Health anxiety and anxiety over having to take birth control for the first time...

[anxious_thoughts]

Hello everyone,

I recently got interested in taking birth control and today I brought it up to my doctor. She prescribed me Alesse which has the lowest amount of hormones in it.

Tomorrow i have to go pick it up and I have to take one before bed. I decided to google reviews and people's experiences with this BC and it has really scared me and I'm iffy about taking it now.

I have bad health anxiety and every now and then I'll get worried I have a heart related issue or a brain tumour and most of the information regarding this type of BC says not to take it if you have heart disease.

Now I'm terrified to take it just in case I have an undiagnosed heart related problem. Some of the reviews have really made me think twice about BC as one woman was saying she took it for 17 days and one night she woke up with rapid heart beat and a tingling left arm which sent her to the hospital. As soon as the pill wore off and she stopped taking it the symptoms stopped.

Since I have health anxiety, I really don't want to go through anything like that. I'm so afraid that I'll give me a stroke or blood clot in the brain. :(

Any advice or comments? Would be greatly appreciated.

[Mindknot]

Appreciate your concerns, but millions of women take birth control with no or few side effects. The only way you can possibly know is by trying it, however if you are anxious about it, you will more likely notice "side effects" but they might not really be anything, try not to think about what you've read online.
Your dr has clearly considered your anxiety and deliberately given you a lower dose of hormones so she is the person to listen to and to talk to if you experience any side effects that you think are related to the pill whilst you are taking it. All drugs come with one of those leaflets about risks, but your dr has presumably assessed you properly to establish whether those possibilities are likely or minimal in your case, and she wouldn't have prescribed it if she thought there was likely to be a problem.

Some women just don't get on with hormonal birth control, others have no problems at all, you can't possibly know until you try it... or opt out and stick to non-hormonal methods like condoms.:shrug: But as you've come this far, I would say trying it for a short period is unlikely to do you any long-term damage, and you can stop the pill at any time, it's entirely your choice.

[popejoan]

Can I ask why are you going to use it for? Is it just for birth control? Or polycystic over, endometriosis, heavy painful periods...etc? I had very painful periods, my periods were late as well, sometime I didn't have my period for 3-4 months so I was prescribed with yasmin 10 yearsago and been using it since then.

I want to stop taking it so badly but I can't as I'm scared of the side effects of stopping the pill. Wish I never started. It's good for preventing endomrtriosis, ovarian and uterine cancer. It also helps you have shorter, lighter periods so less chance of iron deficiency. However it ruins your mood, your libido. Increases the risk of breast, liver and cervical cancer,

My mum had breast cancer and I have endometriosis so one doctor says stop taking it, one says continue taking it.

If you're smoking don't take it, don't even think about it. It can increase the riskof blood clots. Read the instructions carefully, it's your choice and I'm not saying that any of the side effects will happen to you.

[Mindknot]

Popejoan is right, think about why you want to take it in the first place, whether it's for a medical reason or because it will provide you with birth control. If you don't need it, then you don't have to take it for the heck of it.

Of course there are risk factors (as with anything in life), but just be aware of what those potential complications are, and raise them with your doctor as and when concerned.

[anxious_thoughts]

Thank you MindKnot and Popejoan for both of your very informative responses!
I haven't started the pill yet but I have it because my doctor also told me to start taking B12 because I'm low on it and the directions on the pill says B12 stops what the pill is supposed to do.

I'm taking the pill because I am sexually active and also to regulate my periods. i was even nervous to take B12 pills so I'm still worried about BC.

My mom says to try it for a week or two and see what happens. I'll probably try that after I speak to my doctor about the B12 mixing with BC. Thanks again guys! :)

[honeycakes]

I want to stop taking it so badly but I can't as I'm scared of the side effects of stopping the pill. Wish I never started. It's good for preventing endomrtriosis, ovarian and uterine cancer. It also helps you have shorter, lighter periods so less chance of iron deficiency. However it ruins your mood, your libido. Increases the risk of breast, liver and cervical cancer.

Hey, I stopped Yasmin 6 months ago. So far so good. I had been on it for nearly 15 years and I had a few friends say that at our age maybe it would be good to stop and go all natural, cus we're planning on having kids pretty soon.

To the OP, PLEASE don't worry so much hun. We're millions taking birth control. Your friend's experience may not even be related to birth control. My stepmom comes from a country where they still think tampons are the devil, you shouldn't take Tylenol for a headache, and she swears she tried BC once and had an immediate reaction to it. But I think that's just her wanting to get a reaction from it.

Birth control has got to be the number 1 most popular, and safest method of contraception, but, it also helps you in so many ways by regulating your hormones, regulating your cycle, helping with mood swings, pain, basically eliminating PMS all together.

Alesse is the brand that has the less hormones in it and its the brand that they give you when you're starting (it was the one I used for a few years too but wanted something stronger after). More hormones does not mean = bad. You might need them for something specific, like acne, mood control, etc. Yasmin helps with hormone food-binging and weight loss, and prevents ovulation alltogether so its less risky. Ive been on it for 15 years and just recently stopped cus I want a kid in the next year or two.

Gluck :)