NuvaRing and liver

There are so many of us with depression/emotional issues from the NuvaRing.

For me, the NuvaRing saved me, only by revealing the MESS it created.

I was diagnosed bipolar in 2000 and spent 5 years on heavy medication in an attempt to manage it. In 2005 I went off the medication and my oral contraceptives in order to become pregnant. Following the birth of my son, I never returned to oral contraceptives AND never followed the typical path of a bipolar mother. There were no PPD issues, and I ended up not returning to the bipolar medication. I was symptom free without an explanation.

In May 2009, after years without anxiety symptoms, I went on the Nuva Ring. Within 12 hours, all of my old symptoms had returned. Within 5 days, I realized there could be a correlation and removed the ring. By the next day, I returned to myself.

With a call to my psychiatrist, who I hadn't seen in over a year, I described what had happened. She explained that the hormones do not process through the liver with the NuvaRing, unlike the oral contraceptives. This direct route into the body made the effects of the LOW dose hormones that more apparent. Thankfully, I learned that my issue all along was the hormonal birth control, and not my mental health.

My option is now a non-hormonal IUD, which has it's own messy issues, but I embrace fully in exchange for the emotional instability.

I feel that I have one of those stories that women need to hear. I do believe we are not realizing the full effects of these hormones. I took it as far as one can take it, with a full diagnosis and years of medication. I have to wonder how many women are experiencing milder effects and just don't realize that it could be the hormones.

I have been on Nuvaring for 2 months now and after the first month I went back to the doctor and she said that the side effects were normal and would go away after a few months. I don't think I believe that, cause I just feel so bad. I use to never fight with my boyfriend and now it is an every day occurrence. I get headaches all the time now it seems almost everyday. I feel so depressed and before I got on it I was happy go lucky and the peaceful one and now I am just on edge all the time and I hate it. I get nausea and for a moment i was thinking maybe I am pregnant but I am not and it is just frustrating and irritating. The best things about the ring is I don't really get cramps and no period pimples and no weight gain and no pill everyday. I never had there problems on the pill lo overall or on the patch. I must say though that it feels great to know I am not alone cause I was beginning to think it was just me and also i don't know if anyone has this but does your chest or heart feel tight at time like a palpitation? I am 24 and I never had this until now and I am so tired that all I want to do is sleep and I feel faint from time to time. I feel like i have all the bad symptoms except a few and no yeast. I honestly think this is my last month on this and thank you all so much it is such a relief to know I am not alone. Oh and I do get hot too and everything.

Wow, I decided to google nuvaring and leg cramps. I haven't had a charlie horse in 11 years, but I had one two weeks ago and I have noticed my legs are always achey. I have rheumatoid arthritis and my other joints don't even hurt this bad. After reading this I took it out. I rather have long periods than leg cramps. Guess I will call the doctor on Monday and let her know. I can't take oral pills because it goes through the liver. This sucks. I just wasted 35.00 after getting the mail order people to drop the one prescription from 67.00 to 35.00. I am anxious to see if my leg cramps go away. :-)

I was put on the NuvaRing by my OBGYN to fix endometriosis... that was 5 1/2 years ago... I'm now 26 and I have been having dizzy spells for a while... actually passed out twice while living in New York for the past 4 years... not fun when you're on the Subway! Recently - the back of my legs started hurting! Then my calves swelled up! All these new veins appeared and I rushed to my general physician! The first thing out of her mouth was are you on birth control... GET OFF! When i told her it was NuvaRing - she was 99% sure it was it! I had an ultrasound to make sure it wasn't blood clots and it's not... so I went to nuvaring website and one of their symptoms is pain in back of knees and swelling! RIDICULOUS!!!! I took it out immediately! Even the 32 year old who did my ultrasounds said she voluntarily got off all BC because of everyone she has come in there with liver, blood, heart problems!

The gynecologist examined me and refused to insert a copper IUD because he said my uterus was too small. After I got dressed, he handed me a FREE SAMPLE of NuvaRing. I said : "But I don't want to use hormonal bc." He said : "This has less hormones and doesn't go through the liver." Well I guessed that was a GOOD thing, which he wanted me to believe of course. The mood swings, serious anxiety, irritability (I would go as far as to say, anger and impulse control problems) and burning vaginal pain during sex seriously affected my relationship with my boyfriend. We may even be broken up now and I blame it partly on NuvaRing and other hormonal bc I took after my 2 months on NuvaRing. I am so sad that I had to go through all that! I wonder how many gifts the doctors get for giving us the prescriptions of bc. Anyone interested in non hormonal bc? There is the cervical cap in many varieties and sizes. It doesn't affect sexual spontaneity because you can insert it several hours before sex and you can have intercourse several times with it on. You can even keep it in for up to 3 days.

I have gone to so many doctors to help me figure out what's been going on with my body the past 6 months, and now it all makes sense. I've had INTENSE pain in my right side that I had looked at, and northing's been found, been back to my gynecologist for the burning after and during sex, I've have NO sex drive for months and has almost cost me my relationship, I've been bloated every night, been depressed, lazy, school work and drive has deteriorated, my mind is so foggy, I've gained 10 LBS, had severe headaches, especially behind my right eye, been to an orthopedics for HORRIBLE back pain that I thought was hip pain- it paralyzes me twice a week to a point where I can't move for 10 minutes at a time, I've been irritable and just not myself ... I mean the list goes on and on--- and this all began, I recognize now, when I started using the ring. Every hell I have gone through since August, is due to this tiny convenience.
Thank you everyone for your comments- tomorrow I am making an appointment to have my liver checked out (cross my fingers)- I'm mad- I'm so upset. They should not have "safe" things like this on the market. I'm suing if I find something. I feel like I've been a test subject. I'm 21- I want my life back!

I am so glad that I stumbled on this page so I can warn others so they won't have to go through what I am going through. I began using NuvaRing in August 2007 because I couldn't remember to always take my pill at night. I noticed a change in my mood, I was having major mood swings which was affecting my home life and my work life (I teach middle school), I was having headaches that would last for days. Also, I began having nausea and a stabbing pain in my right side just under my ribs. I went back to my family doctor (who by the way suggested the ring because that is what she is on) and she set me up for gall bladder tests. I went through 2 inconclusive tests on my gall bladder and was still having pain and nausea. I was then sent to a gastroenterologist for stomach issues. I have had an upper GI, CT scan and MRI. The tests showed that the root of my problem was a tumor on my liver. I am now awaiting an appointment with a specialist to discuss the removal of the tumor or what I can do for it. The ring was the cause of the tumor. I am 29 years old and have always been active, working out, I have 2 small children whom I play with often, I used to play bass guitar at my church but I had to stop that because I was too tired to go to practice! The tumors are very fragile and can burst to cause internal bleeding which can be fatal! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT START THE RING OR TAKE IT OUT TODAY!!!! There is nothing worse than looking at your children and your husband thinking that you could have internal bleeding that could kill you and you would never be able to see them again because you just didn't want to get pregnant! I didn't read the pamphlet that came with it, I just trusted it because that was what my doctor used. This "rare" incident that happens to like one in a million has happened to me! I took it out the 30th of Dec and have had much more energy and felt better about myself. That doesn't change the fact that I have this tumor that I have to deal with now. I was only on it for 4 months!! Be careful

Okay i just started the Nuva Ring today and I'm scared after reading all of these bad side effects!! Liver and Gall bladder damage!! I was on the shot for 9 months and I was fine I guess I'll give it a try and wait to see what happens. ANYone do ok on the shot and the Ring as well?? I wonder if they are pretty much the same?

Nuvaring has worked in preventing me from getting pregnant a second time. But what I believe I got from using the Nuvaring is Gall Bladder Disease. There are 2 types of gall bladder disease and I have one of them. I have stones in my gallbladder. And because of that I have to have surgery to get my gallbladder removed. I found that out myself after doctors told me I have stones in my gallbladder. The doctors did not tell me that it was caused from using the Nuvaring. I decided to read up on the Nuvaring after I found out I had to get surgery. One of the side affects of Nuvaring is gallbladder disease. Now I know where I got it from. When it was too late. No one wants to have their gallbladder removed or even think about having to get surgery.

I have been experiencing problems with the NuvaRing as well. After having my first ring in for just shy of two weeks, my hands and feet started itching a LOT. I just thought it was the change in weather and started lathering them with lotion thinking it would help. It didn't, and in fact, my symptoms worsened to hives on my butt, knees, and hands. My fingers swelled, along with my toes, making it painful to walk. I started researching side effects of NR and found several people having similar symptoms as me. At first I was worried that I was having an allergic reaction to the Gardasil (HPV) shot, which I got on Monday (the 15th), but my skin was starting to itch prior to my shot. After reading up on the NR, I'm starting to think that is what's causing my hives/welts and swelling! I already called my doctor about the swelling, because I thought it was from the Gardasil, but now that I'm almost certain that it's from the NR, I'm going to call them on Monday and tell them I need to stop using it. This is the 5th birth control I've been on in two years...it's getting ridiculous! They can't find one that works for me...the oral pills work for a month or two, and then I start breakthrough bleeding because the hormone levels are too low! I'm starting to think that my body rejects birth control, and that it's not for me! Is this possible?!