Recovery from anxiety/depression caused by birth control

So happy to see that this thread is still active. I was on birth control for 2 years, first year I was perfectly fine, period was a little heavy so I switched the apri. On apri, I became more emotional than usual. At work I'd cry when I got frustrated. So, 3 months ago I stopped the pill. Cold turkey. First month was fine. About two weeks after that, I started having odd thoughts about my boyfriend. Like I randomly questioned myself "do you think he is attractive right now?". I didn't pay too much mind to it. Then, 2 weeks later, I began doubting my relationship excessivley, rocd like thoughts. I have never once doubted anything in my relationship, we were just about to move it. Started to hysterically cry every single day, multiple times a day. It was like every single flaw that I never cared about started to stick out in big red letters in my head. I became depressed over these horrible feelings. Couldn't eat. All I wanted to do was sleep. Questioned how I'd keep a job. Couldn't work out 4 am (religiously ) anymore. Lost my zeal of life for the same week I should have been menstruating. All I thought about every second of every day is my relationship and if it will ever last. Fast forward three weeks, I am able to eat and feel somewhat better, but these horrible thoughts about my relationship still haunt me. I have good days, like today, but on other days I cry miserably because I love my boyfriend so much, and wonder why I have to feel this horrible way. I question whether he is fun enough for me, whether I am attracted to other guys more than him, every possible thing. I ended up going to my gyno, who acknowledged that these feelings could be pill related. All he did was try to put me on the pill again. I had to beg to get my blood work done. Somehow it said that my hormones were fine, but I really don't believe it entirely. I have yet to actually menstruate post pill. I have been taking b complex pills and eating coconut oil and this may habe contributed to me feeling slightly better. All I hope for is better days. Now I feel extremely vulnerable. Like if I see a guy that is attractive, I will fall out of love with my boyfriend. Hoping with everything that these feelings leave so I can go back to feeling myself. Thanks everyone here for giving me solace and good luck to you all.

I don't have the same story but I've had anxiety and OCD intrusive thoughts since stopping pill too! Not exactly the same as you but I have a support group via text with other girls experiencing this.

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I was on the pill for about a year and a half. And it took me about 7-8 months to feel 100% better. I saw a therapist the WHOLE time to help me cope. She was the one who actually told me this was common reaction to birth control. Your body is going through withdraw from a synthetic drug. Every body is different. And every body takes different time to regulate their natural hormones again.

Thanks for responding to my post! I'm sorry that you are dealing with a similar issue, but we will all get through this. It gives me a lot of comfort knowing that the other girls in that chat are experiencing the same thing as me because the thoughts seem so realistic, and it really is scary and debilitating. Feels like I lost a part of me or I am a different person.

update.: now been on 20 mgs of Prozac for 2 weeks still having irrational thinking and anxiety. I think the depression came on more from dealing with this crazy anxiety. I feel a bit better most days but I know the medicine is helping. My new doctors did blood work and my hormones are fine now. I feel like it gets worse before I get my period when I'm pmsing. He put me on a liver cleanse as he says the synthetic hormones will stick to the liver. I've been doing that for 3 weeks now so hopefully that will help. On Monday I will enter my 7th cycle from being off BC. I was really hoping to be way better by now. I almost feel like the BC threw me off caused an imbalance and now I'm stuck trying to get my life back to where it was. Even if the hormones are fine now the damage is done. So although it's hard I still remain optimistic that i will be full of life again and soon. I hope all of you will too! So no I'm still not fully recovered. I Started taking Prozac because it just got too scary to handle. I have a good support system maybe this medicine will help my brain remember how function normally. If there is a group chat somewhere with notifications can someone let me know?

my story is so similar to yours its scary. I just stopped taking the Birth Control 3 weeks ago and I'm still struggling. it is not a fun feeling at all. glad you are feeling better.

Hi Ladies,
I've been reading pages and pages of this thread for the last day....I can't tell you how much it's helped. I stopped mid pack on 6/22, it wasn't intentional but I got married on 6/24 so in the days leading up to the wedding while trying to remember everything else I forgot about the pill. Everything went great over that weekend and I made it until 6/26 before almost all of the feelings you have all described came on full force. I had anxiety prior and was treated for it but had it under control and hadn't been on medication for years. This time I felt like I kept having panic attack after panic attack, I couldn't breath, palpitations, bad thoughts, nausea, vomiting, shaking, panicking about panicking, the whole works. We were supposed to leave for our honeymoon that day and needless to say, I just couldn't. I tried to tough it out, set up a doctors appointment for 6/30 but the feelings just wouldn't let up. I wound up at the ER 6/28 they gave me .5mg of Xanax which leveled me out pretty quickly. They also gave me a 15 pill script for it. My husband was the one to connect the dots with the BC and this happening, I googled it and wound up here.

Today at the doctor, I brought up the link between stopping the pack and this happening. It didn't seem that my doctor was on board with it. All I got was "it could possibly be that" then I was quickly written a script for Zoloft and Xanax. Just enough Xanax to get me through the start of the Zoloft basically.

I am terrified to take the Zoloft. So far, since 6/28 and the initial ER visit where they gave me .5mg of Xanax, I have taken 1-1/2 pills total to even out. Literally halves at a time. It really seems to help along with calming tea and keeping busy.

Have any of you taken Zoloft during this? What is your experience with using the Xanax as needed?

Thanks~Mia

im going through this now exctly the same and my partner works nights so im left with to kids one 3 yr one 4 months and thats when i get them more you story has given e some comfort thank you :)

I hope you feel better soon.

hi, sorry to hear that, but i would like to ask you what physical symptoms do you get? As i get physical symptoms first and then the anxiety hits me really bad.... ive been on the pills only for 5 months and now im off of the pills only 4 weeks..

Has anybody ever tried natural supplements for depression or anxiety? I've been on anti-depressants for close to 35 years. I'm now on some natural supplements which I think are working, but it's so hard to tell over a short period. I've read quite a few testimonials of people that it's work for. I'm weaning myself off, but a little nervous. Before when I tried to get off, it seemed like it was working, then after several months I would crash.

Can we all get extensive blood test etc and compare them here our results there has to be a connection. The only off thing I've had is high triclyrides, high vitamin b 12 and low vitamin d, I did get a tiny chat and a tiny fibroid among all this getting off pill doctor said it's normal. Other than that thyroid came normal. I will be checking my urine for hormone health in about a month or two..I will update you guys on that. Anyone else care to share? :)

All my tests came back fine.

thank you for sharing your story. i been going through the same thing. i stoped my birth control about a month ago and i still feel so anxious and depressed. i been going to the doctor so much and i feel like i been running in circles and none of them say that Birth control lingers in your body for a long time. i been wanting to go to a holistic doctor bt i live in a small town and its hard to find one close by. i have been feeling better since i stopped the BC bt i still have anxiety episodes. I'm just ready to feel normal. I'm so sorry this happened to you bt I'm glad I'm not the only one.

i did some blood work and they all came back fine. i had an appt with my obgyn and she did a hormone check. i wont get the results back right away. i have to wait two days. she referred me to a endocrinologist that way i can get my thyroid and adrenal glands checked. i read that birth control can cause your stress hormone levels to go up and cause adrenal fatigue.