Changes in my life symptoms and conditions

You have no idea how happy I was when I found this site. I went through a TERRIBLE experience with NuvaRing for almost four months. And for me, it progressively got worse...which made it harder to pinpoint what was going on with me.

In June, I went to my annual checkup and just asked my doc what my other options were regarding birth control. There was nothing really wrong with the current one I was on...I just was interested in hearing what else was out there. He mentioned the NuvaRing and I was intrigued by the convenience of it so I decided to give it a shot.

Everything seemed fine at first. But it was hard to tell because I was going through some changes in my life and had a sinus infection the first week...so that overshadowed anything I may have normally noticed in a switch. So, I was loving the convenience of not having to worry about a pill each day and just going about my business.

As I mentioned, I was going through some changes and had a lot on my mind, but then I started to notice how I would dwell on the negative things. And by dwell, I mean they were starting to consume me. It was all I could think about. I started questioning my friendships and my marriage...and I have WONDERFUL friends and an AMAZING husband...the thought of this now is absurd to me.

I found myself getting upset at the drop of a hat. I was extremely sensitive to anything slightly off that my husband would say. Toward the end of this, I was crying pretty much every day. And I kept saying, "I don't know what's wrong with me...I'm trying to get over this, but I don't know what's wrong." Which caused me to be even more confused and contributed to more sadness.

I am a person who loves working out. Many days, I was so tired and unmotivated...all I wanted to do was lay around and watch TV. I also now realize that the reason I was feeling short of breath and anxious was because of the ring. One thing that really scares me...there was a point where my hand felt asleep/numb and it lasted for two full days. After reading other posts, I'm thinking it might have all been related. Truly scary. I also experienced the dryness and itching as well. Horrible.

I really feel sorry for anyone who has had this type of experience. To question your relationships, to put the people you love most through this...it was a really sad time for me. I feel for any of you that have had to deal with this.

For reference: I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen for probably 6-7 years, and then Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for the few years before the ring. I really had no issues with either. I thought this was supposed to have even lower hormone levels, so I thought it would be fine. Not the case.

Please pay attention and if you experience symptoms like many reported on this site, take it out! I took it out before bed, once I realized it might be the problem...and I felt way better even the next morning. It's now been a week and I haven't cried since. :) Good sign. I feel like myself again.

Good luck to you, ladies. :)

I had the Mirena put in 2 1/2 years ago. About six months after having my first child. At first I bleed for a month straight. It was painful to have it put in but I'm usually a wimp with that type of stuff. After the first month my periods become lighter and then not at all. At first it seemed virtually unnoticeable. But my boyfriend starting saying he could feel something poking him during sex. I also do have the worst back pain that seemed to start after having the Mirena put in. I also have acne, stomach flutters, and nausea.I also experienced anxiety and panic attacks. However, I think they were associated with my job because once I left that job my anxiety decreased. I don't know if any of these symptoms have to do with Mirena but they aren't really that bothersome. Well the back is but it's mostly in the upper back and neck area and I think it has to do with stress. I do fight with my boyfriend a lot. But unlike many others have said I don't experience rage or yell at him for no good reason. We fight cause he is a lazy jerk and that's that. LOL So all in all my experience has been pleasant but have something foreign inside of me scares me. Like many others have said, I think it's important to take all factors into account. We all get a little crazy and stressed out. :)

I'm 17 years old and I started nuvaring in October 2008. It didn't occur to me that I wasn't myself until February 2009, and I honestly believed I was going crazy. I became so anxious and depressed about everything, especially my loved ones. My boyfriend is my best friend and my biggest support alongside my parents. I've been reevaluating every friendship/relationship i've been in. I've lost interest in my hobbies and passions. I've felt indifferent about everything, not to mention I have absolutely no sex drive. And I'm devastated that I did not enjoy my senior year of high school. I didn't think about the nuvaring until 2 weeks ago. I came on this website and read all of the stories of depression, mood swings, anxiety, etc. You have no idea how relieved I felt. I took out the ring on Saturday as usual and got my period today. However, I will not be continuing nuvaring. I still feel anxious, irritable, and I'm even second guessing that the ring is the cause, however I very much hope that it is and that I feel like my carefree outgoing self again soon. I'm angry that I didn't make the connection sooner because it made my senior year very upsetting and has slowly been hurting my friendship/relationship with my boyfriend.

I've been on Paxil for the last year and every so often I check around on the web to see if anyone has anything GOOD to say about this medication ;-)
For a change I thought I'd throw in my input too to help anyone who may be contemplating using this drug.

I have to say that I think paroxetine hydrochloride (Paxil's generic name) is really a wonder drug in the sense that it completely re-balanced my neurotransmitter chaos and intense panic attacks I experienced last year when I was completing my PhD. Yes, there were changes in my life and my body--easier to gain weight, delayed orgasm/climax (but honestly I would say I have an increase in sex drive, not a decrease), occasional tingling in my fingers or some tension in my jaw, and those absolutely psychedelic dreams. But all in all it's really all positive, not negative. I've experienced a lot more pleasure in my life, calm, mellowness. I have more space around things that used to really bother me intensely. I no longer obsess about this and that. And together with acupuncture, massage, exercise (hot yoga is great), good therapy sessions, and a total restructuring of the way I approach my life, I feel quite confident to come off the drug now.

For those of you worried about withdrawal, you should get the book "The Antidepressant Solution" by Joseph Glenmullen, which is a very clear, methodical guidebook to coming off these powerful medications. His point, as a neurologist and psychiatrist, is that basically our bodies wonderfully adjust to the influx in serotonin by calibrating to the new chemical balance in our blood-- and this takes time--usually a month, for us to biologically come up with the exact "mix" appropriate to our own body. The Paxil starts working the day you take it, but it doesn't produce the desired effect until your body has balanced it out and integrated it.

And the same is true when you withdraw, because your body has to gently adjust again. For reference, I'm down to 5mg from my original 20mg and I feel great. I have had no side effects in withdrawal except for sleepiness and wild dreams, and maybe a touch of dizziness here and there, but I understand these all to be side-effects, and so I'm just gentle with myself and take my time-- I'm tapering off the drug over the course of four-five months, by the way.... The people who complain of all the zaps and the crazy horrifying withdrawal symptoms are people who don't do the tapering gradually enough and don't realize the mechanics going on in their bodies. Stopping cold turkey is never a good idea-- It's like attempting to run a marathon without building up your body first or even stretching.

Your body needs to adjust to the new chemistry bit by bit-- that's all. So long as you observe this and listen to your body every step of the way, I think Paxil is a very trustworthy and friendly tool to integrate into your therapy regarding anxiety, depression and panic. But it's just a tool, and that cannot be stressed enough.

I started using nuvaring 3 weeks ago. I have had no negative changes in my life... actually some positive one but I am an emotional wreck. I have contemplated suicide everyday for the last 2 weeks. My mom, sister, and friends have spent the night at my house bc I have been in such bad shape. I have had periodic bout of depression but nothing like this esp. Without any cause. I am removing the ring after I finish this post.

One thing I find interesting, I used the ring about 5 or 6 years ago without any problems. I was 26 or 27 at the time. I am 32 now. Really makes me wonder what age has 2 do with emotional side effects as it seems many other younger posters here don't complain of nearly the side effects those of us with a few years under our belt do. :)

I also had weight gain, big time increase in appetite, dryness\burning burn sex and foreplay. Also some headache and fatigue... but those maybe coincidence.

I had Mirena installed :) in March of 08 and did a lot of research prior. I was very nervous because there was a lot of bad feedback on the internet about it but didn't have any other options for BC because I had high blood pressure and was told that was from the pill. So I survived the unbearable pain of inserting it - FYI you need more than Advil and everything was fine. I noticed for the last year I am constantly moody, depressed and anxious but thought that was the changes in my life that had occurred. It wasn't until 2 weeks ago - I suffered from severe migraines, neck pain, pins and needle numbness and cloudiness in my thoughts that I started to question what was wrong with me. I have also grown 2 pant sizes since the insertion but again didn't put things together until I went to the doctor for my 'headaches' and he passed them off as migraines which I never had before. Oh and my blood pressure is still high - and I take a med for that to lower it. I have been researching and researching what could be wrong- MS, pregnancy, lime and lupus and the only thing that fits like a glove is the Mirena. I just don't get why it took so long to have side effects but think its time to take it out. Any feedback on others side effects is much appreciated because I don't know what to do but can't live like this. And I don't know what other options for BC are out there now...

WOW!!!! Omg.. I am so glad I recently got off Nuvaring. I recently moved and had several changes in my life, so I wouldn't be able to get more Nuvarings for a while.. I had one left and was going to use it, but after some reading online, I decided to not use that last one and to go off of it and see what happens. After reading all your comments online, I FINALLY understand what's been going on! omg and I thought I didn't really have any side effects...didn't think that my behavior and body changes related to NR. Now I know! I feel pretty sure it's because of NR, as it feels like it all makes sense now!
So, I have been using NR for about 2 years. The first month was awful, as I was bleeding pretty much all the time, and I saw a doctor about it and decided to see what happens with the next ring, we decided if it didn't get better after the second cycle started to check again and maybe go off of it, after given it some more time as it sometimes takes a while for the body to got used to it. As soon as I started the next cycle and put the second ring in, it was great and felt normal and like everything got stable. My periods we lighter and exactly on time, every month, now for the past 2 years. I've felt it's worked great, and I thought that I wasn't really affected by Nuvaring..until now!! I'm so mad I didn't realize earlier that NR may have been causing all my problems! Although I am glad that I have now stopped it and discovered all these people having similar problems and I feel like I finally have found the reason.
I thought NR was great for me until now I realize that my weight gains and emotional craziness sometimes was probably caused by it. Being sad and angry and pissed off without any big reason, tired and feeling like I don't want to do anything, weak sometimes, just pretty much instable. I thought all of this was related to various sad things happening in my life, and probably it was too, but some of my behavior should not be happening and now I understand what might have caused it.
Regarding the weight gain, I have for many years been able to eat pretty much anything and not gain weight, being about 5'6-5'7 and weighing about 57 kilos (about 125 pounds), I suddenly started gaining weight for the past few years, and not being able to lose to much, it's been soo annoying!! I thought it was because I was getting older and my body was changing (I'm 25), but maybe it was NR causing it. Recently I need to watch what I eat all the time, I am often bloated, and I feel like my clothes get tighter and tighter all the time, I can't even wear some of the clothes that I bought a few months or a year ago! Aaahhh!! It finally makes sense!! Thank you to all of you writing about your experiences online. I am so glad to have found so many people with the same symptoms. I thought for so long that I wasn't having any side effects, but apparently I did, without realizing that it was caused by Nuvaring!! Ah....
However, everyone is different, so it might work great for you. I thought it was a great BC for me, but now I realize it very likely that NR caused my problems. I can't believe I didn't realize this earlier, but I'm so happy I now know and have stayed off it. At first I was worried going off of it, as I didn't know what side effects I would have going off something I have been on for 2 years, but so far it's been about 2 weeks without it and nothing major has happened. I hope my periods won't go back to being really painful and heavy though. I had my week off and just didn't start a new cycle putting a new ring in.
Considering all these side effects I think probably were caused by Nuvaring (again, I haven't gotten it confirmed by a doctor, but it makes so much sense now that I think about the last 2 years of behavior changes and most of all the weight changes, as so many of you described as well), I now know NR is not for me..At least not now. It's been very convenient to just think about it twice a month, and it's been great for protecting against pregnancy, but I don't want to deal with all these side effects and I can't wait to see if all these symptoms will go away. I feel like I'm repeating myself but I'm soo glad to now understand and think "ooooooohhh" that's why :)
Again, everyone if different, so it might be work great for you. If you are experiencing similar side effects, please consider going off it. If you're on NR and feel great, that's great! It can be a great BC. Good luck everyone!

I love my NuvaRing. But don't get me wrong, I have had severe side affects (vaginal swelling tenderness, chronic yeast infections, Vaginitis, painful sex, gas, bloating, fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, no sex drive, engorged breasts, clear skin, leg cramping, you name it I have probably had it) with it some of the effects are just normal for birth control or my not so perfect lifestyle). I have been on NuvaRing for 2 and a half years. I have had many drastic changes in my life while on the medication. I will not blame it on the Ring, but I won't say it was something else.
I loved the NuvaRing when I first got on it. It was strictly for BC, not to regulate my cycle or bypass cramping or anything else. The first year I was on it, I was a sophomore in college. My stress level was normal for a college student on scholarship, I was anxious and sleepless even before starting the NuvaRing. So when I started it, I remained the same. The first few months were fine. After a while, I began to get easily irritated and snapped easily. Again I was a college student, handling more than I should have. I had 18 hrs. in courses, a full time job, and a part-time job. So I just thought it was me, it couldn't have been my BC. Again sleepless and anxiety were a way of life.
I have always struggled with weight. I'll admit I was 198 lbs. when I started NuvaRing. I am slightly ashamed to admit that I now weigh 255 lbs. Granted: I have poor eating habits and exercise for me is walking to my car.
But this year something changed. I graduated college (cum laude) and started my career. I don't feel the stress of college anymore and I thought I would have no anxiety, my sleeplessness would dissipate, my patience back, and frankly would return to what was normal for me
Now for some of the negativity.
My parents have noticed my irritability and my weight gain. (who hasn't its pretty obvious). They never said anything, until I one day just couldn't take it anymore. I yelled at my parents (I have never done anything like that before) and I cried all night. The next day, my boyfriend called and I for some odd reason did not want to talk to him, yelled at him, and hung up. Not really a nice way to treat someone you love so dearly.
I have been short tempered and honestly don't see why anyone puts up with me. After I yell at people (the anxiety and short temper) I always feel so bad and end up crying for hours. Even the little things will make me cry. I was always an emotional basket case, but I was never a crier. I now cry for no apparent reason at everything.
Because of my gift of forgetfulness: a few months ago (5 to be exact) I forgot to take my ring out for the one week. I put it in a week late. Ever since then my body has been out of whack. I have suffered major depression. I struggle to get out of bed in the mornings. I can't wait to get off work to come home and crawl back into bed. Not exactly the thoughts for a new college graduate doing her dream job. Some days my depression will control my life. Other days I feel like a normal person. If you ask anyone who knows me typically; I am a fun loving easy going patient person. I mean I gotta be: I became a special ed teacher. Lately I have suicide thoughts, as I lay awake for hours.When I fall asleep, I feel I could sleep for days. I attempt to get 8 hours of sleep a night, but usually end up with 2 maybe 3. Then there are days I will sleep all night, come home from work and go to bed at 4pm and sleep all night again.
I also have noticed that I crave food 24-7. I kept attributing it to my way of coping with everyday stress and my eating my emotions (emotional basket case, I know) I feel like I am constantly starving.
Why is it now that something has changed so dramatically. It is just me and my chaotic emotional basket case life or is it something directly linked to my method of BC? I have no honest idea, but I feel much better knowing that others out there have had great experiences with NuvaRing, and something then goes wonky. (for lack of a better word).

Does anyone know if maybe they changed the formula or something?

I had my Mirena put in Feb 08. I heard wonderful things about it from other women I know who have it. So, I gave it a shot. Wow. I had wonderfully clear skin before the Mirena. Now it is so embarrassing. I get huge pimples all over my chest, my neck, and my face. They are so painful. I have spent so much money on face cleaners and what-not and nothing has worked. Within a week after getting the Mirena put it, I was in the ER for unbearable pelvic pain. I had developed large cysts on both of my ovaries. It was awful.I still get the lovely sharp pains in my pelvic region that will at times make me double over. My periods last a full week now and I can have 2 periods a month (everyone who has it told me they don't even get periods anymore...what gives?). My breasts get so tender that any touch sends me through the roof and outing on and taking off my bra is so painful. And the WEIGHT GAIN. I had just 40 lbs of pregnancy weight and finally started feeling good about myself again. I get the Mirena and I have gained 15 lbs. I am bloated and disgusting. I look 4-5 months pregnant. I feel horrible. I have no health insurance right now and I don't have enough money to pay out of pocket to get the Mirena removed. As soon as I get back on track, I am definitely getting this removed. I can't stand what has happened to me. I look and feel utterly disgusting. :(

I have been on the NuvaRing or 7 years. The first year after I started using it I told my doctor I had no desire to have sex. She put it off on changes in my life and said I should plan a romantic evening. Year after year I continued telling her how may sex drive was low to none and it was causing very serious problems in my relationship she gave me brochures and said I may need counseling
I stopped using the ring last month and notice my sex drive coming back after 3 weeks. I didn't think anything about it until I mentioned it to my BFF and she suggested we search the web for the side effects of the ring and we came across this site.

After reading I wasn't the only one with the problem and the problems was probably caused by the ring. I became very upset with my doctor because if I am reading all of these posting about little to no sex drive after using the ring I am sure my doctor has heard the complaint also. I am due to speak with her next week about this.
Other than no desire to have sex the ring was Great I love it. It was very convenient. When I did force myself to have sex there were no problems with it.
Who knows maybe the loss of sexual desire is the birth control...

I'm in my early 30s. Prior to Yasmin, I had migraines 1-2 a year (each episode lasted a max of 5 hours). 5 months after Yasmin, my headaches occurred 1-2 A MONTH and lasted 1-3 DAYS!!! In addition, prior to Yasmin (while I was at my heaviest, not exercising, & not watching what I ate), my cholesterol was 181 & my triglycerides (?sp?) were 91. After about a year and a half on Yasmin (and exercising regularly, being 20 lbs lighter, & eater healthier), my cholesterol shot up to 256 & my triglycerides skyrocketed to 262!!! After reading info online, I decided there may be a connection to Yasmin & my cholesterol & migraines - there haven't been other changes in my life. So, this weekend, I decided to stop Yasmin cold turkey. I'll retest my cholesterol in 3 months & post the results. Has anyone else experienced a rise in cholesterol &/or triglycerides on Yasmin?

hello all, i've been reading your stories and feel i need to write mine too. i started taking Yasmin about 4 months ago. and i really do not know what to think. i haven't put any weigh on or got acne (which were my worries) and my periods got very light and completely pain-free. i did have constant but mild headaches (which i never have) and my sex drive has gone down (never had any problem before). more importantly, emotionally i am feeling terrible. i cry non-stop and i feel totally unstable. I am going through a lot of changes in my life (change career, country, new relationship, etc) so i thought i could be just that i am feeling stressed. but i think this is more than that. my anxiety has rocketed, I never felt like this before, I have racing thoughts almost constantly, panic attacks, and something that i think it's called 'depersonalization' - has anyone got anything like this? it feels like you're looking from outside yourself, if that makes any sense...not nice at all.
as I have a tendency to feel anxious anyway I really don't know whether the pill is causing this or not, but i feel i am going mad. as i read the postings i became more worried that it might be Yasmin
i went to the doctor who suggested to carry on for a few more months to see if the symptoms go away. i followed his advice (as those days i was feeling surprisingly well, and was optimistic about it) but i am still very concerned.
also, has anyone had a really bad depression/anxiety attack when taking antibiotics + yasmin? i could have killed myself that day. felt better when i stopped taking the antibiotics.
again, is it my mind...? or is it Yasmin...?
any comments would be really great

This is by far the worst pill I have ever taken. Before Yaz I was on Nordette, Ortho Tri cyclen and Alesse. I saw the commercials and got sucked into trying this pill. All I can say is proceed with caution. I ended up taking this pill for the unhappiness 8 months of my entire life. I had problems with other pills causing weight gain (Nordette, Ortho Tri cyclen) or acne (Alesse). However, those symptoms are mild compared to what Yaz inflicted on me.

I have always been described as happy go lucky and Yaz gave me extreme moodiness, panic attacks about my future and life, and major depression. I did have the best skin of my life and lost about 5 lbs but I was an emotional MESS! I would cry at the drop of a hat and find fault in everyone and everything. This symptom didn't start right away but each month I was on Yaz got worse. My friends coined my "alter ego" "she devil." I almost felt possessed at times on this pill. I finally realized it was the pill and not life causing these problems when 3 of my girlfriends had the same problems and got off and the problems went away.

Prior to having this experience I thought people tried to blame too much on the pill but my experience showed me just how much these can mess with your body. I switched back to Alesse 5 days ago and it's like I am a different person--even my skeptical boyfriend noticed the change. As for the acne, I am going to go to a dermatologist to address that. I will be happy to have a few zits as opposed to being a crazy woman.

Proceed with caution on this pill and watch your moods carefully. Just because you've been on it for a few months doesn't mean you're safe. The majority of my emotional disorder started about 5 months in. I do have some girlfriends that like this but most have found it to bring out "she devil".

I have been on this pill for 11 months now and it has almost gotten to the point of ruining my life. I've experienced weird symptoms and I thought it was just from some mild changes in my life (just graduated from college, moved away from home, got my first job). But now that I have read all of these comments, I realize that ever weird symptom was from this pill! I have a non-existent sex drive (which almost ruined my engagement to my fiance), I've experience weird hives on my legs, arms, hands and feet. I'm constantly tired. I can concentrate (which has been detrimental to my home and work life). I've gained 11 lbs in 2 months. Hair loss, which is super scary for a 22 year old! I was taking a shower one day, washing my hair, and 2 big clumps of hair just fell out. I was scared to death. I've even experienced an increased heart rate. The scariest time was when I woke up one morning, had a horrible migraine, and my heart was racing. I took a shower and collapsed shortly afterwards. I was rushed to the ER and they did a TON of tests: cat scans, xrays, blood test. All the test results came back normal. I am convinced now, after reading these posts, that it was due to Yasmin! I've never experienced these symptoms on other birth control pills that I've taken. I am stopping this pill immediately & I am looking forward to starting my life, back on track again.

The worst part is that these symptoms that thousands of womens have experienced these symptoms & it is not warned on the label or website of Yasmin! The only side effects they list are the normal ones that are experienced with other BC pills: Headaches, Nausea, Bloating, Bleeding between periods, Breast tenderness, etc.. BUT NOTHING as severe as what we have experienced!

Is there a class action suit against Yasmin? I mean, for all the doctor's visits, ER visit, vitamins, how it has hurt my relationships, work-life & home-life, extra hours of exercising, many months of weight watcher membership fees, the list goes on and on.... I should be reimbursed for this! I could not afford to live like this any longer.

I miss me...WB has turned me into a zombie and I'm more depressed than before. I've only been on it for 5 days, but I don't think I want to see if it works out after reading these posts. One of my major complaints about WB are the constant hallucinations. While mild they make me anxious, agitated and a little paranoid. I don't have much in the way of visual hallucinations, mostly hearing sounds and perceiving them to be threats and smelling odd smells that don't exist. I'm also emotionally "flat", have no interest in anything and I'm shaky and feel very cold most of the time. And I've never had anger issues before, but now I don't trust myself around anyone. I just want to be alone. I was told this medication would work for Seasonal Depression and help me to quit smoking, but right now I miss how I normally feel. Has anyone else had hallucinations? Do they go away or should I quit taking WB right away? It doesn't make sense to suffer for a full month when my seasonal depression only lasts for 4 months anyway - does it make sense to hang in there and see what happens? After reading these postings, if WB doesn't work for me, I'll go back to being un-medicated. It doesn't seem so bad now.

I'm taking generic 100mg SR twice a day. After only 5 days, do I have to worry about withdrawals if I quit?

Im solidly into my third week in my third month on Yasmin. With each passing month the mood swings and PMS get more extreme (week three is nearly impossible- my bfriend and I have simply become accustomed to dreading it). I've never felt so withdrawn from myself and others- its almost as if Ive had a perpetual inner shadow since day one. It JUST finally clicked after a friend of mine mentioned that 4 days after dropping Yasmin she's already 90% happier. Go figure. I too have had acne on the lower chin area of my face and have gain a few pounds. Nothing significant, but a woman knows when she gains weight and isnt eating more. Ive always been stable and happy and lately Ive found other things to blame for all the drastic changes in my life- I just trashed the last half of the packet...let the good times roll.