Anti depressant symptoms and conditions

I have posted a couple of my feelings of the Mirena recently, including the fact that I might be pregnant (after having the mirena over a year) ..... but before now, I thought I was losing my mind in regards to me being irritable, losing my temper, moodiness..I was going to make an appointment with my doctor to get on a anti-depressant. Now, after reading all of the posts on this website, it may be all attributed to the Mirena use. Are the executives of those that market the Mirena or those regulating the use of this contraceptive reading any of our posts? Maybe they should. I am extremely disappointed. If I am pregnant, this is life changing. Think that Mirena should change their marketing scheme to say that the mirena is only 85% - 90% effective, if that....

I have been taking a low dose for only 5 days and I am ready to quit. I am either in a rage of anger or crying non-stop. I am severely tired and more moody than I have ever been. I was doing SO much better before on Effexor. The doctor switched my meds due to the insomnia and anxiety that I still had on Effexor, but it was nothing compared to this.

I've had Mirena since Jan. 2006. This is what's going on with me.

EXTREMELY bloated all the time, diagnosed as IBS. I’ve tried everything: herbs, teas, diet changes, prescription meds (currently on anti-depressant (for the IBS, not depression) and an anti-spasmatic pill), and non-prescription meds (currently taking beano before every meal and gas-x after the beano has not worked!)

Irritability

Tired all the time

Not motivated to do anything

Forgetful

Loss of concentration, I have the attention span of a 3 year old it seems!

Heart fluttering and dizziness like a panic attack. The doctor actually said it was panic attacks but I honestly don’t feel “panicked” when they happen.

Fluttering in abdomen as if there were a baby in there

Sometimes feel a pulling or stinging sensation in my uterus

Hubby can feel the strings and we think they are irritating his manhood

A lot of these symptoms seem like depression but all praise be to God, I have a wonderful life. I have the greatest husband and kids I could ever ask for. I love our life. I’m not unhappy at all. I didn’t consider that it may be the Mirena until my husband mentioned that he thought the strings were causing the irritation on his penis. I started googling Mirena to see if anyone else had this problem and came up with so many “other” symptoms of Mirena. I thought “WOW!! Maybe THAT’S my problem!” Maybe it’s time to make that appointment to get it out.

Well, about a year ago I was put on Lamictal and didn't experience any side effects, but was also on Lexapro, Trazodone, and Klonopin. I stopped all of the medication besides the Klonopin as I was doing well. However I recently was put back on a low dosage of Lamictal as a mood stabilizer. It's been a week. The only side effect I'm having is headaches! I have a headache all day long. Tylenol doesn't help, it doesn't go away. Once my dosage increases in a week I will only be on 50 mg of Lamictal. I just want the headaches to go away. Did anybody experience headaches while first taking the drug? I'm scared of all of the postings of memory loss and hair loss. I sleep fine, I'm not anxious, I had my first vivid dream last night since I started taking the drug. I don't want to go back on an anti-depressant. Any opinions?

Thank God I found this page! I really thought I was going crazy and so did my family. I did however make the mistake of stopping mid pack which resulted in a headache like no other! Vomiting, dizziness etc. That was 2 days ago and I still don't feel quite right. And my blood pressure is up, not a usual side effect for me. Can anyone tell me if they've had a similar episode and how long I can expect to feel like I'm living in a fog? The FDA should pull this from the shelf, it would save millions of dollars because the number of anti depressant prescriptions would go down.

I've been taking Lisinopril for about three months and wonder if this could be causing my anger. Before this medication I was definitely not a angry person but lately even the smallest things set me off. Has anyone else experienced this type of side effect from this medication? It has definitely regulated my blood pressure maintaining at 120/80

Thanks,
M.

I am 62, have been on one or another anti depressant for 20 years,was on prozac for about last 3 years It seemed not to be doing the job,therapist started me on wellbutrin, the generic Bupropion,sex life was better,BUT I would rather have hair on my head than having orgasm. been taking 200 mg about 2 weeks,hands full of hair after washing my hair.I have noticed SOME memory problems,thought it was my age,ALWAYS have had a good memory, going off slowly,100 mg a day for 7 days then nothing,I also take anxiety meds,going to see if that may be all I need .If not back to the prozac

I have been on zyprexa for about 2 1/2 years I have tried 3 times to get off it, but each time have had bad anxiety and panic attacks. I am once again trying to get off it, my fourth attempt, I have this time doubled my anti-depressant while trying to cut down on the zyprexa. Hopefully I will succeed this time. I have put on 15kgs. over the 2 1/2 years I have been on it. I also have a headache every day and my eyes are always red and I don't drink.

Ugh, this has to be the worst medicine I have EVER been on. I was having anxiety attacks that occurred every evening and lasted for hours. Hot flash, nauseousness, inability to concentrate, thought I was going crazy.........
they started after my mom went in for open heart surgery in Nov of 2008. They put me on Xanax for attacks, and Clonazepam (double ugh), and I didn't take Effexor for a while, but my aunt convinced me to do it as I wasn't doing much better.

The thing is I'd been having issues with fatigue, heart palpitations, facial hair, etc. for several months to years and the doctors ran blood work and said everything was fine........

With the clonazepam and effexor I didn't have mood swings so much, but it was because I spent 16-20 hours a day in bed. When I first started the effexor I was told that the side effects go away after your body adjusts, and as it was the fourth or fifth anti-depressant I tried I figured I would suffer through. I lost 40 pounds (as I was/am overweight it was a good side effect in some ways) in a matter of 6 weeks, lost my appetite to the point that when I realized that I needed to do something about it I had to force myself to eat 1/2 piece of toast a day, slowing eating more...........I went several weeks only able to eat an average of 500 calories a day. I was so nauseous all the time. I was pretty much having a break down. I would only be "functioning" for 2-6 hours a day.

After going to the ER because my muscles began shaking while standing or trying to climb stairs (I'm only 28), having racing heart beats which they just prescribed more medication for, absolutely no energy, my hair falling out by the handfuls, I would wake up with it on my pillow............could not concentrate for the life of me, falling behind in school work (back to school mom), unable to do papers because I couldn't think.............

They finally tested my thyroid (runs in the family, have been telling them it sounded like my thyroid from the beginning........) my levels were finally off the charts, my TSH wasn't even registering. I was diagnosed with Graves disease........which can cause the panic attacks that they put me on the medication for in the first place.

As I figured it was probably the Graves, I tried weaning off my meds, only to feel as though I was going nuts and going to die............... I cut my clonazepam and effexor dosages in half, and within 2 days I could concentrate, and within a couple weeks I could go up and down the stairs again.............

Even now it is hard to say how much of my issues were caused by the Graves and how much was due to the Effexor combined with the Clonazepam. I was able to wean of the Clonazepam within 6 weeks by cutting my dosage in quarters every two weeks, but NOT the Effexor. I tried cut it and started having panic attacks, couldn't think, major migraines, and bed ridden........so I had to reduce it even slower.

Once I got down to half a dose, all of my symptoms went away except the fatigue. That is why I associate a lot of it with Effexor and NOT the Graves, because the symptoms did not go away until I reduced the drugs. I am now finally free of Effexor for about a month, and it was a hard road. It took me six months. I still have some issues with concentration and the occasional panic attack, but they are very minimal. I have read that this could be due to either both or one of the drugs I was on as it can take a year or more for your body to adjust.

Anyhoo, I wonder if the medication didn't trigger the Graves, or what.............but I would NEVER EVER suggest this medication to anyone.

I have gained most of the weight I lost back........but that is to be expected since my metabolism probably hit rock bottom not eating anything but toast for weeks.......

Anyhoo, I really wish that Doctors would tell you what could happen before giving you a drug. At least then when you start having these symptoms you know where and why...........rather then going in, and them having no idea?!?!?!? Funny, as if you search online you see lists that match exactly what you are going through.

I am now VERY leery about taking any meds at all, including Tylenol.

i am on the depo shot,i feel tired,headaches,no sex drive,depressed,mood swing, bloated, i just feel the same way i did when i was pregnant. i was thinking bout trying the mirena, can anyone give me some advise. thanks.

im currently on my fourth month of treatment with lupron and would like to know if anyone that had fertility problems was able to conceive after a course of lupron...? im 32 and have 2 beautiful children, but would like one more before i undergo a hysterectomy...i have been diagnosed with endometriosis, adenomyosis and severe pelvic adhesion's. i was in so much pain that it was ruining my life...the lupron has been pretty great this time around...six years ago i did it without any add-back therapy, but this time im taking progesterone along with it and the side affects have been minimal...still have mood swings and a decreased sex drive, but no hot flashes or night sweats. its definitely worth the pain relief...for me anyways.

I'm 15 years old and i've been taking prednisone for a few months, and from what i've read i'm on a really high dose. i was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and another autoimmune disorder concerning my muscles at the same time. my doctor told me prednisone was my only choice; it was either that or i would lose the ability to walk. he told me there'd be side effects, but i had no idea it'd turn out like this or i would have fought harder for another course of action. i started out on 30mg twice a day, and since then was weaned down to 20mg twice a day and now i'm down to 30mg once a day. i've been looking up a bunch of information trying to figure out if there's a way to lessen the side effects or any hope at all that they will get better. apparently there isn't much. after reading a bunch of these stories i gotta say i'm not feeling great about this. i totally understand everything everyone is going through. i'm sure you can imagine what it's like being smack in the middle of high school with a huge puffy face, acne so bad on my face, chest, back, neck, and shoulders that wearing a bra could put me in tears, and mood swings so bad i've lost friends over it. everyone knows how brutal high school can be, where appearance and attitude are everything. and i try to tell my doctor about it and he literally looks at me like i'm a whiny teenager and says "you're just going to have to deal with it." and people like my mom and my closest friends don't get it either. nobody understands how beyond frustrating it is. i'll get into the worst moods and not have a reason for it, but i'll stay angry for hours or burst into tears over someone looking at me the wrong way. it'll get to the point where i have to isolate myself from other people because the abrubt mood changes get so bad. as bad as i hate to admit it, the pain from the arthritis is gone now and supposedly my muscles are doing better too. developing arthritis caused me to have to quit cheerleading, something i've loved doing for 6 years, because the pain got to the point where i couldn't get my arms above my head or bend my knees. however, i'd almost rather deal with the horrible joint pain than deal with the side effects of prednisone. if your doctor gives you and alternative method, take it. i've always been confident in the way i look and really outgoing and happy and now i sometimes catch myself thinking about suicide. that's shocking to me because i've got so much going for me, but this medicine makes me miserable. and when i complain about it, anyone i'm talking to just looks at me like i'm being a cry baby. my mom does too, she'll say things like "you just have to do this. i know it's not what you want but to be honest i'm sick of hearing you bitch about it."
i feel a little better knowing other people feel the same way - like nobody gets whats going on with them. the prednisone does give me days of really great euphoria and days when i feel like i could run a marathon, but waking up in the morning to the acne and huge face puts me to tears every day. i have to pee all the time, usually getting up at 2 or 3 am. i don't sleep well anymore and i do sweat all the time. which also sucks being a teenage girl. i'm always hungry, and when i eat i never feel full so i don't know when to stop. my neck and face have put on so much weight that when people see me in the halls or out and about they ask me what happened. mind you these are people i don't talk to, just ones i know from classes or whatever. and it's pretty bad when teenage boys i've never really talked to ask what happened to your face. kind of a blow to the ego, or whatever is left of it at this point.
i'd like to know if, as my dosage gets lowered, the side effects will diminish and when i'm off the prednisone completely if they will disappear altogether. any help there?
or if there is any way to help the acne or puffy face

my doctor just put me on something called methotrexate or something like that to help wean me off the prednisone, and does anyone know what those side effects will do? or if they'll affect the prednisone side effects?
i'm constantly obsessing over gaining weight and what my skin looks like and what i eat and how heavy my face feels and the occasional pressure in my eyes to the point where i just want to be put out of my misery.
and after reading other people's stories i really don't understand why this drug is still given out as freely as it is. but maybe all doctors are like mine, they just don't get it.
best of luck to anyone who's on prednisone, my heart goes out to you; i'm right there with you
sorry this became like a book it wasn't meant to be this long

For those of you taking this drug and want to get off, please know it takes 3-4 weeks (longer in others depending on your metabolism) to be "totally" out of your system. Don't think you'll feel better in a few days. Give it a least 6 weeks to show significant change in your symptoms. I know, my husband took this and was having mental sluggishness, depression, confusion which led to many other tests. He has been off the drug now since Sept 08 and off the anti-depressant too. Guess what...no depression has returned since being of this drug. He's back to an aspirin a day, what he took before this nightmare began. Anybody taking this drug should stop immediately. It's the drug from hell!

I have been taking Topamax for almost five years. I am currently taking 200mg in the morning and 250mg at night. The tingling in my feet and hands come and go. The weight loss has tapered off. My neuro and I very slowly worked up to this level but it has finally put a halt to my migraines. I may have one once or twice a year. He says this is the highest we could ever go so thank goodness the headaches stopped. The past year I have begun to be very forgetful, Over the past three months it has started to affect me on a daily basis. Over the last week, I haven't been feeling like myself and have started to feel emotionally numb. Meeting with my neuro today, Not sure if its the meds or not causing me to feel numb or just life's' stress.

im a twenty four year old student on paxil since i was fourteen.
coming off this medication is nearly impossible, i have tried at least ten times. The reason i have decided to come off it for good is because of memory loss. I can spend up to one hundred hours studying for a test and still only get about seventy percent.
Another reason i have decided to come off paxil is tooth decay. I now have a cavity in every single tooth and have lost three teeth due to paxil.
A common side effect of paxil is dry mouth. With out salivia in your mouth, it becomes difficult for your mouth to wash away bacteria, leaving you with tooth decay.
Im coming off slow, cutting up pieces of paxil to take each night, about two milligrams less per night. Ive been all the way up to sixty milligrams and im now down to twenty and hopefully will be free and clear within a few months. This is not a medication you can come off by cold turkey. you must cut it down very slowly

I have been on Levoxyl for about 2 1/2 years. Before I was on levothyroxine, but my new endo said the generics don't work, so he insists on the name brand. I've been taking it in the morning on an empty stomach, and have been battling extreme daytime fatigue ever since. At first I thought it was because I was unhealthy. I had LAP-band surgery, and I use a CPAP machine for my sleep apnea, and I lost 50 lbs, but I've hit a plateau that can't be explained by my food intake, and the fatigue is so debilitating. My GP is adjusting my anti-depressant to see if that makes a difference, but so far no. On my own I decided to start taking the Levoxyl at night before I go to bed. It's only been a couple of days, but I have noticed a marked improvement. I'll talk to my endo about it, and hopefully he'll be at least willing to consider the change.

On a side note, anti-depressants are the best medicine ever discovered. If you are feeling at all depressed, talk to your doctor. Whether the Levoxyl contributes to it or not, the anti-depressants help. I never want to go back in that black hole again.

Hi everyone,
I got the Mirena put in a little over 3 weeks ago and it's been nothing but trouble. I've had consistent spotting, my skin is awful---I'm getting pimples!--, I feel bloated and, worst of all, my moods are awful. I even had a fleeting thought today as I was driving about driving my car over a cliff. I would never do it of course, but the thought scared me. I'm already on a low dose of anti-depressant(Celexa) and worry that Mirena is making it worse. The weight-gain issue really worries me as well. I would like to get it removed, but worry that my doctor will tell me to give it more time. I really don't want to wait---I just want it out. I'm really kicking myself for taking my doctor's word and not researching it more before getting it.

I am 31 years old and was placed on Yaz to control unexplained and abnormal bleeding (I read the "Packet" my doctor should not have prescribed Yaz for this reason.) I am guessing the Yaz rep was the most recent visitor to his office. Anyways, I began to feel "off" after being on the pill for about 5 days. It was Easter and I could not feel the joy of the family gathering. I just wanted to sleep and not interact with anybody. By day 8 I was feeling EXTREMELY depressed. It was so depressed, I feel for my own safety I had to go to the hospital, I feel so depressed and emotional sad that I was fighting not to kill myself. I went to the ER and given Ativan to calm me. I stopped the YAZ that day (The ER doctor believed it was the Yaz). It took 7 days for Yaz to get out of my system...during that time I was taking Ativan and under constant supervision by my husband. I could not go to work (I am a teacher) and the School psychiatrist called me daily. I am currently on an Anti-depressant (prescribed by my physician, who is not sure if it was the Yaz that caused this.) I know myself and I was NOT myself on this pill.

This is my second time writing in. I wrote about symptoms in Feb. and now have MORE to add. I have had Mirena in for a year and a half and things are starting to add up! I still get a period though it is a little lighter than before. I am still spotting (even after all this time and there is no knowing when this will happen), heart burn, hair loss, heart palpitations (even have gone in to ER and had test run with no conclusion except I need more sleep and less stress - ha - been a mom for 9 years and haven't slept forever, why would this happen only now?) dizziness, back pain, constipation, bloating (my stomach will not go back to pre pregnancy size), gas, fatigue. My doctor says no way related! More needs to be done to make women aware of these side effects! Especially when they tell you before that there are no side effects!!!

Hello I am clinically depressed. They doctors said I was "severely depressed." I haven't done these post ever so I apologize if I can't make my side effects clear and easy to understand.

Well to the point I am taking Lamactil and Wellbutrin for over a year now. The side effects I have are acne, laziness, always tired. But the side effect I hate the most is really perverted thoughts. Every waking moment I am always thinking about sex of some sort. I can't enjoy a movie because I am always thinking of sex with the person I am with, be female or male. I am straight but I just can't shake thoughts and hate it to no end. PLEASE let me know if anyone is experiencing these side effects.

I have been on Wellbutrin XL 150 mg for about a month and a half. I really do not feel any difference. I was put on it for mild depression and loss of energy, but I still feel like I am floating through my days and can't wait to go home and crawl into bed. I should also mention I am on a very small dose of beta blockers for my atrial fibrillation (which is meant to decrease my heart rate). Should I increase to the 300 mg dose? I am concerned about doing this, as this is my first time on any anti-depressant and I would eventually like to wean myself off.
Also, have any women noticed their periods are late or non-existent? I am a week late in my period, and I am NEVER late. I will be going to get a pregnancy test done, but I am fairly certain I am not pregnant. I also noticed very heavy cramping yesterday that would signal the start of my period, but nothing happened.
I would appreciate any feedback!
Thank you.

I've taken loratab for several different things, after Birth of my son, after gallbladder surgery, sinus infections and so on.. This may sound odd, and I will probably get alot of backlash on this issue.. But it makes me happy.. I would seriously like to see a doctor.. or even a pharmaceutical company hold a drug trial on how laratab can be used as an anti-depressant, I've suffered from depression almost all my life.. and have been on a plethera of anti-depressants, they always seem to work for the first month or so, and then "wear" off so to speak.. I have to either up my dose.. or change all together.. I don't have to do that with loratab

When I take it, I don't have any crazy side effects.. in fact just the oppisite.. I feel i have much more clearity, I'm happy and just have an all around "good" feeling. When at work.. I feel I give my co-workers and customers the best of my abilities.. and not to mention my home life.. I'm a better mother.. daughter.. sister.. and friend.. and what's really funny I don't have that "urge" perople say they get if addicted to a drug.. I can go for months without it and i'm fine.. but much better when i do have it..

DO NOT TAKE DOXYCYCLINE IF YOU HAVE ANY HISTORY OF DEPRESSION!!!

I do and doxy has sent me over the edge for about a month AFTER i stopped taking it.

I was given doxy by my doctor for a sinus infection for a week and stopped taking it just under a month ago. This past month has been absolute hell for me.

The day I stopped taking it I went from feeling fine into a 5 hour crying fit with suicidal thoughts in less than 30 minutes. During the fit I became convinced that this was how my life always is, that I was depressed, that I had always been depressed and that I needed anti depressant as I spend all my time crying. That was on 2nd Feb.

The next day I was shaky and felt very up and downy but went back to feeling normal pretty quickly and after I did some internet research on Doxycycline (the only change in my diet/lifestyle) assumed it was that. I read some pretty bad stuff on the internet about other people’s experiences which were very similar to the one I had had and I thought that must be it.

So I decided to drink lots of water and have been taking Milk Thistle to cleanse my liver.

Then this Saturday past I had exactly the same thing. I had another one of these 5 hour crying fits and more suicidal thoughts and I became convinced I was bipolar. This time was much worse in a lot of ways.

I felt it again felt like a panic attack and to me the change in my physiology was really noticeable. The noticeable dip in my mood – very sudden from feeling fine to feeling a little bit irritable and then withdrawn with some anxiety – and wanting to be reassured but also being a little aggressive in communication almost like trying to find a fight, then a change in breathing and heart rate and then plunge into dark thoughts and sobbing.

When I went to see the doctor on Monday my mood was still swinging up and down and I just felt crazy so I mentioend to him the doxy and he dismissed this without even asking a question about when or how much I'd taken.

I ask to be referred to a psychiatrist as I do get that I may have underlying issues and these mood swings were so bad and so strong and so by the time Wednesday came with my in and out moods I had convinced myself it was probably to do with my childhood and the difficult heart stuff and repressing how I really feel

Whilst I do have my fair share of childhood stuff and issues of the heart I think I’ve become so self aware and so careful with myself and I think I talk to my inner child so much and check that I am okay with things and I deal with things really well. so this has all come as a bit of nasty shock as I thought I was okay with everything. In fact I know I’m okay with everything as I write this.

But during these mood swings I am definitely not okay. I do not feel like myself. I become convinced that I have been lying to myself about being okay, that I have never been okay that I am mentally ill and that is why I am having mood swings and I start really analyzing everything and linking everything back to the past and trying to make links with things that are happening today and things that happened in the past. I haven’t had any change in my heart situation that this could be a reaction to, its remained the same for a number of months and I don’t have a problem with it but when I have this mood swing I blame that situation and my childhood together. I start wanting to blame people. I start thinking I have two personalities and I just start trying to find reasons and I have no idea what I feel, who I am or what I want, if I’m telling the truth of if I’ve ever told the truth. I start doubting everything and everyone. My head hurts, I get in a state of confusion and I become a little mean to people. I start trying to blame events and situations, anything I can find. It’s an absolute nightmare. Then I get confused about what I have and haven’t said and agitated that I need to say more to make myself understood. I might be stable for hours or even a day but it happens very suddenly and it’s a really physical sensation, first the dip in mood, the irritability, the breathing will change, I will feel anxious and can really feel my heart beating, like when you are really scared about something – that fight or flight feelings. I then get a really strong sense of insecurity and nervousness and will become really awkward at communication and almost aggressive and rude in my communications and then rueful.

The crazy thing is my mood is just absolutely all over the place in a way it has never ever been before, even in my days of deepest darkest moments when everything in life sucked and people were horrid to me. I don’t understand why I would, after all my years of learning how to deal with this and cope with this be even worse when my situation is so much better. It just doesn’t feel like its actually real. I don’t feel like anything I’ve said when I’ve been in these moods is actually a true reflection of how I feel when I am out of the swing.

Then I come back to feeling more like a version of myself but not quite and then I swing again very quickly and go from very hyper and laughing to almost the polar opposite in a very short space of time.

This is the first time in a week that I’ve felt like I am completely normal again. Right now I feel very calm and grounded and rational like I have been feeling for a very long time and I feel very clear in my head that I am completely fine and this is a reaction to some chemicals in my body affecting my mood rather than a psychological issue.

I am fully prepared for another full scale attack of mood swings and totally losing the plot again though.

I am lucky in that I have a good friend who called a doctor friend of his in the US and the first thing the doctor friend said when asked about Doxycline was 'don't tell me, you know someone who's had anxiety attacks and suicidal reactions'. According to this doctor this is VERY common and very well documented. There should be no lasting effects or permanent damage and now the doxy is out of my system I should not be experiencing these moods swings.

HOWEVER - he thins that because I have a history of depression due to my childhood issues the doxy has basically destabilised me and driven me to the edge again.

I did some really lengthy research because I really feel like this is a brain chemistry issue rather than a psychology issue and knowing I've dealt with everything and I just don't get why these issues would re-arise. I'm going to go get some therapy no matter what but I just wanted to know the brain chemistry.

Obviously if my GP doesnt even recognise that doxy can have this affect there is going to be no interest in helping me figure this out so I will figure it out myself.

From what I can understand Doxy decreases some amino acids in the brain which is important as simply put, amino acids get converted into neurotransmitters which play a critical role in your brain. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals which help your brain cells 'talk' to each other. Low levels of certain neurotransmitters have been associated with depression and anxiety.

I feel like I am 'back' from the Doxy but to be honest, I have no idea what it has done to my brain and I doubt there has been that much research into it...if so why on earth would they prescribe a drug that does this to people?
Particularly people who have a history of depression.

I am going to try taking amino acids to see if that helps - it can't hurt.

If anyone else is going through the same thing please get in touch and let me know!
This site totally helped me!! Thank you everyone who has posted on it. It really makes a huge difference to know that there are other people out there going through the same thing. I have felt like I am absolutely crazy! Thank you so much :-)

I have only been on Nuvaring for about 9 months now, but I can not handle this any more. Since I have been on the ring, my periods have actually become more regular and shorter - yay - my problem is that since I started using it, I have been experiencing cyclic emotions, severe leg and foot cramps, almost constant sinus infections, and severe headaches.
The week before I remove the ring, I am a complete and total basketcase, thinking everyone hates me (including family and friends) and I almost constantly cry for no reason at all. The rest of the time, I am fine. I talked to the doctor and he told me it is not the ring and put me on an anti-depressant. Two months later, I talk to him again and he ups the dose on the anti-depressant and tells me I need professional counseling. I went, an was told these cyclic symptoms seem to be more hormonally related since it is at the same time every month.
After about the first month of use, I started getting HORRIBLE leg and foot cramps at night. I have had my potassium tested, it's fine, I was sent to a podiatrist who put me in leg and foot braces to sleep (which cost a bundle and did not help!) I have added additional potassium to vitamins and started drinking 64 oz of water a day (even put a bar of soap at the foot of the bed and a knife under the bed!!! I was willing to try anything). Still having problems.
As for the sinus infections, they have been almost constant, which previously I rarely got, but since starting the ring I am almost constantly have. Same with headaches!!! I REALLY don't get it.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that EVERY time my fiancee and I have intercourse I have to check to make sure it is still there?!? The first time I lost it, I got a call from him later in the day telling me I had lost my "braclet" (he had no idea about the ring). I didn't worry because it was the day to remove it anyway. As time has progressed, the ring will either end up in the bed or on him (!?!). I could understand if we were doing something odd, but we are pretty "normal."

I have now changed to a different doctor who told me I am not crazy, he has had other similar complaints about the ring, and is putting me on Depo, which I used several years ago with no problem). Three days and counting...

I started using the NuvaRing in 2003. I am still on it and now really having second thoughts. When I started usign the nuvaring I was already taking the anti-depressant Lexapro (not sure if it's spelled correctly). Since I started taking both of the medications around the same time, I could not decipher which symptom went with what medication. I was experiencing numbness in my face, hands and legs. I was also very fatigued, had a candida related rash for 6 months, and gained weight.

Yet, through these symptoms my period was easy, painless, and short. So I quickly assumed it was all related to my anti-depressant. My doctor prescribed me Prozac and most of the symptoms I had been experiencing went away. But for the next four years I had numbness in my face and hands the week after my period, the first week I had a new ring in. During that week my doctor prescribed me to double the amount of prozac and it cured most of the numbness and nausea. Yet taking more prozac seemed to really affect my short term memory.

Last November 2008, I decided to ween myself off of the anti-depressant. By January I was totally off of Prozac. It is now February 16th 2009 and it is the week after period and just got a new ring. Today I am experiencing major numbness in my face, hands, and legs. I am having terrible headaches, vision problems and have no energy. After reading all the posts tonight I realized that all these years I have been on the Nuvaring I have mistaken its side-effects for other medications side-effects. I am really trying to cleanse my body of medication b/c my stress level and lifestyle has changed.

I want to go to the doctor and discuss other alternatives since I feel terrible and have been on this for so long. If I hadn't had gone off the other medications I never would have associated my symptoms with the NuvaRing. But now it all makes sense.