Side effects of stopping the birth control pill...depression?

I am 19, and have been without BC for 2 weeks now after having taken Yaz for 6 months and OrthoTriCyclen Lo for 3 days.
I have had a history of intermittent low self-esteem, but I was able to enjoy life and generally be content with who I was. I always had a knack for adjusting my clothing a little too frequently or not really speaking up c because I was afraid of what people would think, but most importantly, I was happy.
About 4 months into taking Yaz I accidentally missed a pill. I followed the instructions (took 2 in one day, abstained, etc...) but after that my periods became more and more off schedule (up until this point they had worked harmoniously with Yaz).
On the 6th month I started my second semester of college and everything went to hell. Around the time my period was supposed to arrive I began to feel anxious, self-loathing, extremely depressed, and unresponsive. I became incredibly dependent on self-image and felt as if I could never be as beautiful or composed as everyone else.
It only became worse as the week went on. I was sure my boyfriend of 2 years, friends, and loved ones were only talking to me out of charity. Abrupt changes of environment (even to and from familiar ones) and being around people in my classes sent me into panic attacks. I would wake up in the middle of the night multiple times with a cold sweat. My mind reeled and I couldn't stop it. I felt as if the entire world were ridiculing me. My stomach ached horribly and I felt as if nothing I owned belonged to me. I totally wanted to disassociate myself from myself, and everything became unreal-so unreal I couldn't move or speak one night, and as my boyfriend tried to comfort me, his touch physically hurt.
I went to my doctor right away and she switched me to OrthoTriCyclen Lo. After taking it for 3 days with some slight feelings of relief the depression was still too torturous so I stopped altogether.
Coming off the pill felt like I had won the lottery. I felt rejuvenated, industrious, and useful. I was happy with myself again, and didn't place as much or any value on my appearance because I felt that so much of my joy shone through that it didn't matter. I returned to eating normally and exercising. The period I had was 10+ days long, painful, and incredibly heavy, but I was too happy to care.
However I've found that on this week, the one where my next period technically should start, I'm experiencing some of the same symptoms again. My reality is distorting once more - not so dramatically, but still significantly. I feel worthless and ugly again, and changes in environment are causing me discomfort (without the panic attacks or physical symptoms).
Are these symptoms like a wave subsiding with each period? Has anyone experiences similar patterns? Right now I hope I can return to looking at myself the way I used to. I sort of feel damaged for good.

Hi!

Same thing is going on with me. I hope it all goes away.

I have been off Yasmine for about 1 month, and since the first week I stopped I have felt absolutely awful! Dizziness, fatique, and my first period was terrible. I have always been really sensitive to hormone changes, so I am going to try to wait this out. I mean, you have to think, I have been on a pill everyday for 2 years- I'm sure I am having withdrawals from stopping it. It is comforting to hear that I am not the only one though. Thanks for all the posts.

I have been off Yasmin pill for 6 months to try to conceive. Since being off the pill I have had regular periods apx every 28 days accompanied with severe period pains on the first day of the period and bleeding for apx 2 days. The main problems I have had apx 2 months after stopping the pill are: I have not been sleeping at night, I’ve been having severe low moods where I am doubting my feelings towards my partner and if we have a future together and on the week of my period fatigue and black moods where I see nothing good in my life.

I read a few posts replying to the original message, but none saying how to ease this and when it may subside. Please help as am seriously considering splitting with my partner as cannot lift this depression.

Any advice would be much appreciated xx :-(

This is all so amazing to read!
I was on the pill for 13 years (started it to help with acne). ortho cept, and then allesse. stopped late last october as my husband and i are trying to get pregnant.

as early as two weeks after stopping i was feeling REALLY nauseous. We would get in the car to drive somewhere and I had to hold a bag as ten minutes into the drive I just felt like i was going to be sick. This kept happening for a while and is a bit better now...

second thing--going into busy stores, malls (around christmas) i would feel instantly claustrophic. like overheated, and uncomfortable, and waves of nausea--would instantly feel better when I would go out into the freezing cold outdoors.

third--couldn't go out for dinners anymore!! we went out around christmas a few times for dinner and i would feel fine for about the first 20 minutes and then BAM--would have to get out of there. The scents, the crowds, the smells would just hit me all at once and I wouldn't be able to eat my main course. Would have to excuse my self to the washroom just to get out of the 'dining' areas.

I became paranoid about going out to eat ever since, still am...I just don't want to leave the house! I work from home thankfully, don't know how i'd do it otherwise. I get anxiety every time I need to get in the car.

I am in the 4th month of being off the pill and it isn't as bad as it was...I am still feeling really depressed though. Just feels like you are in a slump and can't get out of it.
I have just been going crazy trying to figure out WHAT could be wrong with me.
Anyways, was searching the net tonight to see if the pill might have something to do with it and found this forum. Just wanted to share my symptoms!

Hi all,

Wow, it's quite amazing how many of us there are!

Since posting the last time, I've seen my GP a few times as well as a "natural" Pharmacist. My GP got me started on Effexor for my anxiety, but it just made it worse so I stopped. Today, I saw a Pharmacist who specializes in hormones and natural ways of treating inbalances, etc. I had my hormones tested and everything appears to be normal. The only one that wasn't tested was the progesterone and she strongly feels that this is the one that is causing me problems. Apparently it's the "stress" hormone and too little of it can cause problems... So she's starting me on a natural hormonal cream to see if that might help resolve a few of my problems. I think I have two different issues - a foggy/fuzzy head caused by the hormonal inbalance and then anxiety/panic.

Just thought that I would post to let you know where I'm at... just my thoughts :-)

My doctor just recently took me off my birth control. I was on it for about 13 years. I was having spotting everyday with no normal periods. I was using the pill to skip my periods (can't stand having a period). I was also having migraines at least 2-3 a week. She felt that it was the pill however, I knew that it was the lack of sleep that I'd been getting for the past 2 months.

I had a normal (horrible) period after going off the pill. About 2 days after (it was time for my period anyways). I had major cramps and an extremely heavy period which is one of the reasons I went on the pill in the first place. Since having my period I've had no spotting. The migraines are still coming and going as they please. They were not any better after stopping the pill however. In the last 4 days I've gotten much better sleep and the migraines have gone away. Which tells me it's not the pill it was lack of sleep.

Three days ago I started to get a lot of pressure and pain in my ovary area. My doctor had me get an ultrasound done a couple days after stopping my pills because she thought something was wrong (because of the bleeding). The ultrasound came back normal and the nurse said that I was making eggs just fine.

I've been off the pill for almost a month now. Is it normal to have this pressure and pain in my ovary area? Did anyone else have this when they stopped the pill after being on it for so long?

Thanks.

Wow! I can't believe how common a lot of our symptoms are.

For me it all started in November 2007. I had been on the pill for almost 15 years (I'm 31) when I decided to stop to give my body a chance to return to normal before trying to start a family.

I got married in September but my husband and I waited until November to go on our honeymoon. We went on a cruise and I didn't feel good at all. Felt really nauseous, dizzy and tired. I thought it was because of stress and working really hard before leaving so I just dealt with it.

When we returned, it did not get better. I felt even worse, to the point that driving worried me. I just did not want to go anywhere because of how I felt in a moving vehicle.

I even wondered if I was pregnant because of how I was feeling. Took a test but I wasn't. I guess a lot of the symptoms are sort of similar to the ones we experience when stopping the pill.

It's now February, and I admit that I too feel very lethargic, sad and tired.
I feel like I could sleep all day.

I'm normally a very active sporty person. For the first time in many years I'm not playing any organized sports during the winter months other than working out at the gym. I'm kind of happy that it all worked out that way because of how I feel.

Reading the various posts I realize that these symptoms are way more common than I realized.

I do know that it's still very important to keep exercising and taking vitamins so I have and I think it helps a bit.

What else can I say, I'm breaking out, lost a bit of weight and don't have my regular appetite. I love food and lately nothing seems appealing enough to eat.

I too have experienced not being able to sleep at night, really bad night sweats and headaches.

I haven't seen my doctor about any of this because he always seems to blame it on stress. The thing is every one has to deal with stress so for me that answer is never good enough. It's not fare to always blame everything one stress even though it's huge contributor.

I have had a somewhat regular but light period since I'm off the pill so I guess that part is good.

To all the women, stay positive and good luck!

It was so great to find this site - I feel exactly the way everyone else is feeling! I recently stopped taking the pill after about 8 years because my husband and I are going to start trying to have kids this summer. The first couple of days after I stopped the pill and my period ended, I had my first "panic attack". I had a burning sensation in my head, and my face started to feel numb around my mouth. That passed quickly, but afterwards, I was not able to sit still because I felt so anxious. My period was only 4 days late the next month, but only lasted for a couple of days. Then, a few days later, the same "panic attack" happened. A couple of days after that, my period started again. Ever since, I've been lightheaded, dizzy, anxious, and when I'm in really stressful situations, I have a tingling/numb feeling in my chin and feet/hands (which I'm counting as stress since it goes away when the stressful situation is over). I also am not that intersted in eating, even though my stomach growls and tells me that I'm hungry. I'm normally a really happy person and I cannot stop worrying that something is seriously wrong - and I feel like I'm making myself even more anxious by having those thoughts. Plus, I have NEVER had any issues with anxiety before. I have an appointment to see my OB/GYN tomorrow - I think that if she confirms that all of my other tests are normal, I can deal with this a little better, but it's really freaking me out! Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories because it makes me feel a little more normal about everything that has been happening!

This site is a miracle. My story is that I was on the pill for 7-8 years and I am now 31. I got married in september and stopped the pill (ortho tricyclen) at thanksgiving, we were planning to start "trying" in '08. I was thinking that the pill would sort of exit my system over christmas. However, december I was in tears all the time. Over anything I would just cry, I have never been so depressed. My poor new husband. Then in january (last month), I got shingles. Which, I learned is caused by stress, depression, and a depleted nervous system. After reading these posts, I feel like stopping the pill caused my shingles. Shingles are horrible, and painful and I now realize that I didnt understand what I was doing to my body by taking the pill for so long. And being depressed is definitely not the way I was planning to start trying for a baby. I do think we as a western culture need to teach our children that prescriptions being rammed down our throats by doctors is not the answer especially if you are a healthy individual otherwise. Good luck, we should definitely be spreading this knowledge, I am so happy to have stumbled on this today, it has been very enlightening. I was just surfing for answers on how long it will take to become pregnant after stopping the pill and I found this conversation and am truely stunned. Thanks - spread the word!
Leticia- burbank CA

I'm so happy to have found this site. My hormones have been out of control since stopping the pill not to mention the weight gain. I just recently got married and we decided to try for a baby later this year. So after 15 years of being on the pill I stopped a month ago. I have never felt so bad, depressed, bloated and foggy! Can anyone tell me how long until things go back to normal as I hate feeling like this.

I know what you mean about the foggyness and all that, i have been off birth control since Christmas 07 and have been getting all that, only now have got my period back and the foggyness worse with it, email me if you want to talk to somone about all this **** it is so bad that we are all having to go through this and i want to support as many people as i can through this and for myself also.

Wow, I'm so happy that I found this site! I stopped taking the pill a little over a month ago. The one I had been taking for 10 years (took a couple of breaks when I had my two kids) was Triphasil (generic is Trilevelen). Since I stopped them, the main problems I'm having are heart palpitations and chest pain. It is scary because I keep thinking that I'm having a heart attack!

I was taking an antibiotic for a sinus infection when this started, so I thought it was that, but now I'm learning that it is probably from stopping the pill since I've seen others who are having heart palpitations and/or chest pain! This makes me feel better, but I'm still a little worried about it.

I am pretty sure I am never going to take birth control pills again!

I was on ortho tri-cyclen for 6 years... the last month I took the pill was in December. I have had two regular periods since but ever since mid-January I have had off and on nausea. Some days it lasts all day, some days it comes and goes and one day I won't have it all. Has anyone experienced this? I met with a Gastroenterologist and am having an Upper Endoscopy but I can't help but feel I am experiencing this because of stopping the pill.

hi all. a friend of mine emailed me a link to this page and wow!! It's like you all took the words out of my mouth. I hate feeling this way!!! I,ve reach the four month mark with all this. Trying to fight it with vitamins. Seeing a counselor and journaling my days and moods.
Has anyone battling this hormonal beast won the fight without more meds?
Have you found anything that helps with the anxiety?
I'd love to have support buddies to get through those days that just seem like there never going to end.
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