# How I reduced my DP by at least sixty percent



## Guest (May 23, 2005)

Hi all,
I have been a member here for about three years now (under a different name, couldn't remember my old password or username!) and I have been through everything that you have all described (nine years of DP so far) It has been a looong time since I have visited the site and I am happy to say that in the last four or five months, I have had about a sixty percent reduction in my dp symptoms and my anxiety symptoms. While I still suffer a little, this is a huge reduction and I just wanted to put my experience down here incase it could help someone else. I don't know if this has been discussed here or not, but one thing that helped me out TREMENDOUSLY was getting off of hormonal birth control. I was on the depo provera shot for the last five years and after about six months off of it, I started to feel like my old self again. Ladies, if you are on hormones, I recommend getting off of them and using alternative methods. You know how flourescent lights can send you into a really bad state? Well, I figure that the hormones have sort of the same affect. Really, get off of them if you can!!! I cannot begin to explain how much better I feel since stopping these hormones. Besides, there are other methods you can use for a while so at least give it a six month try! I believe that the other part of my recovery has come from exercising ( I began running four days a week). While it was hard to deal with the heart pounding without having a panic attack at first, gradually I got used to it and it has also really made a difference. ( I am sure some of you are already aware of this.) Lastly, eat right. Get enough of each food group, make sure you are fueling your body appropriately because it really will make a difference. I know that this is a strange disease and I know that sometimes, it just seems to fade away for people. While I can never be 100% sure that it was the birth control that really aggravated my DP, I really believe it was and I believe others with this condition should get off of hormones too. It is worth a try.

I have been through everything all of you have and I know the hell and the terror of this disorder. There were many nights that this website was my only friend in a world of enemies. I don't come here much anymore because I really do feel better...but I felt that it was important to share what has helped me, because so many of your posts were my life lines for a long time.

I wish all of you a peaceful existence!
Chrissie


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## Dreamer (Aug 9, 2004)

Dear Chrissie,

Excellent news! And it is no surprise. So many of us women on the board have an exacerbation of DP/DR during PMS and the start of our periods. There's a clear hormonal connection.

Also, we know many mental illnesses are exacerbated by hormones. The horomone surge in adolescense sp! (I already packed my damned dictionary, LOL) and brain changes when mental illness seems to develop in many young folk.

Pregnancy -- hormones exacerbating emotional problems. Perimenopause, menopause, post-partum depression, etc., etc.

Wonderful you're feeling better.
I refuse to let menopause get me down. I'm steeling myself for it, but I think I've got a ways to go.
Best,
D 8)


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## ret (Aug 10, 2004)

So all I've got to do is get off my hormonal birth control pills...


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## voidofform (Jan 31, 2005)

in my circles, depo-provera has an extremely bad reputation as aggravating depression and anxiety, and generally making life not worth living. the universal advice i've read is to "run away screaming".

despite what the manufacturers claim, depo-provera is NOT progesterone, nor are any of the mini-pills out there. it is some bizzaro-not-quite-analog synthetic clone that only exists because natural progesterone isn't patentable.

if you must be on birth control, pills based on ethinyl estradiol are a MUCH MUCH MUCH better bet. though they still have a little synthetic progesterone in them.

if i was DPed and in you position, i'd very much consider going onto continuous birth control i.e. skip the 7 placebos. like you need PMS on top of DP. (read the net for the risks of this...)


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## agentcooper (Mar 10, 2005)

ortho tricyclen was what caused my dp...i'm at least 90% sure. actually it was a combo of ortho tricyclen and allegra d. no doctor has ever believed me but i know myself better than they do, right? my dp has steadily gotten worse and worse (after a 2 year period of being totally dp-free) due to my messed up hormones. i've got endomedriol cysts covering both of my ovaries and my doctor is having me take natural progesterone because my estrogen is so low (she says the progesterone will kick my estrogen levels up). it's not helping and i think its making my dp worse. sometimes it sucks bein' a girl, eh?


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## Guest (May 23, 2005)

HEY GUYS WELL MORE THE GIRLS ON THIS ONE, DO YOU THINK PREGNANCY CAN EXACERBATE DP/DR? JUST A THOUGHT.
KATE


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## voidofform (Jan 31, 2005)

agentcooper said:


> ortho tricyclen was what caused my dp...i'm at least 90% sure. actually it was a combo of ortho tricyclen and allegra d. no doctor has ever believed me but i know myself better than they do, right? my dp has steadily gotten worse and worse (after a 2 year period of being totally dp-free) due to my messed up hormones. i've got endomedriol cysts covering both of my ovaries and my doctor is having me take natural progesterone because my estrogen is so low (she says the progesterone will kick my estrogen levels up). it's not helping and i think its making my dp worse.


i am not at all surprised that things are getting worse, if you are taking supplemental progesterone with low estrogen. i'm no endocrinologist, but that's just BIZARRE to my way of thinking. progesterone and estrogen production operate on largely seperate feedback systems. plus progesterone is THE stimulant for the growth of endometrial tissue, which seems like the last thing you need.

there seems to be much unscientific dogmatism regarding progesterone vs estrogen abound, and i suspect that many doctors latch onto the 'estrogen is the evil and progesterone is good' religon, which just doesn't stack up.

if i was in your shoes, assuming you don't need to be on birth control, i'd be looking at taking simple estradiol based hormone replacement. estradiol is what the ovaries normally produce, so this is completely natural. perhaps 1mg/day just to get the levels registering.

from my experience progesterone isn't needed for reasonably mental functioning, but estrogen most definitely is. get that estrogen up by the most direct method possible, and i'm sure it will help. i know i am a train wreck without it. of course too much estrogen isn't good either, so getting the levels checked after changing meds is recommended. the most essential thing for mood/depression/anxiety is having a consistent level, its the changes in level (e.g. the drop around PMS time), and in particular the drops, that are the thing to avoid.

a theory: ortho-trycyclin is ethinyl estradiol based, which has a long half life, perhaps with you it was too long, thus allowing estrogen levels to go through the roof? (a recipe for anxiety) though i'd tend to be more suspicious of the allegra-d.

anyway, just some random thoughts.



agentcooper said:


> sometimes it sucks bein' a girl, eh?


well yeah, there are a few downsides, but its better than the alternative...


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## Guest (May 24, 2005)

Hi Ladies this subject is most interesting to me.

Chrissie,I want to congratulate you on feeling better.
I have no doubt what so ever that by stopping depo provera your dp has improved.

agentcooper,the doctors might not believe you but I do.

For about a year before I got chronic dp.Each month right after my periods I noticed that I would have moderate dp for several days.
I found it a real puzzle.
I never bothered to tell a doctor because as most women I didn't think they would believe me,so I accepted it as some odd hormonal repercussion.
Fortunately it would only last a few days and wasn't severe enough to drive me to the psychiatrist.
It's not that I'd never experienced dp/dr before but I'd never experienced it in a cyclical manner.
In fact I would sometimes go for a year or more without it and it was mostly mild and short lived,minutes or hours.

I have had PMDD for years(severe PMS),often tried taking the OCP as a treatment.
Every pill gave me PMS symptoms being,mood swings,sweating,anxiety,insomnia etc.

About three years ago I started taking yet another pill in desperation to try and control my PMS.
Once again it gave me all of the usual nasty symptoms so once again the expensive packet got tossed into the bin, for fear if I remained on it I would go stark raving mad.
After I stopped taking it my dp would occur on a daily basis,very strongly.

This had never happened before.Each day I woke thinking surely it will move on today but each day it got worse until I had it 24/7 and became housebound.

Last month I had an extremely bad PMDD month(my periods came a week early) and right on cue along with it came extreme dp.This is not the first time this has happened.
So far it hasn't lifted.There is no doubt in my mind that my hormonal upheaval exacerbated my dp state.

For myself the strange thing is for many years I was able to take the OCP without any side effects except weight gain.
I had a break and was never able to tolerate any brand again.

Many doctors tell women that the OCP does not cause anxiety,dpression or even weight gain for that matter(even though the drug company will list these effects on their little phamplet)

Well we all most be crazy and or very imaginative!because so many women,not just those with dp swear that oral contraceptives give them psychological unwanted side effects.

If you ever doubt the influence of hormonal problems,check out a peri menopause site.
It would be rare to hear of any women only complain of sore boobs and bloating.
Panic attacks,anxiety and depression are the order of the day

I'm not knocking the use of the pill or hormone replacement.
Whatever gets you through the night.
Anyone who suffers with these problems knows only too well, the nights can be mighty long ones.

When they work,its a fantastic relief..............when they work.

Cheers Shelly


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## Martinelv (Aug 10, 2004)

PMS, and all associated 'women problems', are nothing more than hysterical (something to do with the uterus) imaganings. Although the placenta is good for you. If I ever have children I'm gonna scoop it up and fry it with some lemongrass.

:lol:

(Martin runs like b'jeeezus)


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## lyssy (Dec 7, 2004)

see i was put on birth control to 'control' my hormones and possibily my dp. apparently for many it worked against them.... since my dp was pot induced do you think that me being on birth control is still a bad idea? i started them about 3 months ago and hasnt made me worse but could it be stunting my success on getting better?


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## Guest (May 25, 2005)

I would like to say that when I told 3 doctors about my hormonal problems they suggested that I get off the pill as they thought that I was getting too much hormones & that was causing the problem.

This will be my last month on the pill. I am going to go off it & this will be the last of the pills to leave my system. I'll report back to let you guys know how it goes.


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## Mamabear2015 (9 mo ago)

Guest said:


> Hi all,
> I have been a member here for about three years now (under a different name, couldn't remember my old password or username!) and I have been through everything that you have all described (nine years of DP so far) It has been a looong time since I have visited the site and I am happy to say that in the last four or five months, I have had about a sixty percent reduction in my dp symptoms and my anxiety symptoms. While I still suffer a little, this is a huge reduction and I just wanted to put my experience down here incase it could help someone else. I don't know if this has been discussed here or not, but one thing that helped me out TREMENDOUSLY was getting off of hormonal birth control. I was on the depo provera shot for the last five years and after about six months off of it, I started to feel like my old self again. Ladies, if you are on hormones, I recommend getting off of them and using alternative methods. You know how flourescent lights can send you into a really bad state? Well, I figure that the hormones have sort of the same affect. Really, get off of them if you can!!! I cannot begin to explain how much better I feel since stopping these hormones. Besides, there are other methods you can use for a while so at least give it a six month try! I believe that the other part of my recovery has come from exercising ( I began running four days a week). While it was hard to deal with the heart pounding without having a panic attack at first, gradually I got used to it and it has also really made a difference. ( I am sure some of you are already aware of this.) Lastly, eat right. Get enough of each food group, make sure you are fueling your body appropriately because it really will make a difference. I know that this is a strange disease and I know that sometimes, it just seems to fade away for people. While I can never be 100% sure that it was the birth control that really aggravated my DP, I really believe it was and I believe others with this condition should get off of hormones too. It is worth a try.
> 
> I have been through everything all of you have and I know the hell and the terror of this disorder. There were many nights that this website was my only friend in a world of enemies. I don't come here much anymore because I really do feel better...but I felt that it was important to share what has helped me, because so many of your posts were my life lines for a long time.
> ...


Thank you so much for this!! I’m so glad your doing better!


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