Taking a break from HBC

[allons-y42.livejournal.com]

Hello lovely VPers,

I've been on ortho tri cyclen lo for over two years and have had a pretty good experience with it.  Before I went on the pill my periods were irregular and heavy (in retrospect my symptoms seemed indicative of PCOS).  Currently I'm not sexually active, nor do I plan to be any time soon, so I don't need them for actual birth control.  Lately, however, I've been wondering whether I should take a break to see what life and my period would be like without hormones.

I'm just starting the placebo week right now.  What should I expect to happen in terms of hormone withdrawal if I don't start another pack next week?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

When I stopped my NuvaRing the first time (after being on it for 4 months), I didn't notice any changes at all. I was already sort of depressed and moody, so any emotional changes probably got wrapped up in my baseline state.

The second time I stopped the NuvaRing (after a year of use), I was switching to a Mirena. So I had a little bit of hormone, but not nearly the amount from the Ring. I had a week of severe, scary, depression, and then no more mental issues. (Obviously, I have a history of depression, but this was very clearly due to the estrogen withdrawal due to timing of onset and disappearance.) I got more acne for a while, though this could have just as easily been from the Mirena adjustment. My body hair stopped being fine and unobtrusive, and returned to its thicker, darker, pre-hbc conditions.

[f13tch3r.livejournal.com]

When I stopped ortho tri cyclen my periods stayed about the same. Before HBC my periods were heavy and five days long, during HBC they were three days. They stayed three days after I stopped. Acne returned, however. I had forgotten my skin troubles while on the pill. But when I stopped hbc, my skin troubles returned.

[gryphonwing.livejournal.com]

When I went on and off HBC over the years, nothing much changed - my sex drive perked up a bit off it, but that's about all. Any mood changes weren't noticeable. Going back on anything with estrogen meant a few days of morning sickness each time, but that's all.

I have PCOS, and I generally tolerate medication well (or I'm really stoic about side effects, I guess), so this might not be too helpful. :)

[daysees.livejournal.com]

I was taking a generic ortho tricyclen and stopped. I had some anxiety attacks (pretty minor but it happens to me with the flux of hormones). And even though my bloatedness went away my acne returned with a vengeance so I moved onto a different pill after 3 months.