Recovery from anxiety/depression caused by birth control

Hi,
I would love to chat with you if you're able. This is so hard, it's been about 2 months for me off BC. I've spent so much time reading these forums, it helps knowing others are going through the same ordeal and it does get better,

Christine thank you for this. I could not relate more and it's comforting to know that other women out there are feeling the same way I am right now.

I just wanted to say that I am really thankful for your post, whenever I feel at my worst I return to this webpage and know that there is hope for me and that I must remain patient. I would also like to share my personal experience with birth control because I believe it will help ease the minds of other women just like me. I am 23 years old and began taking birth control late December, 2015 I stopped taking it 6 months later on June 7th. At first everything was absolutely fine, the pill had cleared up my acne, being someone that always had irregular periods the pill caused my periods to become regular, and the best part was that it was very effective in preventing me from becoming pregnant. My gyno prescribed me Ortho Micronor but being that my insurance only covered the generic brand I opted in for the generic instead (Norethindrone). I was on a one week vacation for my birthday when I first began experiencing strange symptoms that I had never before experienced. After a long day of fun at a theme park we came back to the hotel to wind down and get some rest for the following day. I remember my fiance and I were laying in bed watching T.V. and eating dinner when all of a sudden I had this panicky feeling come over me where I felt my heart begin to race, began having cold sweats and I felt as if I just couldn't catch my breath. I grew worried because I had no idea what was going on, I had never experienced nothing similar to this in my life. Our room had a tub right between the bed and the bathroom so all I could think of was getting myself in the tub full of hot water to try and relax. I was in the tub for a good 10-15 minutes before I started to feel better and felt my heart rate slow down. When I felt like I had relaxed I had gotten out of the tub changed into my pajamas and attempted to catch some sleep. We still needed about 6 more days until we returned home but as the days slowly passed I wasn't feeling any better.I grew irritable, instead of enjoying our vacation me and my fiance were getting into constant fights throughout the day. I was moody, depressed, anxious, I had never been so homesick in my life. All I wanted was my vacation to be over so I could be home already.

When we finally arrived home I still didn't feel like my normal happy self, I felt like some other personality had completely taken over me. Just 3 days after arriving home from our vacation I went to the ER with complaints of chest pains and strong heart palpitations. They immediately rushed me in for an EKG and the tests came back fine. They did numerous blood tests on me (15 I believe) checking anything in my blood that had to do with my heart, everything came back negative I was fine. About two days later I had an extreme case of anxiety that persisted for about 1 week. My heart began with the strong palpitations again, I had this feeling that I couldn't control I honestly felt like I was going to die. It would last for about 2 or 3 hours. I had to leave work about 3 times throughout my week long episode because I just couldn't stand being at work feeling the way I was feeling. At times I felt so depressed and cried for absolutely no reason at all, I couldn't sleep at night. I would wake up around 3am with this fluttering feeling in my chest that would prevent me from sleeping the rest of the night. I noticed that whenever it was time to take my birth control (5pm) shortly after my symptoms would return but worse than before taking the pill. So I began to link my symptoms to the birth control.

I ended up going to my primary doctor and explained to her everything that I had been going through the past couple of weeks. My trip to the E.R., my unexplainable depression, that fluttering feeling in my heart. I told her that I believed it could be my birth control because before taking birth control I was absolutely fine. I was always happy, fun to be around, healthy and that something must have triggered my body to get into this state. She immediately disregarded my theory about the birth control and told me that I just had anxiety. I couldn't believe she was so quick to diagnose me with anxiety without even being absolutely sure about her diagnosis. She had ran no test, no blood work,but yet she was sure about her assumption without any proof to back it up. I had asked her to go ahead and check my hormones anyway, regardless of what she believed.

About two weeks later I returned to my primary doctor for my results. They had checked my blood sugar, my thyroids, everything but my hormones. When I had specifically asked them to check my hormones in the blood work. I was so upset, my doctor asked me if I wanted to run another blood test just for the hormones since they hadn't been checked. I decided to just leave of how angered I was and decided from that moment on that I was not going to allow any doctor to keep handling my situation. The last thing I wanted to hear was my doctor suggesting antidepressant medications. I would absolutely REFUSE to take any antidepressant medication. I know that I am stronger than this and being a Christian I know that God will see me through these difficult moments. no more doctors. I know the person I was before the birth control and I have made the decision to follow my own instinct and not rely on any doctor's unsupported assumptions about my "Anxiety disorder".

I decided to look to the internet for answers. Just like this forum I found many similar websites, and blogs where hundreds of women have had similar symptoms as me after they started on birth control. At the end of the day I am glad I did not listen to my doctor and just accept the anxiety disorder she was trying to diagnose me with. Because just like many other women who went through the same situation as me, I am starting to feel better with time just like they did. It has only been a month since I have gotten off my birth control and I still have episodes every now and then where I cant sleep, and I feel short of breath with that fluttering feeling in my chest but its not nearly as bad as when I was still on the pill. I don't feel depressed anymore and I don't cry out of the blue like i used to. I am recovering slowly but surely, every day I feel a little better. I assume that my body is starting to regulate itself once again but after 6 months of placing synthetic hormones in my body each and every day I know its going to take a while. But I know that I must remain patient and optimistic, and I encourage anyone going through my situation to do the same. Sometimes we just have to follow our gut feeling when it comes to our bodies. No one knows ourselves and our own bodies better than we do. So if anyone tries to diagnose you without the sufficient amount of proof to back it up I suggest you do what your instinct tells you to. To some doctors were just another statistic, Like Christine said doctors are necessary at times but they don't know you as well as you know yourself, you would know when something triggers your body to act differently. Especially if you have never experienced these types of symptoms before your birth control came along.

For those suffering from the same symptoms as me I just ask that you hang in there and stay positive. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Don't over work yourself, keep calm and wait it out, you will get better with time. Some things that help me feel better is to read my bible and listen to God's word for strength and encouragement at times when I feel like this is never going to end. When you feel short of breath or feel like your heart is fluttering all over the place in your chest take a deep breath in filling your belly with air, pause, and fully exhale. Repeat a few times and it will make you feel a bit more relaxed. For those who cant sleep at night, when you wake up in the middle of the night just get out of bed and do something that will provoke sleep once again (Read, Meditate,complete a light and boring chore). If you stay anxious in bed you are training your brain to view your bedroom as a place of worry, and fear instead of a safe haven free of stress and worry.

For those reading this and going through what I am going through I pray for a speedy recovery. And don't worry with time you will be healed just don't give up on yourself and like I said stay positive!

Oh thank God for you posting this! My situation very similar but I knew it was from the birth control. I never realized what all was happening to me until I read your post. Thank you so much!!!!!!

Hi ladies. I just wanted to share my experience on hormonal birth control and the recovery process of coming off of it in hopes that it reduces any worries you may be having. I know you feel like your situation is unique and simply different than what you've read, but I can assure you, it is just your anxiety speaking. You are not going crazy, and with time, everything will get easier.

I had taken the pill as my first form of contraceptive when I was 15 until I was about 17 (no issues that I can recall). I then was on the Implanon for two years. I loved it. I had no issues with it really, no pregnancy scares. It may have even improved my overall mood. However, my skin became so acne-prone. It seemed as if I was spending more money to get products for my skin, than anything else. (And of course, none of the products worked because it was my hormones messing with my complexion) so I decided to switch back to the pill. Because whenever I first took it, I remembered my skin was flawless! So I called my doctor, I got my implant removed and was immediately prescribed three months worth of Beyaz. Those three months were easy, I had no issues with beyaz at all! And my skin was completely acne-free by the end of the third month. I was so happy, I had all the confidence in the world. Nothing could've been better for me!

However, when it was time to refill that prescription, I was informed my insurance did not cover beyaz. I was put on the generic version, Ocella, for approximately 5 weeks until my entire world flipped upside down. I had noticed an increase in the depressive symptoms. At work, I would feel unbelievably down and hopeless for no clear reason. I would try hard to shake those feelings away, but they only came back stronger..
May 20th, 2015- Out of no where, I was watching a movie with my boyfriend, and I had a panic attack. I felt really nervous and small, and like my whole world was fading right in front of me. I had never experienced that kind of fear in my life. And it scarred me for good, at least I thought it had.
I knew it was my birth control. The feelings came out of the blue and I had never experienced anxiety/depression prior to taking these pills. After that incident, things only got worse. I stopped taking my pills two days later.

I fell incredibly ill, I could not eat, sleep, move, change clothes, watch tv, shower, drive, work, enjoy anything because of how depressed I was. I wanted to die. I have never thought about suicide before, but it had never sounded more appealing to me. I was a complete and utter wreck. I didn't know where to turn, I even began to question my love for my boyfriend which developed into an intense case of ROCD... This lasted two weeks.
I am grateful to have had the support from my boyfriend during that time, because even when I pushed him away, he was there for me through all of the episodes, tears, vomit, restless nights, and not eating. He saved me, I'm convinced. Because depression takes more from you than your energy. Life did not feel worth living. And you really need a strong support system to be your backbone when you're experiencing something as mentally and physically crippling as depression.

After two weeks, the depression lifted and i was able to work again. I was on no birth control and I began to feel things like a human again. But what did not change, was the amount of anxiety I felt from a day to day basis. I had ROCD so bad, and it was taking everything from me. I couldn't focus on anything expect my relationship with my boyfriend and if it was everything I had wanted. Why was I questioning my feelings for him when he did no wrong? This lead to more depression, guilt and anxiety like you wouldn't believe.

With time, I learned these symptoms and tried my very hardest not to let them take any more out of me, no matter how hard it was. Anxiety has a really strange way of convincing you that your scariest and most irrational thoughts are the very truth. But you have to accept them, and not push them away, and with time, you learn they aren't real. They won't exist if you don't feed them. This is still something I battle day to day, but I promise it gets easier with time.

My boyfriend and I actually spent two weeks on vacation in July, and I am pleased to say that during our whole time away I felt no feelings of anxiety or depression. (So it really all is in your head)

There are so many things I did that I believed help pull me out of the depressive state, and I want to share some of them with you because I believe they can really help. First, I took so many vitamins when I wasn't eating or sleeping and I was stunned by how quickly I noticed a difference. (I literally was not eating) so it was necessary for me to intake all of these nutrients: vitamins B and C and E, magnesium, 5htp(for moods), and a couple others. Excercising helps your mood and feelings of well being. When you take care of your body, you naturally feel so much happier with yourself whether its a little jog or 20 minutes of yoga. It makes a difference. Spend a lot of time with friends and family, because interaction with others really helped my mood and positivity. These are just a few of the things I did to make myself feel better and they really worked. If you are experiencing depression as a part of recovering from your birth control, just know things get worse before they get better. But when they get better, oh boy does it feel good! And things will. :)

So a little summary,
May 20th 2015 was my first panic attack.
Early July was my last panic attack.
And today is August 30th no depression, mild anxiety, and I feel about 70% like me again!

So i'm hoping with time things continue to get better and for you I know things will. Be patient and be strong. Better days are ahead and if you ever need someone to talk to about this, I would love to hear your story and tell you a little more of mine. :)

Hi!
My story is pretty similar to yours; I did some back and forth on/off the pill and it wasn't until I stopped taking it for good at the end of May that things really started to go wrong. I've always had a bit of baseline anxiety but nothing at all like I had. The week after I stopped the pill I was crying, hyperventilating, felt physically ill, just overall awful. The insomnia kicked in about a month later, my anxiety was still sky high. I was terrified to take any prescription meds but finally broke down and took half of the lowest dose of anxiety meds to help me sleep. I ended up going to a naturopathic doctor as I really don't want to go on depression/anxiety meds. I've been on a few different supplements for about a month now (have terrible anxiety even about taking natural remedies) my sleep and anxiety improved but now I've just finished my third period and my anxiety is bad again and I'm having difficulty sleeping. I feel overall fatigued, emotional, and pretty crappy. I went and visited a friend this past weekend out of town, it's the first time I've gone anywhere since this all started. It was tough b/c my anxiety is still bad most days but I'm glad I pushed myself to go. I've never gone through anything like this in my entire life, I'm having more good days but the bad days sure are awful. This has put a huge strain on my relationship with my fiancee, I've pushed him away not meaning to but felt so bad about him seeing me crying all the time and didn't know what to do. I feel so much better after reading posts from other women. It's been 3 months, I'm in a much better place than I was at the beginning but still dealing with anxiety and the sleeping stuff. I'm glad you are feeling much better. I used to run every other day before all this started but just haven't had the energy lately. I need to make more of an effort to just get out and walk everyday. Are you still taking the vitamins?

I am so sorry this is something that's still affecting you this much. My anxiety is really centered around things I can't control, like my future and my relationship with my boyfriend. I always want to think the worst case scenario is what is going to happen but I'm trying really hard to not think this way. It's been a little over three months since ive been off the pill and I feel so much better than where I was when I started. Excercising is so important. Keep running and just eat healthy and you'll be amazed by how great you feel. Lately I've been struggling with guilt and feelings of hatred towards myself and I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from or what's causing it. I guess it's all part of the process. I am currently taking magnesium, I have read that it helps with anxiety and instead of taking prescription meds, I would take Benadryl to sleep. (But try not to take it more than twice a week). I hope this passes for you soon, keep your head up and know you aren't alone.

Wow your story sounds so similar to mine! I was in such a terrible place a few months ago. Worst 6 months of my life. I ended up getting on lexapro and it stopped all of the physical symptoms within a few days. I haven't had a panic attack since. Only a little bit of anxiety around my period and my thoughts are so much better. No negativity. No more depression. About a month ago I would have said I was at 70 percent me again but now I'm at about 95 percent and I feel so much better. So. It just keeps getting better and better! I used yoga to help me get through the worst anxiety and it helped so much. Anyway. Thought I'd share so you know it continues to get better. Been off birth control since about March. Last panic attack was sometime in May or June. Keep up the positive attitude!!

So you would say about 6 months is the amount of time it took for you to really feel like you again? I just never had anxiety/depression before this and I am still so determined to get through it on my own. Does anyone else suffer ROCD as a result of stopping birth control? This has honestly been the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life. I can't explain how real and terrifying my thoughts feel and how convining they are. I hate feeling like I can't control what's going on in my head, I literally feel mentally ill.

Oh my gosh I completely understand...seriously I thought about needing to check into a mental health facility I thought I was going to do something bad to myself... My thoughts were completely crazy and irrational. I had suicidal thoughts but it wasn't because I wanted to its because of my thoughts. Also, questions of why I'm here on earth and what is our existence about. Not something I'd ever thought about before. Crazy how his all happened because of hormones. I couldn't make the panic attacks stop or the other symptoms like blurry vision head aches feeling like I was in a daze. I thought I was crazy. Sounds like you have similar issues. Yea about 6 months but that's on meds. I told myself I would just get on them for a while but they help soooo much. It's only 10 mg a day and took about a month to kick in. My irrational thoughts went away and all other symptoms. I'm still not on birth control and don't plan on going back on them. I fully believe they triggered this. I couldn't even handle having a job and doing my masters program I thought I would have to quit. No idea how I got through that. I feel so much better. I promise you will get thru this. I still see and look at the world different but This has brought me closer to God and my religion. Totally wasn't a religious person before this. But I prayed to God every day that he would help me thru this. Also. I eat a lot of blueberries (natural anxiety reliever) - exercise - endorphins.. And yoga has been a life saver. It was the only time I could stop my thoughts and stop my panic attack if I was on the verge of one. I was also comforted by this site with people who had gone thru the exact same thing. Please don't feel defeated if you decide you need on an antidepressant. It has helped so much and I plan to eventually get off of them. For now tho, they're working. :-). Please feel free to ask more questions or anything I'm more than happy to talk about my experience.

I too am goin through this at the moment and I can honestly say this anxiety and depression has been due to the One shot of depo I got in Febuary this year I was 100% fine before that. Just have to hope that this will get better and things will be how they used to be pre-depo eventually. I am goin to look into natural remedies for now though have u tried any?

I wrote on this forum 8 months ago and I've recently received e-mails that have reminded me of it. Reading some of the posts, I wanted to come back and post some important news.

I found a SOLUTION. For me, at least.

I began taking these herbal supplement pills. They're called

Irwin Naturals Menstrual Relief Hormone Balance.

I went to a nurse practitioner recently who performed several tests (while I was not on the hormone pills) and all my tests came back "normal." But, as we all know on here, we feel far from normal. I asked if it was ok to take these herbal supplements and she said that the brand I chose was a good trusted brand and that if it works, go for it. Honestly, it has given me such immense peace and provided so much relief of so many of the symptoms so many of us on here are suffering from. My panic attacks stop almost entirely; in the weeks leading up to my period, I may have one, if any at all, rather than the multiple per day that I had without. The pain of my cramps has lessened, the back pain no longer persists, and I don't feel overwhelming depression or hopelessness like before. I'm not sure if this can work for anyone else but please, just look into it. If it can help even one person out there like it helped me, I would feel so blessed. I just want to help anyone I can like I've realized I can help myself. Stay strong ladies, there is hope. My name is Megan, and I didn't give up. Neither should you. You can do this. This is not your fault. We are strong.

Thank you so much for posting this. Have you fully recovered?

For the most part, yes. I still get cramps leading up to my period, but they're not nearly as severe as before I took the herbal supplement. I also don't feel hopeless or anxious unless there's an explicit reason for it and even then it's not as severe as before. Basically, it made my symptoms disappear or severely lessen so that life is a lot easier.

Also, I found that. When I stopped taking the supplement for about a month or so bc I ran out and was unable to purchase more. My symptoms returned with a vengeance. My panic attacks increased, my cramps became debilitating, I'd cry for hours, and I felt insane all over again. Now after taking the supplement again for about a month and being on my period right now, I know that they help me. I hardly had cramps, panic attacks, or episodes of depression.