Back in November I blogged about coming off the Pill and I was overwhelmed by the response to it, both publicly and privately. It made me realise that not enough people talk about these issues (which is slightly mental, given how many of us are dealing with them) and that we’d all be better off if we were happy to talk about contraception and periods more openly.
So in the spirit of that, I thought I better give a bit of an update on how I’m feeling three months down the line of having kicked my 10 year Microgynon habit. You might want to read that last post for more of the “why I’m quitting” reasoning and general pre-quitting MEGAFEAR.
As for how I’m getting on…I’m gonna break it down into the areas I was most concerned about, but if you have any questions then just comment at the end as I may have forgotten something! Apologies for the essay, but hopefully it’s useful!
MOOD AND ANXIETY
One of the reasons I wanted to come off the pill was that I thought I may have been going a bit doolally. I would get properly bleak and depressed during the few days before my pill break, to the point where I knew I had to step back and not trust the decisions I made on those days because they’d usually be coming from a pretty depressed mindset. Over the past few years I was starting to get very physical anxiety symptoms at certain points during my pill regulated cycle. Whilst I wouldn’t get anxious in a mental sense I very much had the heart racing adrenaline pumping side of it which was driving me crazy. Feeling like you’re having a panic attack when you’re not remotely panicking is very strange indeed.
It’s very hard to describe what being pill free feels like, but it just feels so REAL. I think it’s the type of thing where you don’t notice until you’re off it how much it clouded your personality, it’s like a fog has been lifted and I now feel so much more normal and calm.
A good example? I’ve never been scared of flying, but in recent years I’ve had really annoying physical symptoms of anxiety whenever I’ve flown…to the point where I’ve had to self-medicate or really concentrate to not let it escalate into a panic attack. But when I flew to Grenada (11 or so hours) in December I didn’t have that AT ALL. The only thing that had changed between that Grenada flight and the long haul flights the month before was that I wasn’t on the Pill any more. And generally day to day I haven’t felt those physical symptoms of anxiety once in the three months I’ve been pill free, no matter how crazy busy or stressed I’ve been.
Whilst I feel a lot more physically relaxed, I have noticed that I’ve also become more intolerant and ragey. The funny thing is though that I genuinely don’t think I’ve been unreasonable with it. (Hah!). It just feels like I’m standing up for myself more and not taking crap from anyone. I’ll argue back but I won’t regret it, whereas on the pill I might have been very unreasonable about a tiny thing then two days later I’d be begging for forgiveness because I’ve realised I was being completely mental. Now I feel like some sort of Superwoman who will get things done and not stand for any nonsense, it’s massively invigorating.
In sum, I feel calmer and happier than I have in years. But I’ll tell you bluntly if I think you’re being a dick.
BOOBS
Heaven forbid my boobs would get smaller, that would just be too darn easy wouldn’t it? I haven’t noticed any change in my stupid boobs unfortunately when it comes to size.
I’ve always had quite painful boobs (as in wear a bra to bed and want to cry if I accidentally touch one) but now it feels more cyclical rather than a desperately awful constant. I still have days where I feel like I am carrying around 10 kilograms of poisoned lead which has been cursed by an Ancient Egyptian God of Pain, but I also have days where they don’t hurt at all. That’s a miracle in my book.
SKIN
My skin did look a bit dull and grey for a while but it’s hard to tell if that’s just because my honeymoon/Grenada tan had disappeared and the real pale me was revealed or if it was hormonal. Obviously eating mountains of naughty nonsense at Christmas would have had a negative effect too, and general January stress. I think I probably get a few more whiteheads around my mouth now which may be hormonal, but it’s no major change and nothing that hasn’t been fixed by ramping up my skincare and being more consistent with my omega supplements. I had good skin pre-pill though.
WEIGHT
I haven’t lost or gained weight, but I think I could have easily lost weight if I’d actually tried. One of the most marked things I noticed when coming off the pill was how much my appetite reduced, but because of ingrained habits I didn’t really eat any less which is presumably why I haven’t lost weight. Had I listened to my appetite rather than gone into auto-pilot when it came to mealtimes and portion sizes I think I’d have lost a fair few pounds. Unfortunately I let habits get in the way of hassle-free weight loss.
HEADACHES
In the first fortnight or so after stopping the pill I had some terrible disabling migraines, I was terrified that they’d continue but thankfully they didn’t. I still get headaches but they’re not worse than before, which was my main worry. I’d say they’re much more manageable actually, more of a “take two paracetamol and they’ll go away” headache rather than a “put me in a dark room and if all else fails behead me” type headache.
THE ACTUAL PERIODS
I stopped taking the pill at the end of a month’s strip, so I should have had a ‘breakthrough bleed’ (i.e fake period) within a few days of stopping. But nothing came at all for FIVE WEEKS. This was massively annoying as on one hand I became paranoid that my ovaries would never wake up and on the other hand I was constantly worrying that my period would start at the worst possible time. I’ve now had three ‘real’ periods, one with a 26 day cycle and the other with a 30 day cycle…so they seem to be settling normally. That was a big worry for me because I’d read horror stories of 15 day cycles and 60 day cycles, but I don’t remember my cycles being particularly unusual in my pre-pill days and they say it’s likely to be similar to how you were before.
Having periods that come of their own freewill rather than by my medicinal meddling is a weird thing, I can’t just book a holiday and know I won’t be on my period. I have to concentrate when booking waxes. I have to actually remember to buy and carry tampons. But apps help with all that (as I’ll mention in a minute).
I’ve felt more period pain too, which cracks me up as it makes me feel like I’m literally 14 again. I’ve used a hot water bottle for the first time in a decade. I think I’d genuinely forgotten how rotten those ‘peak flow days’ can make you feel, but the novelty factor is actually making it quite entertaining for now. (I suspect that will wane quickly!!!!). Flow wise they’re obviously heavier than when on the pill, but they’re not heavy by any means…again I think this is just reflective of my pre-pill days.
Oh and I get CRAZY HOT during the night before my periods start. I’d forgotten that from my teen years. I had to have the windows open one night when it was snowing. Husband was not amused.
NAUSEA
I was convinced I was pregnant for the first month of being off the pill simply because I spent the whole time wanting to vom. I was never actually sick, but I ran to the toilet a few times and generally felt like I was on the brink of puking most of the time. I read that ‘fake pregnancy symptoms’ are very common when coming off the pill, which I guess makes sense as your hormones are all over the place. The nausea has gone now though (yey!) so I should have trusted all the medical advice that said in three months you’ll be over the worst of it all.
SUPPLEMENTS
I started taking pre-natal supplements when I came off the pill, NOT because I’m trying to get preg (shut up mum!) but because my doctor said they’d help regulate my hormones as I came off the pill and would make the transition easier. She also said folic acid (which is in all pre-natal supplements) was important in case I did accidentally get pregnant, in fact she near enough said all sexually active women should take it ‘just in case’. (Folic acid prevents spinal and neural deformities forming in the early developmental stages of pregnancy, but the advice is to take it for at least three months before conception, which obviously most women don’t do). I’ve been taking one by Seven Seas which is basically Vitamin D, B6, B12, folic acid, biotin, iron, zinc and selenium. When I bought it on 3 for 2 it had ridiculously embarrassing packaging (literally “TRYING FOR A BABY” emblazoned across it and an actual photo of a baby) but they seem to have toned it down now to being more plain.
I’m not sure if taking these has helped make my transition so easy and I guess I’ll never know, but there hasn’t been any downside to taking them and they were cheap – less than a fiver for a month’s supply and seemingly always on 3 for 2.
APPS
I don’t know how I wouldn’t have lost my mind during this process if it wasn’t for downloading the snazzily named ‘Period Tracker Lite‘. (It’s a free app and unless you’re trying for a baby and very obsessed with data I can’t see why you’d need to upgrade to the paid version). Whilst it’s essentially a clever calendar app, it’s more helpful than that as you can track your mood and symptoms, get projected ovulation dates (a lot of people use it to have ‘safe’ unprotected sex on days they know they’re unlikely to get pregnant – I wouldn’t be comfortable recommending this in case you DO get preg but lots of people seem to trust it!), track your period lengths and see projected period dates for the future etc etc. If you’re trying for a baby, it will tell you the best time to do it. You can also tell it when you’ve shagged if you are trying for a baby, which would presumably help with dating conception if you did fall pregnant and so on.
SEXUAL ATTRACTION
I timed coming off the pill with a bunch of scientific papers being published on how women supposedly stop fancying their partners once off hormonal contraception. The good news? I still really fancy my husband. I still love sex. I shan’t go into more detail. (Again, hi mum!).
And I think that’s about it!
All in all I highly recommend being off Microgynon as I feel like a real person again. Granted, I don’t have the very negative side effects of periods that some women have (I’m very grateful for this) but I’ve never felt better so I can’t speak highly enough about it!
Enough oversharing for one post methinks…
x
Fantastic post! After much consideration I have also been pill free for a few months – I feel great. I actually look forward to having my period now – haha!
Sorry to ask such a personal question but what other methods of contraception have you been using in its place?
Thanks so much for sharing this! I’ve just come off mine too, for the same reasons, and I’m only a week in but I feel that weird fog lifting too, that I didn’t even know was there. I just feel so much more alert and present than I used to. Hope your uterus continues to feel this happy! x
I am so happy I found ur blogs today.. I have been on the pill for 7years… And I really wanna come off it! Can not stop thinking about it, and also can’t stop thinking about having a baby! U really helped with my decision, as I am on my break and was unsure to start back on it or just stay off it now as it is best to stop after ur breakout… Ur blog really did help and definitely answered some of my questions
It’s so great to hear you discussing this Poppy – I came off the Pill a few years ago, after starting to feel like a crazy mofo all of the time! When you say you feel REAL again, this is the best way I could describe it as well, it was like I’d been hiding under a cloud of hormones and weird emotions that I literally couldn’t control and had no idea why I was feeling. It was the best decision I ever made, even if it does make contraception a little trickier and mean bikini waxes come with a little more worry.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, it was a great read!
Jaclyn
Hiya! J was just wondering.. How long did it take you to start feeling like yourself again? Straight away? Thank you.
Poppy, this was such an interesting read! I’m amazed you lasted so long on Microgynon, I took it for 21 days before I had to come off it. It made me cry everyday and I felt horribly depressed. I’ve been on my current pill for 5 years and am thinking about alternatives, what are you using instead?
GOSH! I can completely relate to this as I’ve just done the same. Clearly people love hearing about the pill, as my post was a popular one too (http://www.catherinesprunt.com/2014/11/alternatives-to-pill.html) with a follow-up coming soon.
Your anxiety concerns are exactly the same as mine – the smallest things (and big ones too) had been giving me physical anxiety, but in my mind I wasn’t particularly stressed…and the exact same thing happened to me with flying. I would have full blown panic attacks even though I was just really excited for the flight and holiday!
How long did it take for you to not feel those symptoms?
Great post Poppy! I’m on day 10 of “coming off”. I’ve had a permanent headache for 10 days but on the plus side I’ve lost some water weight around my waist and I feel happy and full of energy. I also quite like the idea of having sex with my fiancé which I havent felt for the last 3 years courtesy of Loestrin 20!
Great post about coming off the pill! I also decided to come off my pill round about the same time and found your post really helpful in making my decision!
I had been taking microgynon for 10 years when about 18 months ago it started to make me feel so ill! Every month during my ‘week off’ I would feel sick, tiered, have a terrible headache that no tablet or sleep could shift, it literally lasted for 2-3 days, and I had a constant dry mouth! So weird. the only words I can use to describe how I felt for the 4-5 days a month was that I felt hung-over! Imagine feeling hung-over without having the benefit of the great night the night before! I had been to the doctors for my usual check up and told her of the problems I was experiencing. She did a few tests and all came back negative. Then she changed my pill and told me that as we get older our hormones change etc so maybe a change of pill would help. It didn’t. I still felt the same on my week off. She then told me to take 2 pill packets back to back with no break. So I did and I felt great! However the next ‘week off’ I had was even worse! I was actually sick all day at work, I had never felt so rough. That on top of all my work mates now thinking that I’m pregnant, I decided to do my own research and listen to my body!
So I stopped taking the pill around Christmas time and safe to say its the best decision I have ever made. I feel myself again and after so long of taking the pill, id forgotten what that felt like! I don’t get moody, I don’t even realise I am on a period half the time. My periods have been regular, they last for 3-4 days, are light and have happened every 4 weeks without fail. My skin is clear, I don’t have as big an appetite as I did before so have lost a little weight without even trying and just feel overall happier!
Couldn’t recommend it more.
That’s so helpful! Thank you!
Thankyou so much for sharing. I’ve been trying to decide whether to come off the pill again myself. I had one break a few years ago when I wasn’t in a relationship and I’m sure I was less of an unbalanced crazy person (although maybe I still was a little).
Practically everyone I know who is having sex relies on the pill and feels, like me, that condoms aren’t reliable enough. It was only this year I met some women who have relied solely on condoms for years to avoid putting rubbish through their bodies that I thought maybe I can do this too. I’ve been on a pill of some kind for over 10-years, currently Mervilon, and I plan to take a break now at the end of this packet to see if I really am as unstable emotionally as I have become. I really hope though this doesn’t lead to me having a follow up comment that I’ve fallen pregnant as I can only expect children would drive me even more crazy than the pill ever did. Thankyou so much for sharing your experience 🙂
I realize my reply is a little old regarding this post but I’m glad I found it. I stopped the pill October 3 and have basically been sick ever since. I swore I was pregnant as you described, however I have had three periods at roughly 30 day intervals. The anxiety, nausea, dizziness and headaches however have not gone away. It’s been just about 3 months now without it. Please tell me it will get better! I’m at the point now where it’s becoming unbearable.
Ah I’m so sorry to hear this Andrea. I think they say three months is the time it should take to be out of your system, so if you don’t feel better within the next month I’d def speak to a doctor. It’s good that your cycle seems to have “awoken” and is regular at least, but you can’t be expected to function feeling sick all the time 🙁 I don’t know if it makes a difference which pill you stopped using, but I definitely felt miles better after the first three months and now feel better than ever. Really hope you feel better soon x
Hi, I came off the pill 3 months ago or maybe 2.5 and I am feeling so strange. I have been on different contraception for 7/the years and I don’t even know if I like it. I feel like I’m having a midlife crisis. I feel like quitting my job and all sorts lol. I just don’t feel like me basically. Did u feel any if this x
It takes about 3-6months for your hormones to balance out x
It can take up to 6 months for your hormones to balance out, Ive stopped for a month now so I’m all over the place atm but Ive taken the pill for 14 years only to now just realised it has caused me to have an u under active thyroid as its put my hormones out of balance. it has left me feeling quite ill for years but only now I’m realising its defo the pill that’s caused this so I may try the non hormonal coil. Also I was on an oestrogen based pill which to be on over 5 years is not good especially if you have lost family to oestrogen based cancers like ovarian and breast cancer. Can’t wait to try and balance my system and also some regular reflexology may help balance hormones and help if ur feeling anxious. X
Your post has inspired me to take control of my body and come off the pill.
I’ve been on it so long I don’t know who I am when I’m not pumped full of hormones so I’m very nervous but also excited in the hopes that I can feel ‘normal’ and real, as you say!
I’m not looking forward to the withdrawal effects but I hope in the long run it all will have been worth it. Thank you for being so open!
Good luck Leanne, it’s a great thing to do for yourself I think. Even when I feel shitty on my period I know why it’s happening and that it’s a natural/real thing. The rest of the month I feel amazing. Although be warned that you may find yourself flirting with strangers and feeling like you’re the hottest woman in town when you’re ovulating, hah! Xx
Hi Poppy,
Thanks a lot for this post it really helped me feel better about coming off the pill as it’s made me feel a bit crap about myself although I feel so much happier and more confident like I used to!
I was on the pill for only 10 months and tried two different pills in that time. The first one made me awfully depressed and down every single day, I would literally just cry over anything and everything it was awful and especially as I was in a new relationship and should have been happier than ever? I knew I was happy and everything in my life was perfectly fine but was so so miserable !!
I then, after 5 months of being on that pill, swapped to another one as I was informed by different people and doctors that ‘you will find the right pill, it’s just trial and error unfortunately’. This pill made me feel a lot more like myself at first and I was soooo relieved and happy that I found a pill which made me feel ‘normal’ but I only felt like this for about 2-3 months. After 3 months I started to not feel myself anymore, I didn’t feel awfully depressed like I did on the last pill but I just felt spaced out all the time and just down and quiet which isn’t like me. I also felt so tired every single day and had absolutely no motivation or drive at work and just life in general and this also effected my sex drive after a while too. It also made my anxiety awful!! I’ve always suffered with anxiety but before I started the pill I really had control of it and hardly ever felt anxious anymore, but I started to feel how I used to where I would feel anxious every single day and really struggled to attend social events. I was suffering in silence. I thought it would get better with time as I had only been taking the pill for about 9 months but one day I had enough and had a break down to my boyfriend. I’ve never cried so much in my life! My boyfriend told me to come off the pill which I did that next day.
I’m so grateful to have such an understanding boyfriend who doesn’t care about having to use condoms, he said to me ‘what do you think breaks my heart more, seeing my girlfriend cry everyday or having to put on a condom’ this is when I realised its not worth all of the suffering! I was so scared to come off the pill because I thought it would be a huge problem for my boyfriend and it made me feel very down about myself. I also used to think ‘why can all my friends be fine on the pill and I can’t, it’s so unfair’ it caused me so much stress.
I think a lot of people are afraid of using condoms and claim to ‘hate’ them when really they don’t make that much of a difference. I use non latex ultra thin ones and they’re amazing, they feel no different for me and my boyfriend says the same!! Of course it’s annoying and inconvenient but I think people believe it will make their sex life crap or ‘not as good’ but that’s definitely not the case! I bet you would stop to grab some lube.. So why can’t you stop to grab and condom!
I’ve now been off the pill for about a month and I felt instantly myself again which was the most amazing feeling in the world after suffering for months! And my anxiety vanished! The reason why I’m here reading this page is because I have still been getting slightly irritable where I think I wouldn’t normally do and my boobs and nipples are very sore! So I started to think hmm maybe it’s just my body adjusting to being off the pill..
My first period was very painful and heavy, which they never used to be so hopefully they will go back to normal soon.
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences, reading them has really helped me to feel positive and confident about myself!
It’s excellent to see a post about coming off the pill to feel human again, with no mention about trying to conceive. It’s also great to see I’m not the only one looking up what can happen, the nhs website isn’t all that informations.
I came off three weeks ago and sadly I’ve been having various types of bleeds on and off since. Ironic as I have pco’s and anytime I’ve had long breaks off the pill before I’d go months without having a bleed. I’m hoping that my body starts to normalise soon, I’m a bit bored of feeling like I’m wearing a nappy everyday.
Also, I’m already wanting to get busy with my boyfriend, whereas before I had completely lost interest. Shame this bleed has stopped…
Sorry if I’m a bit tmi/dear diaryish.
Thanks for the great post!
I’ve recently come off the pill too after 8 yrs. The first affect for me was getting my laughter back. A part of myself I had all but left in a bin. I used to sit with my sister and watch funny clips. I’d be thinking why is crying with laughter? My god she’s going to fall off her chair.
About a week and a half in we had dinner with my sister in law, I thought of something funny about a subject she was talking about and lost control, it wasn’t even that funny. I couldn’t stop, I was snorting and crying. And I just couldn’t get it out without losing it all over again. And its happened many times since. Ahh its fantastic to have sense of humour back.
Its only been a month so far and I’m day 34 into a cycle and I’m having bloody pregnancy systems. But I’m just hoping its taking a while for my own hormones to kick in!
I am 12 days into coming off the pill.
I’ve been on Ovranette, Marvellon and most recently Cilest. All three of them have made me moody, apathetic and at times in the cycle absolutely crushingly depressed, they increased my appetite (so I subsequently gained weight) and made me completely anxious and bitter. I didn’t realise the first time I started the pill as I thought it was caused by the circumstances around me but I clocked whilst on Marvellon that I was feeling the same again. When I came off Marvellon I was suddenly outgoing, confident and happy again and I lost 2 stone. Partly because my appetite was down but also partly because I had so much energy again. I was way more active.
However, when I got into a new relationship my partner wasn’t keen on using condoms so I talked to my GP for a while about how the pill made me feel (I find that going to the doctors when I say that the pill is making me feel/behave in a certain way they were always really dismissive and suggested that it was all in my head. I know there are so many factors behind how you feel, but I find it ridiculous that they were telling me taking hormone supplements EVERY DAY would have no affect.). So they suggested Cilest. I realised about a week in that I was going backwards to how I was on the other pills.
I thought as long as I realise that it’s the hormones and not my circumstances that’s causing me to feel like this that I can control it. But you totally forget. Two years down the line when you think your life is awful and you’re irritated at everything around you and you want to lie under a duvet and cry all the time. You can’t focus at work because you’re so overwhelmingly depressed and anxious. I suddenly checked myself and realised that I was feeling the same as I did the other prolonged periods I was on the pill for. The only difference is that I lost my sex drive on Marvellon and didn’t on Cilest.
So after talking with my boyfriend a lot I decided to come off the pill. The first 8 days off I didn’t feel immediately better which was disappointing. The one thing I noticed is that my appetite has completely gone. I’m not waking up starving hungry or needing to snack all day. The first 4 days I went without lunch and didn’t even notice so I’ve already lost a bit of weight.
Yesterday and today I’ve felt the fog start to lift and I feel euphoric. I don’t have a cloudy head any more. I’ve been able to work, to concentrate and I just feel happy for the first time in ages.
It’s funny because I was talking to my best friend about this. She’s been on the pill for 12 years straight. She says she’s lost her libido completely, but never considered that it might be the pill. I think if you’re in any doubt that the pill is affecting your mental health, making you lethargic worried, confused, unhappy. Come off the pill and see if it makes a difference.
I know there are other things going on and the pill isn’t going to change a shit situation if you’re in one. But it completely changes my outlook, behaviour and mood and I felt it getting worse the longer I was on it.
Great post and very informative, thanks! I came off the pill about 2 weeks ago after taking it for the past 9 years. I have had terrible breakouts on my face (usually my skin is clear!) and my nipples are unbearably sore but I’m persevering with this to give my body a chance to be in it’s natural state! Also hoping there is a chance my boobs might shrink, fingers crossed.
Hi Poppy, I am seriously overrunning my work lunch hour after stumbling over your blog but just wanted to say that I found your articles on coming off the pill so so helpful and so similar in experience to my own!! I got married last year and have decided now to come off microgynon after 6 years to try for a baby, however we’re just going to see what happens no temperature taking/ddtd diaries yet but I cannot believe in just a week how much better I feel! Over the last 6 years I noticed that I have been lacking in confidence and suffering from exactly the anxiety you mentioned – just in general a mild depression about everything. I wondered if this was the curse of the mid 20’s or the pill and I’m glad to say I think it was the latter… the fog has lifted and I cannot believe (for now) how much better I feel and how much I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds! Great relatable post compared to scary forum chat!
Hi
I have been on Microgynon for about 6-7 years now and recently last few months I have been getting really bad headaches. My doctor said its stress or the pill. I’m thinking of coming off the pill but am Abit scared about what will happen when I do. Been reading about it for a few hours now and this blog has been the best one I’ve seen so far.
I know you’ll bleed for Abit after which is normal but am worried about if you get bad headaches and things aswell as mine are quite bad at the moment being on the pill which is why I want to try coming off.
I don’t think ive had side effects of being on it until I’ve seen other people say their mood swings and stuff were all over the place when they were on it and I just thought I was Abit crazy hahaha.
Can anyone ease my mind a little on the pros of coming off even more as I want to know it all.
Thanks xx
My headaches are so much better since being off the pill. You may have some flare ups as you transition off it but once it was out of my system I felt better than ever. I maybe get one or two headaches a month now just a couple of days before my period is due and they respond well to painkillers, whereas before I’d have them for days and no painkillers would help – I”d literally just have to go to bed in the dark 🙁
Hope it goes well for you if you do come off xx
Iv just found your blog after researching symptoms when coming off microgynon. Iv been on it for 10 years also and feel nauseous everyday, get stomach pains, depression and loads of anxiety. I’m in a relationship of 7 years and we’ve just got engaged last year. I’m desperately wanting to come off the pill for a few months to give my poor Body a break because now Iv started noticing stretch marks on my legs and it’s really getting me down!
I’m just scared about getting pregnant as the wedding hasn’t even been thought about in depth yet and I’m not ready for a baby! I just don’t want to keep finding things wrong with my body that make me feel awful!
Your post is really helpful though, thank you. X
Hope it all goes well for you Holly and good luck planning the wedding! Condoms seem to be everyone’s least fave method of contraception when in long term relationships so much so that I think people forget about them sometimes altogether – they are always an option though if hormonal alternatives are beginning to feel shitty. If you have regular cycles then ovulation tracking and charting can make it pretty damn safe to have unprotected sex as long as you avoid your fertile days, but it does require commitment to tracking properly and an acceptance of what the consequences would be if you did time things wrong x
I’m so glad I found this post. I’m 7 weeks off now and apart from the normal withdrawal bleed nothing so far. Although have really bad skin over the past 2 days and feeling incredibly sick all yesterday afternoon and today. Can’t face eating anything and hoping it passes today! Was due on last Thursday so keeping my fingers crossed. Up until this point not had any side effects of coming off the pill. It’s reassuring to know that this sounds normal though. Hoping things get settled soon and period starts so I know it is back to normal. Wish I had never started taking the pill nearly 3 years ago now. Thanks
Hope the rest of the transition goes smoothly for you. It can feel a bit up in the air but hopefully knowing that’s “normal” helps xx
Thank you for such interesting and thought provoking blogs relating to this subject poppy , I’m
So late joining the discussion but have read through all the comments and loving to see what all the ladies out there are saying. I’m another culprit of being 26 and having been on the mini pill for 10 years now and feeling like my libido is diminishing say by day compared to a few years ago as well as an appetite of a whale I’ve discussed with my husband and today is my fire day of not taking my pill. No babies planned for a good while but I’m looking forward to feeling feminine again and weirdly to having a natural period after so long without really having one!!
Thanks for the supplements advice too I may well invest in a good multi vitamin with folic acid to start taking now and start treating my body as a temple instead of controlling my hormones and poor ovaries unnaturally for so long!
I hope you’re still finding it okay since you’re decision to stop taking the pill!
Wish me luck, j can certainly see what everyone meant about feeling a bit scared! I’ve downloaded the period tracker lite app though so here we go 🙂
Xxx
It would help if my iPhone hadn’t changed various words in my above post but I hope you can all understand what I was trying to say! 🙂 X
Thank you for this post, the reasons you wanted to come off the pill ring so true with me. I was pill free for about two years and my life changed completely. I was able to understand my emotions a lot better and I left a bad relationship and moved on with my life. However, I met someone new who makes me very happy and I forgot all about the pill and why I stopped taking it and started to take it again for ease! Two years later I’ve finally had the guts to tell my partner I’m not taking it anymore and we’re going to have to use condoms again. Surprisingly he was happy with this, probably because since taking the pill my sex drive has just disappeared so he will ne grateful for anything!! I’m already looking forward to having the real me back and it’s so good to know it’s not me imagining all of it x
I can’t tell you how much I feel like a weight has been lifted reading your blog posts about coming off the pill. I went to the doctor with all manner of questions about stopping my pill after 10 years and didn’t get a straight answer. Reading your story is exactly like mine, it’s gotten to the point now where I have this overwhelming need to come off it and reading your posts and everyone’s comments had really reassured me that I don’t have anything to worry about. Thank you so much xx
Best of luck Louise and sorry your doc couldn’t be more helpful. We’re not alone in this and things do get better! xx
I have been of BC for 6 days. The first 5 i woke up with a headache and experienced hot flashes. I am 35 and a smoker. Been on BC for 15+ years. Depo for 5 1/2. The patch for 5 1/2 and the last 4 years on tri-sprintec. I am feeling very positive about going off BC. I too, feel as though my personality has been suppressed. More so on the pill than the shot and the patch. I was forgetting words and staring blankly into space. I really hope that getting off the BC helps. I want my life back.
Good luck, I hope you start to feel yourself over the next few weeks xx
I myself am wanting to stop taking the pill (microgynon 30) as iv slowly started to believe that most of my issues are down to this pill. I was originally put on it about 5/6 years ago to help with my heavy periods but also as contraception (still with the same partner). I have completely lost my sex drive and I am just so moody and anxious all the time. I used to be so happy and now I’m just miserable. I am wanting to come off the pill not to try and get pregnant but to take control of my body and try to figure out what’s going on. I’m so worried though as taking the pill is all iv ever known for all these years 🙁
I can off the pill myself about two months ago now and it immediately relieved me off all the anxiety and depression it was causing me. My periods have started regulating now but I have never had spots in my life until now, I get these horrid ones on my chin that hurt and scar and then just as I think they are going another comes up and loads of tiny bumpy Ines! , not to mention the headaches over the last two weeks aswell. I think I have come this far off the pill I may aswell not go back but it’s a struggle! I don’t know what is worse, the anxiety or the headaches and bad skin! I’m hoping it will all go away within the next month or so and I’ve read taking fish oil may help! But coupled with the lack of pill I have been drinking more wine and eating cheese and had a lot of stress from losing my job a while back so maybe it’s just a coincidence!
Last month I stopped the birth control patch EVRA because I was wondering how a hormone free me would feel like. I’ve never been happier, yes the aches are back ,yes my boobs hurt sometimes but honestly my head feels clear and I spend less time over thinking shit and more time talking about what I’m feeling.
Like many people here, the first pill I was prescribed was Microgynon, which was a DISASTER. After a couple of months of being told to persist with the constant bleeding and skin like the surface of the moon (imagine a face of cold sores), I marched in to the GP and demanded something different. I took Logynon/ Eugynon until I was 29 and coming out of a rather controlling relationship. It felt great – another way of taking back control.
I’m not sure what prompted me to try it again over the last few months. Sex, obviously, and I live far from home, and wanted to be sure there wouldn’t be babies. This time I got angry, and bloated, and nauseous, and my stomach ached like crazy during the five days of highest dose pill, and I got epic headaches during the pill-free days, and it’s just not worth it. So I’m off it again, and googling my newest symptoms (hopelessness, lethargy, paranoia, crying a lot).
For anyone who is feeling psychologically affected by the pill, it’s worth checking out this study: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/03/pill-linked-depression-doctors-hormonal-contraceptives
Hi! I know this is old, but how are you doing? I came off the pill in October also and I’ve had the worst time. Terrible anxiety, crying jags, hopelessness, depression. Has yours gotten better?
I’m nearly 45 and been in a relationship for over two years now. The previous 23 years I didn’t use contraception (ex-hubby had a vesectomy after our second child was born). Well, I didn’t know I was born then, did I? New relationship and went onto the injection, felt down and anxious but thought it was moving across country and new beginnings, new job etc (probably was a bit). Oh and the constant uti’s were a joy!! Not. I figured the uti’s were connected to the jab so switched to the combined pill. Ok uti’s improved but not much but me?, I turned into a psychotic bitch. To this day I do not understand my abhorrent behaviour or absolutely ridiculous behaviour that could have ended very badly. I saw an article, the recent study on the pill and the lightbulb came on. I dropped this carcinogic poison that day and have not looked back. I feel fabulous, I’m back to the old me!! The first month coming off is a bit weird as your body is coming out of synthetic hormone suspense but with your own little blighted kicking in as well and your body and brain trying to get back to an even keel but I will never, ever touch this stuff again. I’m now using the persona monitor and fertility friend app and good grief, at my age I’ve never known my body better. 🙂 oh and the uti’s ceased immediately….
Awesome blog, thanks so much for sharing.
I’ve been off microgynon for 10 days and although I’ve developed a little bit of a headache, slight period like discomfort and bit of nausea I am feeling great!
Most noticeable change is my new interest in general day to day things, for example actually wanting to clean the house. Sounds silly but the last few years any mundane task like cleaning has taken a huge almost superhuman amount of effort! I’ve also been the gym 4 times this week and I’m feeling slimmer. Husband has noticed the change in me and my motivation.
I’ve been thinking over the last week that I’ve probably been quite depressed/apathetic for a few years really and I’m now sure it’s the pill.
Reading your post and thr comments I’m feeling so positive.
Like others I’m so excited about feeling like me!
I got married in October and we do want a family so for the moment we are just seeing how things go.
Good luck to everyone reading this, one thing I know for sure, I won’t be going back on the pill EVER (around 15 years with a couple of breaks was enough!)
I’ve been off microgynon for 9 days and your post describes everything I am experiencing/ have experienced over the last few years so perfectly. It has made me cry (happy tears, not pill induced sobs) because it puts into words how great this last week has been and made me so excited for the future. Thank you! X
I just stumbled across this blog whilst googling about coming off the pill. It’s amazing to see women discussing these problems!
I was on the brevinor pill from around 16-20 years old, I then started to experience extra bleeding so I came off it, I was then prescribed norimin, I felt ok for a while and then I suffered extreme anxiety and depression. I couldn’t stop crying. At this time I was also in my final year of university so I couldn’t handle what was happening. I decided to come off the pill and have a break. I think I had a break for a few months and I felt so much better for it.
A few months passed and I got in a new relationship and so I decided to try out the pill. I went to the doctor and told him about my pill past, he recommended Mercilon. I thought I’d give it a go, it was ok for the first few weeks, then I developed headaches and depression after a month. I told myself that I should try for 2 more months as it can take a while for the hormones to settle down.
Here I am 3 months later, I’m more angry and start arguments with my boyfriend over nothing. My sex drive has completely disappeared and I still suffer from depression and mood swings. I’ve come to the point where I’m done with the pill as I just want to feel normal again.
I have been off the pill for 2 days now and I am taking 1000mg primrose oil to help regulate my hormones. I have started exercising so hopefully I will feel myself again. I will report back in 3 months. Thanks for this amazing blog post, I wasn’t going to comment but after seeing so many women sharing their experiences it only felt right.
Thanks so much xxx
I’m so glad to have found a really positive and informative post about coming off the pill.
I’m currently on day 6 of being off Lucette (Yasmin) pill and I am terrified of withdrawal symptoms and just generally how I am going to feel pill-free since I’ve taken the same one for almost 11 years.
I have terrible anxiety and panic attacks and also migraines.. I’ve no idea if it’s caused by the pill or not and don’t know if they’ll get better or worse and if I’ll be able to cope at work! So far I’ve experienced mild headaches, loss of appetite and cramps and my anxiety has been worse too but I’m not sure if that’s just me freaking out! Did your anxiety get worse before it got better?
Thank you for this enlightening blog post.
I’m currently dealing with this too. Stopped Minastrin in mid October and still dealing with extreme anxiety and depression. Has yours gotten better? When does this end?!
Really loving this blog! Came off Cilest 8 days ago got my normal withdrawal bleed which was more painful than usual and that’s strange seen as I only had 3 pills left to take before I stopped. Me and my fiancé are going to have unprotected sex and see what happen as we both want kids. I have been really moody though and irritable and probably quite unreasonable but it could also be me standing up for myself like you say? Havent had any other symptoms apart from I am eating less which is very unusual for me but my stomach is thanking me for it! The pill I think made me feel dizzy and anxious and that seems to have gone all of a sudden so I hope it stays that way and start to feel like the read me again as Cilest made me feel so up and down! Has anyone on here got pregnant straightaway after stopping the pill?
Hello Poppy,
What a great forum, so glad I stumbled upon it thought I was going mad. I have been on Microgynon for over 10 years, I was taken off it in August as I am now in my 40’s and I must say I feel terrible!! I have woolly heads, I’m tearful, suffering with dizziness, nausea and feel unbalanced. The fatigue is really bad, aching legs, anxiety and headaches. I’m hoping that someone can advise that these symptoms will slowly end and I will feel great again. The only good thing, I have not missed a period since I have come off the pill.
I am three months off of birth control and just started getting horrible headaches. Doc told me they were menstrual induced migraines. I was on bc for 20 years minus when I was pregnant. Could my body still be trying to regulate?
Thank you, a very interesting read. I came off Cerelle 6 days ago and feel much more alive and happy, can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner after being on it well over 10 years. The doctors don’t seem to want you to come off it, I can see why but the side effects are not great to live with for years!!
This is great! Very similar symptoms, I came off in November. The anxiety thing is huge- I can now fly without problems and feel more balanced. Permanently convinced I’m pregnant though 😂
Please check out Balanse.Co.uk for my blog posts 😘
I happened across this blog whilst searching for “what to expect when you come off the pill” and I’m so glad I did! I’ve learnt more from this blog post and the above replies than I have from any GP!
I’ve been on a variety of contraceptive pills for the best part of 14 years now and having got married recently (and finally persuading my husband that babies are a good idea) I plan to come off the pill in a couple of weeks. Needless to say I am terrified at the prospect, and I struggle to remember ‘life before the pill’ (LBTP). Especially as I don’t have any periods at all with my current pill. I’ve read elsewhere that it is liberating coming off it, and I’m quite looking forward to going ‘au natural’ despite the obvious issues about planning holidays etc around my period. When I asked my GP about coming off the pill to try for a baby, he literally said, ” take folic acid, and get on with it”. Thus I had no clue about what would happen post-pill.
My biggest concerns, aside from the consequences of pumping my body full of hormones for so long, are heavy painful periods (hard to forget that part of LBTP) and bad skin, both of which I suffered with as a teenager, but ‘que sera, sera’ I guess.
As you said in your previous post about your decision to come off the pill, we spend SO much of our lives desperately trying not to get pregnant and overnight become desperate to fall pregnant! So all I can do is hope that it all goes to plan…
Thanks again!!
I have just stumbled across your gem of a post! I am going through my first “pill freeness” after 6 years and to hear this honest, witty and dowb to earth review is SO enlightening. It makes me stop second guessing everything and for me to wait and see. Thanks so much Poppy! X
Hi!
I came across this whilst researching “effects of coming off the pill” and I am so relieved to see that I am not alone in this. I have been taking YAZ for ten years and decided to come off it last November as I was suffering from terrible migraines, anxiety and hadn’t been bleeding on my cycle at all anymore. The first three months were surprisingly smooth, clear skin, regular cycle and it was interesting to rediscover how my body functioned (hello sore nipples, ovary pains and elevated libido!) March turned out to be the month from hell, have had cramps almost every day, ended up in the hospital due to severe ovary pains and skipped a period (not pregnant already checked) I have also had a massive breakout on my neck and shoulders (never had bad skin also before taking the period) but I still think it is worth it to push through and I know one day it will get better! I am also really afraid of how the pill affects fertility as I am 30 and have a stable relationship and would like to prepare my body for a future pregnancy.
Like many, I started taking the pill at 18 with no real information on side effects, consequences and problems getting off it which is quite infuriating!
Hello, I’m on the pill at the moment I’ve been on it for 3 years now! And I feel awful!! lost of appetite, mood swings! I’m thinking of coming off it!! The doctor has given me other pill to try but don’t really want to try any others as I can imagine it be the same! I just want to feel myself again! How long did it take you to feel like yourself again? And how long did it take for your period to go back to normal etc? And what do you use now? (Sorry for such personal question) im thinking to just use condoms but I’m not sure!!
Thanks for this Poppy. I would like to share my experience. I was on the pill for almost three years (loette) and I’ve been off it for 5 weeks now. I started experiencing dizziness almost straight away. At first it was only dizzy spells but when I got my first period(after 4 weeks) and the week after, the dizziness and lightheadedness have worsened. It happens all day. And I’m very worried about it. Do you think it can be because of hormonal imbalance? How long do you think this can last? Many thanks. Hope I can get at least some peace of mind:)
Hi, been reading through this thread and saw your recent remark. The dizziness and lightheaded feeling could be caused by different things, for example, perhaps you’re anemic, or you have benign positional vertigo or it’s simply from coming off the birth control and like you suspect, it’s a hormonal imbalance. You should see your doctor and describe your symptoms, plus request to have a full blood panel, as well as having your hormone levels checked. Good luck!
Hello!
I’m so glad I found your blog! I started the pill (tri-lo sprintec) back in September 2016 and just recently stopped taking it March 22, 2017 due to anxiety, depression, stomach pains, heart racing out of no where or while trying to fall asleep, loss of appetite, always tired, no sex drive and the list goes on. I felt like I was losing my mind. I didn’t realize it was the birth control until everything my doctor was giving me for my stomach pain wasn’t working, and I went to the ER twice for anxiety. On the 22nd of April will be a month since I stopped taking it, and I am still having anxiety and depression. Stomach pains went but everything hasn’t cleared up. How long will my hormones get back to normal? Will I have to deal with anxiety and depression forever?!! The thought of it is scaring me even more!
Thanks for your post! I have faith!
Hi
I have been on the pill for around 15 years. I have decided to take a break due to a bad breakup.
However the first two weeks have been rather uncomfortable. Lowere abdo pain, sharpness of what feels like ovaries, sitting down is quite noticeable with a feeling of pushing up inside. Has anyone else experienced something like this?
I’ve been on the pill for 11 years since I was 12 years old. I started my period on my 12th Birthday (Great present there!) and I was having really heavy periods, on for a week straight and the first couple of days the pain was unbearable. I couldn’t do anything, I would cry it was so painful. I just had to lie in bed and hold my stomach because sometimes that worked, I’d have a hot water bottle or sometimes I’d go sit in a hot bath which did work, but as soon as I’d get out the pain would come back. Went to the Doctor and he put me on Microgynon Pill – The pain stopped, I wasn’t on for as long and I knew exactly when I’d be on. Over the years I’ve been feeling ill, feeling dizzy all the time and constantly tired. I suffered with B12 deficiency so the tiredness was to do with that at first, but now I’m on tablets so that’s fine, and yet I’m still feeling crappy. I can’t even walk round a supermarket or up the stairs without feeling like I’m going to pass out. I kept going back to the Doctor, and trying to look for answers myself online. He then referred me to a Cardiologist and I had a 24 hour Heart Monitor, and the results came back fine. So I went back again and he suggested coming off the pill, he said how I’m feeling could be because of the pill so I’m off the pill for a month to see If that changes anything. I’ve been off it for a week so far I think so It’s just a waiting game really. I will be so annoyed If the pill has caused all this and I’m only just finding out now 🙁
I have just come off the pill (only a few days) from Loestrin 20 (lowest hormone pill apparently so less chance of side effects) after getting very anxious over things I didn’t think I was that worried about, crying all the time and generally feeling like I was going crazy. It’s only a few days but my mind already feels so much more normal although my body is feeling a bit wonky (energy levels all over the place). I had been on it for three years and had always put anxiety down to other things going on but now I think the pill didn’t help at all. Also feel im lacking the motivation I used to have, and haven’t felt creative at all since being on the pill. Am going to use condoms and try the mirena coil in September (the hormone level is very low, 10x less than loestrin, and more localised – is what my GP reccommended) really enjoyed the blog and glad a more open dialogue is developing around this subject.
Glad you found it helpful and good luck to you xx
After 10 Years of being on the pill to control crazy amounts of bleeding my Gynecologist took me off. He said he believed I was menapausal and sent me to get a FSH test. He called a few days later to inform me that despite my age I was not yet menapausal but didn’t want me back on the pill. So at 5 weeks off the pill this is how I feel: Great! And my hair stopped falling out! I’d lost 2/3 of my hair since 2003 and none of my doctors could do anything. I don’t think its coincidence that as soon as I stopped the pill my hair stopped falling out in clumps. I also haven’t felt this good in many, many years. But my choice was a poss hysterectomy or trying the pill, which worked wonders. Thought I’d share this…
Hi, I am 31 with a 14 month old baby. I was using brevinor for 14 yrs with no side effects (I think)! And then went back on brevinor nearly a year ago once my baby was 6 wks old on the advice of the health visitor. I’ve found I keep saying to my husband that since I had the baby things effect me differently – like I feel more anxious about things or worry unnecessarily and then scare myself that I’m worrying too much and fixate on researching about anxiety, worrying, depression etc. It’s madness sometimes! My sex drive has gone downhill but again thought that’s what happens when you have kids! Maybe all this is my pill affecting me?! My husband listened to a podcast about how bad the pill is and now I’ve started researching whether to come off it….. I came off it 2 yrs ago and had no side effects and was pregnant within 5 weeks! Pregnancy was planned! I’m wondering if this time around coming off the pill I won’t have any side effects like you have mentioned or did I not last time because I got pregnant so quickly.?! I’ve read some awful forums about ppl coming off the pill and suddenly having anxiety attacks and sever depression and it’s terrified me!! Don’t know what to do! I have 28 days left of my pill until the 7 day break and wondering if I should just go for it and not have anymore after that break! The forum I read scared me so much….. I can’t have anxiety attacks or depression and look after a 1 yr old plus go to work. Any advise or thoughts x
This is, without doubt, the best of the MANY pill-related blog posts out there. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’ve been on Logynon for 21 years, since I was 16. I know, saying it out loud freaked me out too. I was put on it by my GP at 16 for very heavy periods and pain. It was so long ago that I actually don’t remember it now. I thought for all this time that I was quite happily jogging along with life, but it’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve realised some ‘symptoms’ I’ve always had are getting worse…no sex drive, feeling depressed, can’t lose weight, super irritable…you get the picture. But I’ve never really connected these with the Pill (which I know sounds so stupid), cause I’ve been on it for so long, that this is just life. I don’t remember being an adult pre-Pill, so I guess I never noticed any kind of change.. And if I’m honest, I was regular as clockwork on it, so it suited me for busy life-planning / holidays / planning those special occasions! We don’t want kids either, so it was just all nice and convenient.
So, after speaking to my boyfriend and GP, I’m coming off Logynon to see how it goes. I finished my last pack and am due my period today. We’ll see how it goes. I honestly thought I was going a bit bonkers with an early midlife crisis or something, so this has been a crazy wake up call that so many people are in the same boat.
I’m keeping everything crossed that I have some sort of natural epiphany and get a whole lot less crazy!
How is your “off pill” journey going? I’m off the pill for 10 days now (been on 3 different pill in last 10 years) and I’m looking forward to get my life (hopefully) back. I also never thought that the pill is causing my anxiety, irrational thinking and generally making me and my relationship with my husband difficult because of my behaviour. I REEEEAAAALLLLYYYYY hope that I’ll become “me” again and I’ll laugh when I’ll look back to pill period in my life. How are you feeling so far?
I’m righting this 1 Day from coming off the pill. Wish me luck. I’ve been married almost 9 years, started the pill just before I got married at 16. We are now ready to start trying for a baby, is why I’m coming off them. I’ve been researching for days to relies all these side effects of taking birth control. Things that I’ve felt or have happened or stress and anxiety things doctors don’t tell you when putting you on them. I’m hoping to feel this freedom so many people are talking about after stopping them. I just feel like a black cloud of emotions have been fallowing me around for years not all of the time but enough to take notice. I’m ready to go all natural I hope my period gos back to how they were at 16, not that a 4-5 period on the pill was bad I loved it, but that’s the only thing I’ll miss about the pill.
I realize this post is older but wanted to thank you for being so thorough in describing how you feel. I had been on birth control pills for the past five years to control some symptoms, but have found myself also not feeling like myself anymore, and getting more frequent headaches associated with my pills. I just quit, and I am looking forward to establishing a normal cycle again. Thank you for your great and well-written post!
Hi Poppy, I know you said 3 months off the pill you were feeling great, but how long after did you start to feel better? Did you slowly start to feel better? I’ve been off just about a month and I’m still feeling anxious for no reason at all!
I’d say it probably was very slow and gradual and not properly better til about 3 months in, I definitely still felt weird a month off. I’d give it three months and then see your GP if you still feel anxious. Hope you feel yourself soon xxx
Hi Poppy, really enjoyed reading your articles, this one and your original coming off the pill post. Liek yourself I am currently fighting with myself about coming off the pill! I have only been on microgynon for 4 years now but unfortunately already experience some of the drawbacks such as a reduced libido, the strange panic attacks you also described and a general numbness. But I am so scared of falling pregnant and also worry about my partner going back to condoms! Sorry for the personal question, but what is your current contraceptive method? I have also looked into family planning but don’t think I have the nerve to try it!
Thanks x
Omg… thank you so much for this post. Every symptoms you explain I have felt it for the last 3 Mos. I seriously thought I was pregnant. I have take HPT and all the tests came back negative . I was on the pill for 4 years. I’m glad that I found this post because it really help me understand my body right now. I thought I was going crazy. Lol I am so glad I have my body BACK..