u/AmbitiousBat8404

Posing with a burner account and I might delete because I am not sure I love being this vulnerable online lol but I have been a lurker on this community and want to share my experience in hopes it may help some people.

Background:

• Late 20s
• On and off combo pill since I was a teen for acne and then later in life for contraception/acne, with the longest stint being almost 3 years straight right before I quit
• No history of painful or heavy periods on or off the pill
• Cycle has always been pretty regular when I wasn't on HBC

My Experience:

• I honestly didn't do anything different before going off the pill to prep my body or mind, because I naively thought I didn't need to. I have casually gone on or off the combo pill without any symptoms whatsoever besides my acne coming back.
• The catalyst for going off was that I had been having this gut feeling for the last year that the pill was causing my emotions to be stunted, to the point that my partner and friends had pointed it out. I felt so bleh and flat and it seemed to have gotten worse in the last 6 months. On top of that, I had absolutely no libido. I was scared to go off, because I know my acne and oily skin would rebound hard as it had in the past when I've been off HBC, but knew that I needed to at least give my body and mind a shot.
• First week off was amazing. Everything felt the same, and I had hope that in a few months time, I would get some semblance of my libido and emotions back. Boy was I wrong.
• I experienced what I know now know to be my first panic attack about a week after stopping HBC. At the time, I actually thought I had food poisoning or a stomach bug because the nausea just came on all of the sudden. I had severe nausea for the next week and could barely function. I reached out to my doctor who said it was probably a stomach bug.
• For the rest of the first month, I just had extreme anxiety, heart palpations, loss of appetite from the anxiety (and also my doctor kinda gaslighting me into thinking this was a stomach bug), acid reflux (which I've never had before), and IBS-like symptoms.
• At the beginning of the second month, my symptoms morphed into milder nausea that came in waves based on my anxiety levels, tinnitus, high heart rate, mild headaches, and mild floaty/dizziness. I developed mild agoraphobia and food aversions due to the heightened anxiety, which I've since worked through and am improving. Also not good or bad, but noticed I now have really vivid dreams.

Tips:

Currently, my symptoms are much much better and more manageable. I have good and bad days, but the good days are becoming much more common. I don't regret coming off HBC, and I'm already starting to feel my libido come back slightly and my emotions have been all over the place, but it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder after coming off HBC. I know I'm not out of the woods yet, but I don't think I would've gotten to this point without the work I put in to heal and manage the anxiety and physical symptoms that came along with this. Hopefully these tips can help anyone who is in the thick of it or thinking about going off HBC.

• Quit the coffee and alcohol: I was a chronic coffee on an empty stomach girl before all of this, but given my anxiety, I knew coffee and alcohol weren't good for my healing nervous system.
• Getting off social media/tik tok/reddit/AI chats: I was so anxious and my feed became inundated with health and hormone information. I deleted all my social apps. Screen time limits help too, if you don't want to go cold turkey.
• Meditation: I had tried it before without success in the past, but I was desperate this time. It's uncomfortable to sit still. I hated when the stupid guided voice told me to breath, but 1 month later and I look forward to my mediation every day.
• EFT Tapping: Trust me, I actually laughed in my friend's face when I heard her talking about this, but it fucking works. I did this every morning along with my meditation. I just found some videos and podcasts to teach myself.
• Movement: Get out and touch grass. I made it a goal of mine to talk or move my body every day, even if it is just a walk down the street and back. I miss my weight lifting, but give yourself permission to take it easy while your body adjusts. I'm almost back to my normal workout routine after 2 months :)
• Healthy fats and regular eating: I considered myself fairly healthy before, but I made sure to incorporate flax and fiber in my diet every day. Avocado and eggs have been good too, especially when I didn't have a big appetite. Hormones need healthy fats!
• Distractions: Calling friends I haven't talked to in a while, lots of TV/Podcasts/Books, I bought myself some paint by numbers and crafts too to keep my hands busy and off my phone
• Magnesium glycinate: I heard this was supposed to calm the nervous system so I started taking this every day. Not sure if it's doing anything, but I don't think it's done anything bad yet...
• Therapy: If you can afford it, this has just helped support everything I'm doing on my own already.

Posing with a burner account and I might delete because I am not sure I love being this vulnerable online lol but I have been a lurker on this community and want to share my experience in hopes it may help some people.

Background:

• Late 20s
• On and off combo pill since I was a teen for acne and then later in life for contraception/acne, with the longest stint being almost 3 years straight right before I quit
• No history of painful or heavy periods on or off the pill
• Cycle has always been pretty regular when I wasn't on HBC

My Experience:

• I honestly didn't do anything different before going off the pill to prep my body or mind, because I naively thought I didn't need to. I have casually gone on or off the combo pill without any symptoms whatsoever besides my acne coming back.
• The catalyst for going off was that I had been having this gut feeling for the last year that the pill was causing my emotions to be stunted, to the point that my partner and friends had pointed it out. I felt so bleh and flat and it seemed to have gotten worse in the last 6 months. On top of that, I had absolutely no libido. I was scared to go off, because I know my acne and oily skin would rebound hard as it had in the past when I've been off HBC, but knew that I needed to at least give my body and mind a shot.
• First week off was amazing. Everything felt the same, and I had hope that in a few months time, I would get some semblance of my libido and emotions back. Boy was I wrong.
• I experienced what I know now know to be my first panic attack about a week after stopping HBC. At the time, I actually thought I had food poisoning or a stomach bug because the nausea just came on all of the sudden. I had severe nausea for the next week and could barely function. I reached out to my doctor who said it was probably a stomach bug.
• For the rest of the first month, I just had extreme anxiety, heart palpations, loss of appetite from the anxiety (and also my doctor kinda gaslighting me into thinking this was a stomach bug), acid reflux (which I've never had before), and IBS-like symptoms.
• At the beginning of the second month, my symptoms morphed into milder nausea that came in waves based on my anxiety levels, tinnitus, high heart rate, mild headaches, and mild floaty/dizziness. I developed mild agoraphobia and food aversions due to the heightened anxiety, which I've since worked through and am improving. Also not good or bad, but noticed I now have really vivid dreams.

Tips:

Currently, my symptoms are much much better and more manageable. I have good and bad days, but the good days are becoming much more common. I don't regret coming off HBC, and I'm already starting to feel my libido come back slightly and my emotions have been all over the place, but it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder after coming off HBC. I know I'm not out of the woods yet, but I don't think I would've gotten to this point without the work I put in to heal and manage the anxiety and physical symptoms that came along with this. Hopefully these tips can help anyone who is in the thick of it or thinking about going off HBC.

• Quit the coffee and alcohol: I was a chronic coffee on an empty stomach girl before all of this, but given my anxiety, I knew coffee and alcohol weren't good for my healing nervous system.
• Getting off social media/tik tok/reddit/AI chats: I was so anxious and my feed became inundated with health and hormone information. I deleted all my social apps. Screen time limits help too, if you don't want to go cold turkey.
• Meditation: I had tried it before without success in the past, but I was desperate this time. It's uncomfortable to sit still. I hated when the stupid guided voice told me to breath, but 1 month later and I look forward to my mediation every day.
• EFT Tapping: Trust me, I actually laughed in my friend's face when I heard her talking about this, but it fucking works. I did this every morning along with my meditation. I just found some videos and podcasts to teach myself.
• Movement: Get out and touch grass. I made it a goal of mine to talk or move my body every day, even if it is just a walk down the street and back. I miss my weight lifting, but give yourself permission to take it easy while your body adjusts. I'm almost back to my normal workout routine after 2 months :)
• Healthy fats and regular eating: I considered myself fairly healthy before, but I made sure to incorporate flax and fiber in my diet every day. Avocado and eggs have been good too, especially when I didn't have a big appetite. Hormones need healthy fats!
• Distractions: Calling friends I haven't talked to in a while, lots of TV/Podcasts/Books, I bought myself some paint by numbers and crafts too to keep my hands busy and off my phone
• Magnesium glycinate: I heard this was supposed to calm the nervous system so I started taking this every day. Not sure if it's doing anything, but I don't think it's done anything bad yet...
• Therapy: If you can afford it, this has just helped support everything I'm doing on my own already.