Feeling depressed after stopping the birth control pills?

Sunny Miami..... the image in my head is sun and palm trees and the beach!!!! :-)

Well first up , the nasty relationship ended about 4 years ago and I'm now happily married for 3 years

So my journey started when I stopped BC in August 2018.... It was the 3rd time on it as most of my life I've been natural but due to getting married I decided BC would be a safer option than counting days as I wasn't quite sure how to do that properly .... lol anyways, I always had bad experiences on the stuff but this one was a new brand that had just been released on the marked about a year prior to my dr prescribing it for me.... I remember telling my hubby that I was surprised that I hadn't had any issues with it. so about 13 months in I started having some strange symptoms, racing heart rate while sitting at my desk working... when I looked at my Garmin it said my heart beat was sitting at 160 bbm.... I was like no something's wrong, nausea, migraines, so severe I was booked off work for a few days, smells were becoming very intense and to be honest I thought I was pregnant, that's how bad the symptoms were so I went to my Dr and he advised that I stop the pill which I did.... a few weeks went by and I didn't feel different then around mid Sep 2018 I started feeling sad, but I just waved it off to my period that had just ended.... by the time my second period off BC ended I was waking up every morning with a nervous feeling in my tummy but only in the morning and then one Friday night it all changed and the anxiety hit me full force... the thoughts going round in my head made me scared to be around people ... I thought I was going to somehow hurt them, I felt suicidal and nothing made sense. I didn't want to go out, I couldn't eat and I was exhausted all the time.... I was a proper mess and then I also started feeling everything around me was a dream.... thankfully I had a friend who had gone through a nervous break and understood where I was at.

I had hormones tested and although my ranges were low they were still in range according to what health providers consider normal.... anyways long story short I turned to natural supplements... Vit C, Iron, Magnesium, Omega 3, Vit B complex (B6 is VERY important for hormones) and long walks as that helped a lot..... it took about 6 months for me to get back to what I called my normal self without the mental stuff ... man I was worried I was losing my mind!!!! when I found this forum and realised I was not alone, it helped.... the depression was the last symptom to resolve.... emotionally and mentally I was in a very dark place but time and research and loving friends and hubby I got through.... its over a year now since the last bad spell other than the anxiety during fertile window but that was present before BC ... My mom also told me that she went through this with menopause so yeah... and when I realised all this happened after stopping the pill, I knew it was related.

ok so I could continue writing in detail but this could become too long so feel free to ask me questions etc....

A side note is that hormones are not just sex hormones.. Cortisol plays a huge role as well.

When you get a chance look up Dr Jolene Brighten.... she specialises in this area of "post birth control syndrome"

ok honey that's me for now... hope to hear from you soon... :-) hope your day has been a good one today

Yes I’m taking some time off at the end of this month and I’m hoping to soak up some sun ☀️ if things are looking a bit better with the virus. The beaches in South Africa also look like a dream, when does it usually get warmer? Also let me tell you, you are strong! So happy that you have been feeling better for so long it’s refreshing to hear! Also thank you for all the wonderful suggestions going to really educate myself on all of this. I’ve fortunately been feeling bit better since my cycle ended, so I’m taking the weekend to hit the reset button! Starting with major cleaning spree at home lol

That sounds like a great plan.!!! We have some stunning beaches yes! OUr weather gets warmer from Sep - Oct but the heat hits us good in Dec.... winter is not as cold although we have been having some major cold days the last week and feels like it might be warmer to sit in the fridge than my house.

Anyways... how did your weekend turn out with the cleaning spree?

Okay that’s real cold! Lol hope you’re staying nice and toasty indoors. The spree has turned into a major project I am gathering a bunch of things to donate but serves as a great disraction! Hope you are doing well.

Hi ladies,
It’s honestly been SO long since I have been on this forum; which is very odd considering I practically lived on here in 2017. I want to share my story in hopes of helping you out through this exhausting journey.

I started to take birth control in 2017. I was a senior in high school and had been with my boyfriend for about 3 years at the time. After 3 months of taking the pill I started to feel “off”. I started to lose feelings of love, happiness, and compassion towards anything & everything. I decided it would be in my best interest to stop taking the pill. After stopping the pill I felt FINE for about a month until randomly (very randomly) I went into full panic mode one day; I was struck with OCD, anxiety, depression, & RCOD. I woke up one day and hated myself, hated my boyfriend, hated my family, hated my life. I felt as if I didn’t know anyone, as if I was living in a fog. I lost all feelings for my boyfriend, I didn’t find him attractive anymore, I didn’t love him anymore. The thought of not loving him gave me immense anxiety and although I couldn’t feel the love I knew deep down that I wanted to be with him. The relationship anxiety was definitely the hardest symptom I experienced. My symptoms were always there, yet the severity came in waves. Some days were better than others, and then some months were better than others. It took about 2 years for me to start seeing some actual progress and to start feeling a change in my mental state. I thought the process was never ending, but time is a true healer. So, it’s been 3 years & all I can say is that I’m better and I’m so freaking happy about it. Of course I still have my days, but my thoughts aren’t being consumed anymore with negativity. I am able to thing clearly, love my life, and love my boyfriend. When dealing with this it almost feels like you’ll never make it out, but trust me you will and when you do it will feel great. Time is a true healer. I wish the best for you all, please hang in there; you’re life is very important!

You have no idea how much I needed to read this, I am 3 years off just like you. I was doing better learning to cope but had a ridiculous set back about 2 months ago which has caused me to spiral! It’s been bad and I feel like I’m just going back to the beginning the ROCD is ridiculous & I hate it but I am not giving up! Thanks for coming back here, and I hope to come back with a message like yours in the future. I am tired and refuse to let this win, my boyfriend and i were talking about having kids yesterday and i was sobbing one because i can’t believe after all this he still wants to have children with me and two because I need to overcome this to be the best mother I can be. Please send over some positive thoughts and vibes my way, i need them!

Wow I’m so glad you’re doing great!! I started the pill in Oct. 2017 and stopped by March 2018 just because I was 18 and thought my period would be permanently regulated (I did no research lol). In July 2018 I was hit with full blown OCD and it was such an awful experience. I dealt with POCD, ROCD, multiple themes to be honest and I felt so ashamed. Even now I sometimes obsess over my mental health and who I really am because of that experience, but I usually just let the thoughts pass. Time definitely is the biggest healer and I believe I’m still healing from it so hopefully one day I won’t even think about this at all! I’ve noticed in these past months that I haven’t been coming on here for reassurance as much as I was from 2018-2019 which is good, but sometimes I just stop by to give updates or see posts.

I’m so glad this helped you! I know how terrible the ROCD can be, it’s seriously so exhausting! For so many months, even years I felt like I was a terrible girlfriend because I just did not feel in love! I was moody, emotional and frustrated. I still have my days, but things have gotten so much better. I have faith that you will get through it. I think that no matter how long, these “thoughts” might always be with us just because we have dealt with them for so long, yet they shouldn’t consume too much of our lives. Mine are almost like faded thoughts in the back of my head and I’m able to have happy thoughts that outshine the bad. I wish you the best, please hang in there!

So glad to hear you are doing a bit better! I hope in time we all heal from whatever has hurt us due to the pill. It’s so crazy how many girls have dealt with the negative side effects of the pill. I was on this forum like CRAZY in the beginning. Yesterday was the first time I have come on in about a year, which is such a huge improvement for me. I wish you the best & know you could overcome this.

Thank you! I hope so as well, it’s a very overwhelming experience and I wish that doctors would warn women about these types of issues.

Yes I Understand you! Thanks for the well wishes and vote of confidence it is very much appreciated. Again so glad you’re on the other side of this! If you have any tips as to what helped you I would love to hear them.

Just checking in! I’m officially 3 years post pill and have been feeling so much better in the past 9 months with the help of a naturopath. Really felt like I was getting my life back on track. Of course I had anxiety every once in a while, but no where near what I used to experience! Now I’m on the last day of my period and in total freak out dissociation mode, convincing myself that I’m about to spiral again. I know the bad times will always pass but wow, I haven’t felt THIS on edge in so long. It’s just hard not to fall back into those old, terrifying thought patterns. But I know I’ll get through it! Can anyone else relate?

Hey! I’m almost 2.5 years off and this is exactly how I’ve been feeling. I think a lot of factors are playing a role in it such as general stress during the pandemic, being home all day with extra time to overthink, and plus my menstrual cycle is really irregular right now. I feel like maybe a combination of my stress and PCOS caused my hormones to go out of whack, I’ve been so anxious and it’s reminding me a lot of the beginning of this experience. I also have to go to a doctor soon because I think this cycle has caused anemia and vitamin deficiencies this past month, and I’m sure these cause anxiety too. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. I definitely haven’t felt like this in a while either, so hopefully we can get better soon!

I’m sorry you’re feeling this way as well but it’s definitely nice to know I’m not alone! I think the pandemic is definitely not helping, wayyyy too much time alone with my thoughts. I know I’ll make it through this just like I have before but my birthday is coming up in 2 days and I’d just really love to feel good for it! We shall see.

Yeah I’ve had waaaay too much time to overthink every little thought and then it makes me feel like I’m back at square one, hopefully this will calm down soon. Happy early birthday! I hope you get better asap