Feeling depressed after stopping the birth control pills?

I can relate with the intrusive thoughts.. mine is mostly about me dying because of whats happening to my body atm and it's very scary. Even typing it right now scares me a lot. Mornings are the hardest for me - anxiety and weak legs and arms sometimes too. Some mornings i feel like getting the morning sickness im so nauseous.

Wow, what was your experience with the naturopathic doctor? I also had zero information. I was 20 went I started the pill, and was told nothing. I honestly wasn't even made aware of any other options. I didn't even know the pill had hormones in it like that.

Month 2 and 3 were probably the worst days of my life to be honest. I am a senior in college full time and I work part time in day care Mon-Fri but for just 3 hours a day. I did go to school and work but I missed days of school (probably 6-8 days). I would go to work but felt awful the whole time. I would call my mom before I went in and immediately go to her house afterwards and my fiancé would have to pick me up from her house. That's how I made it work, I literally had to be babysat. I think I already mentioned this but I did have a a terrible dizzy episode at work (very embarrassing) and had to be picked up early by my mom because I didn't think I could drive. I was taking some kids to the bathroom and had to sit on the hallway floor because I felt like I couldn't stand, then I felt what I think it feels like to nearly pass out, I don't know how to describe it. I began crying (ugh!) and trying to catch my breath. The staff asked me what was wrong and if I was having anxiety and I said yes and they asked if I had medications (and I wanted to say so badly that I'm getting of the hormonal birth control pill but I didn't want to get into it).

I was on it for 3 years, but the last year they switched my pill to something different called Tri-Estraylla. I was motivated to go to work because it kept my mind occupied, but if that's not a concern for you maybe consider taking off for now.

Hey everyone,

My name is Iris and I was Active on this site a little while ago and my account was deactivated due to inactivity because for awhile, I was feeling a lot better so this site slipped my mind a little. I thought about coming back to update everyone but I never got around to it.

So I will give a little background on my story! I am 22 years old. In June of 2016 I had a baby girl, in November of 2016 I had the nexplanon inserted into my arm. I then had it removed in December of 2016 because it was causing me to have severe anxiety to the point I couldn’t sleep and felt like I was going insane. After a few weeks, I felt better. I then began taking the pill ortho tri cyclen in January of 2017. In March I decided to stop taking the pill seeing as I wasn’t keeping up with it and felt no need to be on it. I stopped at the end of the pack and did not begin the next pack. Three days after I was Due to start the next pack, is when my entire world fell apart. I had a night where I couldn’t sleep at all because of back to back panic attacks. I had never had panic attacks a day in my life.

For the weeks following, were some of the darkest, hardest times of my entire life. The depression and the anxiety consumed every part of me. I went a week without eating anything and lost 10lbs, the anxiety was so severe I went three days without sleep, I also experienced severe intrusive thoughts, detachment from reality, and in later months, severe insomnia. The worst of the symptoms spanned from about April til June. From June til about September is when the insomnia was the worst. I was So exhausted every single day I could barely function.

Around October, I began to see improvement. November was a really good month, however, in December I notice what felt like a relapse and I felt just as bad as I did In the beginning. It is now January and my period is due to start within the next couple of days and again, I feel really bad.

I have Noticed that the symptoms are much much worse during the weeks before and of my periods. I experience the worst of the depression and anxiety during these times as well as the insomnia. I will Have trouble sleeping throughout the night as well as falling asleep.

March will make a year that I’m off that horrendous pill and I hope that I will finally see permanent improvement. I’m happy that this thread is still active because I believe it saved me from going completely insane back when this all began, to know that I’m not alone and this is not all in my head!!!

I have tried several different anti anxiety and depression medicines however I am Completely against those kind of medicines. For me the biggest healer of all of this has been time and a lot, a lot, a LOT of patience.

I just want you all to know that this is real, and we will all get better in time!!

I would also like to add that, after having my daughter I experienced severe post partum depression but it could not be compared at all to what I’ve felt since I stopped taking that pill.

I made another doctors appointment to hopefully be referred to an endocrinologist to maybe find some answers once and for all because 10 months has been entirely too long for me to have been dealing with this and not having any answers. It’s like my entire world stops when my period is about to come on and it is really taking a toll on me. My daughter is now over a year old, I work and I am a full time college student.

My moments of clarity in all of this have been the only thing that has helped me get through this. The days when my mind is clear and I feel like myself again, the intrusive thoughts are gone away and I feel like a normal happy person.

During the hardest part, in the beginning, I would have the scariest thoughts about death, all I could do was lay in bed and stare at the ceiling because of how depressed I felt, I would cry all day, I could not do anything.

As of right now my symptoms mostly include the anxiety, intrusive thoughts, rushing thoughts, feeling like I’m “not real”, feeling very depressed and unfulfilled with m life, impatient, and irritable. I also feel the “anxiety tingles” over my body and in my arms. And like you all have mentioned, it sinks in as soon as I wake up in the morning.

I pray for healing for all of us. Please hang in there ladies you are not alone!

Seeing a Naturopathic doctor provided somewhat of a relief for me because now I can start my healing process compared to those weeks this was all a puzzle. Those days i felt like this is the end of me.

I know what you mean about the dizzy spells and feeling of passing out. It happens to me a lot these days and i absolutely hate it. It makes me so scared and i cried a lot of times because of it. Maybe that explains it because im on my first week of month 3 now..

I'm staying at my parents house now and the only time i leave the house is for doctor's appointment and acupuncture sessions.. it sucks.

Hi Iris I'm sorry to hear that you're still going through a rough patch after 10mos off the pill. From the other forums I read that some women still experience their symptoms after a year off and that really sucks because we really don't know how each of us will react to the withrawal of pills..

May i ask what you did during the first few months off? Did you take any supplements or did you have some tests done? Did you know right away it's the pills causing you all the physical symptoms?

I'm on my 9th week off the pill only so I know I have a long waaay to go.

Does anyone else find that they worry about things now more than they should? I find mysef getting bogged down in worryin about somethin that before i would have jus shrugged off.
Also since stopping bc, my acne is so bad an painful. I keep getting breakouts along my right jawline- always in the same place to the point where it is now causing scarring :-( iv got lotion from the doctor an i use a facewash twice a day but nothing seems to work :-( i feel so ugly because of it!

Hey guys, I spent some time off this site (maybe a month) because I just felt like it was making my mood worse and my progression go backwards.. (probably not true, i was just going through another setback and did not want to sound like a broken record). But my 4th period is due tomorrow and I can definitely see why I am feeling a little brain foggy today, have a headache, and intrusive thoughts are trying to come in but I am reassuring myself about how I found clarity not to long ago. This just shows how hormonal it is. I went to a naturpath this month, and she tested my hormones and adrenals. My adrenals are supposed to be between 17-20 and i was at 13.. EVEN WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS FEELING BETTER THAT WEEK. SO NEGATIVE. Adrenal fatigue is evident in this birth control mess. Also i am getting my hormones back this week, my ND thought that I am definitely Low Progesterone.. which makes sense, it is what all the other girls had. So until i get my hormones back, I am taking.. -magnesium glycinate (night) -vitamin D (3 drops a day) BC depleted -vitamin b6 -5thp (griffonia) by Thorne helps boost my serotonin because she believe it was low from this whole mess -probiotic. I also have been going to acupuncture this WHOLE month for hormonal imbalance. And i have been eating so healthy, like i should be given an award. My ND also told me all her patients who beat anxiety have become runners! So i am now running on the treadmill for 20 minutes, 3 nights a week (starting slow) I am drinking 4 bottles of water a day. I still go diarrhea EVERY MORNING, EVEN THOUGH I DO NOT FEEL ANXIOUS OR NERVOUS????????? I think its toxins trying to get out of my body to be honest..
But the most irritating thing about all of this is the intrusive thoughts... its like.. I know i do not THINK like this or actually BELIEVE IT .. BUT IT STILL POPS UP IN MY MINDS AND BECOMES CYCLICAL. Its disheartening during the hard times, but i know this is all due to my hormonal imbalance, i am not actually thinking these thoughts, they are separate from who i actually am. I will not be scared of them anymore and i have to start re-wiring my brain, therefore i have to start pushing through them and training myself.
So i am just writing in to give my update, because i think its healthier to not spend everyday on here. Even reading the negative stories makes my mind hurt so bad. Im sorry guys. January is my 4th month off and i have done EVERYTHING possible, everything the veterans did.. I cannot wait until this is over.. until i am confident enough to re say all the negative intrusive thoughts and not feel bothers or feel a sharp pain in my chest when something used to scare me. Good luck ladies! Lets fight the rest of january and good luck for february.

What sort of intrusive thoughts do u get?

Goodluck with the recovery Nikki! As long as you are being proactive in doing everything you can to fight this thing I think that's already a big step forward. I'm doing the same thing. I jst finished my 2nd acupuncture session today and I also went to a Naturopathic doctor this month. She had me do an Adrenal stress test and Serum Ferritin test as well..
As of the moment I'm taking L-theanine and Ashwaganda from my ND. Also taking Vitamin C, B1 B6 B12 and iron with folic acid. I'll ask my ND about taking more supplements maybe magnesium vitamin D and fish oil..

I also try to eat as healthy as i can. Try to do yoga in bed and then move on to more advanced yoga once my body can handle it. I also meditate before sleeping and upon waking up. My acupuncturist gave me a tip earlier he said drink 1 glass of room temp water as soon as i wake up in the morning. Write positive words on my glass using a marker - like Love, Prosperity, Courage... he said it makes a lot of difference so Im gonna try that later.

Omg guys I'm freaking out thinking that I have a permanent form of OCD called pure-o after reading this story from a girl who had it all her life and then never got diagnosed for 10 years, then went on to have kids and have a breakdown. I am terrified, what if that happens to me and I don't diagnose myself now? I'm freaking out I know this can just be anxiety about having an illness that I don't have.. but we all have intrusive thoughts that we can't seem to get rid of. Omg my head is in so much pain and I'm in so pain I want to cry. -Nikki

No matter how hard I tried, I could not meditate because my mind had racing thoughts. But you should try meditation. Sharing my experience with friends was liberating since it felt like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. My friends were very encouraging and supportive. Also, I tried to avoid being near family and loved ones during the week before my period when the symptoms were the worst. For me, that was an emotional time and I preferred to be alone. It's hard to push yourself to exercise or take a walk when you feel horrible, but it's absolutely necessary! I walk in the park every weekend morning which has made a huge difference. A gratitude journal also helps. Finally I would reward myself after every episode of anxiety/depression. Just experiencing it and surviving deserves a reward! I would treat myself to a piece of chocolate, get dinner from a restaurant, or watch a movie, etc. The best advice I have is to make a big sign that says "This is temporary!" so that you have hope during the darkest moments.

I’m almost 9 months off and I would say I feel 70% better. I’m not as depressed as I used to be and I can shake off a lot of my OCD thoughts. A lot of my thoughts consist of negative thinking about my boyfriend. For example, “I don’t love him” “he’s to short” “he’s annoying” “we aren’t compatible” “this isn’t going to work because I’m not attracted to him anymore” all of these thoughts have been in my head for about 11 months because they started to happen about 2 weeks after starting birth control! I randomly felt as if I fell out of love and it hasn’t been the same ever since. I know I love him because I wouldn’t have stayed with him for so long after feeling this way but nothing feels the same anymore. Literally NOTHING! I just always feel so blah and I’m either very emotional or emotionless; there is no in between. I think I just view my boyfriend under a different light now and life just feels different. In the beginning I had really bad anxiety where i just wanted to sleep for about a week. I didn’t week and I just cried to my mother telling her that I wanted to break up with my boyfriend but I couldn’t. I even told him to not let me break up with him because I’ll regret it. Honestly so weird!!!! I also still sometimes wake up with the anxiety and stomach aches but that has gotten much better. Another physical thing I’ve noticed is that I have a numb patch above my knee that feels very weird when I shave over it. I’ve also noticed some more acne than normal and a few other things. The biggest thing for me has been the ROCD though and I’m almost convinced I will never be the same or feel the same again. These thoughts feel so real and I’ve lived with them for 9 months so it’s crazy to believe that I am just going to stop feeling and thinking this way. Idk! I’m hopping to see some major improvements within the next few months! I really hope it’s the pill that made me feel this way and not just my actual feelings towards my boyfriend.

this might be TMI but another thing I noticed as like during sex I don’t feel a connection anymore. I used to love it because we were literally making love but now idk i feel like I’m just doing it for him and it’s not as meaningful anymore :(

Do you guys think I should go to the gynocologyist and tell her how I’m feeling or should I just keep trying to get through this? I saw a a lot of people saying that the gyno will never say that the pill did this to me and I seriously don’t need that right now lol. It will just make everything worse