Birth control pills and other hormonal birth control

[Junglechicken]

Thanks both. I'll try up my magnesium. I'm also trialing Lady's Mantle. I'll update later. So far I'm struggling big time - feels like my body is struggling to ovulate. I hate this so much! (Moan over)

Katch,

 

Another supplement which is great for hormonal issues is: Ashwagandha

 

As the name suggests it's from and favored in India for its Ayeuvedic properties and is amazing at ironing out hormonal imbalances.

 

You can buy online in powder form....add to smoothies etc.,

 

JC

[Katch]

Thanks JC, 

 

I'll put it on my list. I seem to be quite sensitive to herbs so I'm going to stick with Lady's Mantle for a bit longer and see how it goes. If that does not help I will give your suggestion a try.

Katx

[Junglechicken]

Thanks JC, 

 

I'll put it on my list. I seem to be quite sensitive to herbs so I'm going to stick with Lady's Mantle for a bit longer and see how it goes. If that does not help I will give your suggestion a try.

Katx

No worries, hope you find something that works for you.

 

JC x

[O2bhappy]

I have a question about menopause.  While taking Prozac I didn't have any symptoms from menopause except for one hot flash at night.  I know the Prozac mask the symptoms of menopause.  Now I am having hot flashes, night sweats and crying spells.  I am not sure if it is from menopause of withdrawal.  Before I get a hot flashes I get this weird feeling come over me and I know I am about to get a hot flash.  The same thing happens before a crying spell.  It is like a wave comes over me and bam I start crying.  It last all day.  I am 17 months c/t from Prozac.  Is this w/d, menopause of a combination of both?  Does anything help?

[Shortcake]

First period since I went through the withdrawal a couple weeks back... I reinstated a small dose of my meds and seemed to be doing okay, until my period. Can your period trigger your wd symptoms again? Awake at almost 2 am, cant stop shaking, hot, cold, anxiety, nauseous, diahrea. Ugh.

[KarenB]

I just responded in your thread, and then saw you here.  Glad you found this thread for some reassurance.  So unfair, isn't it, to have period/hormonal issues as well as w/d.  The next few days will need you to take really loving gentle care of yourself.  But you will get through it. 

[Lorinewmi]

I stopped my birth control about a month ago and went through a terrible wave that has finally subsided. I just got my period today for the first time since being off the pill and now my symptoms are back. It's mainly feeling dizzy (like I'm rocking on a boat) and feeling lightheaded (foggy and out of it). Does anyone know if my period triggered this to happen? This totally sucks! Does anyone know what I can do to make myself feel better? Will this go away once my period is over?

[Sadie]

I came to this thread in the hope I might find accounts of others suffering with exaggerated menstrual cramps - but I haven't seen anything that echoes what I have been experiencing: Up until recently my periods were more painful, heavier and longer in duration throughout wd and brought about a PMS so fierce I felt on the constant verge of exploding. The level of PMS softens at times and now when my period is approaching my boobies aren't so tender it hurts to get dressed. But the cramps have morphed into the most painful I have ever had - and seem to intensify at night. They started a week after my last period and continued to get worse. When they come on I have been curling into a ball and trying to breath through them, I feel like vomiting because they're that painful. I am hopeful that when my period gets here (it is late, which is unusual for me even within wd) it will clear up. 

 

But I would be most grateful to know if anyone has experienced anything similar? Either the intensified painful cramps and/or them appearing such a long time before their period actually started? 

[Junglechicken]

Hi Sadie, 

 

I don't want to alarm you, but I would chat to your GP about the pain you're experiencing.  Are you bleeding heavily as well?

 

TC,

JC

 

P.S Have had loads of late periods and equally very early ones, but this is likely due to being peri-menopausal.

[Bridgetini]

So glad to have found this topic thread.

I recently stopped taking contraceptive hormones after 20+ years AND had a very large uterine fibroid embolised. I am super emotional (there is a lot of stuff going on in my life right now) but think it may be my old nemesis, PMS, piggybacking on the hormone upset along with WD. 

I will try to keep calm and carry on through this. 

Big hugs to everyone out there.

[DaisyBell]

My withdrawals are 100 times worse on day 12-14 and then 95 times worse for the next two weeks before menstruation.  I have explored several things like natural progesterone and natural thyroid extract ... oh and magnesium etc. It didn't really help.  I now take Dong Quai and a product that has : -

 

Withania somnifera, root dry (Withania) 4.5 g
Vitex agnus-castus, fruit dry (Chaste tree) 2.0 g
Zingiber officinale, rhizome dry (Ginger) 1.6 g
Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) 50 mg
Zinc amino acid chelate (Meta Zn® – Zinc bisglycinate) 125 mg
Equivalent Zinc 25 mg
Tocopherols concentrate – mixed (low alpha type) 50 mg
Lutein 5.0 mg
Potassium iodide 196 μg
Equivalent Iodine 150 μg
Selenomethionine 250 μg
Equivalent Selenium 100μg

 

I can tell you the name of the product, but don't want to break any rules on here. I'm not a sales person if that helps. With that said, I think it's vitex that is the key ingredient.

 

If I miss it a couple of days /week, then I am back to a couple of months bad PMS until it builds up again.  I find it reduces the low mood, heightened anxiety, sore and hard breast, bloating and water retention.   Dong quai is pretty good for calm energy and water retention.  

 

[Cabinhope]

I'd like to know what the product is if allowed.

[DaisyBell]

The product is called P-Lift and it is by Metagenics. It does not have Dong Quai - I take that separately. 

 

It's a professionals only brand in NZ so you may to find a professional supplier to sell it to you.  I should also note I am 37 and I'm probably too young to be going through peri-menopause, so it's like to support women in the pre- menopause life phases.

 

Hope it helps.  It take more than one month to really start working.  

[Dez]

Bridgetini,

 

Hope everything goes well for you. I stopped taking my birth control pills a few months ago and definitely feel a difference. Lucky that the periods are still coming though, I was afraid they'd stop for awhile. My last menstrual cycle was horrible and I bleed more than ever, but it did end normally. Hang in there, hopefully everything will balance out soon enough.

 

 

[kelseyshae]

I'm 7 weeks off of Lexapro and was only on it for about 7 months total, and for the past week I've been dealing with intense PMS symptoms. Up & down mood, extreme breast tenderness, cramps for a week before I started, heightened anxiety. While I was on the Lexapro it seemed to make my period a LOT heavier than normal. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms from Lex withdrawal? It is just because my body is still trying to level out from no Lexapro? I just want to feel back to normal!

[Altostrata]

Hi, kelsey. Please start a topic for yourself in the Introductions section.

 

A lot of people find withdrawal exacerbates pre-menstrual symptoms -- see the discussion starting with the first post in this topic.

[bintuae]

I've never had any PMS symptoms pre AD withdrawal. Now with withdrawal, I'm a nervous wreck. The cramps are just unbelievable and I snap at the smallest things. 

[sadandconfused]

Hey guys, 

I'm 14 months into my Lexapro withdrawal and was recently put on Junel birth control. It's been an incredibly rough withdrawal (severe depression and loss of feelings for my boyfriend) and I was wondering if anyone knew if the birth control will have any affect on it? Thanks in advance! 

[Hellbutrin]

Hi everyone,

 

I was going through my normal routine this morning of watching recovery videos and reading forums and blogs on antidepressant recovery when I saw a video about a young lady that was going through protracted withdrawal from Lexapro and mentioned that she felt that her hormonal IUD birth control might have been exacerbating her symptoms. I thought back on my experience with birth control and realized that I got the Skyla IUD exactly one month after I started taking Wellbutrin for anxiety. I plan on making an appointment to go and talk to my OBGYN about any possible interactions that the Skyla IUD might have had with the Wellbutrin I was taking. But I also wanted to check in with the SA community to see if anyone else experienced any issues with taking hormonal birth control simultaneously with antidepressant medication. I'm wondering if I should talk to my doctor about having the IUD removed, but I wouldn't want to send my body into even more of a tail spin while I try to regulate my hormones. Any information is appreciated, but I'd like to know if there is any information available about whether or not removal would help with my withdrawal symptoms. I looked up the possible side effects of Skyla and one of the primary side effects is depression, so I'm wondering if the hormones could be contributing to my feelings of depression, depersonalization, and brain fog. 

[Hellbutrin]

On 8/7/2017 at 2:06 AM, Dez said:

Bridgetini,

 

Hope everything goes well for you. I stopped taking my birth control pills a few months ago and definitely feel a difference. Lucky that the periods are still coming though, I was afraid they'd stop for awhile. My last menstrual cycle was horrible and I bleed more than ever, but it did end normally. Hang in there, hopefully everything will balance out soon enough.

 

 

Hi Dez, did you feel a positive or negative difference when you stopped taking your birth control?

[Dez]

Hellbutrin,

 

If I'm being honest, it'd be negative. I stopped mostly because the WD paranoia and my family's history of blood clots really had me worried. I also wanted off all medications to try to help my system go back to being biologically "normal." It's been about five months now and October I didn't even have a cycle, though it's been stressful lately. Acne breakouts are so much worse despite caring for my skin but I've read these things happen when stopping. I'll give it time and see if it levels out. The possibility of having PCOS worries me but how can we tell if it's something like that or if it's still WD?

[Hellbutrin]

5 minutes ago, Dez said:

Hellbutrin,

 

If I'm being honest, it'd be negative. I stopped mostly because the WD paranoia and my family's history of blood clots really had me worried. I also wanted off all medications to try to help my system go back to being biologically "normal." It's been about five months now and October I didn't even have a cycle, though it's been stressful lately. Acne breakouts are so much worse despite caring for my skin but I've read these things happen when stopping. I'll give it time and see if it levels out. The possibility of having PCOS worries me but how can we tell if it's something like that or if it's still WD?

I totally understand, have you struggled with increased depression since discontinuing the birth control? That's my main concern, I've been using the skyla birth control IUD for 2 years, and I'm starting to wonder if it's making my depression worse. 

[Dez]

6 minutes ago, Hellbutrin said:

I totally understand, have you struggled with increased depression since discontinuing the birth control? That's my main concern, I've been using the skyla birth control IUD for 2 years, and I'm starting to wonder if it's making my depression worse. 

It's hard to say if it's made it worse or not. I have been struggling recently with feeling rather depressed but I'm not sure if it's a wave of WD or if it's something else. I will say, however, that not knowing if I'll have a cycle every month or not has definitely caused more stress. I only took Ortho Tricyclen Lo by mouth but I was on it as long as I was my antidepressant. It's possible your BC could cause depression, but be aware that if you get off it will unbalance your hormones for a bit.

[Hellbutrin]

1 minute ago, Dez said:

It's hard to say if it's made it worse or not. I have been struggling recently with feeling rather depressed but I'm not sure if it's a wave of WD or if it's something else. I will say, however, that not knowing if I'll have a cycle every month or not has definitely caused more stress. I only took Ortho Tricyclen Lo by mouth but I was on it as long as I was my antidepressant. It's possible your BC could cause depression, but be aware that if you get off it will unbalance your hormones for a bit.

Yes, the hormone imbalance is what I'm mainly concerned about. I've had suicidal depression due to withdrawal for the last month, and I wouldn't want to make it worse by throwing in a hormone imbalance.

[Dez]

2 minutes ago, Hellbutrin said:

Yes, the hormone imbalance is what I'm mainly concerned about. I've had suicidal depression due to withdrawal for the last month, and I wouldn't want to make it worse by throwing in a hormone imbalance.

It may be worth it to wait until things become more stable just in case. Unless your BC is causing some really bad issues, throwing your system out of line might make it worse. I'm certainly no expert on these things, so it's a choice you ultimately have to make, but you know your body best. Whatever decisions you make, everyone here will support you Don't give up.

[Hellbutrin]

12 minutes ago, Dez said:

It may be worth it to wait until things become more stable just in case. Unless your BC is causing some really bad issues, throwing your system out of line might make it worse. I'm certainly no expert on these things, so it's a choice you ultimately have to make, but you know your body best. Whatever decisions you make, everyone here will support you Don't give up.

I just want to figure out where this depression is coming from. It's really debilitating, I haven't left my house in two days, and I've been missing a lot of work. Have you had waves of suicidal depression as part of your withdrawal?

[Dez]

3 minutes ago, Hellbutrin said:

I just want to figure out where this depression is coming from. It's really debilitating, I haven't left my house in two days, and I've been missing a lot of work. Have you had waves of suicidal depression as part of your withdrawal?

Yes, if you can call it that. With me it's like an agonizing feeling but I know I don't want to die. I never hear in my head "I want to die" but it's always so emotionally and mentally agonizing. It's like not wanting to be here but not wanting to die. It confuses me greatly. I haven't had an episode of it as bad as the adverse reactions in the beginning, so that's a plus.

[Hellbutrin]

1 minute ago, Dez said:

Yes, if you can call it that. With me it's like an agonizing feeling but I know I don't want to die. I never hear in my head "I want to die" but it's always so emotionally and mentally agonizing. It's like not wanting to be here but not wanting to die. It confuses me greatly. I haven't had an episode of it as bad as the adverse reactions in the beginning, so that's a plus.

That's a very good sign! How long have you been in withdrawal?

[Dez]

Everything started in October 2016 with adverse reactions until December. I've been off all ADs since January 2017, so almost a year now. It's been such a struggle, it's so hard to believe it's already a year. Somehow we're all getting through this, so there's hope in all of us. Even you have continued to push forward, so be proud of yourself for that

[Hellbutrin]

3 hours ago, Dez said:

Everything started in October 2016 with adverse reactions until December. I've been off all ADs since January 2017, so almost a year now. It's been such a struggle, it's so hard to believe it's already a year. Somehow we're all getting through this, so there's hope in all of us. Even you have continued to push forward, so be proud of yourself for that

Have your withdrawals gotten any better over the year since you’ve been off of them? 

[Dez]

I am better, but it's still very difficult. I no longer have panic attacks, can sleep better, can shower longer and with hotter water, I can eat more, I go out without many issues, don't have as many crying or depression spells. I have improved but still have a long way to go. As is everyone here, I'm also hoping that none of this is permanent. It's always worrisome when I see people 8 and 10 years off still struggling.

[Hellbutrin]

2 hours ago, Dez said:

I am better, but it's still very difficult. I no longer have panic attacks, can sleep better, can shower longer and with hotter water, I can eat more, I go out without many issues, don't have as many crying or depression spells. I have improved but still have a long way to go. As is everyone here, I'm also hoping that none of this is permanent. It's always worrisome when I see people 8 and 10 years off still struggling.

It sounds like you've made some great progress! My main concern is the suicidal depression in withdrawal, that's the area that I've mainly been struggling with the most. Did you ever experience suicidal depression? If so, how long did it last?

[Dez]

2 hours ago, Hellbutrin said:

It sounds like you've made some great progress! My main concern is the suicidal depression in withdrawal, that's the area that I've mainly been struggling with the most. Did you ever experience suicidal depression? If so, how long did it last?

Oh yeah, it was really bad after they used me as a guinea pig. First Celexa, then Prozac, and finally Venlafaxine XR. The last made me feel so bad. I felt like dying, cried constantly, and just felt like everything was falling apart. Not sure exactly how long it lasted, but the really bad reactions only lasted a few months. I want suicidal, just felt agonizingly depressed, but from what I heard it is suicidal depression. I just didn't want to die. It's not nearly as bad, but I do get waves every now and then. The other day I stared at a knife just thinking about slitting wrists, but I didn't. Too much to live for and I remembered promises I made to people. When moments like that hit you have to dig up every single good thing in life and clutch onto it tightly. Don't ever let those go and you can fight it. Never let this take more away from you than it already has.

[Hellbutrin]

11 hours ago, Dez said:

Oh yeah, it was really bad after they used me as a guinea pig. First Celexa, then Prozac, and finally Venlafaxine XR. The last made me feel so bad. I felt like dying, cried constantly, and just felt like everything was falling apart. Not sure exactly how long it lasted, but the really bad reactions only lasted a few months. I want suicidal, just felt agonizingly depressed, but from what I heard it is suicidal depression. I just didn't want to die. It's not nearly as bad, but I do get waves every now and then. The other day I stared at a knife just thinking about slitting wrists, but I didn't. Too much to live for and I remembered promises I made to people. When moments like that hit you have to dig up every single good thing in life and clutch onto it tightly. Don't ever let those go and you can fight it. Never let this take more away from you than it already has.

I've been off of Wellbutrin for three months. It's the only psychiatric drug I've ever taken, but for some reason I just started having suicidal waves of depression last week. I hope this feeling doesn't last for months, if it does it might start effecting my job. My depression is directly related to the medication though for sure, since I was never originally taking it for depression, I was taking it for anxiety. You had suicidal depression for a few months because of a medication change?

[Dez]

3 hours ago, Hellbutrin said:

I've been off of Wellbutrin for three months. It's the only psychiatric drug I've ever taken, but for some reason I just started having suicidal waves of depression last week. I hope this feeling doesn't last for months, if it does it might start effecting my job. My depression is directly related to the medication though for sure, since I was never originally taking it for depression, I was taking it for anxiety. You had suicidal depression for a few months because of a medication change?

You have a much better chance of recovering faster, I feel It's very difficult for people who have switched a lot, at least from what I've seen, but everyone is different. I'm sure it'll calm down eventually but you have to hang in there!

 

As for the suicidal depression, it wasn't just the changing. It was the constantly getting me to try different ones without letting my brain come off the last ones. My brain and body couldn't handle so many different meds. I forgot to mention they stuck me on buspirone too for my "anxiety and panic attacks" that cropped up during all this. I've NEVER had anxiety or panic before these medications and they decided to treat a reaction from a drug with another drug, which commonly happens. It was awful. I've never felt so bad in my entire life but at least things are slowly improving.

[Raye]

Hi,

 

Im a little late, but I wanted to say, it is entirely possible that it could interact somehow. I found some things that interact with my medication that I was surprised with. Now, I don’t think off the top of my head that hormones from that would actually interact though, because they are just hormones, however I have heard of odd side effects of those and it is possible. I would look up each hormone that it has, and see if there is an interaction..or maybe try not having it and see if you feel any different for a while. best of luck to you.