Loestrin 24 and Panic/Anxiety Attacks

Here are some excellent resources on eHealthForum which may help you:

Anxiety Attacks and Depression
Loestrin 24 2 weeks ago , period 2 weeks early
anxiety attacks feel like heart attacks - advice?
Anxiety Attacks And Seizures
Anxiety Attacks: Every Day, Then Suddenly, All Gone
Bashed in the Face
Anxiety Diagnosis

I have been taking Loestrin for almost a year now and noticed an increase in anxiety but never connected it to my taking the pill, until recently.

It started with general malaise and not sleeping so well but I was living away from home so I figured it had to be that but the symptoms didn't go away once I went back home. Then I began experiencing severe anxiety when flying or driving in a car--feeling like at any moment we would crash, imaging myself dying when there was no reason to be worried. I began to become almost hypochondriac in my severe anxiety about my health..I prayed every night I wouldn't die in my sleep, I was worried that I had somehow contracted HIV, I began to take sleep-aides because I slept so poorly and my heart felt like it was fluttering and I couldn't breathe. My behavior changed as I couldn't concentrate at work for any more than five minutes and I had trouble even sitting still long enough to finish dinner at the dining room table. I felt like I had to be constantly moving and couldn't relax. I have had panic attacks about things I would never have worried about before or only worried about in a normal way. The worst thing is that, and this sounds so stupid, since I watched the exorcist this summer, I had this irrational fear that I was being possessed--it sounds so stupid but it was terrifying for me even as I realized it was an irrational fear part of my mind latched on to the idea and wouldn't let go! I have been sleeping with the light on for weeks and feeling like such a baby about it. The thing for me was feeling like I was going crazy, I began seeing a therapist convinced (due to my hypochondria-like mentality) that I was suffering from symptoms of Schizophrenia and the "depersonalization" I was experiencing (one effect of extreme anxiety in which you feel like you are seeing yourself from the outside) only made that worse. Lately the anxiety has been getting so bad that I thought my friend's dog was looking at me funny and that he was going to attack me and I have been afraid to look at my reflection in the mirror, afraid I won't recognize myself, or see someone else in my eyes.

A few days ago I told my mother I think I needed medication for my anxiety and that I should start seeing a psychiatrist in addition to the psychologist and my mom said she hoped an anti-anxiety med wouldn't react badly with the birth control and then it clicked!! All the physical symptoms of my anxiety and my severe unease and irrational fears started when I began taking Loestrin last December!!! I have spent so many months not feeling myself, feeling like I am losing my mind and thinking I would never be able to lead a normal life when all along it has been this pill. I started doing research and found nothing on Loestrin's website and then found forum's like this one which made me feel so relieved I cried, knowing that I am not living with mental illness which is what I was beginning to fear. It's terrible to doubt your own mental acuity and I have spent a lot of money out of pocket paying for therapy sessions to deal with my anxiety which I felt under the surface even when I was feeling happy and had no reason to be anxious. I have to finish this last cycle of the Loestrin before I can go off it but I am with you that some action should be taken. I lived like this for almost an entire year and it has been really rough. I will finish this pack by dec. and then I will see how I feel and hopefully all of the unnatural anxiety will go away.

If you want to get in touch about taking action for all of those who have unnecessarily had their mindset and lifestyles changed by this pill please do get in touch and anyone else who would like to get involved please contact me.

Something has to be done--women shouldn't go on this drug without at least being aware that anxiety is a possible side-effect. If I had known earlier I would have been able to recognize the symptoms...

My thirteen-year old daughter was prescribed Loestrin in September after months of heavy bleeding/severe menstrual pain after "beginning" her period. The only days I feel like my daughter is "herself" are the four days of non-hormonal therapy. She has been having crying fits, hypochondria (literally complaining about some ache,pain, nausea, or anxiety every day), has lost 15 pounds due to a fear of vomiting (since she feels nauseated a lot) and has panic attacks where she can't breathe. I never attributed this to Loestrin until about a month ago. First, I was fixated on the fact that her appetite had changed and that she seemed to be losing weight, but now I think the hormonal therapy and its mental health effects are leading to the physical issues as well. Thank you for posting your experiences on Loestrin...I am more and more convinced that this medication has exacerbated her already-existing anxiety. The doctor has given us a new prescription for Lo-Loestrin,but I'm almost convinced it's better to just deal with heavy bleeding and pain without the hormones. The ironic thing is that hormones seemed to start the pain and exacerbate the bleeding in the first place. She had her period for more than 28 days and the doctor prescribed five days of progesterone therapy. When she went off of it, we were on vacation and she was having such scary, hemorrhagic bleeding (soaking through clothes even with two maxi overnight pads on) that I took her to the emergency room in the middle of the night. More hormones were prescribed and she continued to bleed for two more months. The Loestrin did help with the bleeding and pain, but I'm not sure if it's worth the terrible nausea and psychological problems she's experiencing.

Its like your my twin sister!! 1000% of everything you said is exactly how I feel. Im 4 trips to the ER, 1 brain mri and 4 drs visits later.....I cant even tell you what I owe in bills! It makes me cry. Something clicked in me tonight... the timing in my head just sunk in..... this HELL started when I started the pill Loestrin. I have about 6 pills left to take, but you can BET those things will be in the garbage. I ran over to my computer and typed in Loestrin panic... and a million things came up. My heart sunk! MY hands have been shaking like a crazy. Last time I went to the ER they whispered to my guy, is she using any hallucenogenic drugs or alcohol?! How embarrassing! I am SO furious with Loestrin. The bills I have to pay and worry about all because of the FREE stupid 24 pill box I received from the DR. o m g is all I can say. No more pills for me!!!! I was 2 seconds away from losing my complete mind. Just yesterday I was screaming that I didnt want to live! Thank YOU for your amazing post. It was a mirror of me.

iwantmyoldselfback:

I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH for sharing your story above. For the past year, I have been trying to figure out the cause to my severe anxiety, panic attacks, and in my mind 'hypochondriac' feelings I have been having!! I stumbled upon your story, and I have to admit that I started to cry and bit, and also had a huge sense of relief lifted off my shoulders to hear that I am NOT THE ONLY ONE!!! Holy _____, words can't express what I'm feeling right now as I read your story and seeing soooo many others saying all similar things.

I have never had a history of anxiety, panic attacks or depression. Until a year ago, about the same time I started taking Loestrin.

I do NOT have health insurance, due to working for a small company. Recently it's gotten BAD.... every time I get in the car to drive, esp on a freeway, I start to get this dizzy feeling...kinda like i'm going to 'lose control' and crash. Almost a weird vision thing, but i never lose my vision. I just feels like I am. My palms get sweaty, then I work myself up, getting chest pains, shortness of breath and tingling. I 'think' I'm having a heart attack, and think I always need to go to the ER. It finally got to the point that I did go to the ER one time bc i thought I was dying. After all blood tests, chest X-ray, EKG, etc..and $2000 later, I was told I was fine and having anxiety. Yep, they said that simple phrase, looked at me like I was crazy, and didn't even give me anything to calm me down or talk to me. All results came back normal. That was 4 months ago, and now I have daily issues and felt this way (usually always while driving), but sometimes sitting at work I will get the anxiety attacks or panic. Went to see my internist (GP) and they insisted I start taking Zoloft and Xanax...but didn't even once mention that birth control could be a cause. I hate the thought of having to take a pill for anxiety, as I try to seek cognitive therapy instead. It's even gotten so bad that I constantly think of death (just recently watched my grandmother die) but before that, I always panic thinking my cat is going to die in it's sleep, or that I am. I KNOW it sounds weird, and it's so comforting to hear you say that I may not be the only one!! I have never in my life had thoughts about any of this, or ones that I couldn't just normally shrug off.

I have bad muscle pain in my upper back, along my bra line and in between my shoulder blades. All doctors have said it's due to stress and anxiety build-up. B/c of the hypochondriac thoughts, I think I may have lung disease or even cancer. Then I get another chest X-ray and it's fine. I know that I work myself up more by having racing thoughts, but i never had any of these issues before I started taking Loestrin. I used to be able to tell myself to calm the heck down and it was all in my head. Now I feel like I can't do that and the anxiety gets worse.

CAN YOU UPDATE US since you stopped taking the Loestrin? did you start to feel better? I would really like to know your story after this post. I am definitely all aboard on your thoughts that women should know about the possible side effect before they take it! Even if it isn't the reason, I'm definitely getting off this pill to at least try.

Has anyone gone on this drug to help stop panic attacks? I have been suffering from then four 4 years and tryed so many different things. I don't even need bc due to already having children and my husband is fixed. I'm doing it to level out my hormones.

Rtjjc

Please do NOT ever take Loestrin. It is the devil in 24 pcs. OMG what a nightmere

WOW! I have been on this pill for a little over a year.. I just made an appointment to see my doctor next week and get off of it! I never connected the anxiety that I all of a sudden have, with this pill. I have almost become a hypochondriac trying to figure out what is wrong with me.
This pill is a nightmare.
I can't wait to have it out of my body for good!

I'm 18 years old & have been taking Loestrin for almost 3 weeks. Everything was going fine until the 3rd week. On 6/22/2012 i was woken up by not being able to breathe and my heart being extremely fast. I thought it was because i was hot, so i took the covers off & took off some clothes but that didn't help. I went into the bathroom & saw that my vision was blurred. I ran to my sister's room telling her that i couldn't breathe. She tried to calm me down & made me drink water. It calmed down but came back a few minutes later. Then i started shaking uncontrollably. My sister thought i was having a seizure. She rushed me to the emergency. They checked for blood clots, to see if i had a heart attack & other things. They said my pressure and everything was fine. They said they didn't think it was that serious because my heart would always come back down to normal speed. I began to have the shakes in the hospital bed again. They put me on a heart monitor & i was told to wear it until the morning of 6/24/2012 (today). I stopped taking the birth control & ever since then my heart & breathing hasn't been doing anything crazy. I really think it's Loestrin so i'm going to talk to my doctor about changing the pill. Now that i have read a few of your stories i'm 90% sure that it was the pill making me do this.

I'm 18 and have tried several birth control pills and none has helped. So I was talking to my friend about it and she told me she took Lo Estrin and loved it so I told my doctor I would like to try it. About a week after the pill I started getting really anxious about any and everything! I was scared to drive because I was worried I'd crash or I would stop breathing (because I recently started having this problem and it didn't click until now) and I would be out too far for the ambulance to come get me and I'd die. I even went out to the movies and saw Ted with my boyfriend and hadto leave to Go to bathroom because i felt like i couldnt breathe! Sounds silly! To this day I still feel this way and I have to remind myself I wouldn't just stop breathing! And whenever it happens at work I calm myself down by saying I work by a hospital! I've never felt this way and it's made me a different person! I have recently started a new job and I'm going to start college soon but I wasn't scared about either! I'm excited and was happy to start working! I want my old self to be back, I'm glad I wasn't the one with this problem! I'm not taking them starting today!

I am forty-two years of age and I am on day six of Lo Lestra Fe. I am experiencing severe depression and anxiety. I've suffered in the past from depression and anxiety so I was very aware of what was happening but surprised at the level. It even feels like a chemically induced depression and anxiety...truly awful. I am stopping today. I would be interested to hear from any women in my age group who have also experienced these side effects. I've never been a good candidate for the pill; I've always feel moody on it. This is debilitating and I already see that it's affected my productivity at work. I had no idea. Thanks to everyone for your shares. I can handle normal depression and anxiety, this is different...like a rush in my veins. PS) I had one hour earlier today where I felt great and then it was like a wave of body pain and anxiety came over me. -audpod

Your such a blessing to me right now after reading your post, I realized I might not be crazy after all. I'm 36 and was put on lo loestrin fe 9 days ago for hormonal imbalance and expecting to feel better I feel crazy, like really "crazy". I know for health and well being reasons I need to get my hormones balanced but I'm terrified to try even another brand of bc. I'm exhausted but can't sleep, my body aches with pain, I can't think clearly it's all like an out body experience except the pain part. I have never had a medication with such a side effects. I'm a very active person, run 30-40 miles a week well I did before starting this bc now I have no motivation to even attempt to put running clothes on. So sorry to see others have had the same problems but thank god it's the pills and not me I'm ditching the rest of the pack in the trash for good...I thank everyone who has posted and good luck to all!!

I have a similar story to share...I am 22 years old...Like many of you I have felt confused and frustrated. Now, I need to be upfront about my background...mostly I hope possibly to help someone in a similar situation. I would consider myself pre-pill a bit on the sensitive side and prone to anxiety. But up until recently my anxiety, while it may be slightly above average has always been manageable, balanced with plenty of good-moods and optimism and never interfered with my daily life to such an extent.I have been on Loestrin for a month and a half and my anxiety during that time has increased until the past 7 days has nearly been unbearable. I am SO glad I found this forum because literally..like many of you described I was in near panic all the time. I am beginning to see a likely relationship with hormonal birth control and these issues. I have one more week of active pills left then I can't wait to stop this stuff! I have, like you all have described have literally felt like Im losing my mind recently. I have been on edge, overly emotional and crying for no reason and have excessive anxiety almost all the time. I've been extremely fatigued, have had a nervous feeling in my gut all the time and literally have been weeping afraid I am going off the deep and, consequently will lose everything I love and value in life. Echoing what many have expressed 'it sounds kinda crazy....' literally though, it is a terrifying feeling.

Now, to be fair in this situation, I did have a serious health scare last year and a couple other 'above average' life events occur. I have been thinking that I am simply having an emotional release in response to that..I've been reading books about breathing, meditation and mindfullness, I got reiki, taking yoga, drinking tea, etc etc. you name it. all of these things have helped me get past anxiety in the past but not this time. The only thing thats changed since I havent been clincally diagnosed with a severe mental illness is the BIRTH CONTROL.

but, more than that....I started putting the pieces together...I was on birth control (Lutera--slightly different than loestrin fe) for about 5 years. Then, starting last December 2011 I stopped taking it. I felt off for a few months then this march-july was THE BEST i'd felt in YEARS. I started looking for a new pill and was put on Lutera again (my doc wanted me to 'give it another try'...urgh) That was this past June, 2012. My anxiety has crept back in and needless to say I ended up having the same issues with the Lutera so I recently switched to Loestrin fe (Junel is the generic name). and since then things have just gotten worse and worse..

now, I will check back after I end this and let you know how it goes..I wish there was some more input from those of you that have stopped taking it...maybe I do have anxiety issues I need to sort out BUT after reading some of these posts outloud my mom said "gosh it sounds like you literally could have written these" so I'm certainly going to start eliminating the possibilities. I hope that I feel back to my normal self and not like Im going nuts. The issue is that I know stopping the pill wreaks havoc on your hormones for a few months so I'm worried it is going to be worse before it gets better...

I've been rambling forever now but I need to just say..I do think that Loestrin has the possibility to cause these problems AND what I wanted to put out with this post was certainly make anxiety/depression, etc. MUCH WORSE with those that may already have these existing struggles. Furthermore, I dont think the issue is limited to this pill. Perhaps for some women finding one that really works with their body chemistry is great for them but it seems like for every success story theres many tales of woe and frustration and doctors simply masking their side effects with more drugs, xanax and prozac and such and expensive therapy. I dont mean to sound to conspiracy theory here but it makes sense...pharmaceuticals are incredibly profitable..why would the industry want to advertise this side effect when there is so much money to be made on birth control..and even better...antidepressants! What a terrible situation. and it really does make a lot of sense when you think about it...for this or any other hormonal birth control. It is simply NOT NATURAL. it screws with your entire system and these days all pills are made with synthetic hormones..of course thats enough to make you feel out of whack..

Good luck to you all...I'm glad everyone here has found each other and has the peace of mind and relief that I had in knowing I wasn't alone...I hope stopping this pills helps me and all of you who plan to do the same.

This post has been removed because it did not meet our Community Guidelines.

I am 31 years old and the mother of 3, my youngest is 2.5 years old and was weaned 13 months ago. I have had a progesterone deficiency since having a depo provera shot at the age of 16 (before that, I had 4 years of clockwork periods). I had to take progesterone during my pregnancies to prevent pregnancy loss (which occurred with my first). Progesterone deficiency causes anxiety and depression, I never had these issues prior to pregnancy at age 25 (note: if you have a mental illness, you typically show signs prior to age 25).

Each time my periods returned during breastfeeding, they were irregular in that I had luteal (post-ovulation, pre-menstruation) bleeding/spotting - usually tan, pink, then brown, ruddy red for 5-10 days before my period would start and I would bleed for 4-7 days more. My periods after my youngest child was born returned at 9 months postpartum in Jan 2011. I experienced the typical progesterone deficient bleeding in the luteal phase and this has continued to this day (now Oct 2012), although the spotting length has increased and period length fluctuated over time (now at 24 day cycles where I am normally 28/29 day).

After ultrasound and D&C to rule out cancer or cysts, the last hope I was given to regulate my hormonal imbalance and impending anemia due to blood loss was birth control pills. The doctor prescribed Loestrin FE 1/20. I have resisted taking synthetic hormones since I know they interfere with your body's natural ability to make their own in the long term. Considering vitex/chasteberry had left me feeling suicidally depressed although it increased my progesterone to reduce spotting and maca root wasn't quite helping with spotting but was good with decreasing anxiety; 5-htp did little for me but to cause vivid dreams/nightmares.

I started Loestrin on a Sunday night 3 weeks ago, I felt great for the first 48 hours (no anxiety, no depression - I felt like normal pre-baby me again). Then on Wednesday, I started to notice an increased heart rate during rest, blood pressure raised 10-15 pts each, insomnia, leg cramps (fairly severe in my calves), and crying over the smallest stressors. Being the mom of 3 boys, I have been through A LOT without crying, I am high stress tolerant...but I was BAWLING uncontrollably. I also noticed a lingering headache in the back of my head, something that never happens to me. This continued through Thursday and by Friday I had attributed it to the pills and stopped them. I had a panic attack on that day, severe anxiety, breathing problems with my throat feeling very tight, but I got through it and the next 10 days were somewhat better.

Then I crashed...I hadn't been able to sleep well since getting off the pill and on the Monday 2 weeks and 1 day after beginning the first pill, suicidal thoughts crept into my mind. This was REALLY upsetting to me because I have no intention of this, I love my children and my life...I just feel like something is controlling me and it really angers me, but I just cry instead (I'm a fighter so this really bothers me too). My mood swings were all over the place. I was admitted to the hospital mental ward for "full nervous breakdown" for 4 days. During this time, I was told they would give me anti depressants and figure out how to help me. Instead, I went to all day sessions of therapy and was not given any drugs except blood pressure meds because they couldn't get it below 155/105 even laying down (I am 132 lbs at 5'9" btw...eat all organic, take vitamins, etc...no reason for high bp). The psychiatrist on staff said he wanted a endocrinology workup on me, he believed it was a hormonal imbalance and he didn't feel comfortable putting me on anti-anxiety or anti-depressant drugs without that. I shook with anxiety, nearly convulsing, an entire day in the hospital mental ward. I felt like a failure, I cried missing my babies and being such a burden.

Kaiser Perm doctor who I've never seen before comes in and denies the endocrinlogy referral request TWICE. Then he calls my OB GYN and they decide that I need to go back on the Loestrin but with only a half dose daily. That's it...nothing more. So being in the hospital, you must take your meds...and I was put back on a "half dose" (pill cut in half, which obviously does not guarantee 50% equal dose) and sent home after 1 dose. I've now been home for 3 days and am still on the pills. I called the doctor's office on Friday, the first day back home, and told them I'm still having side effects from the pill and want to switch. They called me back after hours and the nurse on call told me to go to the ER to be re-hospitalized in the mental ward! what. They couldn't schedule an appointment for me until Monday (tomorrow) and so I need to stay on the pills until then and try not to harm myself or go to the hospital for admittance.

Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, rational override generally work well for me...but I can't seem to stop this anxiety and the severe depression is like NOTHING else I've ever heard of or seen. I can only imagine that it is this severe for me because of my hormonal imbalance to begin with (I'm at peri-menopausal levels still just like you are during breastfeeding, akin to age 55). I want off these pills but I cannot crash again..I have children to care for and there is no one in the system to help with support like that during withdrawal. I am scared to be by myself at all because I feel so out of control and we just moved to a new area in San Diego so I feel alone outside my husband and children. If anyone else could also use support, please email me...maybe we can help each other through this....

I am 24 years old and newly married. I'd like to say these posts have saved my life and I am nearly in tears. I started taking Loestrin about 2 months ago. I was on the patch and asked for a low dose birth control and was prescribed Loestrin. I cannot tell you how much my life has changed. I have had three major panic attacks since I started the pill and tonight was the worst one of my life feeling like I could not breathe. I have constant anxiousness and even the slightest noises give me a jolt in my body. I have driven my poor mother crazy with text messages saying that I am in a complete and utter panic and thinking I am going to die from anything from feeling like I am not able to breathe to phantom (and in some cases) real chest pain. This pill has flipped my world upside down as I was not acting or thinking this way before I started taking it. I want to thank the women for posting things about what this birth control has done to them. You have truly saved my life, and I am going to stop taking this pill ASAP.

I'm 48 hours off of this pill and did an acupuncture treatment for the first time tonight, it seemed to help ease the withdrawal symptoms my body is having trying to adjust and filtering out the synthetics. These pills are so hard on the liver...it's worth a shot to have a session and see if it helps balance you (it actually got rid of my constant buzzing anxiety that has been underlying from these). Good luck! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!

I am 25 years old and I started taking Loestrin last month because my doctor recommend it to me. It was my first time taking any birth control pills and my boyfriend told me I might had some mood changes. I wa only able to take the pills for 9 days and I had to stop completely because they were affecting my health.

I had all the freaking side effects that might occur if you take the pills, but I thought what are the odds? Since I started taking them, the same day I had headaches, which is unusual for me. So I thought I was stressed. I had spotting, nausea and the worst part were the mood changes. It got to a point that I didn't even wanted to be awake because I was pissed at the world. Also, I am not acne prone, but my back had 3 huge zits!

After those 9 days of hell my boyfriend googled this pill and found that I had all the symptoms so I immediately stopped taking the pill. Now, I do not want to even think about trying a birth control pill ever again.

It has been like 20 days since I stopped and I had my period today while I work. It was a 9 hr shift where I had to be standing up and talk to people about new products constantly. After 5 hours I had to leave. Every hour or so my hands will be cold as an iceberg and I would sweat cold and felt as if I was goin to faint. I had to eat a "life saver" because I thought my pressure was low. After having that 4 times I couldn't take it no more and went home.

Is it normal to be like that after finishing with the Loestrin? I have never in my life felt so sick like today. I certainly hope my periods are not going to be like this all the time.

I hope you did that lawsuit! Loestrin is not a birth control pill, is poison to your body!

Hello ladies, I cannot tell you the immense comfort these posts have given me. In every dark situation, it is so nice to know you are not alone! I'd like to share my story really quick as well to pay it forward and hopefully comfort the rest of you:
I will say up front that I have gone through some traumatic experiences, and have always been a little anxiety prone (thanks MOM -- I inherited anxiety from her haha). But it's always been manageable with meditation and breathing exercises, and I had sought and completed treatment for my traumatic experiences.
I am 27 and just started birth control pills for the first time in my life earlier this spring (April, 2012). I was first put on Microgestin which seemed really great. I didn't notice too many side effects other than the usual (occasional break through bleeding and breast soreness). However, those quickly faded when I started the second pack. Since it was my first time ever using birth control, I was only given three packs as sort of a test run. When the prescription ran out, I went back for a refill and my normal doctor wasn't there. So I saw another doctor, and for reasons completely unknown to me, the doctor switched me over to Junel (generic for Loestrin21).
At first I didn't notice much of a difference, but the second week into the first pack I got a yeast infection. I had never had one before so I thought that was a little odd, but some pills can cause those so I tried not to worry too much. However, the first one was promptly followed by ANOTHER yeast infection just days after I finished treatment!! I was okay for a couple weeks, but when I started the second pack, I got a THIRD yeast infection!!! As if that wasn't frustrating enough, the anxiety began to set in....
Since I'm anxiety prone, I didn't think much of it at first. I thought it was just my same old problems acting up again. But it began to quickly spin out of control and I soon felt that something was wrong. I began becoming terrfied of completely irrational things. While I have ALWAYS been able to manage my anxiety, no amount of meditating, breathing, logic exercises, or anything could even take the edge off! Panic attacks struck out of nowhere with no warning. One time I was singing in my choir and literally almost passed out in front of an entire congregation because a panic attack/dizzy spell hit me out of the blue!! I began to have terrifying racing thoughts and literally felt like I was going crazy. I thought I was losing control of my mind and would never get it back. My anxiety became so bad that I was TERRIFIED to even leave the house! One night, I got a horrible panic attack and it lasted all night and into the morning. I finally went into urgent care to get calmed down. The doctor asked me all kinds of questions so I told him all abuot the yeast infections and everything else. Thank God I got a good doctor!!! He IMMEDIATELY told me that it was probably because they switched my pill! He seemed frustrated that my pill was changed with no reason what so ever, and told me that I should immediately switch back to the other pill.
He wanted me to finish the packet out, but I didn't want to put anymore of that poison into my body so I stopped cold turkey (only had two pills left anyway). I was so soured by the experience that I didn't even go back on my old pill either. I just want all that crap out of my body!
I've been off the pill for about seven days, and the last week has been AWFUL -- my hormones are all over the place and the anxiety has been unbearable. I do have some xanax, just to get me through the worst of the withdrawl. It's an incredibly low dose, just to kind of "train my brain" to stop releasing so much anxiety chemicals. The doctor told me it would probably take a few weeks, or even months, for my system to restabalize, but he also said the worst should be over in a week or two. Thank God I have a very understanding and patient boyfriend who has stayed by my side through all of this and is continuing to help me get through it.
In the meantime, it is an immense commfort to read these posts and know that I am not alone. I am so thankful for all you ladies who shared and hope many more find the comfort that they need. I also might like to add that I have found very affordable therapy by calling women's hotlines. If any of you ladies would like to try that, I would highly recommend it!! Just google hotlines in your area and I'm sure you will find one to help you. Hoopefully this nightmare will be over soon and I can get back to normal, and so can all of you! We can DO IT!

WOW. I cannot even explain how relieved I am to read all of these posts. I'm literally shaking in shock.

I'm 22 years old and when I was 18 I began taking Ocella (generic for Yasmin) and took that pill for 3 whole years before the whole health scare and crazy commercials came out. I never EVER had a problem with this, which is amazing because it was the first pill I ever took. At my yearly gyno appointment in January, 2012, my doctor switched me off of the Ocella because she said they were switching everyone off it for the health scare reasons. Two of my roommates are on Loestrin, so I decided to try it.

The first few months on Loestrin were fine, everything seemed pretty normal. By May, I started dating my boyfriend (still together now) and everything was good at first until I started lashing out for no reason. I'm typically a super happy go lucky, easy going, stress free type of person. But slowly I started to feel less and less like myself.

Once college started back up in August and I started to get busy, I found myself extremely anxious and sometimes I would even get so dizzy that I felt like I was going to pass out (which I have never ever done before). I have never been an anxious or depressed person, and always had a passion for life and my hobbies and friends. With my senior year of college being such an exciting time, I was so confused as to why I felt so anxious and weird all the time. Likewise, I lost 15 pounds for NO reason, even after eating more than normal and never working out I still couldn't gain weight and I have played sports my entire life. I got tested for thyroid problems and anemia in October (runs in the family) and the tests came back negative for 4 different things. This made me feel worse, like what was wrong with me?

I have felt so extremely peculiar the last 6 months or so and I could not figure out what my deal was. Sometimes I would be fine, but lately there has not been a day that's gone by that I don't feel some sort of anxiety. I seriously thought I was going crazy, and started to think I had mental problems. I'm a little hypochondriac-esque because I have a phobia of being sick, so naturally I started thinking that I was a mental case or something. I've literally never felt so anxious/depressed/unlike myself in my life. Obviously the stress of classes and not being sure about the future after graduation is a little anxiety causing, but I logically know this/have dealt with classes for 3 years and should be extremely excited about the next step in my life.

After reading all of these posts and many threads on other websites, I cannot even express how relieved I am. I have one more week on my pack of Loestrin and a gyno appointment Jan. 2... I am going to finish my pack out because then I will be right on time to try a new pill or maybe just stop all together. Has anyone had any luck with different pills after switching from Loestrin? I really feel that I should continue to take birth control for contraceptive reasons but after reading all of this crap I don't even want to.

Thank you all for your answers and support, it makes me feel so much better to know I'm not going crazy and that others have experienced the same things as I am. Blessings!

I took this evil little pill for two years before I figured out what was causing me to wake up in a panic EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! And i mean PANIC. I was devastated for no reason, heavy chest, can't breathe! As soon as I quit taking it it got better and I wasn't waking up in a panic every night. I quit taking it a little over a year ago. I still wake up in a panic once every couple of weeks. I have only had a few good nights sleep in the last 3 years. I still wake up several times throughout the night. My boyfriend tells me I'm a hypochondriac, that there is nothing wrong. I thought he was the crazy one bc my life has been turned upside down since the panic started. I can't even drink a glass of wine because it will trigger the panic. I don't know what that pill has done to my body and I'm very worried about the long term effects it's having on me. Yes the panic attracts decreased tremendously after I stopped taking it. Unfortunately I'm not back to my old self completely. Only being able to sleep an hour or two at a time has completely destroyed me. When I can't sleep I'm on the Internet self diagnosing I've diagnosed myself with ibs, lactose intolerant, std's, overian cyst, insomnia, slipped disc in my back, glad issues, fibromyalgia , uti's, these are just a few I can think of at this very moment. I know something in my body isn't right, but now I'm wondering if my boyfriend is right. My overall health has went down hill since I started taking lowestrin 24. I have an extremely health diet and work out 5 days a week. Will I ever be normal again?

Thank you all for sharing your stories! I started lo loestrin fe bc I thought it would help me avoid my heavy bleeding and cramping but by 2 weeks in I had a complete nervous breakdown. I finished taking an exam I had studied really hard for and was worried I didn't do well, but instead of handling it I went home to my bf and FREAKED THE HECK OUT! I cried and cried and stayed up the next three nights in a horrible panic.I thought my whole life was over! My whole body was heating up too and my bf was considering taking me to the ER. The thought of completing even the simplest task (driving to the store) scared me to death. Finally my mom asked if it was the new pill I started, and I dismissed it, bc I assumed a lower dose would have less likelihood of causing side effects but boy was I wrong! I have a history of depression but I have NEVER felt this terrible for this long before. I stopped taking it 3 days ago and feel a little better but am still anxious... I hope it doesn't take much longer to get back to normal.

Thank you all for sharing your stories! I started lo loestrin fe bc I thought it would help me avoid my heavy bleeding and cramping but by 2 weeks in I had a complete nervous breakdown. I finished taking an exam I had studied really hard for and was worried I didn't do well, but instead of handling it I went home to my bf and FREAKED THE HECK OUT! I cried and cried and stayed up the next three nights in a horrible panic.I thought my whole life was over! My whole body was heating up too and my bf was considering taking me to the ER. The thought of completing even the simplest task (driving to the store) scared me to death. Finally my mom asked if it was the new pill I started, and I dismissed it, bc I assumed a lower dose would have less likelihood of causing side effects but boy was I wrong! I have a history of depression but I have NEVER felt this terrible for this long before. I stopped taking it 3 days ago and feel a little better but am still anxious... I hope it doesn't take much longer to get back to normal.