NuvaRing and anxiety and depression

Buyer beware. Was fine the first time I took it, which was for a total of 1.5 years. When i took it out after realizing my mood was different on it, i got amazingly bad breakouts that, nine months later, still remain. for some reason i chose to begin it again recently and have had shortness of breath, increased anxiety and depression, NO sex drive, trouble having orgasms, trouble sleeping despite extreme fatigue. have had night sweats, etc. it's mid-cycle and i just took the damn thing out and hope this nightmare subsides. NEVER AGAIN NUVARING, or any other hormonal birth control for that matter.

I'm so glad I found this website! I'm 25 and I've been using Nuvaring for 3 years (Ortho-tricyclen and low dose for 5 years before that), and I also found that the bad side effects of Nuvaring came on gradually. I've been experiencing nausea, headaches, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, anxiety and depression, irritability, fatigue, and low to no sex drive. Because they all came on gradually, I really didn't attribute them to Nuvaring. This past month, I accidentally left the ring out for 10 days instead of 7 to have my period, and since I've put the ring back in, I've been VERY nauseous (this has lasted for 4 days so far). After reading all of your comments, I'm going to remove it for good. I just hope the nausea goes away soon.

I am 25 years old. A mother of 2, and i have now been on the NuvaRing for 5 years. I got on the NuvaRing the day of my postpartum check up after i had my second child.. I loved the NuvaRing at first thought it was the best thing in the entire world, hell all you had to do was put it in leave it for 21 days days leave it out for 7. Go on your period and other then that everything was great. About 2 months into using the Nuvaring i started having HORRIBLE HEADACHES that would last 3-5 days at a time without letting up. I could not stand to be around noise, light or anything that had a strong smell or it would get my head pounding to where i just could not take it anymore. So i called my doctor and told him about the horrible headaches that i have had. Explained to him that before a bad headache would come on i would have this horrible burning sensation in my head that would make you want to die.. And the doctor told me just hang in there and give the Ring time to work, so i did and then as time went on i started having other side effects along with the headaches.. Such as BAD ACNE that scars after clearing up which has made my completion not so good. Breakouts on arms, back ,chest. So i got some neutrogena soap to help with that and it has worked.. But then i got more side effects such as BREAK THREW BLEEDING right after my period was suppose to be over and after intercourse.. Then i totally HAD NO SEX DRIVE which caused lots of problems in my marriage cause my husband began to think i wasn't sexually attracted to him anymore.. And i began to think that also. Cause i had lost my sex drive didn't want to do it, the thought of it made me cringe. After being on the NuvaRing after so long you began to develop this THICK DISCHARGE that is annoying then as time goes on you get another type of discharge that is thin WATERY DISCHARGE that is aggravating cause it almost feels as if you have peed your pants a bit almost feels like a yeast infection with out the smell. Which brings me to my next awful side effect which is the Yeast INFECTIONS and the number of UTI's i have had while being on the NuvaRing never had a UTI or a yeast infection before the nuvaring. Not having a sex drive because you cant because intercourse is too PAINFUL sex it hurts like FRICTION and STABBING because of the DRYNESS the Nuva Ring causes. So i called the doctor he told me that i would have dryness at first and to just use lube so i tried that. Didn't work still had pain from the dryness so i called the doctor again and told him about the pain so he wrote me a prescription for a numbing jelly that you use right before intercourse and that was suppose to help with the pain.But that didn't work either just made everything numb till where you couldn't feel rather anything was out or in so i quit using that and hoped to god that my body would adjust to the Nuvaring. Still today after intercourse it causes STOMACH CRAMPS similar to the ones when your on your menstrual cycle,and PRESSURE similar to the pressure you have when your 8-9 months pregnant. Going to the bathroom after intercourse is a total NIGHTMARE i have had times it has burned so bad that i have pinched my stomach as i peed to take some of the PAIN AND BURNING away.Dont always work! Another side effect that i have had is DEPRESSION i have noticed that i have been unhappy and just got to where a lot of times i don't care about things that matter to me because i don't feel that i have the energy to do so.. I also have ANXIETY ATTACKS which i have never had until i got on this NuvaRing. CHEST PAINS that i thought the first time i was having a heart attack it hurt so bad. I had to take little breaths to breathe which would then lead into a PANIC ATTACK cause i felt like i was unable to breathe like i am suppose to.. So yet again called the doctor who told me that i need to be on prozac to handle this. Never got on the prozac just delt with it hoping that it was just a little side effect and that my body would adjust to the NuvaRing, but guess what NO never did.. Another side effect that i always hate is getting SICK AND THROWING UP caused by a medication, guess what i still have this after 5 years i get to cramping so bad and headaches tied onto being MISERABLE and BLOATING and DIARRHEA and DRY MOUTH so bad that you cant stand it seems no matter what you drink to get rid of dry mouth nothing can quench your thirst and this is all hours of the day. So i would take Midol which would only help for a few hours and then i was right back to square one with the B.S caused by the NuvaRing. So i call the doctor and get told "well you will have that." the side effects will be less obvious the longer your on the NuvaRing." So stupid me stays on the NuvaRing hoping this is true! Which i have found out is not. The only good thing that i have noticed is the NuvaRing is easy to use and you don't have to remember take a pill everyday! I never had any weight gain or loss while on this dang thing. Pretty well maintained the same weight as i have always been. I have tried to get off the ring several times, but always get back on it, Because while the ring is out for 7 days i am miserable mostly with a headache that last 3-5 days untop of the TERRIBLE MOOD SWINGS that i get. i truly think that my body has been on this hormone so long that i have HORMONAL WITHDRAWALS when i don't have the ring in. Cause i am fine after the ring is inserted again. People can say what they want and say that this is a issue and that they haven't had problems and that is understandable and different people adjust to hormones in different ways but the time that i have my ring out i always get my sex drive back 1-2 days before i start my period. I am not asking anyone to believe me about any of this and if the ring works for you then great, i thought that it was going to work for me also but it didn't. . I have taken the nuvaring out this last past Sunday and have no intentions on putting another ring back in.. Yet again i have had 3 days of a SEVERE HEADACHES some thing that i believe is HOT FLASHES or NIGHT SWEATS,BLOATING,DEPRESSION,CHEST PAINS,ANXIETY ATTACKS,YEAST INFECTIONS, and BAD MOOD SWINGS and i am hoping that all this will pass and my body will go back to the way it was before the NuvaRing came along... I would not suggest anyone to get this as a form of birth control i would actually tell then that the pill is better off to have in the long run.. This has caused me nothing but a miserable life that i have tried to deal with and i am just not going to do it anymore. I hope to see in the near future the NuvaRing go off the markets and not able to sale anymore.. The only reason that i was put on the nuvaring is because my doctor had a hard time finding a birth control method that my body would accept I was on Ortho- Tri- Cyclin and got pregnant and had a girl... My postpartum check up with her i was given the Orthra- Evra patch and i got pregnant with my son. Tried IUD and my body rejected it. So the doctor says" lets try this new birth control"you insert yourself leave in for 21 days leave out for 7 and have your period," the longer your on this NuvaRing the lighter your period will become and the side effects which aren't many will fade also.". "So how bout it." Well i thought this NuvaRing was a dream come true, BUT IT WAS A NIGHTMARE WAITING TO HAPPEN..

I was on the Nuvaring for about a year, never had any problems with it until this last month. I started having spotting 3 weeks before I was supposed to get my period (which i actually wasn't supposed to get because i just switched rings instead of having my period) then that turned into break through bleeding, fairly heavy and I bled for the whole 3 weeks. I was worried that i may have been pregnant but after taking a test and finding out i wasn't, i talked to my gyno and said i wanted to switch to the pill. I have now been taking Loestrin 24Fe for 5 days and haven't had any side effects. But as far as side effects I did experience with NuvaRing, i would get terrible headaches when i did have my period that would last for the entire time i had my period (i'm talking about a constant headache for 5 days straight). I had absolutely NO sex drive what so ever, and sometimes would get slightly depressed. I always just thought that was the way I was but after reading these comments and comments on other birth controls it makes sense as to why I felt the way I did. I realized that I started having depression around the same time that I started taking birth control (15, i am now 20) ((how come the doctors would rather load you up on different medications for anxiety and depression and migraines, rather than link the problems to the birth control? hah)). Basically what I have collected is that, it doesn't matter which birth control you take, you're going to eventually run into some problem with it. Also, EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. we all react in different ways to different medications. many people forget that birth control IS a medication, sometimes you just have to give your body time to get used to it. if problems still persist after the 3rd month i would suggest switching.

Hello. My fiance was on nuvaring for nearly 2 years and gradually began experiencing many of the side effects listed here. The last 6 months were the worst in that the mood swings, anxiety and depression seemed to get out of control. She recently stopped using the ring about 6 weeks ago but it seems like the symptoms are still persistent. Does anyone have any experience with coming off of the ring and whether or not it could take longer than 2 months to get back to normal?

I took my ring out this morning. I have dealt with anxiety and some depression to varying degrees in my past, but lately it has been much worse for no apparent reason. I started having panic attacks and heart palpitations last fall, they told me I was fine physically, and there was no other explanation. I have irregular periods, so I was hesitant to stop using the ring, but I've made my decision. Before I spend hundreds of dollars going to specialists to try to help me, I'm going to see if taking the ring out improves anything, and based on all of the other posts here I suspect that it will.

Just another FYI, I started the ring in the first place because my doctor told me it was a lower does than the Pill. The Pill gave me GALLSTONES 4 tears ago at 19 years old and I had to have my gallbladder removed! Then, when I was on vacation in Mexico, I had to go to the emergency room b/c I had symptoms of a blood clot in my leg. UGH! I was hoping the Ring would be different, but my elevated level of anxiety and depression and mood swings leads me to believe that it's not different at all.

Overall, birth control is just not worth it. It is not worth sacrificing my sanity. Condoms here I come! lol.

Took it out today after being on it for only 2 weeks. Noticed a change in my personality after one day. Have become increasingly withdrawn from friends and family, extreme irritability, complete loss of sex drive, can't sleep, loss of energy, increased appetite, aches in my legs and vagina, headaches, and zits like you wouldn't believe. The worst is the anxiety and depression which led me to this site after doing a search on side effects. I was on the pill for years and had some irritability here and there but nothing like this.
Had a baby 2 months ago and have been freaking out that I was just now getting post partum depression but I believe it is the ring!!! To those who will argue, the ring becomes effective after only 7 days which means that the meds rush into your system almost immediately after insertion.

Thank you all for sharing. I thought I was all alone.

I decided to research the NuvaRing because I have been experiencing pain/stinging during and after sex and also a strange discharge. Little did I know I would discover a multitude of symptoms I have been experiencing since I started the NuvaRing in August. I have been suffering from severe anxiety, panic attacks, depression, fatigue, headaches, crying spells, and insomnia. All of these things started up at the same time I started the NuvaRing but I never put two and two together. I had a very traumatic experience back in April so everyone (myself, my doctors and friends and family) assumed all of the symptoms were due to that. I have not been able to work since September and have been going to counseling, also trying a number of medications to treat my anxiety and depression, however the symptoms are still very prominent and haven't been improving. I never put any consideration into the possibility of the NuvaRing causing these symptoms (including lack of sex drive which I just figured went hand in hand with the depression) but now I look at the timing of when everything happened and it makes so much sense. I have never suffered from anxiety/depression in the past and I have felt like I don't even know the person that is inside my body anymore. I am definitely making an appointment with my doctor and changing birth controls ASAP - I will try to remember to keep you posted on whether or not my symptoms improve.

What a relief to see all these new postings. I took out the NuvaRing after a month and a half. I'm still experiencing terrible anxiety, paranoia, and some depression, but I think I'm a little better. I'm not seeing weird/disturbing images anymore, and the all over breakouts and immediate weight gain have gone away. About a week after I took the NuvaRing out I couldn't sleep for like two weeks. Then I could sleep, but I was still extremely anxious and depressed... incessantly crying, feeling completely hopeless. Mainly I haven't felt in control of my thoughts or feelings since the NuvaRing. I still feel anxious and paranoid and I can't sleep again. Hopefully this will run its course and I'll go back to normal, but I've been scared shirtless for so long. Please sent me a message if you have words of consolation or any idea how long it will take to feel normal again. I'm still pretty miserable and it's been two months since I've discontinued NuvaRing :(
PS: I had a horrible (but not quite as bad) experience on the pill too, though I didn't know that was the cause at the time.

Hello everyone, I have been going nuts trying to find people who have had side effects from the Nuvaring. I used to be on the patch before that, but I am sure many of you have heard about the deaths that occured to some people on it, so I decided to switch to the ring. It sounded amazing, leave it in for 3 weeks and that is it. The patch also used to come off here and there, so this sounded perfect. Then the side effects started. The only thing I ever had from the patch was a like a 10 pound weight gain, fuller breasts, and a regular period. I didn't know there are many women who feel extreme anxiety from certain birth control. Just within the last few months, I figured out the timing, and about a month or so, maybe less, after I switched to the ring, I started having serious anxiety, nervousness to where at times I thought I was going to have a panic attack, feeling like I was going mad, every so often would have a breakdown, gained more weight and in places I never had before, occassional night sweats, occassional chest pains, though could also be related to anxiety, depression, crying many times a week, and some other effects. I just started counseling because my anxiety has hurt my relationship. I always had a healthy worry when it came to my fiance. Part of it is caused by my past, but nothing I couldn't let go. Now I have for about a yr and a half constantly think he is going to cheat on me, always think he is lying, checking his phone as I see someone else posted on here as well, etc. I also worry about my friends too, like when they don't return my calls soon, I worry they are mad at me. I started therapy because all of my friends and family thought I should because they all see the man I have, and I have lost sight in the beauty this relationship had. So I took the ring out almost 2 weeks ago so I could get my period, and staying off from now on. I know it takes a few months to get out of your system, so hoping the anxiety goes away. I have also lost my sex drive due to all this. I know I wrote a lot, but hoping to help out others with my post. I am glad you all posted, and thank you for making me realize I am not alone. Just remember, some other birth control can have the same effects, but not all. I may consider the pill after I let my body get over this. Good luck to you all, and for the ones who love it and have no bad side effects, i am happy for you. It is great because it is so easy, but unfortunately, can't use it.

I hate the NuvaRing. I used it almost two years ago for three weeks on, one week off, only one week on again and I had to remove it immediately because I realized it was the cause of many very very bad symptoms. The first three weeks on I had severe cramping in my legs and stomach, headaches, nausea, acne, fatigue, loss of appetite, loss of sex drive, social anxiety, loss of self-confidence, crying episodes several times daily, and the worst of all was that I lost the will to live. Not to mention, having sex with the ring was awful. It made me extremely dry and my boyfriend and I both experienced an unbearable burning sensation. I didn't know who I was anymore, fighting constantly with everyone around me, my boss, boyfriend, friends, family. Once considered a workaholic and superstar at work, I left my job and was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression because it screwed with my hormones so badly. I get chills whenever I recall what it felt like to be on the ring. It screwed with my life. I was on the ring for only two weeks when I actually had a nervous breakdown at work in front of my manager right before a big deadline. Being accustomed to tight deadlines 60 hour work weeks and ridiculously rigid and unreasonably demanding managers, crying in front of someone in the workplace was not who I was. At 25 I had a senior title, rapidly making my way up the corporate ladder. Two years later, I'm unemployed and trying to piece my life back together. I am also reluctant now to try any other birth control fearing that the side effects would be just as deadly. Just awful. I'm glad that all the other women are brave enough to share their stories here. I came across this forum while on the ring but couldn't stop crying long enough to type.

Hello all- I just wanted to send an update. I removed the ring a little over a week ago- I am just now starting to feel better! My anxiety and depression are gone, no more extreme moods swings and the night sweats have gone away. For all those women out there experiencing this I would suggest getting off asap and trying something else! My doctor (family friend) recommended Yaz as it has different hormones than the ones contained in the Ring. Also- interesting article for those out there experiencing these horrible side effects: http://health.msn.com/womenshealth/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100166587

I have been on nuvaring for over a year and have all sorts of issues that I never even considered to be linked to the NR. I suffer from bipolar disorder, severe anxiety and depression and all my symptoms have increased while on the NR. I have terrible headaches on a daily basis and have had alot of stomach problems. Nausea, cramps, vomiting etc but I just thought I was sick. I have also had issues with weight gain and I have absolutely zero sex drive. This has been really hard on my partner and I's relationship and is extremely frustrating. We've been together 3yrs this fall and this is really hurting us both.(I'm 20yrs old) We have been thinking my headaches were caused by grinding my teeth. I'm currently on a number of medications including lamictal, ambien CR, adderall XR, allegra. I'm always exhausted and ill tempered and just had several blood tests to try and determine what could be causing my constant exhaustion but nothing was irregular. I have an appt with my gynecologist tomorrow and I'm going to talk to her about other options but because all BC forms have about the same degree, if not worse, side effects I might stop the BC all together.

It really sucks that I am having so many issues from NR because it is by far the easiest BC I have ever used. I always forgot the pill and the patch hurt like BLEEP and always fell off.

I began using Nuvaring on April 15th and have been suffering a lot of the same side effects as the other young ladies have indicated within the forum. I have a history of anxiety and depression which was being controlled with Cymbalta. Once I began taking Nuvaring I feel very irritated all of the time and have no patience with my 2 yr old son. I have also experiened extreme nausea every time that I eat! I also have a tremendous amount of discharge on a daily basis. This is a huge irritation! I have began to have headaches as well. In addition to the other symptoms or side effects my face seems to be breaking out as though I am going through puberty. My face NEVER used to break out even as a teenager. I will not continue using this type of birth control as life is too short to feel badly all of the time.

My doctor prescribed nuva ring to help with perimenopause symptoms, and excessive bleeding. (I previously used a diaphram -14 years -which i loved by the way)
He advised me to replace nuva ringevery 3 weeks and not have a period. Happily I tried it. I was ok for the first 6 weeks but have bled continously for the past 2 weeks. I also have had a killer headache for weeks now.

I have found relief from perimenopase symptoms such as anxiety and depression however.