Coming off birth control...

Jes wrote:

so glad other ladies have been experiencing the same as me. I took otc-lo for 2 years, and have been off it now for 5 weeks. Still have no period or spotting, but have had cramps, bloating, nipple soreness, headaches, fatigue, mood swings, and problems with my appetite. I have been a wreck lately! does anyone know if this is normal or will it go away or when I should get a period again??!!?!?!

This makes me feel so much better! I am definitely having the same issues. I have been reading up on ovulation and cycles as much as possible lately, though, and apparently it is normal. It could be anywhere from 1 to 3 months before you have a period or at least a normal period again and if it is any longer, you may need medicinal help. I assumed otc-lo would be better since it was a lower dosage of hormones...apparently not enough to have all the nasty side affects of coming off though. I wish I had known more about this before I got on! The breast tenderness is definitely the worst for me. Good luck to you though!! Things should even out soon!!

Stella wrote:

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I know you wrote this along time ago so it won't matter. but for 9 years your body has been pumped with hormones. and then one day you stopped the routine that your body has grown accustomed to. Buy now you know the answer but for anyone else out there who is experiencing this. Your tired b/c your body is coming off of something, it's not being pumped full of hormones...you just need to let your body readjust. I don't think anyone should ever just take themselves off of a medication, consult your gyn. and he/she can tell you the best method, or if it should be done gradually (ie: shorter months)

---hi, l had all these symptoms you mentioned above for the first month than they went away and were replaced by mood swings, yeah! lol

lisamwhiticar@hotmail.com

I read something about weaning off the pill http://www.thelovevitamin.com/769/can-you-wea... . I thought I'd give it a try. I tried to stop cold turkey once and my hair fell out and I had the worst acne ever. I just went right back on...
So far it has been one week at 3/4 a pill.
I just started taking 3/4 of a pill each night and will do this for one month. Then I'll take 1/2 a pill each night for one month. Then 1/4 for one month. I am hoping this may curb the side effects of stopping cold. I've been on it for 17 years!! It is a crime that dr.'s are so ill-informed about the pill. My dr. has been no help at all-and she is a woman! I will post updates...I am so sad that we are all going through this. I can deal with some weight gain-I guess but the acne is what I fear the most. I do have some ol' retin A that I may try too. I need to get some Vitex and am going to look into a naturopath. Good luck. I'd love some updates from year past. I read all 402 posts and am curious if sufferes ever lost weight, lost the acne etc.

Ashley wrote:

I am 25 just came off birth control for the first time, after taking them for 9 years. I took the first week of my new pack, then my husband said I could come off of them. I stopped taking them after the first week. I have been off of them now for 2 weeks. Is it normal to be tired after stopping the pill?? I feel like I have no energy.

Hi, I came off bc 2.5 months ago and I have also felt tired as well. Gets better with time. Felt the worse when first came off. I think it may be low progesterone, your body is starting to make it's own and does not have enough yet or it could be that your body is in shock from stopping the bc and will need a few months to get back on track.

I have been off birth control for about two months and i have lost weight which is a good thing but i have been very moody i get so angry at a lot of things that you wouldnt normally get that upset about. I get real dizzy to. Is all this normal?

Hi, im Conita ,Anyone who can help with answers that would be great! Well I' turned 18 years old in september, so ive dicided to get on birth control for me an my partner, well as a result, i hates it, i constantly had no energy, my period was this brownish color but very light, so after 4months ov bein on the bc pills i took off,but now im feelin like i have no energy, ive been gettin the sighns that my period comes on, but never does i hav been getn my periods on time but , its not even the end of the month, an i think ive gain some weighr, my stomac sticks out, i took a prego test it says negative, ive been very tired during the day, ughhh any comments??!!

Before I went on the pill I was a skinny girl with good skin, light periods and nothing really to complain about other than severe, crippling PM Cramps. That was why I started taking yasmin. I was on yasmin for 6yrs, with no problems, and then slowly I started to notice some changes. I was on the pill for another 3 years but I was gaining weight, suffering from headaches, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts and I was having the worst PMS. The severe cramps came back, my moods were insane, I was always depressed, SO lazy, had no motivation and I thought I was going insane. The symptoms came on slowly so at first I didnt suspect the pill. A friend mentioned it could be the pill so after reading up on a LOT of forums and seeing that other woman were having/had the same effects I decided to come off the pill. I have been off for a few months now. I feel Im loosing the weight, Im happier and much more positive, Im very energetic again and my sex drive has suddenly appeared. Thinking back to all the years I was on the pill (9 in total) I have never felt this good and I can really see the difference overall. The only problem I suffered coming off the pill was breast tenderness and no period for the first few months. I hope that is all I suffer from...my heart goes out to all the ladies with worse side effects. And to anyone planning on going on the pill....DON'T! Its so bad to pump chemicals into your body to take over control of your natural self. Trust me I regret it!

Hi everyone! I know the original post is from 5 years ago but I'm happy I found this forum. I have been on the pill for 10 years (I'm 25) about 2 years ago I went off for a few months and felt completely fine. I went back on and have decided to get off it again. It's been about a month and I have lost total control. Anxiety, depression, loss of appetite, everything! For those of you who can relate, how long did it take if ever to feel normal again? How many years later is it and how do you feel?

I am an adolescent, and i came off the pill about a month ago. Ive gained 5lbs since, i heard its completely normal

Meagan wrote:

Hello ladies-
I'm glad that I found this site because I am about to stop taking Yasmin (due to terrible side effects) and I need to know what to expect. I have been on birth control for 10 years total, and on Yasmin specifically for about 5 years. Does anyone else have advice for coming off of Yasmin specifically? Or just addvice on coming off of the pill after taking it for 10 years?
Thank you!

I quit taking the pill 2 weeks ago. well, maybe 3.. i finished a pack and decided not to take it again. we're "trying"! anyhow, i have had the worst headaches, bloating or weight gain (not quite sure) in my belly, sore breasts, clogged pores on my face, and feeling just sick. I completely blame it on coming off the pill. I was on it for 9 almost 10 years to control the cysts that were bursting on my ovaries as a teenager (nightmare) i moved across the country, found a new doctor here who switched me from ocella to zarah. i took that for 3 or 4 months and now we want to see about having a baby. I workout a few days a week by walking (5miles) and cleaning, but i've had this urge to eat cookies. so lame, but i might blame half this bloat to feeding my "sick" belly.. i eat fruit like nobodys buisness and weigh 100 lbs so im happy to gain a few lbs here and there, only id rather have it go somewhere else besides my belly. i feel like, im not pregnant yet, dont make me LOOK it :( Thank god leggings are still acceptable as pants :D once you ovulate it all goes away and your body regulates itself (usually two months) so the first month maybe isnt a blast, but im happy my feelings are my own and not geared by hormones! good luck

I have been on a variety of BC Pills for 13 yrs :O
Hubby is now currently deployed for 7 months and though "what the heck, why take them?" The first 3 wks I felt awful, headache, fatigue, nausea...but reading up I found that is normal (got that when I first started Yaz). So now it has been almost 8 wks since I stopped and I have gained about 4lbs. This is a lot since I am really trying to lose some weight while hubby is gone. My scale has a hydration meter on it and it says I am way more hydrated than usual...so for some unkown reason I am retaining a massive amount of water with nothing budging it (i.e. waterpills). Will update if it goes away...or it just might stick around till it is time to get back on BC for homecoming :)
But from what I have read it is the flux of hormones. BC can put your body in a pre-menapusal state and when you come off your body goes nuts and you get whacky pregnancy symptoms. Make sense b/c that is the only other times your hormones get whacky. The question is and still remains...for how long?

So glad I found you girls, I was starting to think I was crazy! I've been off the pill for about a month now and haven't had a Period yet. Lately I've been having all these pregnancy-like symptoms (tired, moody, unusual breakouts, sore breasts, nausea), but we have been using condoms so I don't think its likely that I'm pregnant. I think I might just get a test to make sure, but it's probably the stupid pill. I wish I had known this was going to happen, I never would have gone on it!