Anxiety and hormone levels

**Binky42** · 06-03-2011 10:59 AM

I wasn't sure where to post this because it fits in so many different categories (mental health, birth control, cycle...)

Basically I'm dealing with really bad anxiety. Here's my really long story:

I was on Yasmin for about 7 years, but decided to come off of it. I was off the pill for about 4 months and experienced hair loss, acne, and depression.

My doctor wanted to put me on antidepressants, but I pleaded with her to put me back on birth control instead. She prescribed Mircette, and I took it for about 3 months. For those 3 months I had the most debilitating anxiety 2 weeks before my period until my period started. Doc put me on antidepressants and Xanax as well as the Mircette, which turned me into a zombie and didn't even help the anxiety that much.

I asked her to put me back on Yasmin, and she did. Within a few weeks I was feeling almost normal again, but was still getting a little anxious a week or two before my period.

I recently switched to a new doctor, and she has now put me on Yaz, which has a lower amount of estrogen, but has more active pills per month. I've been taking it for about a week and I'm experience some anxiety again, although not nearly as bad as on the Mircette.

Do you think with all these pill changes I've completely screwed up my hormone balance leading to the anxiety and I should just stick to a plan and wait for this to sort itself out?
Do you think going on a pill like Yaz with lower estrogen will eventually help?

I've been reading a lot about estrogen dominance, and feel that might have something to do with it, so I'm hoping that switching to a lower estrogen pill like Yaz will help.

I keep finding articles that mention similar hormonal imbalances, but they are mostly aimed at pre-menopausal or menopausal women. I'm only in my early 30s and I'm definitely not near menopause. My doctor recently did blood work and said my estrogen levels were fine (along with everything else), so I'm really confused. I KNOW this anxiety is linked to my cycle somehow because it pops up like clockwork.

Does anyone have any advice or has experienced similar symptoms? I've also heard that progesterone cream can help. Has anyone tried it?

Thanks a bunch!

**lizzardb63** · 06-03-2011 02:44 PM

I do not think you're doing anything bad to your hormone levels, however, it does take up to 3 months for your body to be fully adjusted to a new birth control pill. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for 3 months and it gave me anxiety and depression so I tried to switch to Yaz, and it also gave me the same effect. It just came down to the fact that I couldn't be on anything hormonal. When I went off the pills my anxiety level rose so high, I couldn't eat, sleep, and it was severly affecting my relationship with my boyfriend. I went to the doctor and she put me on Celexa and I could feel a huge difference even after a week. It did have some side effects, but they went away. Now, 6 months later I weaned myself off the antidepressants, and things are better than ever! I think your body goes through a lot when you're on synthetic hormones and switching them. I would stick to one for a while, but if you can't find one that works, you can keep trying. Otherwise, talk to your doctor about what I did. Get off BC and go on an antidepressant for a little bit until your hormones settle. 7 years is a long time to be on BC, so i am sure it will be a BIG difference to your body. Just make sure you keep good communication with your doc and you will figure it out!

**Beautiful Disaster** · 06-03-2011 02:53 PM

I had lots of anxiety and motional rollercoasters while on BC. I, the opposite of you, had hair loss, depression etc WHILE on the pill. Once I went off, things drastically improved.

Are you on the pill FOR the anxiety or because you're sexually active?

Did the doctor do bloodwork while you were on the pill? I'm no doctor and could be totally wrong here, but I would assume that would skew the results.

I would look back to the root of this problem. Many of us suffer from PMS....but you know the difference when it goes a bit beyond that. When did this start? Was it like this before you started hormonal bc? If not, strongly consider going off of it and giving your body time to rid itself of the artificial hormones. Be careful with anti-depressants. By this I mean, don't let yourself become dependant upon them for good moods and then find yourself unable to deal with basic every day emotions without them. But if you need them in the short term to get through the removal of the bc from your body then try it. For you, this may just mean taking some time to nurse yourself back to good health. Some people simply do not deal as well as others with hormonal bc.

So, find the root of the problem (when did it start? What changed?) and go from there. If you do go off the pill, consider learning to chart your cycles. Its very easy, just requires persistance. This will tell you alot about your cycle, your hormone levels, etc.

**ItsASecret** · 06-03-2011 06:53 PM

Did the doctor do bloodwork while you were on the pill? I'm no doctor and could be totally wrong here, but I would assume that would skew the results.

It won't make a difference. BC only mimics the levels present when a woman would be pregnant, so nothing major would pop out as an alarming increase...only an increase indicative of a woman on bc.

**Beautiful Disaster** · 06-03-2011 07:02 PM

It won't make a difference. BC only mimics the levels present when a woman would be pregnant, so nothing major would pop out as an alarming increase...only an increase indicative of a woman on bc.

That makes sense. So it wouldn't mask anything abnormal. I was waiting for you to respond.

**ItsASecret** · 06-03-2011 07:22 PM

That makes sense. So it wouldn't mask anything abnormal. I was waiting for you to respond.

haha I can see the beacons of "pill", "lab work", "doctors", "hormone" and hone right in to clarify whatever is needed.

**Binky42** · 06-06-2011 11:35 AM

Thanks for all the responses so far!

I originally went on the pill because I had really irregular, heavy periods.

I was wondering about the estrogen test my doctor did. She took my blood during my week of placebo pills. Usually I feel fine on my period week, possibly because I'm not taking the estrogen pills but the placebo ones instead? So, would it make a difference if I was taking the active or placebo pills when I got the estrogen test done? I also don't think she tested my progesterone levels.

I'm just so convinced that I have high estrogen because I have some of the major symptoms, and they tend to follow my cycle (anxiety, low libido which just seems to get lower and lower which annoys my husband, regular headaches, unexplained weight gain around the middle where I've never had a lot of fat before, water retention, carb cravings, high triglycerides despite having normal cholesterol levels, etc.)

I'm going to keep trying the Yaz for a few months and see what happens. I definitely never want to take antidepressants ever again because of the side effects. I just know that I feel a whole lot better taking Yasmin/Yaz than I did off the pill or on Mircette. I'm wondering more and more if my body has just gotten used to the unique kind of progesterone in Yasmin/Yaz and doesn't know how to cope without it.

I'm going to keep taking the Yaz, and I'm also going to start using progesterone cream to see if that helps. For the first week on Yaz I had bad stomach cramps, diarrhea, and anxiety, but it seems to get better everyday.

**ItsASecret** · 06-09-2011 05:53 PM

I was wondering about the estrogen test my doctor did. She took my blood during my week of placebo pills. Usually I feel fine on my period week, possibly because I'm not taking the estrogen pills but the placebo ones instead? So, would it make a difference if I was taking the active or placebo pills when I got the estrogen test done? I also don't think she tested my progesterone levels.

Taking blood during the week of the placebo pills allows for the lab tech to test your blood for your own estrogen and progesterone production. All birth control does is mimic what you already have, removing the mimicking birth control allows the reading of your regular estrogen and progesterone production since placebo week has nothing active drug wise.

I'm just so convinced that I have high estrogen because I have some of the major symptoms, and they tend to follow my cycle

Blood work will determine that.

I'm wondering more and more if my body has just gotten used to the unique kind of progesterone in Yasmin/Yaz and doesn't know how to cope without it.

Getting used to it maybe, cope without it no. Birth control only mimics things, even the drug itself is a lab replica of already present estrogen and progesterone. They are considered synthetic in the pill because they are made in the lab but when it is placed in the body the job of that drug is to act in the same way as naturally present chemicals. The body can get used to seeing different synthetic versions at different rates hence the variety of symptoms when on different types of pills.