wrong with me and just sort of rolled her eyes when I asked if this could be a side effect from coming off the pills. I really want this to stop, I just want to feel better again. I don't want to live like this forever...
Hi - I want to assure you - that you will never feel good once you take invasive contraceptives (IUDs, pills) - there is so many side effects not only in relation to health, which can be read here
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It is good to know that hormonal pills and IUDs (coils) act also as abortifacients Hormonal pills and some other “birth control’ methods like intrauterine device (IUD) very often act as abortifacients – while using them, a woman still can have “breakthrough ovulation”, what occurs frequently. Unfortunately a woman can still conceive a baby, who because of synthetic hormones cannot attach to the uterine lining and dies - The pill’s third mechanism is to change the lining of the endometrium (the lining of the womb), which creates a hostile environment for a newly created human being. The tiny baby cannot implant and is spontaneously aborted by the body - and similar mechanism works in case of IUD, like Mirena, etc....
Not only for health - but also to protect your future baby - stay away from pills and IUDs....
Natural birth control methods are very reliable and effective and have no side effects - you can follow Creighton model or just use very effective fertility monitors, which can predict ovulation with great accuracy equal to popular contraception....I for example use Lady-Comp and very happy of it....it is not only extremely reliable, but also easy-to-use and I know my body better, can follow my days and natural cycle I feel great and I just love it :-)
Hello! Not many girls post on here on a regular basis, so I'd like to invite you over to the Aphrodite Women's Health Forum. If you google that and find your way to the "Contraception" section there is a board called "The Effects of Stopping Birth Control (part 5!!!)" - my name is Sierra on there. There are a bunch of us women who post there daily about all the side effects we've had from quitting. I, like you, felt like I was dying when I quit. It's just anxiety, you will be fine, and it does get better but it's going to take time. I'd recommend you see a naturopathic doctor - they are the only ones that acknowledge how much the pill can screw our hormones up and help get us on the right path without harmful drugs. Hope to see you over on the other forum! It might take a day or 2 to get registered and approved (they do that because of spammers). If you are having issues let me know and I can see if I can help.
Hi,
I was on BC for about a month and a half. I stopped and a few weeks later all the symptoms started. I started feeling sad and depressed all the time and i wanted to cry for no reason. It started off happening every day, about three times a day. Then the next month it used to happen less and less. I have now been off the pill for three months and even though i feel like i have improved a bit, when i have a moment i still feel like i am back to where i started.
I know there is no time frame for how long it takes to get better and i am trying to be patient, but its really hard to be patient and positive when i have a moment.
I had a really great two days before, i was feeling great, and pretty much back to my normal self and then all of a sudden this morning im woke up and felt terrible again. I felt flat and just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.
I have been reading all of the posts here for about two months, when ever i have a bad day i get on just to see how everyone else is doing, its comforting to see that i am not alone and that im not crazy. But i really wish i felt better. Im not sure how much longer i can cope.
Another person who is glad to have found this thread... suffering since getting off the pill. Even writing this feels like a challenge since my mind is all over the place.
I was on Ortho Try-Cyclen 21s for about 9 years on and off. I came off them twice to get pregnant and didn't suffer any symptoms those times other than long cycles.
While on the Pill this time, I had had a few headaches and ocular migraines where my peripheral vision would be off and then I would have a headache for the rest of the day. I never suffered from headaches or migraines before. I didn't make any connection to the birth control pill at the time of the headaches. I also had occasional brain fog, where I would feel like I was in a bit of a drunk or dream state for a while and then my mind would go back to normal.
I finished my last 21 pack of Ortho Tri-Cyclen 3 weeks and 2 days ago. About 5 days after I normally would have started my new pack of Pills, I started into a dream or drunk feeling state of mind and I haven't been able to shake it yet. It has been a week an a half of constantly feeling out of it. I can sort of fake it when I am out with my kids or working (I work part time), but I am always out of it. I have also had headaches. The foggy brain seems to be getting a tiny bit better than it was about a week ago, but it's slow going, and depressing. I also have a loss of appetite and lack of motivation to do much of anything.
I am taking vitamins and supplements that don't seem to be doing much (multi, C, B12, iron, ginseng/sinko combo). I have also just ordered some Vitex which is supposed to help regulate menstrual cycles. I was actually on it after going off the Pill to conceive both my kids and I didn't have any problems like this those times. I am not getting my hopes up but maybe the Vitex will help.
My doctor doesn't really know what to make of me. She scheduled me for a CT scan when I first went to see her, but that was about 5 days ago before I'd connected my headaches and foggy brain to the Pill. Once I made that connection, I canceled the CT since I don't want to be exposed to the radiation unnecessarily.
I am starting to feel depressed about this whole thing. My life just doesn't feel normal at all anymore. The foggy brain and lack of focus are just so hard. I have thought about going back on the Pill to improve the symptoms but now I'm not even sure that will work since I read someone else on hear trying that and they remained foggy. Also, I want to just get this out of my system once and for all.
Thanks for letting me vent... here's hoping this passes SOON...
Hi girls. First, I'm sorry you're having to deal with all of this. You may have read my story already, but I was on and off BCP for several years, and decided to go off right before my wedding, because I'd been crying for nearly 3 days straight. It took my husband noticing the correlation for me to decide it was the pills and make the decision to never go on them again. I'm healed now, but it was not an easy journey. Mostly, it was the depression that kicked my butt. However, time and lots of hard work eventually paid off. The physical symptoms subsided long before the mental ones did. In the end, I had a few sessions with a therapist before I was able to heal mentally. Also, my therapist was the first medical professional who acknowledged the link between mood and BCP. In fact, his wife didn't take the pills for that very reason.
My suggestion to both of you is to start a mood/symptom journal if you haven't already. You will begin to see the pattern between your mental state and a specific time in your cycle. For example, until BCP, I never knew that I am most down on myself during ovulation. Even now when I'm healed, I still get a few days in the month where my mood slumps and I don't feel in control of it. However, now I better know how to manage it. This whole experience definitely makes you more aware of your mental state. My other suggestion would be to eat well and exercise. Exercise has been proven to cure mild to moderate cases of depression, and it helps with overall energy too. Lastly, please visit the aphrodites womens health website. If you search for "The Effects of Stopping Birth Control Pt. 5", you'll find an extremely active board with tons of women who post their experiences on this subject daily.
Anyway, I hope I've helped. Message me anytime, I'd be happy to chat.
Hi - I'm so glad to hear that you are off the pill - nobody will ever feel as before until one stop taking any invasive contraceptives (pills, hormones, coil) - they always have side-effects on you health in long term (cancer, infertility, health complications) - the same as every drug....the only solution to feel normal, well, and comfortable is to start follow natural family planning - you can chose the method, which you like the most: Creighton, Roetzer or buy fertility computer (like Lady-Comp, which is natural method with clinical proven reliability equal or higher than popular contraceptive methods... and it is also very easy-to-use and user friendly....additionally please bear in mind the ethics and the fact that all IUD and pills have also anty-nidation function, not allowing newly conceived embryo (baby), to attach to the uterine lining... Please let me know if you have any questions - I would be happy to advise...and all the best....
Dear
I always saying here on the forum that using such invasive things like Mirena or hormonal pills will always take a toll earlier or later unfortunately - your body is not designed for such things and your mind is not designed for that too...natural birth control is the best invention ever - and it is perfect for your body, natural birth control is a no-drugs, no-devices way of spacing or regulating births. It is completely healthy. In fact, because a woman truly gets to know her body through fertility awareness, she often can detect important changes that might lead to the early diagnosis and treatment of medical problems. If you haven't my previous posts about natural birth control, anty-nidation (abortifacient function of the pill and IUD) or Lady-Comp natural birth control monitor - you are very welcome to do so - as I'm big supporter of that...