Birth control pills - help please

[MamaLema]

I know that there are countless health web sites out there, with thousands of women stating their opinions and experiences, but I really haven't found the answers I am looking for. I would like to hear from my fellow Disers

Long story short. I have been on birth control pills for 3 years now due to super crazy heavy periods and really bad PMS. In these 3 years, I have never had any problems, except the first few months my body needed to get used to the pills.

In the last 2 months I have been experiencing some symptoms that the doctors have no answer for. Doctors have run many, many tests and can give me no answers. I have nausea ALL the time, kind of like morning sickness.

There are a few other symptoms but the one taking over my life right now is anxiety and anxiety attacks. I have lost my ability to function in the real world because I'm anxious about anything and every thing. This is not the kind of person I am, I have no idea where it stems from. Sometimes, the anxiety wakes me up in the middle of the night and I start to hyperventilate so bad, DH needs to lie on me to physically restrain me.

Anyway, is there any possibility that a birth control pill I have been taking for years can suddenly turn on me? Is it possible?

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I would like to know if I should stop taking these pills and see what happens, or switch to another pill. I am scared to stop because my periods were so awful. I am scared to switch because then I will have the old hormones from the old pill mixing with a whole new set of hormones from a different pill?

WWYD?

Thanks to anyone who responds

 

[RUDisney]

I was on Seasonique a while ago. Everything was good and then I became HOT. They weren't hot flashes, I mean I was boiling up all the time. My staff made fun of me because I wasn't even 40 yet.

I went to the dr and after eliminating thyroid and other issues, I asked her if it could be my BCP. We switched me to Seasonall because I still didn't want to have a period more than 4 times per year.

The heat went away very quickly. It was a miracle only to be topped by finding Lybrel. This is a BCP that has no placebo weeks ever. You're supposed to skip a week once a year, but the dr said that wasn't necessary, so I am in bliss that I don't have the ugly monster rearing its head anymore.

I think I was on Seasonique for 18 to 24 months before I got hot. It may have been a buildup of whatever hormone that pill had. I'm just glad it was an easy cure.

Good luck in your quest to find answers!

 

[abdmom]

I was on BCPs for about 13 years. During years 3-7, I had terrible depression, low self esteem and anxiety. It was partly situational, but the feelings were really out of proportion. I went off the BCPs for several years while having children and then restarted after my second. I immediately got hit with the low self esteem and anxiety and depression again. I went off the BCP's and they went away.