Feeling depressed after stopping the birth control pills?

Im not sure this is all birth control. It sounds like the birth control could have kicked you into a different disorder..you are experiencing depersonalization and such. Go to a psychiatrist there's no reason to live like this.
I stopped in June as well and am still coping. Sometimes it takes years.

Is your blog still live? I am currently going through a really hard time coming off the pill and it is helping me so much to read other stories of people suffering from the same kinda things I am!

Living in a dream is exactly how I feel. Like to the point that I can't determine what my true feelings are. It's like I'm losing huge gaps of my life because I'm either numb or too emotional to function

I had been on birth control for 30 + years and my nurse practitioner has decided it's time to come off. I am 48 years old and she wants to see if menopause is approaching. The 1st day or 2 I immediately noticed a change. I thought it was just life, so I tried to ignore it. I've been off for 5 weeks now and I'm ready to strangle someone. Not literally, but you get the drift. She is going to put me back on the birth control, but can't start until Sunday and today is only Tuesday. My work and family will not make it through til Sunday. Any suggestions on getting through these next few days?

Try taking about about 5 5htp a day

Since I was 17 I have trailed various pills because I get extreme pain with my periods and I am very low in iron so my doctor suggested keeping as much iron in my body as possible so the pill I take doesn't have sugar pills so I don't have periods while I'm on it. It was definitely definitely trial and error for about 6 months. Some made me really angry, some sad, some mad, some pimply, some fat. I finally came across yaz (a variant of the Yasmine pill). Which I have been on (and off) for about 7 years. I normally go on the pill for a year and a half and 3-6 months off to allow my body to get its hormones into place. i went back on the pill about 6 months ago. And have been spotting (dark not much just pantie liners when I need them) ever since. Then the other weekend I had sex for the 1st time in a year. and I bled absolutely everywhere. It felt like my virginity was taken again. And when my partner and I turned the lights on both of us were drenched in blood. Sheets and linen drenched. Not normal period blood but bright red unclotted. To be honest it looked like a murder scene. So I went to my gyno and she suggested I go off my pill (yaz). It's day 3 off the pill and I am getting very hormonal, sleep for 14 hours, wake up depressed (been on antidepressants to treat another condition not depression for abut 6 months) and feel sad and listless all day. In 8 days time she wants me to do some blood and other tests now I am off the pill. I have taken time off the pill before but never felt this down and depressed. Is this normal? Is it normal to bleed so much feom sex? Is it normal to feel so down and depressed and listless going off the pill. Especially as I have done it before and not felt this bad? Would love some advice on whether this is normal because from now on I think I am staying off the pill because I am thinking about getting pregnant in the next few years.

Allie,
I just wanted to say thank you so much. I know you have heard this before but you have just given me so much hope. I was on the pill for 3 months when I noticed a shift in myself. I was anxious about things and I began to feel sad and had this "empty" feeling and thought, I don't want to feel like his so I quit the pill at the end of my pack.

After, I noticed my symptoms got worse and I began to obsess over them. I can't seem to get away but I've noticed I'm getting better and my good days are outweighing the bad!

Will I feel myself again soon? Sometimes I think my hormones aren't the cause and I'm crazy, but I've never felt this way before the pill? In the meantime what do you suggest I do to remain positive? I would love to hear back from you!

Thank you and God bless.

Oh my goodness! My heart goes out to you because I am 17 and have been experiencing the SAME EXACT thing! I'm still in the uphill climb of it but I think I'm getting better. I was on NuvaRing and it gave me absolutely crippling anxiety attacks. I'm talking throwing myself in an ice cold bath to shock my system or else I was gonna call 911. It ruined a vacation of mine bc I had anxiety every single day and just like you, I have grown this extreme paranoia of death. When I'm alone at the house I would take walks around the neighborhood in fear that if I stayed inside and something happened to me, no one would be around to help. Seriously awful. Ive felt lethargic, nauseas, and just all around so off. Like this isn't my happy go self at all!! What is happening?! I go to my doctor in a few days, and I hope to get some peace of mind. The symptoms have been awful. I am tired of feeling alone and like I have a mental illness all because of a birth control. Anyway, I feel relieved knowing there are others and I'm not the only one suffering, however, I hope you get better. Wouldn't wish this on anyone. ❤️

Hi Allie,

I know you posted on here a while ago, but I found your post and it thankfully instilled a bit of hope in me. Like everyone else, I've come off of the BCP and have not had a good experience. It's been almost 2 months since I stopped. I was on ortho tri cyclen lo for years but recently switched to Lo Loestrin. However, the first few days on Lo Loestrin caused a really bad panic attack for me so I stopped. The first month was absolutely awful...depression, anxiety for no reason, crying for no reason, headaches, and the worst part for me was the lightheaded/dizzy feeling. Did you ever experience that symptom? It's now been 2 months and I don't feel down or depressed hardly at all anymore, which I'm very thankful for. However, I keep experiencing the lightheadedness/dizziness off and on and I can't stand it. If you experienced this, did it go away? I'm honestly really scared that I'm stuck feeling dizzy like this. I've already had all other problems ruled out: normal EKG, normal echocardiogram, normal BP. Sometimes the lightheadedness gets so bad and makes me so uncomfortable that it scares me and almost causes a panic attack. Any words of wisdom you have would be greatly appreciated.

Hey! While I was on BC and for 3-4 months after stopping, I experienced lightheadedness just like you described (along with severe anxiety/depression.) Lightheadedness can be a symptom of anxiety, so I always figured the two were related. My myriad of symptoms slowed down and were completely gone by 4 months after stopping the pill. Hang in there; I think you will be in the clear soon. ❤

I Am so happy to find a forum where I can express myself and know that I'm not crazy.i was taking aubra for 3 years and decided to give myself a break have been off the pill for a month. Started feeling depressed crying all the time for any little thing having anxiety that made my hands shake and chest hurt. Recently started having problems sleeping due to anxiety and now take benadryl to help me sleep through the night. Was trying to rationalize the depression but it was very sudden. Went to get multiple test done and it wasn't until my mother pointed out that the mood swings started when I left the birth control. Have decided to go back on the birth control considering I am going to college soon and need to be mentally stable.

Hi, I came upon this thread searching google for advice. I also came of the birth control pill a couple of month ago. I mainly decided this because I go migraines, headaches and some skin discoloration and sun sensitivity. Also my husband and I will prob start our family in the next year and I figured I should give my body chance to normalize.
I have been struggling with light depression since stopping the pill. Some months it is only the week or so before my period but other months it is extended. I read this thread and thought it was normal and that I'll just ride it out. But this past month it has been worse than ever and I have felt nauseous a lot (definitely not pregnant no, I made sure). Not the kind of nausea that makes me throw up, just uncomfortable. The most disturbing new thing though is intrusive thoughts - really bad ones, like imagining myself stab my eye out with a nail file or wringing my cat's neck when I pet her.
The scary thing is that I have had problems with depression and intrusive thoughts when I was younger (before I was on the pill) and I have a family history of depression and psychosis. So now I'm not sure if I am like you ladies who's symptoms are caused by stopping the pill or if the pill was actually helping me with symptoms I would have had anyway.
Don't know if I should go to a gyno to check my hormones or a psychiatrist, just wait and see what happens or go back on the pill.
Any advice please?

Intrusive thoughts can be normal with depression. I doubt birth control covered psychosis as it doesn't not treat psychosis. I would try to treat the depression first and see where that goes. There are some ideas above.

Hi everyone! I used to follow this forum and recently stumbled upon it again and just wanted to offer support and advice for anyone who needs it! After stopping the bcp I had serious anxiety and depression and intrusive thoughts and it was to the point of being debilitating. I thought it would never end but it ended up being severe for about 3 months and then I felt much better after my body had time to adjust. Feel free to message me with any questions! 

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Hi! This sounds exactly like me. I stopped the birth control pill and experienced a suicide in my family and have not been the same since. I've been having TERRIBLE anxiety which has also led to terrible depression. I have the Mirena IUD now and I'm strongly considering getting it removed and going back on the pill. Antidepressants scare me. Can I ask what you did to help and solve the problems you were having? I realized you posted this awhile ago but I'm hoping you will still see my message :) thanks!