Side effects from stopping the pill

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2004
Side effects from stopping the pill
4
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 2:54pm
I'm 34 and I've been taking Loestrin for 11 years now. My husband and I are finally in a position where we think we can handle having kids, so when my pills end in two weeks, I'm not going to refill them.

About 3 years ago, there was a major communication problem between my doctor and my pharmacy, and my pills never got refilled. I ended up having to go through a new doctor and new pharmacy to get my Loestrin refilled. By the time I finally got a new perscription in hand, I had been off the pills for a week. And by the end of the week, I was severely light-headed, I felt like I was having a permanent out-of-body experience. I'm guessing that's a side effect of going off the pill. Does anyone know what causes that exactly, IE, when I stop the pills, should I try to get more of a certain vitamin in my diet to avoid this?

Thanks!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2004
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 11:49pm
Hi there - I can't help you out, but I ma going through the same thing you described. I am on week 2 of not being on the pill anymore, and I feel sick, lightheaded, dizzy... It's strange, and I would like know more about what causes all this...
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 7:51am
Hmmm....when I was on Loestrin I felt as you do off of it! I told the previous poster that everybody is different and if may take your body time to get used to not being on the pill. If it is really troublesome you should check with your dr. Meant to mention that to you too studiodancer!
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2004
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 12:27pm
I finally was able to talk to another doctor at my doctor's office. My regular doctor is on her honeymoon, which is why she's never got back to me. He says lightheadedness and dizziness is not a typical reaction to going off the pill. He said these are usually signs that you are dehydrated. He told me to stop coffee and cokes for a while -- basically anything with caffeine -- and to drink plenty of water for the next few days. And if I'm not better by Friday he wants me to come in. So I'm doing the 8 glasses of water thing today. And eating a candy bar to wake me up since I'm not having any coffee. (Hmmm, but there's caffeine in chocolate, isn't there?) Hope this advice can help you out too.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2004
Wed, 05-12-2004 - 11:41am
Thanks for the replies and the advice! I will try more water and see how I feel. This is strange... Even when I finally made myself work out last night, my body felt like mush! I just have no life in me. I also had light cramping, I concluded it was from ovulating, but this morning I woke up with SEVERE cramps and I couldn't get out of bed for at least a half hour. I'll see how I fare today, and if nothing gets better, I'll call the doctor.