Is there hope for recovering from birth control?

[antiqua]

Hi everyone. I’m a 22 year old woman who was put on the pill at 14 for acne. My doctor and parents told me it was normal and I was eager to clear my skin as any 14 year old would be. Well, I stayed on it all throughout my teens thinking nothing of it. With my liberal upbringing, and my mom even being a nurse, I thought it was totally side effect free.
When I was 18 I decided to switch to the hormonal IUD because I didn’t want to take pills every day. Actually I wanted the copper IUD but the doctors pushed the Mirena on me. Imagine my shock (sarcasm) when I developed THE WORST ACNE EVER a month or so after the insertion. Whereas my 14 year old acne was regular teen acne mostly on the forehead, this was full blown hormonal cystic acne covering my whole face.
I immediately asked them to take the IUD out but the doctors refused, and instead put me back on the pill as well as spironolactone, without removing the IUD. So basically at this time I was on 2.5 birth controls at the same time. A year later I finally got the IUD removed and stopped the pill but stayed on Spiro because it gave me amazing skin. Well, last year I stopped the spiro (which was effectively acting as birth control, suppressing all ovarian activity) and all hell finally broke loose. All the damage done to me by years of fake hormones has come to the surface. Extreme acne again, loss of half my hair (my natural golden blonde has even turned brown), hirsutism, puffiness and weight gain, extreme depression, mood swings, suicidality and a relapse in self harm that I’ve struggled with intermittently since I was 12.
To make matters worse, at the time I stopped spiro I had been convinced that the way to prevent my acne from coming back was going Keto. So I did that for 3 months last spring and without exaggeration I almost died from it. It completely drained my body and mind, and I’m surprised I didn’t end up in the hospital. Also this was a very traumatic time in my life emotionally as I was recovering from a sexual assault in December 2021.
So yeah, I am in a pit of despair and I feel like my body is permanently broken because of what doctors did to me when I was only a child. Is there hope? Any advice? Honestly I feel like everything has been taken from me that I once loved about life. I was once a beautiful, happy girl and now I’m a monster in my eyes. If it weren’t for my faith I would definitely be dead by now.

 

[Momma]

Oh honey. You can and will heal. You are off of everything now correct?

It is gonna be ok. Ok?
There are really smart, caring, generous people here to hopefully guide you in your healing. Hang in there.

 

[antiqua]

Some more context in case anyone was wondering: when I first stopped spiro i had hypothalamic amenorrhea because of the Keto disaster. Whereas when I had tried to stop spiro in 2021, I got a full blown bleed right away, this time I had a single day of brown discharge as my “period”. It took months for me to get a real bleed again, which is now extremely clotty and heavy. My cycles are around 21 days. I usually start getting fertile mucus around day 14-15 and it peaks on day 17-18, and I even get some mild cramping that would suggest ovulation, but no cigar. My period comes faithfully around day 21 with zero progesterone in my body.
My diet is very good. In my recovery from Keto I was ravenously hungry and was putting down 3000-4000 calories a day. Surprisingly I didn’t gain that much weight, it was only later when my estrogen started to rise (I know because period blood came back) that the weight gain happened. Now I’m eating around 2200 cals daily (I’m 5’10 ~165 lbs). I have a peaty approach, focusing on plenty of sugar and safe starch for carbs, protein as gelatin, dairy, and meat, and enough fat, usually from coconut oil. I take Vitex, b complex, vit E, mag, taurine, occasional iodine, among others.
I have tried what feels like everything to start ovulating again and detoxing estrogen. Coffee enemas, liver flushes, you name it.

 

[antiqua]

Oh honey. You can and will heal. You are off of everything now correct?

It is gonna be ok. Ok?
There are really smart, caring, generous people here to hopefully guide you in your healing. Hang in there.

Thank you Momma. And yes absolutely I’m off everything. I would rather suffer like this until I die than crawl back to big pharma!! Lol

 

[Advocate2021]

Hi everyone. I’m a 22 year old woman who was put on the pill at 14 for acne. My doctor and parents told me it was normal and I was eager to clear my skin as any 14 year old would be. Well, I stayed on it all throughout my teens thinking nothing of it. With my liberal upbringing, and my mom even being a nurse, I thought it was totally side effect free.
When I was 18 I decided to switch to the hormonal IUD because I didn’t want to take pills every day. Actually I wanted the copper IUD but the doctors pushed the Mirena on me. Imagine my shock (sarcasm) when I developed THE WORST ACNE EVER a month or so after the insertion. Whereas my 14 year old acne was regular teen acne mostly on the forehead, this was full blown hormonal cystic acne covering my whole face.
I immediately asked them to take the IUD out but the doctors refused, and instead put me back on the pill as well as spironolactone, without removing the IUD. So basically at this time I was on 2.5 birth controls at the same time. A year later I finally got the IUD removed and stopped the pill but stayed on Spiro because it gave me amazing skin. Well, last year I stopped the spiro (which was effectively acting as birth control, suppressing all ovarian activity) and all hell finally broke loose. All the damage done to me by years of fake hormones has come to the surface. Extreme acne again, loss of half my hair (my natural golden blonde has even turned brown), hirsutism, puffiness and weight gain, extreme depression, mood swings, suicidality and a relapse in self harm that I’ve struggled with intermittently since I was 12.
To make matters worse, at the time I stopped spiro I had been convinced that the way to prevent my acne from coming back was going Keto. So I did that for 3 months last spring and without exaggeration I almost died from it. It completely drained my body and mind, and I’m surprised I didn’t end up in the hospital. Also this was a very traumatic time in my life emotionally as I was recovering from a sexual assault in December 2021.
So yeah, I am in a pit of despair and I feel like my body is permanently broken because of what doctors did to me when I was only a child. Is there hope? Any advice? Honestly I feel like everything has been taken from me that I once loved about life. I was once a beautiful, happy girl and now I’m a monster in my eyes. If it weren’t for my faith I would definitely be dead by now.

yes you can completely recover from this- i was estrogen poisoned for 12 years in my teens and twenties and have shared my story quite a bit here. the first thing i would tell you immediately is to get progest-e, are you familiar with this? it is Dr. Peat's patented natural progesterone- ive been taking it for 24 year now and it can reverse the hormonal damage caused by the pharmaceuticals, i know first hand. you can order it on -line i believe or just by calling kenogen directly as i am doing today as need more and they will send it to you quite fast. much more to say here but you are so young that you may be able to repair all just with diet and progest-e at 22.

 

[antiqua]

yes you can completely recover from this- i was estrogen poisoned for 12 years in my teens and twenties and have shared my story quite a bit here. the first thing i would tell you immediately is to get progest-e, are you familiar with this? it is Dr. Peat's patented natural progesterone- ive been taking it for 24 year now and it can reverse the hormonal damage caused by the pharmaceuticals, i know first hand. you can order it on -line i believe or just by calling kenogen directly as i am doing today as need more and they will send it to you quite fast. much more to say here but you are so young that you may be able to repair all just with diet and progest-e at 22.

Thanks so much for your encouragement and advice!! I actually have progest-e coming, it should be here Friday. I am so excited to take it. Not sure what took me so long to order it as I’ve been into Peat for 9 months now. I will be sure to post my experience on it.

 

[Peachy]

You aren’t broken and can certainly restore your health. Your story resonated with me because I recovered from a similar situation.

You’re doing great with diet! And I think it’s good you held off on Progest-e until you had your diet stabilized.

Like you, I used vitex and it was helpful for bringing back my cycle after dealing with post-bc amenorrhea.

It took me a full year to restore a normal cycle. Be sure you’re not over supplementing and have patience with the basics. Sunlight, nourishing food, rest, light movement. Keep hydrated in between meals with adrenal cocktails or other high mineral snacks.

Have any of your symptoms improved? What are the biggest issues now?

 

[Advocate2021]

Thanks so much for your encouragement and advice!! I actually have progest-e coming, it should be here Friday. I am so excited to take it. Not sure what took me so long to order it as I’ve been into Peat for 9 months now. I will be sure to post my experience on it.

Great- well never too late especially at 22. that may solve all your issues. i was diagnosed with hypothalmic ammenorhea at 17 almost 18 and put on pharma hormones probably much more toxic than yours as when i went through this they were much higher estrogen. i was near death at 28 when i found Dr. Peat. "They" told me i would never be able to get pregnant and have to be on hormones the rest of my life as i basically was a 95 year old woman in my 20's. within 6 months of going off all the pharma hormones and taking progest-e and going through some sort of adolescent exorcism (which included crazy erruptions all over my chin which corresponds to the female reproductive area), i ovulated for the first time at almost 30. got unexpectedly pregnant about a year later. im now 52, fertile and have the hormones on labwork of a young woman despite some other issues i have in the allergy and hypersensitivity department i a currently dealing with. when you get the progest-e happy to help with dosing but with your situation i would not worry too much about rationing or cycling. just start taking it and be generous with it- its a miracle that stuff. Thyroid supplementation could also really help you but you are so young perhaps you wont need it. Dr. Peat has written that progest-e simulates the thyroid gland to release its hormones and in people who have had depressed thyroids (which pharma hormones do to the thyroid) , the gland can start releasing its hormones too quickly and they develop hyper thyroid symptoms. this can be addressed by taking thyroid before or with the progest so perhaps watch for this. that did not happen to me and while i could have benefited from thryoid earlier, i did not use it until my late 30's but that too was a gamechanger for me and i probably would have been much better sooner if i had started it sooner. A naturopath in my 20's put me on some thyroid while i was dosed on estrogen so probably helped me but was only on it for a year or so i think and still on pharma hormones so kind of canceled it out a bit

 

[antiqua]

You aren’t broken and can certainly restore your health. Your story resonated with me because I recovered from a similar situation.

You’re doing great with diet! And I think it’s good you held off on Progest-e until you had your diet stabilized.

Like you, I used vitex and it was helpful for bringing back my cycle after dealing with post-bc amenorrhea.

It took me a full year to restore a normal cycle. Be sure you’re not over supplementing and have patience with the basics. Sunlight, nourishing food, rest, light movement. Keep hydrated in between meals with adrenal cocktails or other high mineral snacks.

Have any of your symptoms improved? What are the biggest issues now?

Hi peachy, I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who’s gone through this. The Vitex has not helped yet with my symptoms but it’s definitely given me stronger LH positives on OPKs. the only improvement I’ve had is a restoration of my monthly bleed, which I suppose is better than total amenorrhea. Also I do get quite nice fertile mucus mid cycle despite not ovulating successfully. It seems like every month things get worse, especially around when my estrogen peaks as my body tried and fails to ovulate. I’d say the most apparent symptoms are unexplained weight gain, acne, hirsutism, and hair loss.

 

[antiqua]

Also! My blood tests show testosterone that’s surprisingly not high at all, it’s 22 (high being >45). My estrogen is normal-low, but of course that’s blood estrogen and I’m sure my tissues are loaded with E2. And my progesterone is always near zero. Also low DHEAS. And my A1C is good, not insulin resistant at all.

 

[Advocate2021]

Also! My blood tests show testosterone that’s surprisingly not high at all, it’s 22 (high being >45). My estrogen is normal-low, but of course that’s blood estrogen and I’m sure my tissues are loaded with E2. And my progesterone is always near zero. Also low DHEAS.

See my last post and please just start taking that progest-e asap. pregnenelone would also probably help and might increase the others and thyroid as i mentioned. im 30 years older than you and just had bloodwork done with perfect hormone levels of all those you reference and probably look on paper what your age should look like. i know what im talking about when it comes to hormones.

 

[antiqua]

See my last post and please just start taking that progest-e asap. pregnenelone would also probably help and might increase the others and thyroid as i mentioned. im 30 years older than you and just had bloodwork done with perfect hormone levels of all those you reference and probably look on paper what your age should look like. i know what im talking about when it comes to hormones.

Absolutely, I will heed your guidance. I’ve been looking into pregnenolone but I’m nervous because it gives some women androgenic symptoms which I’m already struggling with. I’m planning on starting high dose progest-e as soon as it arrives, and later on I may try preg.

 

[Peachy]

Hi peachy, I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who’s gone through this. The Vitex has not helped yet with my symptoms but it’s definitely given me stronger LH positives on OPKs. the only improvement I’ve had is a restoration of my monthly bleed, which I suppose is better than total amenorrhea. Also I do get quite nice fertile mucus mid cycle despite not ovulating successfully. It seems like every month things get worse, especially around when my estrogen peaks as my body tried and fails to ovulate. I’d say the most apparent symptoms are unexplained weight gain, acne, hirsutism, and hair loss.

Have you ever experimented with dandelion tea? A decoction made from the dried root? I found it to be a very helpful for a liver cleanse and it helped so much with acne.

Do you eat oysters regularly?

 

[antiqua]

Have you ever experimented with dandelion tea? A decoction made from the dried root? I found it to be a very helpful for a liver cleanse and it helped so much with acne.

Do you eat oysters regularly?

I love dandelion tea! I drink it almost daily for liver support, which I’m very cognizant of since I literally turned yellow for a bit last year, with sky high cholesterol. And no on the oysters since I don’t have a great source in my mountainous region.

 

[Beatrix_]

My blood tests show testosterone that’s surprisingly not high at all, it’s 22 (high being >45).

Did you also test for DHT levels? High DHT is usually the problem in cases like yours...

 

[Peachy]

I love dandelion tea! I drink it almost daily for liver support, which I’m very cognizant of since I literally turned yellow for a bit last year, with sky high cholesterol. And no on the oysters since I don’t have a great source in my mountainous region.

You’re doing awesome. You just need some warm weather and things should settle in. I found it best not to watch my progress too closely - a lot of acceptance and grace. You don’t have to do things perfectly.

I buy oysters canned in olive oil. A can a week is good. I just keep them in the fridge and eat through the can over the course of 3 days or so to get max zinc absorption (you can only absorb so much at a time). Huge for any skin issues, specifically acne.

For what it’s worth I started progest-e at 6 drops a day (2 drops topically, 3x/day). Lightened my period immediately. And I’m hearing others start to recommend beginning at a lower dose. I’m a minimalist when it comes to exogenous hormones. But there are mixed opinions and everyone’s situation is different.

 

[Peachy]

How long have you used vitex? It might not be helpful in your situation.

 

[antiqua]

How long have you used vitex? It might not be helpful in your situation.

It’s been 2.5 cycles now so about 2 months and not much improvement. I’ll probably keep on it til my period then stop.

And thanks for your advice on the oysters and progest-e dosing. :)

 

[curious_anthro]

This is so similar to my story too! I wish I had the knowledge you have at 22 though - I didn’t get off of birth control until 27 after being on it since 16! Also took spironolactone for a long time and did low carb/keto for a while, Acne has been debilitating since I got off all medication.

While I’m still in the thick of it I can tell you that you will improve. Many of my other issues have improved. You’re in the right place and on the right journey but see it as that- a journey. You didn’t get to where you are in a month and neither will you get out of it that quickly. Ups and downs are really normal. That might sound discouraging but it’s helpful to set your expectations correctly and be really mindful of the things you speak over yourself. Be kind to yourself because so many of us have been lied to and hurt by the ignorant medical/pharma system pushing these horrific, evil medications n us. The fact that you got your period back and have fertile cervical fluid is so positive!! And you have a lot of youth on your side.

One thing that HAS undoubtedly helped, as others have said, is progesterone! It’s very important to take a high enough dose though as smaller doses can aggravate estrogen dominance. I learned that the hard way. Best thing to do is go on how you feel in terms of dosing. At first I had to microdose every hour and stopped at the amount that alleviated symptoms then stayed with that.

Raw carrot salad every day is soooo helpful. But do it with the coconut oil, vinegar and salt. It makes a big difference from just a carrot. Raw honey masks are helpful to calm redness and inflammation from the acne. Also 100% pure aloe vera gel.

This forum is a gold mine of advice and knowledge to help you along the way. Takes a while to figure out what works for you but don’t give up. Feel free to reach out privately if you ever want to vent!

 

[antiqua]

This is so similar to my story too! I wish I had the knowledge you have at 22 though - I didn’t get off of birth control until 27 after being on it since 16! Also took spironolactone for a long time and did low carb/keto for a while, Acne has been debilitating since I got off all medication.

While I’m still in the thick of it I can tell you that you will improve. Many of my other issues have improved. You’re in the right place and on the right journey but see it as that- a journey. You didn’t get to where you are in a month and neither will you get out of it that quickly. Ups and downs are really normal. That might sound discouraging but it’s helpful to set your expectations correctly and be really mindful of the things you speak over yourself. Be kind to yourself because so many of us have been lied to and hurt by the ignorant medical/pharma system pushing these horrific, evil medications n us. The fact that you got your period back and have fertile cervical fluid is so positive!! And you have a lot of youth on your side.

One thing that HAS undoubtedly helped, as others have said, is progesterone! It’s very important to take a high enough dose though as smaller doses can aggravate estrogen dominance. I learned that the hard way. Best thing to do is go on how you feel in terms of dosing. At first I had to microdose every hour and stopped at the amount that alleviated symptoms then stayed with that.

Raw carrot salad every day is soooo helpful. But do it with the coconut oil, vinegar and salt. It makes a big difference from just a carrot. Raw honey masks are helpful to calm redness and inflammation from the acne. Also 100% pure aloe vera gel.

This forum is a gold mine of advice and knowledge to help you along the way. Takes a while to figure out what works for you but don’t give up. Feel free to reach out privately if you ever want to vent!

Reading this has been so encouraging! You ladies have all made me feel like there’s a light at the end of this tunnel. Soooo evil that we were all put on these hormone surpressing drugs, and many of us while we were literally children. Not even finished developing. And thank you, I will message you to chat :)