(NSFW?) Could the fact that I suddenly stopped BC be causing mood swings?

For sure. The pills work by controlling your hormones and if you have stopped them suddenly it’s likely that your hormones are out of whack. Of course, life events may also be contributing but I imagine the meds – or cessation of them – are a factor.

It could be. You said you noticed your depression and anxiety being really weird since you STARTED. Started what? Started the pill, or started being off the pill?

You should go through a cycle before starting again if you are now totally off the pill, or are you just stopping the regular 7 days to menstruate? Is your pill pack 21 or 28 days? Did you just start taking the pill or you have been on it a long time? Usually, people START the pill (meaning the original start when they first start taking it) on Sunday once they start their period, but I have no idea from what you wrote where you are with the stopping and if the pill was making you moody or stopping the pill was making you moody.

You should ask your doctor what to do if you are missing days longer than your sugar pills or normal days without pills if your cycle doesn’t not come right back. Maybe you didn’t cycle normally before the pill, I obviously have no idea.

I’m not a doctor.

Any medication you start or stop should be fully under the supervision of a doctor. You should also always tell a friend or family member, or even close coworker to look for signs of personality or behavioral change.

Since you’ve mentioned several situations you’ve been in lately, it definately could be related and require medical intervention to balance you back out.

@KNOWITALL Personally, I would not suggest to a coworker that they look for signs of personality change or behavioral change in me! Anyway, it sounds like SQ has identified them for herself.

@janbb I’ve had several ask me, since they were single adults. And I’ve had to say yes a few times haha!

If you’re on a birth control pill – you’re on hormones. I don’t understand the “no additional hormones” comment. Sure – could be related. Sounds like you had some medical/mental health issues anyway while on the birth control, so maybe not. Try to see a primary care physician or gynecologist sooner than later.

I’ll just add that for my PMS to be under control, I have to take methylated B complex vitamins and daily progesterone, as well as get enough sleep and eat relatively well.

You might benefit from a period and mood tracker. If you use one, bring it with you to your doctor’s appointment to show them the trends.

Going off the pill will definitely affect your mood as you’re having a sudden and unexpected drop in your hormone levels. With all the life altering things going on in your life, it’s possible it;s not due to the pill, but being off of it at this point in time probably isn’t helping anything

@SEKA Not definitely, that isn’t true. I went on and off the pill about 5 times over 20 years and I just went right back to cycling normally whenever I stopped. All women go “off” the pill to menstruate every month, unless they are on a regimen to stop their periods ongoing for months. The last 7 pills in a pack of 28 are sugar pills. I just took a 21 day pack and started again a week later.

@JLeslie She’s asking about mood swings, not her cycles. Anyway PMS is a mood swing that comes with regular cycles. Just because it didn’t happen to you doesn’t mean that it’s not happening to her. When my mom went off the pill, she turned into a crazy woman. When I’m going through PMS, I can’t live with myself and I often wonder how my husband and daughter put up with me

I have not had anything since I stopped taking them. Only lasted less than a day

I always took the pills continously, never took sugar pills.

@SEKA Yes, of course some women get mood swings during their cycle. I am saying that going back to your cycle when stopping the pill usually means you go back to however you were with your cycle, it doesn’t have to be some dramatic change just because you stopped the pill. It depends what your situation is prior to pills, or if you have been on the pill for 15 years it can be an age difference in how your hormones have changed. Depending on what pill a woman is on can determine how dramatic the change is too, some pills are higher doses than others. When I was on a triphasal pill I was crazy feeling, it was the only time I had a problem on a pill, I went back to steady dose pills after two months. I had very severe first day of my period cramps off the pill and on, until I hit my 40’s and then it let up.

@SergeantQueen So you were not having periods? For how long? More than three months?

@JLeslie Yes, more than 3 months I believe.

@SeargentQueen I wasn’t aware they were doing that, keeping women from menstruating for more than three months. I haven’t needed to take the pill in years so I’m not up to date. Seems like coming off of that constant hormone would make you feel a little out of whack.

They dont unless you skip the sugar pills and keep taking the reg pills. Which I do

@SergeantQueen I’m just saying I assume your doctor told you to do that, and I didn’t know they were advising to do that more than three months.

Did you start your period?

I have not really started it, It lasted less than a day. and my doc didn’t advise it.