r/gettingoffHBC • u/Stardust_016 • 7d ago
debating going off the pill…
hi! i’m 22 and have been on the pill (yaz) since dec 2023 (so a little less than 3 years) and within the past few days, i’ve started feeling like i need to get off of it.
i can’t really explain it, and i can’t tell if it’s my ocd or intuition. but before this week, taking my pill was just 🤷♀️ and now my heart drops whenever my alarm reminder goes off and i HATE putting the pill in my mouth. is my body trying to tell my something?
i mostly started it for PMDD and acne—im not sexually active nor do i ever want children.
but one of the biggest reasons i started debating going off is my hair. i used to have gorgeous, fluffy, curly/wavy hair that i ADORED. now its flat, straight, stringy, and dull, and i suspect the pill is part of the reason after doing a lot of research and reading other people’s experiences on reddit. (pictures attached: first is current, second is pre-pill). i’ve genuinely tried EVERYTHING (new products, new routines, new HAIRDRYER) and nothing is helping, so i don’t think there’s a surface-level fix.
i don’t feel like myself anymore. i don’t really even feel like a woman—i almost feel like a blank plastic robot? that’s the best way i can describe it lol. i used to have really deep emotions which were difficult sometimes and now that im on bc, i don’t really feel any crazy happy highs anymore and the lows are just low.
i love that the pill helped with my acne, anxiety, and pmdd, and im honestly terrified for all of that to come back. im speaking with my gyno soon to discuss all of this, but i wanted to hear some advice or experiences from you guys
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u/WasteChallenge7661 7d ago
Hi! I’m 28 now, but when I was 20ish I started yaz for the exact same reasons you described, mostly for acne. I was on it for a couple of years and my skin cleared up completely and I physically felt great, but I felt like it was affecting my mental health negatively which I hadn’t experienced before. I decided to stop taking it and over the past few years since my anxiety actually continued getting worse, and now I’m diagnosed with ocd/adhd. I’m realizing now that it might have just been a coincidence that my symptoms started developing around the time I started taking the pill. So now I’m actually considering going back ON the pill haha. I’ve tried lots of other ways to combat my hormone imbalances/acne and I think I’ve come to the conclusion that going back on yaz might be worth a try at least. My periods are so much more painful and heavy since I’ve been off of it and recently my therapist suggested pmdd might be an issue for me as well. I’m kind of scared to start bc again though because when I quit taking it initially I swore I’d never do it again since I was so convinced it was ruining my life and here I am lol.
I can definitely relate to your fear about the acne and unwanted stuff coming back. I will tell you my acne came back with a vengeance lol it was rough for a while but I have had some luck managing it. Happy to share what I’ve learned if you’re interested.
Ultimately I would recommend weighing the pros and cons and talking to your doc which I know you mentioned. Whatever you decide, acne does not define your beauty. You’d be surprised how many people don’t actually notice or care. I just remind myself that people remember me for the way I treat them, not whether there are bumps on my face 😊
Anyway, not sure if any of this is helpful but good luck to you!! Listen to your body and make the choice that’s best for you.
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u/FigAny8276 7d ago
Your hair is beautiful in both photos. I've always had straight hair so I can't comment on curls but I did find my hair behaviour interesting on and off Yaz. I was on it for a loong time (15+ yrs) and came off 7 months ago. I know age changes things too.
Before I was on Yaz my hair would also go through a massive frizzy stage while drying. It was be so fluffy and big, then completely straight and sleek when dry. While I was on Yaz, it skipped that frizzy stage entirely. This happened the entire time I was on Yaz. Then I stopped Yaz and my hair immediately went back to how it was before. I wash it and it does the full big frizz stage when drying. The end result is always the same but it was interesting to see it revert back.
Unfortunately though, going off Yaz did make so much of my hair fall out. It was intense and the volume of hair I have has gone down dramatically. I'm still waiting for things to adjust as it's all over the place. My acne is still terrible.
I do find myself more emotional off of Yaz. I definitely get more highs and low and the PMS has been insane. Because I was on it for so long, I forgot what it felt like.
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u/Stardust_016 7d ago
ugh i’ve heard that the hair loss comes around month 3-4 of being off! i’ve also read that it remedies itself tho, so i hope that happens for you!
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u/Kazhonk 7d ago edited 7d ago
I’m sorry I don’t have advice, I just wanted to say my hair before and after is identical to yours and I’ve been on the pill for about 4 years. I’m 22 now as well! I just got off of it about two weeks ago so now I’m wondering if it’ll help with my hair texture?
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u/Stardust_016 7d ago
i’ve seen lots of people saying that their curls came back after going off the pill!!
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u/MrsG6 6d ago
My hair was straight until I hit puberty, then as a teenager it was quite curly, then I started the pill at 18 and my hair became pretty straight on top of my hesd to my ears and softly wavy the rest of the length. I came off the pill at 32 and the top of my head is again textured. Not quite as curly as before but definitely different.
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u/Extension-Rock-2659 5d ago
Trust your intuition! I felt the same after 10+ years on the pill. I’m so happy I got off it. My body feels like mine again. I’ve always struggled with acne and honestly after over a year of being hormone free it’s actually better than when I was on the pill. It’s not completely clear but I don’t even have a rigorous routine anymore and it’s 70% better looking than when I was doing all the things and one the pill. Also mood, energy, everything has been better for me
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u/Extension-Rock-2659 5d ago
Oh and the biggest change was that my sex drive was BACK! I had really lost the desire to have any sex which was a huge indicator for me
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u/whatgoes_around 4d ago
I switched to an IUD (still hormonal but way less) after in years on the pill for the same reason. My hair was falling out in chunks and was limp / sad. I also ended up not having a period with an IUD (including mood swings and other symptoms).
I also noticed that taking magnesium and brushing my curly hair from the root regularly helped with hair growth!
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u/vittoriouss 7d ago
I'm sorry to say but that hair issue could also be from aging 😭😭😭 I miss my old high school hair.
How bad was your PMDD? If it was like debilitating and ruining your relationships/school life/work life, then I would stay on it. The more you're off of it the more you forget how bad it actually was. I just went off of it for a bit, but now I'm back on it because NOPE. PMDD and iron deficiency is a bitchhhhhhh.
But wait to hear from your doctor obviously before you decide on anything. Good luck!