NuvaRing and headache

I'm glad I have read this. My year appointment is next week and hopefully I can switch to something else and start feeling better! I have been on NuvaRing for about 3 years now. Yes it is convenient and I have never had any real issues. But here recently the noticeable lack of sex drive and tiredness is beginning to take it's toll. It's like I have NO desire for anything sexual and I feel completely exhausted all of the time. I am a very active person, have a three year old and I do not want to continue feeling like this any longer - I'm 31 - I still have a lot of things I want to do! I also notice I wake up most mornings with a nasty headache. I even have bouts of depression from time to time. Thanks everyone! I'm definitely ready for a change! Any suggestions for new b/c would be greatly appreciated!

Well, I am so glad I found this website. I am 39 yrs old and my husband is fixed....so I have no reason or desire to take any form of hormonal birth control. I never liked the idea of inserting a ring or taking hormones after the many female issues I have endure. I only agreed to this because I have painful ovarian cysts chronically, at least 6/year and 3 or 4/year that take me into my OB/GYN for a scan. I have previously had a tubal pregnancy (tube was saved because my OB/GYNs also specialize in fertility) and have had endometriosis. I have had 3 laperoscopic surgeries and 3 miscarriages. First for the tubal, second for follow-up endometriosis and third to remove a GOLF ball sized ovarian cyst to prevent ovarian torsion. Finally, I agreed for the 4th time to take birth control (previous attempts were thwarted by side affect from oral products. I used the nuvaring for 3 weeks and removed it today. Five days into the use I started cramping and bleeding AGAIN (10th day of my cycle). I have been bleeding, heavily for 11 days now, suffered dizziness intermittantly, have had a headache for the last 6 days and been more anxious, moody and tearful. I removed the ring today! I see my gyno on Tuesday. My cycle was predictable before, albeit painful and with ovarian cyst. Just want to say to all who took the time to share. Now I know it isn't in my head.

Thanks ya'll,
~ Texas Pharmacist

i also have been having pains in my back, i just cant wait for the day to end, some days i feel like i worked out all day. The things that i used to i don't do anymore like dancing,exercising and being more energetic. I haven't had trouble with the sex drive actually i want sex more and i don't have drywall either. I really have a sexual drive the week i take out the ring. this past two months have been the worst the for me, i taking to my doctor soon but every time i tell my doctor and i get checked for the problem the results are always the same that nothing is wrong. so what can i do

It has been only the third day that I started using NuvaRing. I'm already considering to take it out. First, I lost all my sex drive, and I feel nausea, headache, bloating, depressed and fatigue. However, the yeast infection has not happened yet, which I worry the most before I started it. I thought the side effect might go away in a week or so. Should I take it off and just stick with condom?

It has been only the third day that I started using NuvaRing. I'm already considering to take it out. First, I lost all my sex drive, and I feel nausea, headache, depressed and fatigue. However, the yeast infection has not happened yet, which I worry the most before I started it. I thought the side effect might go away in a week or so. Should I take it off and just stick with condom?

This is the biggest relief. I am sure you can all relate finding this website. I started using the nuvaring back in February and the side effects started soon after, I just haven't tied it to the birth control until now. The first month I started using it I was planning to move from my home in boise to Orlando Florida to live with my boyfriend.. which is very stressful so needless to say my high anxiety stress irritability and anger all seemed to be pointing to the stress of moving from my home although it is what i wanted it was still scary. I have been here in Florida for 3 months now and still experience the same things adding one to the mix as living with your boyfriend should spark an instant sex drive when you haven't been living in the same city for a year. NOPE no sex drive at all. Maybe once in a blue moon i get in the mood but i literally have to talk myself into it which is pathetic. There are times when i am laying next to him and i have to tell myself if he wants i should go along with it. but though of sex just drives me away. Also the depression is unbearable I am a very happy goofy person and it is a struggle to keep my temper in check or to try and work up motivation to leave bed. I am constantly tired and have no drive to accomplish anything anymore which is out of my character.
Headaches I have always had and migraines i have had before the nuvaring about once a week now i have migraines at least 3 times a week and a headache every day in between. My breasts have been extremely sore so much that i thought maybe i was pregnant in combination with my extreme mood swings. I have thick hair and i shed a lot never thought that it may be due to the birth control. I am getting somewhat angry that this is the way we all have to find out. It is frustrating to feel like a crazy person and wonder what happened to the person i use to be. I have not experience any weight gain fortunately, but since have no motivation i am not in the shape i once was because i have no desire to go to the gym.
The itching sensation i didn't realize as a symptom before reading others stories. Now it is so clear how aggravating. One month my cramps were so bad and a couple of months in a row i felt so nauseous that i would get sick. One time i was driving to a friends house when all of the sudden i knew i was going to be sick and ended up vomiting all over myself... so embarrassing and i couldn't figure out what happened. Tomorrow morning im calling my doctor to see what we can do. This is my last day with the Nuvaring Thank god for this site and thanks to you all sharing your stories it brought me peace of mind knowing ill be myself again soon.

I have been on NuvaRing for 3 years now. I was using Depo Provera shots for 2 years prior, but struggled with consistent weight gain, mood swings, and no sex drive. Since I have been on NuvaRing, I have had none of those side effects. I have been very pleased with this product, except for the 2-3 times a year that I get a yeast infection as a side effect. I do also get a headache the first day I take it out. I love not having to remember a pill. I never feel the ring at all. I am a happy customer!

Started Nuvaring last month..figured I would give it some time to work out the side effects I was having...leg cramps, backache, dizziness ( I am a phlebotomist and almost fainted 3 times at work), I got so hot and had to take clothes off, I was so irritable I would cry for no reason. I just didn't feel like myself...I found this site thank God and I took the ring out tonight. Since I have taken it out just 5 hrs ago I now have no headache anymore and my leg cramps are gone. This just did not work for me. Thank you everyone for posting your issues, it good to know I wasn't going crazy & am not alone. Best to all of you :)

nuvaring was recommended to me because i am absolutely terrified of needles and my mom didn't trust me to remember to take the pill everyday.
i just started the nuvaring yesterday. and ever since then, i have felt simply AWFUL. i feel so weak that i can hardly stand up. i've had a headache all day. all i want to do is eat. i can't seem to sleep enough. i woke up this morning sweating. and i've cried twice today for absolutely no reason. i get irritated at EVERYTHING. and reading all these negative stories is freaking me out. should i just take it out now? i don't know what to do.

I'm grateful to see others have the same experience with the ring. I started it last month. I had told my doctor that oral BC made me sick. She recommended the ring since "it rarely has side effects". I had it in for 10 days and couldn't take it anymore. I was having hot flashes, headaches daily with nausea and bouts of dizziness. I was also moody and extremely fatigued. I call the office last week and doctor wasn't in, but the nurse said to take it out. Doctor called yesterday and said she felt it was just the flu going around and wanted me to try it again. So I put a new one in yesterday and 2 hours later started with headache. I've been tired and today I'm already having hot flashes. I had my period 6/25, and 7/9 (since I took the ring out). It sucks because I don't think I can handle the ring and when I take it out, I'll have another period. I feel awful on it and my friends say it's "in your head" but reading these validate my symptoms.

i've been on and off the nuvaring for a little less than a year. my boyfriend and i were in a long distance relationship, so i'd make sure it was active the few times we saw each other, and then i'd generally stay off it the few months in between - probably not the best for my body, but the ring was rather expensive and it seemed a waste to buy them for all that wasted time.

anyway, i just moved to his area about three weeks ago, and in the weeks since i've arrived i've noticed my sex drive has essentially disappeared - which is the OPPOSITE of how i'd think it should be. i first started thinking about the nuvaring causing a problem when i noticed i was much drier than i generally am, having a hard time getting aroused, etc. it's now to the point where i am frustrated when he wants to make love because the desire for me is *so* nonexistent - someone else posted that it seems like a "task", and that's exactly how i'm feeling. this seems unfair to him and is troubling to me, as i've always had a perfectly healthy libido, and was beginning to worry that something was wrong with me.

i've also had the beginnings of what seems to be a mild yeast infection, but i have always been prone to those, so it could be unrelated. i also experienced ridiculous burning after sex one night, as others have mentioned, although it has only happened the once. last week i had a headache for three days (which has never happened before) and the mood swings have been huge - one tiny thing sets me off into either tears or ridiculous anger. my poor boyfriend.. ):

i was going to wait it out and see if things balanced in a month or two, but after reading some long-term effects here, i think i'll find an alternate method. it's just not worth hurting my boyfriend/relationship/body for this. thanks to everyone who has posted before me, this site was a huge help in making my decision.

I used NuvaRing for 6 months, and during that time i cried all the time. I was very depressed, I would get upset for every little thing, and i was not in the mood for sex. My boyfriend told me that i should take the NuvaRing out and i did. I felt better, but i gained weight while using NuvaRing, and even more after i stop. I always weight 120 pounds and right now i have 138. Its been 6 months since i stop and did not lose weight. While using NR i had painful periods, spotting between periods, headache, nausea, and depression, and i thought i was pregnant. I went to see a doctor and everything was just fine. The food i loved had different taste while using NR. I would get sick from some food that i loved before using NR. It felt like food poisoning. My doctor told me it is going to take some time until my body adjusts back to normal. I am afraid that my weight is not going to get back to normal. I look like during my period. I always had flat stomach, and now my stomach looks like i am 4-5 months pregnant. I would not recommend NuvaRing to anyone. I would recommend pills, my friends that are on the pill did not have bad experience that i did.I only hope my body is going to get back to normal.

This is my second week on NuvaRing. First month was going fine for a couple weeks. About the end of the second week, i started having BAD cramps. Which is completely not normal for me, ever. And so I asked my doctor and she said its normal. Ok, i can deal with that. When they continued throughout the third week, i got worried especially at night when the cramping would keep me up. I got headaches almost every evening, again, not normal for me. So I took it out and nothing. I waited two weeks without a period before it finally came. My period had been clock work since i was thirteen. Told my doctor, suggested i was pregnant? Took store bought test, said no. So, here came month two, same side affects except headache's. Week four now and no period still. Ring was taken out a week ago. Dont believe i am pregnant, we are always careful. And if i was pregnant, why would i have my period the first month (after two weeks)?

Death. A 30 year-old Visalia CA mom of three (one is eight weeks old) started having side effects just after she started using the NR. She stopped and got pregnant. During her pregnancy, her side effects returned for about three months. Later in her pregnancy, she seemed to improve. Her baby was born March 8 and both were healthy. She was suffering from headache, nausea, stomach pains, depression, throat constriction (she could no longer eat solid food). She died May 1. The coroner hasn't been able to determine a cause of death. Every medical "professional" she saw told her she was "just depressed" and "there's nothing wrong with you." Now, she's dead.

day # 3 ive got the worst yeast infection i was fine b4 i put it in now im uncomfortable ........bloating,fatigue, nausea,headache,.. all after 3 days called the doctor he said to give a month just use some monistat but it is now midnight and i just took it out, and you know what...... instant relief im not putting that thing back in ( from my fiance.....fellas don't let her do it you will be sorry)......well back to the pill : ) keep posting this was very helpful

I just put the NuvaRing in last night and today I just don't feel right. I had a slight headache this morning which I didn't attribute to the ring because I was already on my cycle but I have been on an emotional rollercoaster this morning. After reading the side effects I got scared. I started having shortness of breath, which is one of the signs they tell you to look out for and call the doctor immediately. However, I am not sure if the shortness of breath is from the ring or me having a panic attack which I do have occasionally when I get nervous and/or scared. So needless to say I have called my doctor and asked her to call the pharmacy and refill my RX for the OrthoTricyclen that I was previously on which I will probably start to take tonight after removing this thing. All of this and it hasn't even been 24 hours.

I am absolutely convinced that my life has been negatively affected by Nuvaring, and it took me a year and a bout of terrible depression to figure it out. I would NOT recommend it.

Now that I look back on a year ago when I started taking Nuvaring, my undiagnosed depression took a turn for the worse and thoughts of suicide took over my life.

I got over that with pills to help with depression symptoms, but then started realizing that perhaps my mood swings (i can be emotional but this is extreme), bloating (i didn't realize what that really meant until I read that sometimes it makes you look pregnant, which happened to me), vaginal itching (yuck), maybe just isn't entirely my own fault. What really got to me recently is that I had what people call migranes with aura or ocular migraines earlier this year around October, and I didn't think much of it. But then it happened to me again at work earlier this week, and it was awful. I had to lay down and go home early. This morning I woke up with a terrible headache which has not gone away. I also remember a period of time months ago when I always had a headache.

Why didn't I do anything? Well it seems ridiculous to pin all this on the ring....UNTIL you do a simple search on google like "nuvaring side effects". I am happy to hear that I am not alone, outraged that nuvaring would not list some of these obviously prevalent side effects, and glad to be moving on. Now my challenge is to find another form of bc, because condoms are...condoms.

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.

im on my third week of my first nuvaring and ive noticed a lot of changes. i get the mood swings, headache, low sex drive, but another symptom i was worried about is that after my last period it seems like ive been bleeding very minimally ever since and every time my boyfriend and i have sex i bleed a little. this has never happened before so if anyone else is experiencing this let me know.

******

So glad I found this site. I've only been using NR for 4 days now (started Sunday), but by Monday, I already knew that something was "off". By last night, the only thing I could contribute all my symptoms to was NR, thus why I went in search of answers. Thank you everyone for their stories ... I would have never known.

So what had me looking? First and foremost, my ankles are the size of tree trunks! They are so swollen, that you can not even distinguish between the ankle bones and the tendon in the back. Just this morning I shot out of bed due to a cramp when I was stretching myself awake.

I weigh myself every day, and normally at 6'1" I am 135-138. By Monday morning, I was 150.6, Tuesday 150.4 and so last night, I consume some water pills and a laxative ... at 149.8 ...

I am so tired, it's not even funny .... Monday night, I fell asleep when putting my son to bed at 8PM. Yet Tuesday at work, I couldn't keep my eyes open. My lunch was spend sleeping in the car. I just canceled a "lunch meeting" for today (Wednesday) as I predict I need to do the same thing again today. I can't seem to keep my eyes open.

My pants are tight, I have a slight headache, and my skin (especially my hands) are excessively dry. Last night in the shower, I actually looked to see if I had anything noticeable going on down there because I was so itchy and irritated in the vaginal area.

My doctor thought this would be really great for me, as I seem to bleed constantly ... taking the pill or not ... so their trying to get me on something that will help regulate it. I was so excited when she said it will be more direct since it is "right there", and to be honest, I've only had a spot of blood in the 4 days I've used it ... but is it worth it .... NO.

Good luck to everyone else ... this one is just not for me!

The worst birth control option out there! I started the nuvaring three months ago when I decided I was too forgetful for the pill. The first month was fine, then after that everything started to get messed up. I was bleeding a ridiculous amount, I would spot the week before and the week after my period, and practically every time I had intercourse! (not so great) The cramps were so intensely painful, I didn't want to move. I also became a crazy woman, I was so moody, emotional, and irritable, and even started to feel depressed. My husband was getting genuinely very worried about how I was acting. Something always felt wrong, I either had a headache, cramps, fatigue, or was just pissed off for no reason. I am glad I found this site and can now convince myself I am not crazy, and it is that cursed nuvaring. I took that mothah effah out.

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT START THE NUVARING.

you'd be better off just having a baby then dealing with these stupid symptoms. :)

i took it out and it better be the end of it's crap....

I was on the ring for about three years and noticed really only in the past six months that the side effects I was having were related to it. Sex drive is LOW, and sex is somewhat painful-burning like. I can hardly self-lubricate at all and anything we buy doesn't really do much. I had at least one ridiculous headache a month and smaller ones in between, heart palpitations, painful breasts. But, it was easy. Now we want to get pregnant and I really wanted off! Can someone tell me if their sex drive went back to normal soon??

I started the Nuvaring just about 5 weeks ago. I thought everything was going well. Two days before the "4th week", I was put on antibiotics and despite the doctor's reassurance, I used additional bc while on the medication. On the 29TH day of the cycle, I spotted some, but never really had a "period." My body told me I was (normal lower back pain, light cramping etc) except this time, I experienced a piercing headache along with it. Less than 24 hours later, the spotting was done. I asked the nurse practioner what was going on and the response was "the nuvaring can make your periods lighter". I told her "it's not lighter, it's not there!" I followed the directions precisely, used back up protection while on other medication and to top it all off, I've had a headache for days. This is not a normal occurrence for me. I haven't been depressed in well over a decade and all of a sudden, I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I've noticed a very pronounced drop in my libido, too. These side effects are not worth the "convenience" of this form of bc. I will be taking a pregnancy test (to make sure and for my own piece of mind) and then finding another type of protection. I can't believe a bc would LOWER my sex drive this much. Between the mood swings and the lowered libido, the Nuvaring seems to do more harm than good for me.

Birth control has been such a headache for me! If I wasn't married I would probably just give up on sex period. I'm 20 & it depressing to think this is what I will be dealing with for the next 30 years. Of course at some point either me or my husband will be "fixed" but we do want one more kid a little farther down the road. Bottom line, I HATE THE NUVARING! Yeah, its more convenient than taking the pill but after only 3 weeks I found too many things to hate. I'm already clinically depressed and take medication so I can't tell if that's been a side effect. I never feel like its in all the way. I'm constantly trying to shove it in farther. Over time it slowly slips down. I followed to instructions thoroughly & believe me, there's no way to get it any farther up. I'm already sensitive to tampons at times & sometimes sex but the NuvaRing was awful! Immediately I got a yeast infection & a UTI at the same time. Miserable. If you have recurrent UTI's like me, don't use the NuvaRing. Me & my husband have tried to have sex about 10 times now over the past few weeks to no avail. Its like my insides are swollen & raw... it stings! I could barely handle it for 30 sec. My husband says he can feel the ring & his penis will start to sting a little bit. He also says I feel extremely tight & swollen to the point where it almost hurts. So I know I'm not crazy. What's the point in using it if you can't even have sex? Also, no sex drive ladies. I have sex because he wants to. And I feel awful that I can't help him out there now. Hmm, wonder why they birth control is so effective... of course it is if you're not having sex!! If me & my husband are only going to have sex twice a month anywhere I just don't see the point in putting all these hormones in your body... I've just about had it with birth control.

My experience with hormonal birth control has not been good, but I have used a few different pills for a year or so at a time when I was younger. A girlfriend told me she LOVED her Nuvaring, so I gave it a shot last year and immediately had issues, including constant, low-grade headache and heavy period with severe cramping/diarrhea (not at all normal for me). Needless to say, I went off of it immediately and switched to a more holistic woman's health care center. I did this because I didn't feel that I was listened to when I told previous providers that I felt uncomfortable taking hormonal birth control. My new provider was great! She introduced me to a diaphragm, which I LOVE! It is the perfect birth control for me and there are no hormones to worry about EVER!!!! Keep it in mind ladies. It is a good opportunity to understand your body and cycles better AND give the finger to dangerous, money hungry pharmaceutical companies. After all, you're only fertile 4 or 5 days each month!!!!!

Wow, some really interesting stories about NuvaRing on here. I had never head about it until 3 weeks ago when getting my annual, I brought up using Seasonale birth control and my doctor told me about the Ring, so he gave me a sample and sent me on my way. It was really convenient - except when I started having sex, I would take it out and put it back in afterwards. Not sure if that was smart or not. I took it out Friday of last week, and Monday started spotting brown blood - thought this was normal. Tuesday morning around 9:30 am I had severe cramps, headache and could barely walk when the cramps came. I got lightheaded and short of breath. Finally, when I went to the bathroom I had wiped and noticed pure blood (Im sure most can tell the difference between period blood and bleeding from an infection of some sort), when I looked down I saw a large mass of some sort. I freaked out because a friend had had a miscarriage and this looked exactly like it. I called the doctor who advised me to collect it and come in asap. I did have sex that weekend I was off it so I freaked out.

When I went in I was advised it was a side effect of the Ring. It was called a decidua cast, basically a linin of your uterus that is formed when pregnant, a lot of times this is shed due to an ectopic pregnancy. Ever sense then I have had the worst period EVER! Constant bleeding, I have to change my pad every 1-2 hours instead of 3-4 (I am afraid to use a tampon right now after this). The blood clots are just horrible.

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND NUVARING!

I have tried the NuvaRing off and on over the past year. My journey started because every pill I tried gave me mild to severe headaches for 3 to 10 days a month. I have not had headache issues with NuvaRing -- yeah!!

BUT -- here is the kicker. I take Zoloft too. When on the pill and taking Zoloft, my anxiety was under control. When I use the NuvaRing and Zoloft I spin into anxiety mode again, almost as if the Zoloft doesn't work at all.

I am 39 and my spouse won't do something permanent. I feel really trapped.
Does anyone have any suggestions?

I put the NUVARING in yesterday morning. By last night, I was feeling not quite myself--my appetite was gone. I didn't sleep a wink last night and this morning, I woke up so nauseated and so sick, that I couldn't go to work (that cost me $100). I had a sore throat, headache, stomach pains, and extreme nausea. Once I pulled through the worst of it and could sit in a chair in front of my computer, I started searching on line and found this forum. After reading, I pulled the darn thing out (that cost me another $60 since my insurance didn't cover it). I fell asleep for a couple of hours and now I feel much better. The nausea is gone, the headache is gone, the shaking and sweating are gone. I still feel a little worn out but it's been a rough morning!

I hope somebody can help me. I was on the Nuvaring for 3 weeks, took it out for the 4th week and within a day I was a mess. Sweating horribly, actually soaking through my pillow and sheets at night despite the air being chilly. Nausea as if I were pregnant, gagging from a cough! Diarrhea, and my head hurts so bad it's all I can do to get out of bed. Fatigue...I though my body had gotten used to the hormones and was withdrawing so I put the ring back in after 3 days and took it out a week later when the symptoms didn't subside. Now its 2 weeks out and these symptoms have not eased up AT ALL! Anybody else have an experience like this? I'm considering the ER tonight if this headache doesn't ease up. I'm scared, and completely unfunctional.

Has anyone had worse symptoms with the NR than with the pill? I was experiencing terrible migraines two days a month, right before my period started. I was also finding that my period was getting lighter and lighter as the months went by. I've been on some form of the pill for about 15 years off and on, this time for about 3 years straight. A doctor told me the NuvaRing might help with the headache...so I switched to it. the headaches are no better, I gained 11 lbs in two months and I have NO sex drive at ALL. I also get hardly any period at all. Anyone else having that problem? I got worried that I was entering early menopause, but they did a pelvic ultrasound and blood tests that were normal.

Wow, reading all of this has got me kind of scared. I've been taking Ortho-Tri-Cyclin-Low for almost 3 years, my doctor put me on it, to help with my extremely painful periods, and it worked like a charm. I wasn't sexually active, so I never really worried much about taking it at the same time each day. Other the last several months my life has gotten pretty busy, and its become extremely hard to remember taking the pill each day. I started having sex with my boyfriend earlier this month, we've been using condoms, but they are uncomfortable for both of us, and we don't really want to use them (we were both virgins before this, so we're not worried about STDs). So Friday I went to see my doctor and she suggested Nuvaring, and gave me 5 months worth of samples to try.

I was supposed to have my period this week, I actually quit taking the pill last Tuesday or Wednesday (today is Sunday) because I kept forgetting. So my doctor told me to go ahead and have my period then put the first ring in next week. After reading the information packet and on the nuvaring website I decided to put the ring in last night (Saturday night), and skip my period this month.

I had a headache last night, and its still here (though not quite as bad) today. Today I also started having spotting and mild cramps.

The headache could be from me just getting over the flu (I had that Friday & Saturday), and being tired from the flu. And I'm sure the spotting is probably normal, considering I was supposed to start my period in the next few days, and I've only had the ring in for about 12 hours.

I'm going to be on the look out for side effects though. I sure hope it works for me, because I really am horrible about remembering the pill.

I came upon this site while trying to search about people's experiences with sex while using the ring, because I'm kinda nervous that it will be uncomfortable for my boyfriend and/or I. So if any of you have any input with that, please reply to this. Thank you

In theory, this sounds like an excellent choice for birth control; no pill to take every day, no carrying it around in your purse, etc.. I started NR two weeks ago and have literally turned into a monster in front of everyone's' eyes. Not only did I have an AWFUL headache for the first few days but I've also gained weight, have had HORRIBLE cramping and have had a strange spotting for a little over a week now. I took the ring out tonight and plan to go back to on the patch right away as these side effects aren't worth it.

I just started with my first ring yesterday afternoon at 2pm. By 7pm, I was complaining to my husband that I must've had too much caffeine that day because my heart was palpitating out of my throat and I had a weird headache setting in.

So far today, the heart palps and jitters were getting so bad I had no choice but to take the NUVARING out. I'm going to call my doctor on my lunch break from work, but this is NOT what I was hoping for when I switched from the pill. I'm a 27 year old newlywed and all I want is a birth control option that doesn't KILL my sex drive. I'd rather have a low sex drive and feel physically NORMAL than to deal with the heart palpitations. They didn't start until I put the ring in yesterday. I'm hoping in a few hours they hormones will get out of my system and I'll start feeling back to normal.

I had NuvaRing in for 6 days. Since the first day I experienced some itching and discharge, I was not concerned with it. On the night of the 6 th day I experienced stroke like symptoms(vision problems, tingling, numbness, nausea, headache). I was rushed to ER and stayed in the hospital till all tests(CT, MRA, MRI, carotid Ultrasound, 2 D echo, TEE, as well as bunch of labs were done). All came negative for any congenital or structure defects. So the blame is on NuvaRing.
I have been on birth control pills for 9 years and had no problems. My doctor suggested to try NuvaRing since it is so simple to use it. I paid a big price - my medical bills will be huge and I cant go back to work since my vision is not normal yet. I am so scared it can happen again.

I started my NuvaRing on the 5th day of my period and noticed some changes that are going on with my body. It has only been 7 days, but I feel different. I noticed some white, sticky discharge that is not normal for me and bothers me. It has no smell though. I feel very dry inside.....and my sex drive is low. My breasts are tender. My mood is fine however. I am a little concerned with changes my body going through. When I contacted my doctor, she said everything im feeling is normal. But I wonder if those things will change once I get used to the ring and my hormones even out.
Did anybody felt the same way? Please share if you just waited out! I would love some input, cause I have no idea if I should just get off it or stick it out in hopes it will feel better........Confused ;(

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 went on the ring about a year ago and I have loved it. I have been having a problem when I drink too much alcohol though and I am not sure if it has to do with the ring. Whenever I drink to the point where I don't feel good and I have a headache, I get really suicidal and freak out. My boyfriend noticed a few days ago that these episodes started around the same time I got the ring, but we aren't quite sure. Has anyone else ever had any experiences like these? I would like to know as soon as possible so I can take it out. Also, I would like to know if there are any other birth controls that people would recommend besides the pill. I don't like having to remember to take them every day.

My body must not be shaped properly for this thing because even after 6 months it still slides out partway all the time. I had to tie it in a knot to get it to stay in for more than 2 minutes. that aside, I had many of the side effects everyone else is talking about:

extreme anxiety. weird tingling in my arms and feet and 'on edge' all the time. waking in the night with horrible panic attacks and feeling sick to my stomach. so bad that I'd be afraid to go back to sleep for fear I may not wake up. I can't even describe how anxious I was. It was like I was outside of my own body all the time. I'd have to wiggle my toes or pinch my arms at times to make sure they still moved. In the night I'd wake up and intentionally wake up hubby or a kid just to know that I still existed.

Total bitch. I even hated being around myself. the sound of someone eating would irritate me so bad I'd have to leave the room before i hit someone or broke something.

totally down in the dumps. not suicidal, but didn't find joy in anything. I didn't want to do anything, yet felt bored all the time.

headaches non stop. Literally had 2-4 headaches every single day for 3-4 months. Not one day without. went to bed with a headache, woke in the night with a headache, woke in the morning with one... painkillers would take off the edge, but not eliminate it.

I seriously was terrified I was going mentally insane.

I had used the pill years ago with no side effects. I've been off nuvaring for 6 months now and don't know what to do because I have problems with cysts (and possible endo.) and their 'solution' is hormonal contraceptives.

I was better almost immediately after stopping the nuvaring. the headaches lingered for a bit more, but the rest disappeared.

Well I've taken the Nuvaring for the last four months, 23 yrs old. I DO NOT RECOMMEND. I just recently woke up w/ a severe headache, numbness in hands and let side of my face and tongue. I went to the ER, which informed that it was a mild stroke. This was my 1st time on any contraceptive. I think I stick w/ the condoms. Due to the NR I've had vaginal infections, dryness, low sex drive, burning, and itching.

I put in the the Nuvaring and within the first 4 hours I started to have a terrible headache. I called my Doctor who said to keep on with it, it was probably not related to the NuvaRing. I continued to keep the ring in. By the second day, I became very nauseas. By the 4th day, the most horrible pitting acne began. I stuck it out for 2 weeks, then yank it out. It has been out for 4 weeks, and I am still struggling with headaches,nausea,and skin problems. Also, waiting for a period as well. I would not recommend the ring to anyone it was horrible. Now, I keep taking pregnancy tests in fear that I am pregnant, since I have not had a period yet. My breasts are still so sore I can barely touch them. Tests are all negative. I'm still waiting for the hormones to flush out of my system.

I thought I was going out of my mind! I had been on NuvaRing for almost 1 year, then quit (b/c of insurance reasons), then went back on it in April. While off it for over 6 months, I noticed my sex drive increased and I lost some weight without even trying. I went back on it because I have severe cramps in the middle of the month, and NuvaRing really helped.

I had no problems (that I can recall) the first year except for slight weight gain, 8-10 pounds. But these last 3 months have been awful! I am short with my husband and kids, and I worry about things non-stop. I am SO tired, but I get in bed and cannot sleep. I lay awake worrying about things like car accidents. I am not normally a worrier. I also have felt very down and cry often. I was starting to think I had an anxiety disorder.

I have no reason to feel depressed, and have not struggled with depression in the past (I am a mental health professional, so work with mental illnesses on a daily basis; enough to know there was something not right with me!). I have also put on 10 pounds in the last 3 months. Partly due to low energy. My hands even get tired when I color with my 3 year old.

I have taken 1-2 Excedrin Migraine a day to ease (not cure) my headache that has lasted for over 30 days.

Just this weekend, it occurred to me maybe it was the NuvaRing. After reading all these posts, I took it out a week early. I would rather live with some cramps instead of all of these side effects!

Well, I am so glad that I read these responses. I have had the absolute worst headache for 1 week now. It is miserable. It is on the right side of my head and goes down behind my right ear. I have even been so concerned about it that I had a CT scan of my head done. It was a pain like I have never had before. I was on the NuvaRing for two weeks and when I went for my yearly, after complaining of the headache, she yanked that sucker out. I have still yet to start a period 4 days after the fact, and welcome it with open arms. Hopefully when this hormone is out of my body, my so called "hormone induced migraine" will leave me. Lortab doesn't even subside the pain. UGH>

I have been on the 4 months going on 5. i may have gained a little weight but just water weight. My skin has cleared up and i am not getting the PMS breakouts anymore. I just turned 29 and still get acne so anything that helps is welcome. however i have been noticing slight headaches here and there. i typically don't get headaches and from what i have read on these blogs the ring may be to blame...other than slight weight gain and a headache or two it's been good using the ring. i also don't get ravenously hungry before my period anymore which is a blessing, i would eat anything and a lot of it-lol! i am going to be paying more attention though, and come to think of it i have noticed been tired and i workout a lot so i usually have tons of energy. tough call, i guess every birth control method has draw backs.

My cholesterol went from 180 to 245. I also experienced severe headaches and have gained 40 lbs. I went off of the NuvaRing 7 weeks ago. I haven't had a headache in 6 weeks and I just had my blood work done and my cholesterol is now 209. I can't seem to get the weight off which could be because of me being hypothyroid. You can't imagine how great it is to not have a headache 3-4 days a week. This is just what happened with me. I have a couple of friends using NuvaRing and they have no issues what so ever.

I've been using Nuvaring for about 8 months and have gained at least 10 pounds. Also, my cholesterol went from 200 to 250 and LDL from 120 to 168. Has anyone else experience increase in cholesterol? I too have expererieced memory problems and have noticed that I wake up more often feeling as if my arm or hand "fell asleep".

I am just turned 24 years old. I have done the ortho evra patch before and had no problems.. well two weeks ago i started the nuvaring.. i though it would be good as much as my doctor talked good about it and meaning it cost me 50 dollars for 1 ring.... well the first few days went okay i didnt have many symptoms.. well then i started noticing a yellowy discharge and had to wear panty liners and it made it feel like i was always wet there.. well then there ended up a smell there and yet i was washing the normal amount of times a day.. then i ended up with a uti that lasted a week.. as well as it was my birthday weekend and i spent most of it with mood swings.. mainly i was very depressed and spent alot of time crying or angry for no reason at all.. like every little thing got on my nerves.. i ended up feeling very tired and wanting to sleep alot but then would wake up in the middle of the night with cramps... Then ever since i started the ring my acne has been terrible.. i wash my face and use proactive but it didnt work.. well i had a pimple near my lower lip of my face and it hurt really badly well then this morning i woke up and the whole area around it was swollen and my lip was massive.. and right that moment i knew it was the ring.. so i took it out.. and since ive taken it out ive felt happier, still a bit tired but not as much, and the swelling in my face and lip finally went away.. and when i took the ring out i felt nausea and had a headache.. which was a typical ever day thing since i started the ring these werent like typical headaches they were very painful...

i do not recommend anyone to use the nuva ring no matter how good the doctors talk about it.. it causes depression and everything that everyone else puts out there.. i read this website after i had just put it in and i regret not listening to all the other woman on this site...

3 weeks after putting in the NR, I went to work explaining to my co-workers that I "had a hangover" and needed to eat some bread , as my 3 glasses of birthday wine from the night before really had done me in. After a baegal, and an energy drink, I noticed my eyes had this weird kinda haze, and my head over my ears was really starting to ache. The worse it got, I finally voiced to the girls how "weird" I felt, and with their own experience, we figured out it was a migraine. A migraine? I had never felt a headache like this before. this alone made me anxious, and made my heart palpitate (which I was already familiar with) I left work early because I was having difficulty concentrating, and i felt bad for having everyone work in the dark with me. I got home and did nothing but sleep ALL night into the next morning. When I woke, it felt like just breathing was making me more nauseated by the minute. I vommitted all morning, had no lunch and am still queezy 6 hours later. I was glad to find this site to answer the question of this being due to the ring or not. I took it out, with no plans to re-insert, and my stomach is still in knots. as a nurse my advise to other women is: reconignize the common/small symptoms, before the big/scary ones occur.

Let me tell you how thankful I am to know there are others out there. I thought I was going crazy! Horrible depression (suicidal) less than 14 hours after insertion. My husband thought he was going to have to lock me up! I also am on Wellbutrin, but haven't been depressed for a long time! Actually, I would say before the ring, I was the least depressed I have been in years!!! I don't know. I also had extremely bad body aches and burning from the back of my legs up to my neck! Oh, and the headache! I took that thing out after about 20 hours!

I have been on the NuvaRing for 2 weeks now and every time me and my partner engage in sexual activity he gets a killer headache which has never happened before the ring. I am also very angry and feel depressed and believe that it may be a cause of the NuvaRing.

It just occurred to me yesterday that the NuvaRing was probably causing me to go crazy...so I googled side effects and 800 results were found EXACTLY like mine!!!
I feel like it's my duty to warn people they if they are on the ring they aren't going crazy, and for people who are thinking about going on it--be warned! Pay attention to your body and emotions and if you think you are going crazy, it's probably the ring.
My experience is much like everyone else's here...I have always suffered from depression, so have been on meds for like 3 years and have been completely stable for about a year. Then I put in the ring and I literally thought I was going crazy. I would call my mom in the middle of the night telling her I wanted to kill myself I was so depressed. Seriously, this thing is crazy! I assume most people won't be as severe as I was unless you were depressed before (esp be warned if you are taking a combo of Wellbutrin and Lexapro), but if anyone feels a 10th of what I felt, you need to consider that it's the NuvaRing doing it to you.
I've had a headache for about three days straight and didn't connect it to the ring until I read it's common. I had my period for two weeks straight while the ring was in. I just now realized that I didn't even want to have sex with my boyfriend, which was the main reason I got the stupid thing in the first place.