Loestrin 24 Fe and panic attacks

I just want to thank all of you on this blog and other blogs. I was going to start this pill for pms and pmdd. I feel like I have the flu when I have my period. I am so exhausted. Bleeding is not so bad, cramps could kill me but thank god for alive and Advil. I started to get headaches about 2 years ago during my period or a few days before and sometimes the aleve and Advil don't help it even though they help my cramps. I am a group fitness instructor and don't want to feel sick or be unable to teach my classes. But after reading the side affects that could happen forget it. About 20 years ago( i was 18 then) I was on pills and had severe panic attacks and was hospitalized for a week. They couldn't directly pin it on the pill but trying it a year later and having it happen again I never took them again. I was assured by my gyn that pills have changed and that I would be fine on loestrin24 but I just can't chance it. I would say to the people who have severe bleeding and prolonged bleeding, fibroids or other problems, find a pill that can maybe help you. But for those of you who just need it for birth control and are having these problems, find another method. It is not worth it if you loose you sex drive, have mood swings and depression or any other of the horrible things I read can happen. And if you are predisposed to panic and depression, I wouldn't take it after reading all these complaints. The bad is outweighing the good on all the blogs I have read. Thanks again and good luck ladies!!

I didn't have a good experience with it. I was taking it to get my period started because it suddenly stopped. And then I got a really strange discoloration on my thigh that came after my calf hurt. I have had an ultra sound done to test for blood clots and have found none. I have been to up to 4 different doctors. ALL have said they 'don't know what it is'. Besides that, some have said it's hormones. Others have said its a skin problem. One said it's circulation problems. My OBGYN didn't really say anything. When I stopped the medicine, I was able to have my own periods, but then at that same time I developed multi-nodular goiter. And then my periods stopped again. My OBGYN told me to start on the pills again but I am scared because I don't know what's going to happen and my OBGYN just told me to start it again like everything was okay. I'm thinking of going to a different OBGYN. I just wanted to share my experience..

I think it is interesting the symptoms that you mention here. I have been on birth control pills since the age of 19. I am now 28. Over the past year I have had similar symptoms. I have been on so many different BCP's that is is hard to keep count. They don't seem to work the way they claim to. The last BCP I was on was orthotryciclen. While taking these I began to experience severe heart palpitations. So bad that they would wake me up at night. Because I wasn't sure if it was an anxiety attack or just being in my head I decided to ignore it. Four months passed by and it seemed to get increasingly worse. I had enough and decided to go to my PCP. She wasn't really much help either. Although I was tested for Mitral Valve Prolapse, which I was told affects younger women my age. There was nothing found. What I thought was interesting is I really felt that it was the birth control pills, but I couldn't find it as a side affect on the information that was provided in the box. The tech who was doing my echocardiogram began to tell me she also experienced the same feelings and found out it was her BCP. Once she confirmed what I thought was right, decided to stop taking them. After three months the symptoms began to disappear. I figured it was just the particular brand. I began to take loestrin 24. I started to feel the same symptoms again, just not as severe. I would feel my heart beat when I would like down in my back and my stomach. My heart rate would reach 90 to 100 sometimes. I know this is not normal. When I visited my gyno yesterday she told me it was impossible that it was a result of the BCP. Maybe it was just anxiety and or perhaps I should get checked out by a cardiologist. That is serious stuff when you are talking to a young person about getting there heart check out. I think if there are any other women out there who are experiencing any similar symptoms should speak up. So these doctors won't keep telling us it is all in our heads and help to take care of this problem.

I was on L24Fe for over a year and experienced MAJOR depression, mood swings, crying for no reason, zero sex drive, bad acne. I stayed on it so long because I had no idea that it could do that to you and I thought i was having a mental breakdown at college...not good. There is good things about it: i did not get any headaches, cramps, spotting and not prego. I am now changing to Cyclessa...heard good and bad about it just like any other pill.

This was my first time taking birth control pills. In the beginning everything was fine. I have been on the pill for about 5mths now. Just recently I started bleeding for no reason at all. (not to mention it is 8 days before my wedding) I am nowhere near the time I am supposed to start. Plus I am gaining weight, I am bloated, and I am eating like a pig. I’ve had to have alterations 2x in the last 4 months. I have been emotional, sensitive, depressed, and impatient and everyone was saying it’s because of the wedding but I knew something was wrong when I started having trouble breathing. I didn’t know any better because this was my first time on birth control pills. I went to my long term doctor today and she suggested that I keep taking the pill even though I now have what appears to be a goiter. Hypothyroidism (An enlarged thyroid (goiter) I have an ultrasound scheduled but I’ve learned today that Estrogen increases the body's production of a blood protein that binds thyroid hormone to it, making it inactive. This may have lead to weight gain and my irregular cycle. I am stressed and I do not know what to do. The only good thing is that I do not bleed heavy but there is slot of cramping now and stomach pains like you wouldn’t believe. I now have high blood pressure, shortness of breath from my thyroid, back and stomach pains from the cramps, bloating, and I’ve been bleeding for 5days. It starts then stops, then starts, and then stops. Sadly my doctor will not give me any medicine and I don’t know when it’s going to end. Those little devil pills have really put me in a terrible situation for my wedding and honeymoon. I’m now seeking a new physician and I don’t know if I will ever take birth control pills again. For all of this, I could have just continue to purchase a few extra pads a month.:(

Increased blood pressure. Went from 122/65 to 165/110!

Heart palpitations.

Weight gain/ bloating. About 15 lbs.

Panic attacks.

Mood swings. Seriously.

It DID help with my severe cramps though...

Overall, not worth it!

I am 20 years old and I just finished my second pack of Loestrin and I'm never taking it again. I had breakthrough bleeding during the third and fourth weeks of the pills, I was bloated all the time, my boobs got bigger (which sucks), and i was moody.
About two weeks into the first pack, I started feeling really panicked all the time. When I started my second pack, I had nightmares. I have panic attacks and I overall feel HORRIBLE. I keep thinking I'm going to have a heart attack. These pills made me CRAZY.

I have been on LoEstrin24 for over a year and a half. For the first year, I had no side effects. After starting a very competitive graduate program this fall, I began having panic attacks, anxiety, hot flashes and am sweating constantly during the first week of a new pill pack. I believe that the stress have exacerbated the potential side effects of the pills and only now am I seeing the downside of this method. I was previously on Depo Provera for 7 years and then tried the patch for 1 year (HATED it). I've found that controlling my stress levels has helped but not completely ameliorated the side effects. Also, as an FYI for those who are worried about the brownish discharge - I still have it after 18 months on this pill.

My 20 yr. old daughter was on Loestrin 24 Fe for almost a year with seemingly few side effects (except larger breasts). When her Rx ran out, the doc would not prescribe more until she had an exam. She ended up going off the pill for a couple of months, which was okay because there was no boyfriend or sexual contact during that time. She then got a prescription refill and went back on it. Within about 3 weeks she started experiencing random panic attacks including, headaches, nausea, rapid heart beat, sweaty hands and dizziness. At first she wrote it off as stress, but now they are happening ALL the time and are interfering with her life. She is a college student and is becoming paralyzed by the anxiety and the fear of a panic attack. She can't go to class, can't drive and is worried all the time. This is soooo unlike my happy-go-lucky daughter. She feels like she is going crazy. I talked to the GYN and she thought that the pill could definitely be enhancing these symptoms, but didn't feel they were the main cause. I now have a completely different opinion from her since reading all the posts on here describing the exact same symptoms while on this pill. My daughter has now stopped taking them (it's been about a week) and the doctor said it could take a couple of cycles for the drug to be completely out of her system. I'm praying that these symptoms go away after the hormones are flushed out....anyone have any experience with the anxiety going away after going off the pill??????

I have been on some form of LoEstrin for about a year.At first, I thought the side effects were normal hormone changes with pills.But as months went on, I was incredibly anxious and having panic attacks constantly and that's not my personality.I was more irritable and just didn't feel like me at all.My boyfriend tells me I'm freaking him out because I'm not acting myself at all.I feel like I'm literally going crazy.
I wanted a low hormone pill because my body seems to react to crazy amounts of hormones.I have never gotten a period on this pill and being a woman, I feel it's healthy to have one and it can cause more damage in the long run not having one.Every doctor I see says it's totally normal to not get a period.I disagree.I'm off my pill this week and have no intentions of ever getting back on this pill.
I've been looking into no hormone birth control and am interested in IUDs, specifically Copper IUD.I just can't find any luck with pills and am sick of all these side effects.When are they coming out with the male birth control????

I just started my 4th pack a week ago. I missed my period and I have had severe nausea and I have been having panic attacks for almost 2 weeks. I thought it was stress, but nausea doesn't last this long and I haven't had a problem with anxiety before. I feel like I am going crazy - I took a pregnancy test and it came back negative. I have always had my period every month and I knew my cycle very well - it always started on a Tuesday. My mood swings and eating are out of control and my anxiety is keeping me from going in stores, restaurants and I have been having trouble going to work. I'm glad that I found this website and I can see that there are other people experiencing the same symptoms. I didn't know if I was pregnant or going through menopause. I have called my doctor and I am going to see him tomorrow...a shorter period is not worth all this hassle. I will say that when I was on the generic Loestrin Fe (not the 24 or the actual Loestrin) I did not have these issues.