Serious issues after coming off of birth control pills! Anixety, Acne, Fatigue, Eye Pain, Headaches

Hi Flow! So sorry to hear you too have been going through this.
I can definitely relate to a lot of what you were/are feeling especially that you thought you have a severe medical condition. I sometimes still get those thoughts that there MUST be something wrong with me the Dr’s haven’t found yet. Then I just try to tell myself this all happened after switching and coming off BC so it has to be hormone related. I am getting my hormones tested soon-I just have to go get a blood test but I read it may not be as good as if I do a saliva test.

I never experienced spotting and have been getting my period regular every 25 days for 5 days. I do get constipated here and there when still drinking the same amount of water. Hormones control A LOT and we are just at their mercy I guess. Hope you feel better soon and keep us updated. I am going on 5 months off and just hope this roller coaster ends soon and I feel “normal” again. Stay positive!

Hey Rhobbie! Did you get your period yet?

Yes, they have diagnosed me with Hoshimotos. It's an autoimmune of the thyroid. I'm on a low dosage of thyroid medication, which seemed to help for the first week. My energy was back. My headaches decreased, but my vision is still not normal. I'm told it takes awhile to find the right balance of thyroid medication. I started my period and have been 3 days on it and my energy has decreased and I'm getting muscle fatigue again. I'm not sure if it's my period or still needing to find the right balance of medication. They medication also significantly decreased the tingling I would get. I was tested for neuropathy, which I do have. I'm told this thyroid disease causes the neuropathy, which is the tingling sensations. I hope you get all your hormones tested. Make sure to get your thyroid tested as well.

Hi Ria,

This Becca! I know it has been a few months. How are you ?! I see you are going to get your hormones tested ? So, I just got my saliva hormone test back last week. I took it on day 21 (depending on how long your cycle is) is the best day to test progesterone levels. It turns out as I suspected my progesterone is VERY low. My cortisol is also low (confirming adrenal fatigue )along with my testosterone and DHEA being on the low scale. The test I took recommended natural progesterone cream(which I was contemplating for months ) So, my brain test came back High dopamine and low seratonin (high norepinephrine epinephrine confirming adrenal fatigue). I am having joint pain and really bad anxiety. So, my boyfriend and the functional medicine doctor I saw stated he thinks it is stemming from my gut. I have a few options. I am thinking I will go to an integrative medicine doctor next. They work with all the functional medicine tests ive taken. It really sucks though it is all out of pocket. :( Anyways. That is were I am at. How are you? I need am updated scoop^^ Sorry. I left for a while. :/ I was loosing it. I still am a bit but I feel I'm so close to figuring this out.

Hope you are doing better! Talk to you soon!
-Becca

Hi guys. This discussion has been literally, the source of my strength when I had scary symptoms these past two months. I had daily headaches, the needle / tension headache type, numbness, chest and neck pain, blurry vision, dizziness, tingling sensations all over my body and muscle spasms. I thought I had MS or brain tumor. The internal med and neuro even let me undergo full blood chem and brain MRI just to rule out these two scary diseases. I thought I was dying and started writing letters to my loved ones. Every time I felt so scared and lonely, I would read the stories of the women who posted here and it gave me courage. My blood chem and MRI results went back normal. Although expensive, I regret that I took the MRI 2 months after feeling the headaches/ symptoms; I should have done the tests earlier to stop my anxieties which may have stopped the other symptoms. Since getting the test results, I verified further that the stories shared by women in this discussion has been real. What I experienced has been a combination of 1) the effects of going off the pill and 2) extreme anxiety because of worrying about my health condition.  When I learned that there’s nothing wrong in my brain, it gave me heightened confidence and most of the symptoms just disappeared gradually. As I write this, I still get less frequent but daily headaches, however, they don’t scare me anymore. I also still have muscle/ body spasms but they are less now.  What I notice is that the headaches’ degree and type of pain would change every time I have a period or if I am fertile. I didn’t have headaches throughout my last menstruation (5 days). So as a backgrounder, I started getting headaches 2 weeks after going off the pill – I thought it’s just headaches but later on the other symptoms followed. I don’t advise researching via internet about your symptoms, it will just scare you more. Sleep a lot and do some outdoor activities. Biking has been my companion while going though difficult times (not to mention that I was also heartbroken when I experienced all the symptoms). It’s been my life’s most challenging period. All the women who posted here have comforted me with their own stories. Hence, I am sharing mine. If you’re feeling these symptoms after stopping the pill – headaches, body tingles, muscle spasms, numbness, blurry vision, chest and neck pain, stabbing pains anywhere in the body – I am sure it’s just the effects of the pill. Don’t panic because anxiety will make your symptoms worse. Talk to friends, go out and get some sweat, read books, sleep a lot. I have learned to appreciate life because of the difficult experience. You will be fine.

 

P.S. most of my symptoms are gone now. I am praying no other symptoms will follow. I would never ever use contraceptive pills again. The pill I used is Althea. I must also mention that the Althea pill can enlarge your cysts. It happened to me; I had fibrocysts and the OB did not tell me of the effects of Althea, she said it will just give me more beautiful skin and will enlarge my breasts; but she never mentioned the worst effects. The cause of my cysts enlargement was later on explained by another OB and it's the Althea pill. Natural is always best. Stay confident and beautiful ladies. Love lots - Ronz

Hi Becca! I am happy you are close to figuring this out! I took a blood hormone test but it looks like he just tested my estrogen level and FSH / LH levels which were normal. I don’t see progesterone on the test. I would like to do the saliva test because I think it is more accurate. Anyways I am still in a constant fog and some days are worse than others. I am 6 months off and just want to be better. I also still have headaches mostly near my period, acne here and there and vision issues like strained eyes. I also have anxiety sometimes but manage that with xanax as needed. You mentioned it might be stemming from your gut and I felt that too. Do you think a cleanse would help us at all or another way to get rid of toxins? I have been eating healthy, exercising 4-5 days a week and I don’t feel a difference. Im hoping month 8 I just snap out of it like many women said on here. It will be a miracle! TTYs!

Hi Ronz! Thanks for sharing your story. A lot of us also thought we had MS or a brain tumor. Especially when you start googling your symptoms. It is so scary and even scarier that no GYN tells you about these side effects. Mine acts like it’s all anxiety and there’s NO WAY the pill could have caused this. Reading posts on here will change that theory fast. Glad to hear that most of your symptoms are gone now. I think everybody is different and some people’s symptoms last months and others over a year. I had been taking BC for over 15 years and maybe that’s why my symptoms are lingering for 6 months so far. I will never use BC pills again as well and don’t even consider it an option to get better. Stay strong and keep going on with your life. It is my most challenging period as well. Here’s to getting through it together! Keep us all posted!

Hi Mandy! How did they test for Hoshimotos? I had my thyroid tested a few times and they always say it is normal. Also how do they test for neuropathy? My grandpa has that but his feet burn and stuff like that. I have neck pain a lot and sometimes tingling in my shoulders. I always have worse issues around my period so that might be why you had low energy and muscle fatigue. Thanks for your insight and keep us updated!

Hi Ria,
Yes, my thyroid levels come back normal too. In fact just called today from the endocrinologist and they said my blood work is normal, even my vitamin D, which had been very low. At the start of all of this, they check if my I had a positive ANA ( antinuclear antibodies). If it's positive, it basically means I have an autoimmune disease. When they tested my thyroid antibodies they were supper high, like 200 and they should be like 20. Since that is high, that says I have Hoshimotos. All to say that my thyroid is still functioning normal, which is why blood tests are normal, but since those antibodies are so high they are causing me symptoms: tingling, muscle pain at times, blurred vision, headaches. Yes, symptoms are worse around my period too. Neuropathy test is horrible, they stick needles at different parts of your limbs, they also give you electric shocks, I don't recommend it. I have now made an appointment with a holistic doctor to see if they can help me battle this autoimmune disease, since regular doctors only try to cover up symptoms with meds. Of course I still think the bc did all this, symptoms didn't start until the week getting off. If you want to talk more about this you can look me up on ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** posting of social network links, groups, invitations, or usernames is not allowed *** Please read our Terms of Use Best of luck!

Hi Mandy. I saw your post before they blocked your fb info but i still couldn’t find u. Where r u from? Maybe that would help. Anyways, that’s good that your bloodwork came back normal. My vitamin D was low at one point too but my last bloodwork it was normal again. I want to see if I can get tested for an autoimmune disease. Atleast you can take vitamins or something to help it if you know. I read Hoshimotos can just go away on it’s own. That’s good but it’s crazy not knowing what’s going on. Have you gained weight at all or had trouble losing weight while going through this? I gained about 15lbs and it’s a struggle to get it off. That’s when i wonder if my thyroid is working properly. Thanks for all the info and keep me updated on your progress!

Hi All,
I am filming a documentary about this, and would love if you can participate. If you're interested, please email me at _[removed]_​ for more details.

Thanks,
Raquel

This explains a lot: https://www.hormonesmatter.com/hormoneously-alone-pill-withdrawal-syndrome-from-hell/?fbclid=IwAR0FrpISEqln3-6vvHA-4s4eNxob7PTJNvd9X9tWzyK5d_67L-UGC80GJBg

Hey, i just wanted u to answer my queries.

Last period was oct 20-27
Had unprotected sex on nov 1, sperm released inside
Took 1st pill of 28-pill pack on nov 6

I just observed that I'm getting hungrier than ever
Am i pregnant?

Pls reply for my last question. I really need answers thank u

Hi everyone! I’ve been reading all your messages here and decided to share my experience as well. I was on birth control for 5 years, got off in August 2021. I was in my early thirties, healthy, worked out every day, no health issues at all. All of a sudden from 100% healthy in October’21 I started to feel tingling in my feet. Then one by one other symptoms occurred - headaches, pressure on my head, on my nose, vision problems, sinus infection, muscle weakness, severe anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, chest pain, pimples on my face and body, allergy between thumb and point finger, numbness of toes and fingers (right side). I’m 7 months off the pill now. I did all the possible blood tests, MRI, EMG etc everything looks normal. I feel MUCH better now, headaches and anxiety attacks are gone. I still have tingling in my feet and occasional numbness.
It’s insane how many women are going through the same symptoms and all doctors are keep denying that it can be due to birth control. It’s scary!! I hope everyone feels better, it was comforting to see all your messages here and know that I’m not alone and I’m not crazy and it’s not “just anxiety”.