Feeling depressed after stopping the birth control pills?

Hi girls I've had a good couple of weeks, even a weekend getaway with my bf that was absolutely perfect. I was so so nervous before the trip and was crazy with anxiety the night before our flight...but I managed to relax and let myself take it all in. The thing that has been helping me a lot is my magnesium supplements.In the morning I take magnesium with vitamin b complex, Fish oil and vitamin C and in the evenings i take magnesium with my supper. The magnesium and vitamin b help with my nerves, the fish oil is supposed to help my hair loss and inflammatory processes and vitamin C is to boost my immune system et.I was advised to avoid foods that cause overproduction of estrogen because the problem for most of us is a dominance of estrogen and lack of progesterone. This means cutting out sweets, tropical fruits, junk food, wheat products..FIRST SETBACK AFTER A REALLY GOOD FORTNIGHT WAS TODAY.I had a big cry because the last couple of days I've had PMS-like pain in my ovary and it's during the time I'm supposed to be ovulating. I've never had ovulation pain before so it started to make me think I may have a cyst problem again (i had one grow and rupture problematically after stopping the pill)..plus I'm feeling nervous and stressed about an upcoming trip and being seperated from my boyfriend a couple of months (im scared he will fall for someone else etc). My hormones do not cause your "i don't love him" thoughts...they cause more "he doesn't love me" thoughts even though the rational me knows just how devoted and amazing he has been!Have any of you experienced ovulation pain that lasted a couple of days??

I completely agree that time is the best healer of all. I found that writing a "happy letter", talking with my husband and friends, keeping a mood journal, and developing coping skills for the negative thoughts is what helped me most. I tried very hard to stay busy during the bad days. I wasn't always successful, but I always felt better if I at least attempted to distract myself rather than sitting down and spending time analyzing my feelings, which was ALWAYS a bad idea!!

I was talking to my husband over the weekend and suddenly realized that I may have had trouble on my first round of BCP without even realizing it. About 4 years ago I was on Acutane for acne, which meant I was also taking BCP (a requirement while being on Acutane). At the time I was still a newbie teacher. However, I was horribly depressed about my job. I dreaded going to work every day and thought constantly about doing something else, anything else. I received great evaluations from the principals and other teachers, but still felt absolutely awful. I wasn't dating anyone at the time, and was depressed about that as well. Anyway, I ended up going off of Acutane 6 months later, and felt depressed for about 6 months or so after that (I didn't really keep track). I attributed all my negative thoughts to the new job. I just figured I was depressed because it was new and scary and I hadn't developed a routine. However, looking back, I think it was more than that. Sure, I probably would've been down often because the first year really is the hardest. However, I doubt I would've felt the depression and dread as severely as I did then. 

Though, interestingly enough, Acutane is often cited as a drug that causes depression. Now I wonder, is it Acutane that causes it, or the BCP that you're forced to take along with it that causes the mood swings? 

 

Randomly, I too would get the "he doesn't love me" thoughts, though the other thoughts were more common. Just remember, he's been with you this far, and there are very few amazing men out there who would care enough to want to support their partners during such a difficult time. It might help to talk to him about it and set up a plan for when he leaves. You could discuss a time to call or text every day, or even Skype. I know I always felt better when my husband took the time to reassure me, even if it meant doing so two or more times a day :)



I never experienced ovulation pain, but I was just on another forum where some women were posting about the same type of pain.

I know this is a little too personal but i was wondering if anyone has had loose yellow stool along with their anxiety and depression

Alright... So heres my update. I was okayish this last week. Towards the end of the week (thursday and friday) i was having a lot of negative thoughts about my boyfriend. We live 2 hours away from eachother and only really get to see eachother on the weekends... So when i got to his apartment on friday evening I had been stewing with the negative thoughts for 2 days. He was being all playful and frisky when i got there but i was feeling guilty becuase of the negative thoughts. I tried to play along but i didnt want to mess around as he did... So i told him to wait. Which he did of course but then i started feeling bad. Then i started crying and the usual happend. He held me, we talked... etc. I felt a little better afterwards.... I had been researching supplements to take for depression. So we went out and got some. Im taking SAM-e and 5-htp. Along with a multivitamin and B6. It seems like its helping... But time will tell. The negative thoughts are still floating around, but its easier to overcome them.  

I've had the opposite! Constipation :-/

Amber: I life away from my boyfriend too and I think it makes this recovery extra hard because the multiple days in a row away from my boyfriend can be really, really tough. Like now -- I had an AMAZING weekend with my boyfriend and since coming home/back to work on Monday, the thoughts are back. I hate it. I'm hoping moving in with him in December will help. Also hoping that I'll be feeling much better overall by December. That'll be 8 months post-pill. Why is this recovery process so long? Ugh! And why are the good days so hard to remember on the bad days? Even with a happy letter, it's so hard to consistently remember those feelings of love and happiness on the "dark" days.

*live (typo in my previous post)

also, i'm curious: were you guys prone to anxiety/depression prior to this birth control hormonal balance thing? i've had anxiety/OCD/mild depression for almost a decade but it has always been health-based. I'd get obsessions for awhile about having a fatal heart problem, fatal blood clots, etc. I go to doctors and get checked out and the clean bill of health reassures me until the next obsession comes along a few months or so later. This post-BCP has been emotional anxiety/OCD instead of the usual physical stuff. maybe that's why I'm having so much trouble associating it with anxiety. it's funny -- as soon as the first "I don't love him" intrusive thought and consequent depression kicked in, I recoginized it as anxiety. I actually stayed in bed for a couple of days crying about how sad I was that my anxiety disorder has manifested in my relationship -- the most important thing in my life. and yet, despite that immediate recognition of it being anxiety, I can't fully convince myself of it. I'm constantly worried that the thoughts are real, even though i have tons of rational reasons for why the thoughts are NOT real. it's just hard to get that 100% reassurance that I used to get from heart doctors or ERs with my physical anxiety because there's no concrete/physical proof with emotional anxiety. it's maddening. speaking of maddening, this depression and irritiability/moodiness is so awful. it's like I want to be in a good mood but my body/mind won't allow me to be. my boyfriend is 10000000% supportive but I can't help but worry that my moodiness will eventually drive him away. he's the sweetest, most wonderful man in the world and he doesn't deserve my crankiness and moodiness. I feel so bad for him.

Wow. We have an almost identical situation! Im moving in with him probably late january! And I agree. Being away makes it worse. The biggest difference between us is im still on the pill. And yes... Remembering the good days is sooooo hard.

Well, I have always suspected that I have some sort of anxiety. Looking back to when i was a kid i would worry that something would happen to my mom on her way home from work, was constantly worried about the world ending, always thinking i was sick... etc. I remember this back at a VERY young age. Like 5. So having those thoughts that young... something has to be up. Into adult life i have noticed that I obsess over things. Like thinking im pregnant or have some sort of illness, and would spend HOURS looking stuff up online. I also would freak out if my friends (boyfriend especially) wouldnt text me back right away. Like i would panic thinking that they were mad at me or randomly decided that didnt want to be my friend/boyfriend anymore. Also, depression runs in my family on my moms side and anxiety runs on my dads side.... So yeah. lol.



I am TOOOOTALY in the same boat about the "i dont love him" feelings. I cried for days. I didnt understand that it was anxiety at the time, but i knew it was the birth control/hormones messing with me. Either way its so hard to convince yourself thats the problem.



AND WOW!!! You hit the nail on the head with this one!



"it's like I want to be in a good mood but my body/mind won't allow me to be. my boyfriend is 10000000% supportive but I can't help but worry that my moodiness will eventually drive him away. he's the sweetest, most wonderful man in the world and he doesn't deserve my crankiness and moodiness. I feel so bad for him."



that is exactly how i feel. He has assured me hes not going anywhere... And i believe him... But it still makes me feel guilty.



Like even right now im thinking to myself... All these women are different because all of their problems started when they stopped BC.... And im still on it..... So then im worried that its not the birth control. UGH! vicious circle!

Hey ambertinks! Cheer up - I always think that too, that it's something else besides the hormones/pill. But we just have to remember that this IS because of the pill!! And just because you haven't quit taking it, doesn't mean it's not making your hormones go completely crazy. My brand was switched to generic and for about 8 months I didn't put two and two together, but it gave me horrible anxiety and mood swings. That's why I quit... and now I'm having to deal with the horrible side effects of quitting. So don't worry, it is all because of the pill!!!

I have been having a pretty good few weeks. I'm about 11-ish weeks off the pill now and have been improving. My naturopathic/homeopathic doctor has really been helping me. All last week I was just fantastic. It felt so good to be feeling back to normal. Unfortunately this week my anxiety and obsessive thoughts have come back a little but not as badly as before. I know its my hormones because I'm also getting hot flashes. Not fun when you're 25 hahaha! I feel like I'm 55! I have an appointment with my doctor next week so I just have to stick it out! I still haven't had my period since quitting =/ I wasn't regular when I was 18, hence the reason I started the pill, but I just want it so I can feel like a woman again!!!

Has anyone else gotten hot flashes?

I have not had hot flashes... At least nothing noticeable.



Thank you so much for your response. I do keep telling myself that its the BC... But Its so hard!



It would be hard to not have your period for that long! At first you would think it might be nice, but yeah... Its kind of a part of who we are as women!

Ambertinks,

Just so you know, I also quit the pill because it was making me have insane mood swings. It just so happened that it also made me emotional while getting off it as well. Also, I think several of the women who post on here got off the pill because they switched pills and it made them fell terrible, or because they finally made the connection between their emotions and the pill. I hope this makes you feel better!

That does help a bit. Thank you. :)

Wow ladies... this happened to me this morning so I thought I'd share because at this point it's pretty pathetic and laughable to me lol! Just a little proof that all those negative thoughts about your significant others are NOT real... I was driving to work. I had my hand on my fiance's leg when a turn in the road came up and I took my hand off to put it on the wheel to turn the car. This STUPID thought popped into my head and said "how did your hand know to do that?" LOLOL - I was questioning my basic motor skills. Of course at the time I got that rush of fear feeling lol, but now I'm like seriously??? That right there tells me that any intrusive/negative thoughts I have are just to be ignored because like that thought, they are just ridiculous! Keep your heads up girls :) Although I have been having moments like that this week, overall I have been feeling SO much better and those negative thoughts are easier to ignore than they used to be. Just think positively and when you can, laugh at how ridiculous this all is! We'll all be fine and back to normal... I'm sure of it :)