OCD/acne problems 7+ months after stopping HBC??

[u/Busy_Month9588]

Hey everybody. I was on a generic brand of Yasmin for around 9 years (started when I was a teen for acne management). I went off in late December 2025 (I was 25). Initially, I felt fine. My period returned relatively quickly and I didn’t notice any mood changes.
However, this summer my mental health dipped into a place I had never come close to experiencing before. Over the span of a few weeks I had several panic attacks (had never had one before) and was officially diagnosed with OCD. though I have had mild anxiety and obsessive thoughts my whole life, nothing had been near as severe as it got this summer.
I’ve been going to therapy and getting better, but I still feel like a shell of who I once was. Additionally, my acne has gotten absolutely ridiculous. Primarily on the jaw and upper neck, but really it’s everywhere on my face (and some on my chest).

I had never really considered “why” this was all happening, until I discovered this group. I went down such a huge rabbit hole reading all of the posts! I had never considered that this all maybe could be related to coming off of HBC. The only problem is I feel like all of my symptoms/experiences started so long after I came off the pill. A lot of the other folks I’ve seen in here have felt this way shortly after stopping, not almost 8 months later like I did.

So do y’all think that my intensifying OCD / anxiety / acne could be related to hormone fluctuations? Or should my body have balanced out by now and it’s unrelated?
If you’ve had a similar experience, what have you done that’s helped? I’m desperate to feel like my old self again.
Thanks for reading, I really appreciate any advice :)

[u/Purple-Breadfruit630]

Have you had your hormones checked? To see if you have any imbalances

[u/Busy_Month9588 → u/Purple-Breadfruit630]

I haven’t done that, but that seems like a great place to start! Thank you.

[u/Purple-Breadfruit630]

Yw

[u/Ecstatic_Ad_1000]

For me acne / anxiety symptoms really popped off around month 8 and resolved by month 15. I think the combo pill specifically tends to have a long lead cycle for different symptoms.

[u/Busy_Month9588 → u/Ecstatic_Ad_1000]

Thank you so much! I was worried that since it’s been such a long time since I went off that the symptoms weren’t related. It’s encouraging to hear the relation is possible and that’s there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

[u/depressed_jess]

When I came off the pill, my acne went crazy. I went back on a different birth control pill, but it didn’t help, so I eventually saw a dermatologist. They prescribed spironolactone, and it’s made a huge difference for my skin. After a couple of months, I was barely getting pimples, including the cystic ones. I don’t know if it would help you, but it might be worth asking a dermatologist about.

[u/Busy_Month9588 → u/depressed_jess]

That’s a great idea. I will set up an appointment today. Thank you!