Expert: Diane Cheryl - 2/13/2007

Question
I don't particularly need to be on birth control but the effects of getting off kind of scare me.  I am married so if I were to become pregnant it wouldn't be the end of the world but I am worried about the usual problems associated with ceasing the pill.  I am worried about my face breaking out (silly, I know) and before I started the pill my period would last 7-8 days and I would usually have severe back pain.  I work in a health shop and am trying to take things like black currant seed and am going to start evening primrose to see if I can get these things in my system before I stop the pill.  I have one more pack left and am debating if I should just stop after the pack I am on or go for one more and see if I can balance my hormones prior to getting off the pill.  What do you think?  I am also going to start Ashwagandha to see if that can help too.  I feel as if I have fibromyalgia and my doctor leaned towards it but she also felt that getting off birth control would be a good idea.  I had my thyroid checked and my T3 was in the middle but my free T4 was in the upper normal ranges. My mom and both my sisters both have hypothyroidism and I know that I have many of the symptoms of that also.  I hope I made sense on this.  Thank-You.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have been on birth control for over four years and in those four years I feel as if my health has declined.  I have numerous muscle aches particularly in my legs.  My back and neck are really tight in the morning and I usually feel as if I have been exercising all night.  I have super sensitive glutal muscles and get pain in the anterior part of my upper arm.  I have tender points other places as well but I recently had blood work done and everything came back normal.  The only thing I can think could possibly be causing all of this is my birth control.  I tend to get bad headaches before and after my period that lasts at least a week and my neck will become very stiff and full of knots.  Any ideas?
-----Answer-----
Hi Stormy,
I'm not a medical professional but in my opinion, these could be side effects of the birth control pill. I don't personally recommend the pill just because of these reasons. Could you go on some other method or do you really need to be on anything at all?
Let me know.
Diane Cheryl
DCHERYL51@yahoo.com

Answer
Hello,
I appreciate your followup comments. I really think you are doing the right thing by trying to take natural things to help your body. I admire you for working in a health food store and being so knowledgeable. Please let me know what happens. I would love to hear from you by email at DCHERYL51@yahoo.com
Thank you.
Diane Cheryl