Sexual side effects symptoms and conditions

Loestrin 24 Fe has been nothing but a nightmare for me. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for about a year (originally prescribed for a sudden, random outbreak of HORRIBLE chin acne), and started noticing depression, mood swings, very heavy periods, and severe stomachaches and indigestion problems about nine months into it. I had to switch doctors in order to get off of it...I was seeing a male doctor who thought that my side effects were "in my head" and wanted me to take 5000 blood tests before he'd switch my prescription. My new doctor prescribed Loestrin 24 Fe during my first visit with her.

The first month of my new pill was great; no mood swings, no depression, no issues...I even dropped five pounds, even though the Ortho hadn't given me a problem with weight gain. I didn't get my period until the second day of the new pill pack though, and it was VERY light. I took a pregnancy test that came out negative, even though my husband and I had used back-up methods the first month of the pills to be safe. One week into the second month of my Loestrin pills, everything went crazy. It's been three weeks and not only is my chin AND my forehead completely broken out, but my hair is falling out in clumps when I wash or brush it, I am completely depressed and unhappy with life, I am exhausted beyond belief, AND I have gained a total of TWELVE POUNDS. I am a very physically fit girl...I eat right, I have always had a very fast metabolism, I have been a size 0/1 for years, I work all day and am on the go all day and all evening...and now I am twelve pounds heavier in three weeks and have jumped to a size 4/5. None of my work clothes fit me anymore, and I feel awful. I have taken seven home pregnancy tests just to be sure and have even gone in to the doctor for a professional test, but everything has come out negative.

I am apparently switching to another pill (or whatever will work) today; I'm waiting for my doctor to call and discuss my options as I type this. Ladies, if your doctor suggests this stuff, please take my advice and DON'T try it. It has been nothing but hell for me over the past several weeks. Save yourself the time, money, aggravation, and lost pounds and stay away from Loestrin.

Okay Ladies! I haven't been on BC for 15 years because I didn't want to deal with the side effects or popping a pill, however this little ring I am not so sure of. My side effects are as follows and are due to the ring. I have been on it exactly 2 weeks and 1 day. I have had:

ACNE on the face!!! I have great skin....now I have small acne rashes from ear to ear-forehead to chin! Unbelievable- that start within the first week!
Constant Nausea (mild-not enough to vomit)
Dizziness
cramping
Lack of motivation (yes getting up at 415 to go workout sucks, but I do it and the past few days I haven't wanted to)
Tiredness
Appetite changes....food doesn't interest me.
Some sexual side effects...lack of libo.

I am a healthy 34 yr old sexually active woman- I love working out- there is not a reason I can think of other than this ring for these changes to have started.

Its coming out this afternoon....I should have just stayed off of it!

The first time I took Zoloft, it was a brand new drug with a high price tag and people were just beginning to talk about depression--openly. I had a positive experience with it. I have PTSD and severe depression due to trauma as a child and later from an abusive husband. I had a major depressive episode shortly after the birth of my 2nd child, exasperated by postpartum depression and thyroid storm. I became suicidal at a time when I seemingly had all I ever wanted. It saved my life in that regard.

I had stubborn baby weight that needed to come off. Also, I tend to be an emotional eater. Zoloft helped curb my emotional eating and I lost weight. Some people say overeating or eating disorders are akin to OCD behavior, both anxiety based, so in that way it makes sense. When Lithium was added, then changed to Depakote, I had a tremendous weight gain--I was PUFFY! At that time Bi-Polar was the flavor of the month--not that it isn't real--it just seemed that at the time, everyone was BiPolar. I later went off all meds and was OK for about 3 years when the ugly beast reared its head again.

Zoloft at one point both saved and ruined my life. The first time on Zoloft as a young wife and mother I think the verdict was still not out with all the side effects. I was unable to engage in sex. Not only did I not have any sexual urge but my body couldn't. I talked to a therapist and psychiatrist to no avail--it was MY problem--that the birth of a child brought up abuse issues--men are the only ones with sexual side effects! After being sexually NORMAL my husband and I were told that it was psychological. That didn't do a lot for our relationship. It also made me more distant and quiet. The new Me-on-Zoloft was like my repressed alter ego. The new me was all the more reason to need to stay on meds--just see how depressed and troubled I am. My husband and I divorced due to bad medicine and I didn't know any better. Had all the information been out there at the time, things could have been different.

I went back on Zoloft with mixed results. As a creative writing major at the university, it was like someone flipped a switch and all creativity left me. I found it increasingly difficult to concentrate and recall information for discussion or tests. I was however , more focused in the mundane--dinner, dishes, laundry, regular exercise, all the routine stuff. The anxiety before going back on zoloft made me want to rip my hair out and I was overwhelmed by everyday stuff. I would wash a dish and fight the urge to run around the table before washing the next one. Part of that, I think, was the pressure of being a single mom with 3 small children, going to school full-time and working part-time. Whew! and with little support from anyone, no dad in the picture.

Through the years I have been on many other things and this will probably be the pattern for the rest of my life. Paxil made me a suicidal zombie to the point that my kids cried and made me go to the hospital--they didn't know the suicidal ideation at the time. Effexor caused flabby weight gain and myalgia. Last year I went in the hospital again for depression (job loss, 2nd divorce, mother's death & all at once). The psychiatrist talked me into going on Pristiq claiming it was like Effexor but with none of its bad side effects. BS!!! Once again, I was duped and still weigh 33 pounds over what I did. I am AGAIN back on Zoloft and it seems fine. The devil you know is better than the one you don't know--I guess. I haven't been back on it long enough to know what will happen this time but it can't be worse than the other things out there. I'm tired of being the psychiatric community guinea pig. Everyone is different; my best friend gaied 25 lbs. on Zoloft and takes Paxil (I can't), my sister only does well on Welbutrin, my friend's mom has been on Effexor for years and it keeps her sane. You just have to find your fit. My problem has been from the medical community not being forthcoming with information and the reluctance to listen to a 'crazy' patient.

I have been on Seroquel for about a month and a half.
When I first began to experience anxiety, I was given antidepressants starting with Celexa,(didn't work) Zoloft( made me feel worse), and Trazodone(same effects) , along with anti-anxiety medications.Nothing was working, and I ended up with Serotonin syndrome- HORRIBLE experience- did not sleep for a month, and it was as though my "fight or flight" response was on "hyperdrive".

Finally went to a Pdoc instead of a general practitioner,and he took me off what I was on . He put me on 50 mg. of Seroquel in the a.m., and 50 mg. in the p.m. before bedtime. I improved within several days, and have felt like myself for the most part ever since. I am thankful especially to be sleeping! Have gained some weight back, but since the serotonin syndrome caused me to lose 20 pounds in a month and a half, that is good. The first couple of weeks or so I had dry mouth, but that has gone away. There have been no sexual side effects like the ones caused by zoloft- that makes both my husband and myself happy.
Just hope if I continue to exercise and eat right that I won't experience the weight gain everyone is talking about.
My life is extremely stressful right now due to long-term circumstances beyond my control, and this medication is helping me to cope! Besides feeling some mild depression and grief due to those circumstances, I am just thankful to be functioning well again!

I am so glad I found this site. i had the mirena inserted in march of this year. i am having horrible side effects with the mirena. because of this iud my relationship with my amazing boyfriend is completely falling apart. I am angered by him for no reason at all. I make assumptions towards him all the time. I started to realize that i was going crazy when he surprised me with an amazing new car, and all i could do was complain, and treat him like crap. i feel lousy for the way i have been treating him. I have felt that he is the one to blame. I now realize it is the mirena that is making me paranoid, and mean. I am going through a horrible depression, when actually I am a very happy upbeat person. I am tired all the time. I am moody, and I explode a rage of anger on people all the time, from my mother to my coworkers, and my boyfriend. Right now i feel so guilty for not realizing that i have been the problem all along. I also have bad memory loss. which is very unusual for me. I am known for my great memory. My school work suffered because i was sleeping through homework assignments, and class. i am bloated, and swollen every day. I am also gaining alot of weight. at first i was using diet and exercise, but with no results, and weight gain during the diets, I have given up and have been giving into my cravings. for the past month i have thought i was pregnant due to tummy flutters, lack of bleeding, crying a lot, and cravings. after taking a pregnancy test that came out negative i decided to do some research, and found this site. I also have headache, swollen throat, and vomiting. I am a very healthy person so this is also unusual. i am getting acne which has never been a problem, and am also getting back pain. I am calling my doctor in the morning to get this thing removed asap. i can not take these side effects any longer. i just hope that I have not lost my soul mate due to this stupid iud. does anyone know how long it takes for these side effects to stop after removal of mirena? I really just want to be my normal happy self again.

I had my youngest daughter in May 2008 and had the Mirena inserted in August 2008. I have had a period every month (which is unusual for me, I usually get them every 2) but not heavy. They seem to be slowing down now though, about every 5 weeks. I don't have acne problems or weight gain problems (I will gain a pound or so right before my period but that seems to go away pretty quickly after my period) but I have had the sexual side effects. I have no sex drive and have trouble climaxing, which was not usually a problem before. And the mood swings...well, that's just not like me to yell at my kids and my husband but that's what's been happening. I sometimes feel like a different person. That part of it has gotten a little better since my daughter started sleeping better around February, but I still notice mood swings that weren't there before.

Wellbutrin makes my hair fall out and really really angry. I've been screaming and just very irritated. I worry about everything. It helps my pms and ocd thoughts but I don't know if that's worth all this irritability. I notice that I just want to give up all the time because I am so overwhelmed with everything. Lexapro is really good for me but I am overweight and need to lose weight and lexy wouldn't let me do that. My plan is to try and stick it out for a couple of months with wellbutrin and get this weight off and then go back to lex. Lex does not cause me to gain weight, just won't let me lose any weight. I hate my attitude and anxiety and I hate being overweight, I feel like I'm making the right choice at the moment and am eagerly anticipating the day I can drop wellbutrin. I do have to say that without wellbutrin I get crazy mad (ptsd) no sleep crying constantly just really freaked out so it does help a little. And the hairloss isn't too bad, no sexual side effects or headaches, no nausea bad dreams etc...just very angry and sweaty...Thanx for reading :) Lori

I'm trying to determine some sort of pattern based on each woman's experience with different brands (estrogen/progestin levels) of birth control... Recently my gyn prescribed Loestrin 24, I have yet to begin a cycle but am trying to gauge possible side effects.
Generic Ortho-tricyclen: AWFUL!!! Reeked havoc on my emotional stability. Bitchy, moody, impatient, weepy (constantly), and weight gain. I did not notice any sexual side effects though.
Yaz: Better than Ortho... Random periods (heavy one month, non existent the next). Emotionally and sexually I feel fine, but hard to measure after taking Ortho and Cymbalta.

Please share thoughts and experiences

People!In short BIOTIN!
Here's my story... I have had severe hair loss from this med and from other causes. Wellbutrin is now causing me anger severe memory loss and itch all over. I have taken it before several times because it has no sexual side effects but the hair loss is a no can do for me. I didn't know it did that until reading recently these posts. I just switched back to it from zoloft because of weight gain and sexual stuff. What I do know is about hair and that mine is falling out. I also know that I have been working on regrowing mine basically from nothing fore the last two years and that BARNONE BIOTIN is the best thing you can take to regrow your hair healthier and faster from the inside out. It takes about one month to see results. You can get it from CVS! Take the highest dose, twice a day at first and then once a day for maintenance. Two hairdressers told me about it and then I said I should try this. So glad I did, because I have great hair genes like so many here and now they are showing. Now to get off this crap medication!! I've

I had Mirena inserted Nov. 2007 after the birth of my baby girl. I went from an extremely high sex drive to NO DRIVE at all. I had unexpected brain surgery 3 weeks after my daughter was born to remove a tumor, so I thought that I wasn't ready mentally or it was all the medications I was taking, I was never informed on any of these side effects (shame on me for not checking into it more- trust me I paid for my mistake by having my sex drive abolished). Two days ago, I noticed something poking me, upon investigation - The Mirena had completely come out. I discovered this about an hour after having sex!! My husband and I are not ready for a third child so I pray that I am not pregnant. I have yet to read another story where one has actually fallen out, so it must not happen that much. I hope I get my sex drive back and make my husband feel wanted again after a year as I will not be replacing it with another Mirena, I would have never had this inserted had I known there were sexual side effects because a high sex drive or any at all is now very important to me. I am now researching Paraguard, and aside from a regular to heavy period it sounds good to me because it is hormone-free. Aside from no sex drive and it falling out, I did not have any other issues like others have had with hair loss, cramping, etc. We did have the issue of my husband feeling it during sex every once in a while because there is a limit to how short they can cut it. In the beginning I had light spotting every 3 or 4 weeks for several months and then at about 1 year, no period at all. I have had more depression than usual, but we have had a lot going on in the last year so I can not blame the Mirena for that. Aside from the sex drive issues it worked very well for me and had it not fallen out I would never have been reading all these forums and educating myself.

I am so glad I found this site!! I think I've found the culprit of my rashes/welts. It started about 2 or 3 days after starting 100 mg of the generic of Wellbutrin SR but I had taken it before without any side effects (I had taken the brand name med) so I didn't think it would be this. It started with massive itching on the back of my head which turned into welts that ran down my neck. I also had swollen lymph nodes on the back and sides of my neck. Then wherever I itched, I would develop hives and the scratch mark would show up about 2 minutes later and be raised. I still have this problem and I have been taking Wellbutrin SR for about 3-4 weeks. I am so disappointed because it was working for me. I was taking 10 mg of Lexapro but the sexual side effects (or lack thereof) prompted me to ask for an alternative. He prescribed this alongside Lexapro. Even though you're supposed to do what your doctor says, I refuse to add another pharmaceutical to my list of meds so I stopped the Lexapro and started the Wellbutrin (after weening off of Lexapro of course). Anyway, the libido is back but it doesn't work too well if you're itching all over!

Nausea is the only side effect I have noticed after taking 300 mg of Wellbutrin for over three years now. The nausea is worst in the morning, after I take the pill. My stomach feels very acid, like I just drank a pot of coffee with no breakfast. It usually gets better if I eat something, although not always.
For the first few years, I also experienced decreased appetite - no complaints there! I lost weight, but this year I regained it. Not sure if the appetite suppression effect wore off, or if this year has just been really stressful for me.
I also found it impossible to smoke cigarettes - they tasted nasty. Another good side effect for me.
Overall, Wellbutrin has helped me with depression and social anxiety. Best of all, I have absolutely no sexual side effects, unlike with every other antidepressant I have tried.

I have been using the NR for about 2 years now. I absolutely loved it and haven't had any issues with it. No serious side effects. BUT I saw the ad on TV about the lawsuit and it made me put two and two together. And also to research it which has explained some depression and sexual side effects that I have realize I have been having. Most serious is I have been having unexplained heart issues as of the past 3 months and my doctor cannot seem to find a reason. It feels almost as though there is something blocking the blood flow to my heart about 2-3 hours out of the day at random times during diff activities to include just sitting at my desk at work.. It is very concerning and my doctor is even less concerned. I know my body and I know when something is wrong, and something is wrong with my heart/arteries/blood flow. I am 27 yrs old, I do not smoke and i am in good health. No reason for my heart to feel the way it feels and it is SCARY. I finally decided to research the NR to see IF it has anything to do with it and I was shocked to find some of my symptoms associated with the lawsuit being filed. I have put in an inquiry to see what can be done and hopefully get some answers and get my health back to normal.

I never thought that my depression could be linked with my BCP until someone recently suggested it to me. I am simply amazed at the frequency that others have posted symptoms similar to mine. After a traumatic event in 2002, I dealt with depression and took an anti-depressant for about two years, but gradually came off of it. In the spring of 2005 I began taking BC to regulate my menstrual cycle. That summer I was back on anti-depressants. I have coped just fine until recently. I got married 11 months ago and I did not know that some anti-depressants have sexual side effects. (we waited until we were married) My psychiatrist decided to switch me to Wellbutrin. I may as well be taking nothing. Horrible depression. I plan on switching back to my original anti-depressant, but I would like to know if anyone else has had a similar experience. I can't pinpoint if my depression is being caused by the Loestrin 24 Fe or an ineffective anti-depressant. Maybe it is both. Any ideas would be appreciated.
C

I was taking Lexapro for anxiety, but was having sexual side effects. I went to a Psychiatrist, who gave me a few options, and decided to go with Wellbutrin. He started right off the bat on 300mg, and for the first week or so didn't feel too much change. Then, about the beginning of the third week I had terrible nausea and dizziness. I was scared to drive to work some days. I also feel as though I am becoming emotionless, and have a general melancholy feeling. The nausea and dizziness seems to be getting better, but if the sad feeling doesn't subside, I believe that I will discontinue use.
On the bright side, the sex has been great!

I started Wellbutrin in the beginning of December. Someone very close to me passed away and I developed severe anxiety with some depression. I took some control of it with simply taking Ativan, but the doctor insisted I get on something for depression as well. I didn't really understand why I need to take a pill when I was just fine before this event.... but ok, I agreed.

I was prescribed Wellbutrin XL 150 mg. I was optimistic about it. She said it might improve my focus, give me some energy back, had no sexual side effects.

I took it in the morning, and usually with at least something in my stomach. The first 3 days of taking it, I was severely unstable. I think if I didn't have my boyfriend, I would be dead right now. I would cry uncontrollably, for no reason, pace, have terrible anxiety... I remember going through my closet, throwing things around, looking for a belt, throwing a few on the bed and taking one and tightening it around my neck.. I then walked around and was looking for a place to hang myself.. Luckily my boyfriend got home because he had a bad feeling about what was happening with me... otherwise I, to this day, do not know what I would have done.

After the first 3 days... things sort of calmed down... sometimes I would feel "better" in little spurts the first week.

I also had my sex drive for the first 2 weeks and it was good. I still wasn't "happy" but the medication wasn't doing any significant harm.

In the 3rd week, I lost interest in nearly everything. I didn't want to step foot outside. I stopped talking to my family, stopped answering my phone, I would lay in bed for hours, thinking of depressive things. I began eating, a lot. Constantly. Which shocked me since it is supposedly supposed to suppress appetite. I stopped going to school.

In the 4th week, and last, things gradually, and then quite suddenly just went downhill. It started with me becoming very agitated, snapping at everyone. My mental clarity was out the window. When someone said something, it took me a long time to register it, if I ever did. Sometimes my boyfriend would look at me after saying something and I would realize, oh my god, he said something... I really didn't hear/listen anymore. I was brain dead to everything except these horrible thoughts of just wanting to die. As the days progressed in the 4th week, I became more and more depressed. If I had to describe it, I would say it was a mental breakdown. I would cry hysterically over nothing. Absolutely nothing. I couldn't think of a single reason. I would start to cry while brushing my hair, while eating, sitting, watching a movie... I would cry 20 or more times a day. I really wanted to die because I could not bear it anymore. I felt like this was the end and it was going to end.. I wanted to inflict injury on myself, but focused my thoughts on more "permanent" damage -- suicide. I became obsessed with buying a gun. I swear if I had one, I would not be here. I would hit myself, all over my legs, while sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. Days later my boyfriend would ask where the bruises came from because it would be in such a weird area that there was no way i walked into something... and I would tell him I had no idea, and I didn't..... until later I realized it was me, hitting myself.... I felt very depersonalized. I felt unpredictable and I felt that I was not sure what I was going to do next, I was afraid of myself and very paranoid. I lost my appetite and never wanted to eat, thinking of food made me nauseous. I felt sick to my stomach. My anxiety was through the roof. My mind wouldn't stop spinning with thoughts, repetitive... until eventually it lead to another breakdown.

With my luck, it reached it's worst around the new year when everything was closed and I couldn't get a hold of anybody. I desperately called mental emergency facilities but all they said they could do was commit me for at least 72 hours and I didn't want that. I just wanted this to end, NOW, not be trapped in another hell hole. My mental doctor was closed so I tried to see my primary care and he was too afraid to mess with anything and told me to double my ativan dosage (WHAT! Because of Wellbutrin, I went from taking .5 or less mg of ativan a day to taking 2mg or more and still, it barely did anything!), so I went to the ER, and they did nothing, except tell me that the only way to help me would be if I went to a hospital for 72 hours. I said NO. It is ridiculous to allow someone to get this bad, and to not help them immediately, instead leave it up to them, to either be placed in some state run down mental facility or kill themselves that day.

I got a hold of my doctor the next day and she switched it immediately.

I have been on celexa for 3 months now and I love it. i feel so much better and think so clearly. My family is happier and my bouts of depression are very rare. I have not gained any weight or have any sexual side effects. I am on 40 mg. I do however have to take a sleep aid to help me at night.

Ive had really good results with this drug. Ive been happy alert cheerful etc.. like a "normal" person. I was taking it for about a year when Lithium was added to my cocktail and some very bad sexual side effects occurred. Thankfully a touch of real (im not going that here) Wellbutrin eliminated that but right now im off and in the wonderful land of generic budeprion. Im switching back to Effexor ASAP!!!

I was taking Wellbutrin for about 2weeks (i had taken for about 7yrs previously) from Effexor because of sexual side effects. The Welbutrin worked to get rid of that problem and my Dr in the hospital warned me about generic Budeprion, but my regular PA-C said that the 150's were different and made by Glaxo. Huh???? Like an idiot i got the generics and 5 days later I feel like i have no anti-depressant in me. Im having panic like "emotional attacks" where i just cry if I hear or see something that triggers an emotion, sleeplessness (i don't need any more of that), weight loss (what's food and why is my stomach gurgling) and over all lethargy. I hate this drug, its useless beyond belief, I really wonder who got paid at the FDA to pass this one through.

Does anyone know how long does the sexual side effects of Celexa wear off after I stop taking it.

I have been on Celexa about 2 yrs now I am having a hard time dealing with the sexual side effects...I have no problem wanting sex...I am having a problem reaching orgasm...If I had known that this would be a real issue and how serious it is I would have never taken the drug...Please warn all friends and family about the serious sexual side effects of Celexa...I have little to no feeling in my clitoral area...It is so frustrating to me and my partner

I've been taking Zoloft for nearly a month. My sex drive has not decreased but it takes me a very long time to have an orgasm. It is frustrating because my partner and I have always had a very active sex life. Now, I'm hesitant to have sex because it takes too long to have an orgasm. Any suggestions?? Sexually Frustrated

I am a 42 year old healthy man that started getting tired of getting up during meetings every hour and a half to urinate. I went to the doctor and he prescribed Flomax. The frequent urination has improved, but the sexual side effects are awful. I first noticed a significant decrease in ejaculate. No big deal. I refrained from ejaculation for a week and this morning, when I had my orgasm I had zero ejaculate. The flomax is in the trash! I can not fix one thing and totally mess up a really good sex life. I sure hope this will not have any long term effects. I'm just trying to honest!!

I've been on Welbutrin for about six months, along with Zoloft. I had tried it because of the lack of motivation and the lithergy I was feeling (I suspect) as a result of the Zoloft. I came across this site after a search for memory loss connected with Welbutrin. I believe I'm having that problem. I don't seem to have the quick grasp of words I did. In a phone conversation today, I could not remember a certain medical term that I have been using rather frequently over the past six months. There are some other cases, but that incident put me on the trail of memory loss research. I actually suspected that it was the Ambien I had been taking for sleep (I have not completely ruled that drug out). But all the posts here seem to indicate that the welbutrin could be at fault.

I'm on 150mg, twice daily. However, in the morning, I will actually take one and a half pills (225mg) to get me going. I have noticed CONSIDERABLE jitters, hand tremors, enough that if I'm doing delicate work of some type, I have difficulty continuing ti complete the task. At the 225mg, I do seem to become over amped a bit, but it improves my motivation. A St. Johns Wart capsule will usually calm that, but you see the problem of one drug, helping one problem, but causing another, so you take a third! I have tried numerous other antidepressants and they all caused more side effects than they were worth.
Celexa cause an eventual complete lack of ANY motivation! Plus SERIOUS sexual side effects. Zoloft has been the best with the least side effects and I have always returned to it. But the sleepiness can just be extreme with me.

I have run out of Welbutrin and the result is return of the lithergy. I also believe that the Welbutrin may be causing my occasional up tick in anger. Possibly spreading the dosage will help. Not mixing it with caffiene may also help because caffiene can make me explosive if I don't limit my intake to about a cup of coffee. Most of you know that Zoloft, Prozac and the like increase the available seritonin in your brain, a calming neurotransmitter. Welbutrin increases the available norepinephrine, a stimulating neurotransmitter, akin to adrenalin. (Research for yourselves those facts, remember, I posting this because of a problem with MEMORY! :) So it makes perfect sense that people can become overstimulated with Welbutrin. The memory aspects of it, I don't yet understand. I'm going to experiment with dosage reduction and possibly replacing the Welbutrin with the amino acid L-phenylalanine. I hope this little post can help some of you as much as the other posts here have helped me!

Burt

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences- I should have done a search on Nuvaring long ago. I have been using it for almost a year. At first I loved it but now the bouts of itching have become unbearable and embarrassing. No one wants to be caught scratching herself! I have also had lots of watery discharge- my underwear always feels damp. Not comfortable and certainly not helping the itch. I also often have thick white discharge (but smooth and without odor and so not exactly like I understand a yeast infection to be). I say "understand" because I have never had anything remotely like a yeast infection up til now (34), which is another reason that I suspect the ring. My sex drive is also nonexistent, a problem I have had with oral contraceptives too- I feel bad for my husband. I didn't connect it all at first because the itching is external, but then I noticed that I felt better when I took it out for my period and even better still when I stopped using it for three months due to other health issues. I hate to admit it because I loved the convenience of the ring but I took it out an hour ago and think I already feel better. Now I'm wondering if it was the cause of any of my other health issues but will have to wait and see. Can anyone recommend any non hormonal methods of birth control (other than condoms) or at least any oral contraceptives with less sexual side effects?