Feeling depressed after stopping the birth control pills?

(Sorry this ended up being a double post- I somehow didn't quote your post the first time and wanted to fix that!)

I think this may be the first time I have cried tears of joy in a long time! You just perfectly described the way I have been feeling everyday for the past 3 months now. It is such a relief to see your post and so many others that I can totally relate to because I have been feeling so alone. I have been on birth control since I was 15 to help with my heavy period and bad cramping. As I got into college I developed bad anxiety and depression. I always linked it with genetics and things thay have happened in my past. I met my boyfriend in 2012 and we've been together since! It was seriously like a movie romance! We recently got our own appartment at thr beginning of the year and I was so content and happy! Had so much energy and love spewing out of me!

Then all of a sudden I started having migraines and my depression and anxiety slowly got worse. So bad to the point that I would call off work because I couldn't bare leaving the house somedays. So I did a whole lot of research (but somehow did not come across this amazing thread at that time) and found out that birth control seems to do more harm than good. So my boyfriend and I decided as a team that I would stop taking the pill and see how that helps.

It really felt like it helped that first week or 2. I had my energy back some days and felt positive and light! No rushing thoughts, no sick stomach feeling from anxiety. It was amazing! So here I am 3 month off the pill and the depression and anxiety came back hard. Especially the depression. When I recently started doubting my relationship, I knew this is not me. So I was really scared. Asking myself stuff like "He's everything you ever wanted and he's one of the only people that actually understand you, so why do I all of a sudden feel so negatively toward him? And everyone I encounter..."

So let's just say I am SOOO relieved to have found all these amazing posts!!! It gives me so much hope for what's to come! I just want the old me back and I know my boyfriend does too ♡ I will never look at hormonal birth control the same.

Yay! I am happy that post can make you feel better.. As it did WONDERS for me. Just knowing that EVERYONE else is also feeling this way, makes you KNOW that there is nothing wrong with you and your relationship, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel :) I truly feel after each period it gets better and better! I also take a one-a-day Women Multivitamin everyday, and I hold onto the faith that each month I will get better :) I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER SOON AND YOU CAN COME BACK HERE AND SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE xoxo lots of love, I hope you have a fast recovery

Yes it helped so much! Almost 7 months off but now I know that’s okay because of that post. I felt like I really fell out of love and will never go back.

Hello, does anyone have the feeling of not being attracted to their significant other anymore??? I’ve been dealing with this for a while now, 6 months! but I think ever since the 2nd month off I questioned if I thought he was attractive or not and his height really bothered me and now it’s not leaving my head! I love him and I know I do but his physical appearance is bothering me and it never has before! this is so strange and I hate every minute of it. Someone please help

Is anyone going through anxiety/depression that doesn’t have a s/o or bf involved? I don’t have a bf atm but my recent bf we broke up months later before I decided to stop the pills now it’s been about 3 months and I’m going through a lot with anxiety and I really hate being alone by myself because I get so into thought and I over think a lot that might happen, pretty much like paranoia over everything. And I dont want to go on any meds that’s the last thing I wanna do rn.. Does anyone have any natural remedies that help? Does tea actually help

I have a bf whose helping me get through this but if your worried about going through this alone id suggest talking to your closest friends about it and family members. My friends and family have been good and helped me through this time.

Things I can suggest is taking a hormonal balancing multivitamin. It wont have huge effect but it may help ease out the hormones over time. Also cut out caffeine and switch it to chamomile tea. It slightly helps but from my experience, time is the best healer.

My best advice is to try and keep yourself mentally distracted as much as possible. Watch your favorite TV shows, spend time with your family and friends and have fun things to look forward to. Trust me this WILL get better over time its just feel like it takes forever.

Hello! How has everything been with you and your husband? I hope you are doing well

How long has it been for you???

I'm at roughly 9 months now. I'd say i'm about 75 percent better. I still have anxious moments but they are way less horrible than before and are much shorter. I don't feel depressed anymore and I feel like i'm mostly back to my normal self. Personally I feel like it gradually gets better as each month passes but that's just my experience.

Ok I’m approaching 7 months off but sometimes I have great days and other times my days are horrible and I have terrible set backs. I get discouraged being this far and experiencing set backs but I guess that’s normal. Did you experience any ROCD? I’ve felt depressed about everything in general but my feelings have came back for everything in my life except for my boyfriend. I think this is normal but I’m not sure and it’s really exhausting to have these constant negative thoughts

I've not had ROCD where I worry if my feelings have changed towards my boyfriend, but I've certainly have experienced OCD thoughts. I think that's just down to me personally having anxieties over other things than my relationship with my bf.

From what i've read of this forum there's a lot of other women on here who have experienced ROCD from stopping the pill.

My source of hope is that i've read posts from women on here who have gotten better after a year as time progressed and I have noticed myself getting better too. I totally get that is can get so exhausting but try to remember that these negative thoughts are only temporary and what ever it is your worrying about, its not actually true or as bad as you think it is.

If im totally honest its still a bit of a rollercoaster. Had a good spell of a few weeks there an then my last period realy set me back. Now im feeling anxious again an it always revolves around my relationship. I find myself obsessing over things an overthinking an being paranoid abour things i shouldnt. Im beginning to hate myself as i seem to be making myself and my husband so unhappy. Im beginning to fear that its not jus hormones now cos iv been off bc about 13 months now. I just wana feel happy again. Im ok when im with my husband but if hes at work i obsess over things an get myself wound up which usually ends up in my crying to him an frustrating him when he gets home. Its a vicious circle that is slowly destroying my marriage. Im surprised he hasnt left me already. Has anyone any recommendations? Surely my hormoes couldnt still be off? :-(

Well I just recently read something and it took one girl 1 year and 5 months. I think it is hormones but I know after a while it definitely doesn’t feel like the hormones are making you feel this way anymore. It feels like it becomes how you are and how you will always be. I still have ROCD thoughts where I constantly question my relationship. If I love him anymore, if I’m attracted to him, if we will last etc. it’s a long long roller coaster and it’s sucks! I stay stick it out.

I had my hormones checked about 6 months ago an apparently they were "normal" but im going again next week cos i cant take much more of this. I have literally ruined my husbands life recently as well as my own. I can tell he is unhappy an it has even affected our tryin for a baby. Its so unfair, he is an amazin human bein who loves me unconditionally an here is me bringing up stuff from years ago an causing unnecessary arguments just cos i get myself so paranoid. Why cant i jus be happy again? Im not even feeling any excitement for chrsitmas which i usually love. I jus feel like a horrible person an im so fed up crying all the time. Im missing out on the amazin life that i know i have. Will hormones def go back in sync by rhemselves? Feels like they wont. Also can anyone tell me what a regular period pattern is? Mine come every month but can vary from 25 days to 34 days eg 25, 27, 29, 29, 26, 35, 30- would this be normal
Or still out of sync?

Do you ever feel loss of attraction for your husband ??? Like some physical features bother you more than they should? Idk why this is happening to me because it sucks!