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been on birth control for years suffering now with major anxiety
I have been on birth control pills for years...last year about this time I started having major anxiety and panic attacks. I have tried several meds for anxiety and don''t like any of them or the way they make me feel. I would like to "cure" this naturally and get back to my fun loving self. Can birth control pills cause anxiety after all this time? I have heard of women having problems right after starting them..so what to do? I would come off of them but what to use then...I have read a lot on IUD's(the non-hormonal)and they seems pretty good for someone like me. If anyone has some good stories to share on how they beat the anxiety...natural help(I have tried 5-HTP, kava kava they didn't work) or if pills have caused the same issue as I have had after years of being on them with no problems till the last year. I am going to be 30 soon and wonder if hormones have to do with that. HELP!!
I Hope i am not too late to share this with you. I, about 2-3 months ago had a panic attack and I had so many symptoms that i thought i was going to die. I kept going to the docs and finally gave me paxil. But i didnt take it. no way! i went to GNC the next day with my fiance and got Gaba and hated it, He got Royal Jelly!! I tried it, I love it..Im not cured but im getting through the days at work and slowly telling my self that I am fine, im ok, nothing is wrong with me. And the bc thing, i dono, im still on it and i think thats what is triguring it but im goin back to the docs to see. good luck and try 1,000 mg one before bed and one when u get up of this royal jelly, its natural and safe...lots of b vitamins.
Birth control pills are going to kill you! Do research on them, you will see you are better off using something else!
Thank you, Thank you for the words of encouragment....I have had a hard time taking the xanax because there is such a stigma attached...most that feel that way are on anti-depressants and feel like thats the answer. But those can be just as addictive you have to taper off of those as well and it causes withdrawls as well but nowadays they are the accepted form of medications for treating everything in the world it seems...not that I am saying they are not useful in some cases. I know this forum was more for womens health and turned into a discussion for mental health but I needed the guidance of women feeling the same things I do. You are so right saying things we eat, drink and take all have there issues...drink coffee, don't drink coffee, drink coffee....they can never make up their minds on what's good for us. Of course I don't drink coffee anymore cause it hypes me up so I guess I will be the one that misses the benefits of it, oh well. Thank you again for the positive thoughts it will help me conquer this beast.
We can be our own worst enemy. You are upset about the "hormones racing thru your body" from the birth control pills, but in fact your hormones do taht anyways.. The Xanex helps but you are so fearful of addiction that you feel guilty and then stop taking them cauing yourself to panic even more. There is a difference between being addicted to drugs and being DEPENDENT on them! Would you discourage a diabetic from taking Insulin? No, they HAVE to have it, they are dependent. Someone that has high blood pressure has to have medication to control it, they are dependent. Anxiety and Panic disorders are REAL! Would you try to treat your own heart disease? No. Your condition IS treatable and you should listen to your doctors. You are not going to become a junkie on Xanex. So let the doctors treat you. I don't think your BCP have anything to do with this. I believe it is a clinical problem and throwing vitamins at it isn't going to help anything, especially your wallet. You have found something that works for you, and yet you fight it.. Like I said, we are our own worst enemies.
Please just give the Xanex a real chance. No guilt and no worry of becoming an addict. You NEED this in order to have a normal life. This doesn't make you weak. Just human.
--J
Please just give the Xanex a real chance. No guilt and no worry of becoming an addict. You NEED this in order to have a normal life. This doesn't make you weak. Just human.
--J
The above comments are what you need. Avoid caffiene all together. My mother in law is on Xanax and she does not get addictive either. They help her very much. Don't quit a med that is acually helping you. I was on Ambien, a sleeping pill, for so long because I get not sleep at all and I would drink alcohol until I could not stay up. I did not drink because I wanted to get drunk. I did it to fall asleep. Then I went to the Dr and he gave me Ambien which changed everything and I was able to get a decent sleep. I am telling you that if the Dr prescribes a medicine to help you with your problem, don't feel guilty about it. It is helping you to be a better person and that should not make you feel bad. Some people may disagree and tell you that all medicine is bad but there are foods and drinks that contain bad stuff that you consume. Nothing is a sure thing in what you eat, drink, or take. Stop panicing and relax as best as possiple.
Thanks sunshine...I appreciate your info on your experience with the IUD....Luckily I have been with my boyfriend for 11 years and heavy periods are a not huge issue for me....it would better than the hormones racing through my body. I just wonder after being on the pill for so long and never having a problem can I suddenly develope an issue with anxiety and a general uneasiness. The only med I am able to take with any success for my panic and anxiety is Xanax....I think over the last year I have taken maybe 30 pills all together...I just freaked when I hear a few stories of addiction...I am not an addictive person and I do see a lot of good stories too of people that take them responsibly. I usually bring myself to panic by trying not to take them trying so hard to conquer a day or event without them that by the time I do take one I have such a bad memory of that day or event I am back stuck in cycle of panic again.
I went on the pill for 4 months. It was so long ago that I don't remember that much but I do know that my husband could not be around me at the time. Or my girls. I was told about the copper IUD and gave it a try. I stuck with it. I did not have any mood swings and have had it in ever since. I finally removed it this July because my DH and I are wanting another baby. I have no complaints about the IUD except heavy periods because that is a side affect. There are 2 negative things about the IUD. They are expensive if your insurance does not cover it and also you can't have multiple partners that can be a result of PID which is an infection that can cause you to become infertile. My friend had PID so bad that she had to have a hysterectomy at 33. The most positive aspect is not having to worry about the repetition of the pill every night. There are IUDs that can stay in for 1yr, 5yr, and 10yrs. There are so many types of contraceptives, but you have to find the one that suits you the most and the one you feel the most comfortable with.
i AM SO GLAD TO HEAR OF YOUR HUSBANDS SUCCESS....UNFORTUNATELY FO RME MEDS ARE NOT AN ANSWER...SO I WILL HAVE TO VENTURE ON WITH THE NATURAL APPROACHES.
Oh no. Things can be much, much better for you. My husband suffered from frequent panic attacks after suffering some side effects after surgery, but has been helped *enormously* by therapy and Lexapro. I definitely wouldn't give up on either meds or therapy if I were you; if money's an issue, you can always find therapists who will work on a sliding scale. It takes time and energy, and a lot of courage, but you can do it ;-)
As for the meds, I know many of them have side effects that are really unpleasant, but it can just be a matter of finding the right one. I tend to think you're probably not going to find much help with supplements and what have you... and you'll probably spend every bit as much money trying all those different things without any hope of success. I'd say go back to your doctor (if you're not seeing a psychiatrist, that's probably the best person to see at this point), and just keep working at it. If one thing doesn't work, try another. You'll be fine. I know it :-)
As for the meds, I know many of them have side effects that are really unpleasant, but it can just be a matter of finding the right one. I tend to think you're probably not going to find much help with supplements and what have you... and you'll probably spend every bit as much money trying all those different things without any hope of success. I'd say go back to your doctor (if you're not seeing a psychiatrist, that's probably the best person to see at this point), and just keep working at it. If one thing doesn't work, try another. You'll be fine. I know it :-)
I have gone to a therapist a couple of times but I feel like this year I have spent so much on doctors that I can't afford anymore...I have tried meditation and that helps a little...I feel like I know whats wrong I know what causes it..I know what fix's it but I am having a hard time getting over that ugly hump called panic. I refuse to try anymore meds....but I also don't know what else helps. I am trying the natural approach once more with vitamins and magnesium so I hope I have good results with that. It's too scary sometimes to be out and alone...never was this a problem before...I am ok if I am out with my boyfriend but I also can't take him everywhere with me. I guess I am worried I will never snap out of this and be like this forever...I try not to have that thought...I try to stay positive but after a year it makes you start to think this is the way I am going to be for awhile.
Have you considered therapy? Therapy can teach you how to handle anxiety and stress, how to prevent it from spiraling out of control, how to slow down, how to reframe events so they're less scary... Also, you might consider things like meditation and yoga.
Thanks for the response....fortunately for me caffeine isn't a problem...this anxiety first came up from major stress a a job I had been at for 8 years so I left and have spent the last year trying to battle the anxiety and panic....has anyone heard of magnesium supplmts. helping?
I don't know if BCPs cause anxiety, but when I was on them I was terribley moody so I'd be willing to believe that they may cause anxiety too. As far as treating it, the first thing is to eliminate all caffeine from your diet. This may be hard if youare a coffee junkie like I was, but you will notice a difference in about a week or two. You could also try some meditation and breathing exercises. That is sometime also hard to get into the habit of, but it is helpful to. As far as BC options, there are a lot of them. You just need to talk to your DR and find the one you think will work best for you. I am kind of afraid of IUDs, but that's just me. I know that they do work so maybe that's what you shoud try.
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