NuvaRing and pills

I have been on the nuva ring for about 5 years and I seriously thought it was the best thing ever. I think i just started getting side effects that were bad enough to notice. I kept trying to place them with other reasons like stress. The vaginal dryness,the burning, the itching the spotting and that brown discharge. I have been steadily getting more depressed and anxious, i feel sad constantly and FREAK out on my boyfriend. I also want to sleep, i just feel wore down that could also be contributed to the depression. I did gain about 15 lbs when i first started taking it but have since then lost it. I started when i was 16 and now im 21. My boyfriend thinks i like someone else or im with someone else cause i just dont seem very turned on by him. It sucks. I am very certian switching is a great idea for me, it just sucks cause i can be very unsteady with pills. your not going crazy. ha. i need suggestions on a good pill.

My birth control journey (including Nuvaring) has been horrendous. I was on Alesse for several years when I moved to a different country where it wasn't available. I went on Yasmin for 3 months and proceeded to gain 15 lbs. of weight I had worked really hard to lose only a few months before. I was depressed, moody, and nauseous all the time. My doctor then put me on a different pill which made me so nauseous I would sometimes vomit in the first week of the pack, then when the nausea subsided the PMS and moodiness started. Again I researched birth control options and heard about Nuvaring. I asked him if the lower dose of hormones would help and he said I should try it. 4 months later, during a routine medical exam I was told I had EXTREMELY high blood pressure. I had never had high BP before. I couldn't figure it out, I had my kidneys tested and they were fine, my diet was healthy, I just didn't understand until I took it into my own hands and googled it. It clicked that it was the Nuvaring. I took it out and have never felt better. I feel less bloated, my mood is amazing. I am having my BP tested again in 2 weeks and only hope that it's gone back to normal. I am NEVER returning to hormonal birth control methods.

I've been using the Nuvaring off and on for almost six years. I started using it after I had my son in 2002, and I never had any problems with it. I used it for a couple years, had to stop b/c of my insurance. I went back to it after the birth of my daughter, in early 2006. I started having a lot of problems around December, 2007, but I didn't even think that it could be because of the nuvaring, since I had been on it for so long already. I was having stomach problems, awful headaches, horrible anxiety, depression, mood swings, had no energy at all, horrible burning pain after sex. I started having spotting and periods that lasted for up to a month, and would pass huge blood clots. I talked to my obgyn in February and she told me to just switch my rings right away instead of keeping it out for a week for my period. That stopped the bleeding for about two months, then my period came back with a vengeance. I bled for over a month, stopped for a week, bled for a few more weeks. It was ridiculous. I've finally given up on the ring after yet another month-long period. I took it out a week ago and I have finally stopped bleeding. I've noticed a difference with other symptoms as well and I really hope my body gets back to normal soon. I found this site last week when I was trying to decide if I should stop using the ring or not and I couldn't believe how many women had the same symptoms that I've been having. I never realized that all of the problems that I've had were all due to my birth control. Now I'm stumped as to what birth control to try next. I've been reading up on them and they all seem to have horrible side effects like the ring. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

This is my second time on NuvaRing. The first time followed 6 years of pills. I first switched to NR because I always had breakthrough bleeding on the pill. I had no side effects. Loved it. I got off birth control because my husband and I wanted to try for our first child. I am now on the NR again. It is the 2nd ring since I started on it again. The first month I had some cramping..on and off and never bad enough for medication. I also had some vaginal irritation. During sex, the irritation caused some pain. But I was determined to see it out because I had loved it before. Well am I glad I did!! I have had no cramps, pain, irritation, no vaginal dryness, no mood swings, no weight gain...nothing except for not having to worry about taking that pill every night.

Birth control is like any other medication. Everyone reacts differently to each one. Look at codine...some people do great on it then you have people who are fatally allergic to it.

Dont go by what people say happened to them. You maybe completely different.

I am 31 yrs. old and this is month 4 on the NuvaRing. I have been on several different types of BC over the years the side effects had been so severe I decided to give up on BC all together. When my doctor recommended NuvaRing I was leary, but I tried it anyway and was quite pleased until recently. I am not experiencing head aches, nausea, or irregular periods, but I am experiencing problems with my moods. Most of the time I am sad or I get agitated very quickly for no reason. I was shocked to read about some of you experiencing loss of energy. I thought I was going crazy. I don't seem to have any energy...I am tired all the time. I have been taking vitamins, but they don't seem to be boosting my energy any. I have gained weight in my stomach and seem to be gasy and bloated. My jeans are so tight...It is depressing! In a matter of 2 weeks my breasts have grown in size...I am sure I have gone from a 36 C to a D! What I am most concerned about is the blisters that appeared about 2 1/2 weeks ago on the exterior of my vagina. They are very painful and over the counter creams are not working. I am not sure if this is due to the NuvaRing. I have my anual checkup with my OBGYNE tomorrow. I plan on getting all of my questions and concerns addressed. My delima is do I stay on NuvaRing...I like that I don't have to worry about popping any pills and I don't get any major side effects. What should I do?

i am basically here for some help...i have been on the nuvaring since the 19th of june.things went fine for about two days.then i started bleeding heavy and having awful cramps.it has been like this EVERYDAY now.i am supposed to take is out on the july 3rd.did it do this to anyone else? or does anyone know why it is doing this? my menstrual bleeding has never been this heavy or have i ever had cramping this bad! and it most certainly hasn't lasted for almost three weeks! also i don't know if it has anything to do with the nuvaring or not but my knee's have been killing me! i have never had this problem before and i am a fairly active person and always have been.i also recently had a child.she is two months old now.i weighed 160 the day i went in to be induced,and i lost down to 125 within a matter of a month and a half.i was doing so good with my weight loss.i wasn't exercising or anything.i had just gotten into the groove of only eating one time a day and it was not bothering me or affecting my energy level.since being on the ring i am now up to 130 pounds and i am hungry ALL the time! after reading all of this i am seriously thinking about taking out my ring after i finish this post.i do need some form of birth control though...i am thinking an IUD???

I have been using Nuvaring for about 5 years now and I'm surprised to see all these posts about people being very unhappy with the method. I have nothing but positive things to say about the ring, except that it's an annoyance to have to take it out during intercourse (not due to the ring itself, but I think b/c of the size of my bf). Of course, as long as it's back inside in s not fair to blame every crying spell or pounds gained on the method. Take a good look at your mental/emotional health, physical health, stress levels, stressful events, medicines you are taking...these can all effect our bodies just the same as any hormonal method!!!

I am 41 and like another poster, I use the ring to help regulate my period as I am in perimenopause. I have had no sex drive, fatigue, extreme change in discharge and a lot of vaginal pain. This is my 4th ring to use, and I am considering taking it out and talking to my doctor about something else. Maybe I just need to deal with the side effect of extremely long amounts of time between periods, but it sure doesn't make me feel secure since I can still get pregnant!

HELP!

After reading many postings, I don't feel like I'm the only one with my problems.

I've been on the ring for the past 2 1/2 years. Looking back I've noticed that I've had numerous migraine headaches and pretty much ZERO sex drive. How frustrating!!

What the heck do I do? Anyone know of which birth control I can switch to? I've been on numerous pills (orthocept, orthonovum, orthotri), the patch and the depo shot. They all made me emotionally crazy. Condoms don't really jive with my body.

i have been on the nuvaring about 2yrs give or take. Just about 2mths ago i discovered having head aches. They have not gone away ever since. I have have blood work done, and mri. the mri showed i my jaw pops out of place when i open my mouth to wide. The doctor says that it looked lik TMJ but there to independent things. So he suggested to stop using my birth control. I called my gyno, she said that people have had cases of getting migraines but its unusual to be on it for so long and suddenly develop migraines. I have been on lots of medication nothing seems to work. She told me to stop taking it after my next menstrual cycle, im praying that this will cure my migraines.

Glad to hear I'm not alone. After being off birth control for three months (to regulate my cycle after missing pills, etc), my doc started me on NuvaRing since I had trouble remembering to take the pill. I noticed that since I've had the ring in (1.5 months), I have been the Grouch. Moody, excessively whiny, and a very bleak outlook - despite a very pleasant and fortunate future ahead of me. My boss noticed it at work and I have since noticed, after taking a step back to evaluate, that I have been utterly irrational, to the point of b**chy.

Over the last week, I've noticed that the second ring that I put in has been sliding out. Not all the way out - but to the point of where it's uncomfortable and slightly painful - almost as if my body won't accept it and is, in way, trying to purge it from my body. Sorry to be graphic, but has this happened to anyone else?

I took it out yesterday and am experiencing major discomfort (dryness?) and UTI like symptoms. The nurse practioner gave me two new NuvaRing's to try. However, after reading this page, I'm questioning whether I should just buck up and force myself to remember to take the pill everyday.

Other side-effects include increased acne (when I was on the pill I noticed decreased acne - not increased!).

Thanks for your posts - very insightful.

Hello,
Just thought I would add some pro nuvaring commentary to the chorus of horror stories here. I've been on the nuvaring for about two years now and so far I have no babies (yay!) and no side effects I could confidently link to the ring. Like most women I get headaches (about once a week or so), experience pms, and my sex drive is not what it was in the first few weeks of my relationship but I'm unwilling to ascribe any of these 'side effects' soley to the ring. In particular I find it difficult to believe as some of your postings indicate that the side effects of the ring seem to be worse than the pill- depression, weight gain (in one post 40-50 lbs!), headaches, etc. when the dosage or hormones is lower. So I guess simply put, I am satisfied with the ring and although it's not my place to criticize another woman's choice of birth control, I wouldn't let these posts scare you away from what is, in my experience, the best form of hormonal birth control based on its user-friendliness and lower dosage of hormones.

I am soooo glad I found this website!! Please read further!!!! I had a horrible experience on the NuvaRing. Can't even begging to explain, but I want to express my knowledge to anyone that is on this site. I think doctors should ask every patient that requests the NR if they have had or have symptoms or have been diagnosed with depression, or at that, any mental illness. With women most mood disorders are somewhat hormonally linked along with some kind of chemical imbalance. The ring has a very strong hormone in it that can cause all sorts of problems for women in this category. However, it is probably great for some people. I was only on it for 2.5 weeks and I was screaming at my fiance for no reason then I would lay in bed and just feel hopeless and cry for hours. I know I have suffered from depression for a great deal of my whole life, but I had it under control until I put that little devil inside my vagina. We, my finance and I, thought it would be great to not have to keep forgetting pills and having a pregnancy scare once a month. We didn't link the two together until I told my therapist that I started the ring and he told me to immediately take it out!!! He said DEPO and NuvaRing are a big "no-no" with mentally frustrated patients. So, to all you ladies out there, the ring is good if you have never been to a psychiatrist!!! If you are on any type of SSRI or Benzo's then you obviously have a mental thing going on....stay away from these type of BC's because they are just simply toooooo strong. I hope this helps doctors and patients.

Like many others who have posted here, many symptoms have been present, but I failed to recognize that NuvaRing may be the cause. After another restless night, lying awake at 3 a.m. and considering seeking help for my increasingly unpredictable mood swings and depression, I had an epiphany, which led me here.
I’ve long suffered headaches, so I won’t pin that on NuvaRing, but I used to be one who rarely cried. I’ve felt absolutely crazy lately, both crying and being openly hostile to my husband. It’s a relief to think there may be a cause I can do something about. Now I can’t decide if I should remove it now and risk having my period while on vacation next week or leave it in and be miserable.
I’d finally been able to lose a few pounds, but only two months after beginning NuvaRing, it was all back, plus a few more. I hadn’t thought to connect it to the new birth control, as I’ve been on various pills since 1999.
Stomach problems are another issue I was already dealing with, but the possibility that they've been compounded by this birth control is frustrating.
Another symptom that I’m not sure is related: raised bumps on my upper arms and thighs, dry and slightly itchy. Has anyone else experienced skin-related symptoms with NR?
Many thanks to all who have shared their experiences.

I must say I love the NuvaRing. I've been on it for almost 3 years. It is extremely convenient. I do have some issues with weight and depression, but I've had those for a while so I don't think I can blame them on NuvaRing. I was previously on Depo for 3 years, and before that various pills (which I could never remember to take). I loved the Depo for it's convenience, but I think it caused a lot more weight gain and loss of sex drive than any other birth control method I've tried. I also tri-cycle my rings (I only have my period after every third ring cycle). The less periods the better in my opinion. I have very very light bleeding during my period. The only drawback is I have one day of horrible cramps that I never used to have. I just take some Ibuprofen and remember that it's only one day every three months.

Unfortunately I have crappy health insurance that won't cover NuvaRing, so I'm thinking about switching to Mirena. I'll miss the Ring, but hopefully Mirena will be good to me.

I have been experiencing the same side effects. I asked my OB if it could be caused by the NuvaRing, but she said it wasn't. I'm not so sure. I have been treated for BV every month since I started. The smell is horrid and I feel awful. I haven't noticed any weight gain and I have been married 5 years so I don't know about losing my sex drive, but I have noticed when we do have sex it's painful as all hell. I just started my first week of this cycle...and already I have the smell and itchiness. I'm so fed up! :( I can't take the pills, or the patches or the shots, I thought this would be my savior...I guess not...

I was on Orthocept pills for 10 years with no problems. Short, light periods, no PMS. I can have a temper, but it was when I was younger and in the middle of a fight. That being said...I gave birth to twin daughters in November 2005. 9 months later, I stopped breastfeeding and had to go back on birth control. My old pill didn't work and neither did 3 others (included Yaz). I bled almost the entire month. I was crabby and irritable, but mostly frustrated. It was a horrible 1 1/2 years. 6 months ago I was put on Nuvaring because it should produce no side effects for the most part. Besides heavy discharge (which I could live with if I wasn't bleeding all month), I had heavier periods. I also noticed I was starting to get some nasty PMS, which I've NEVER had in my entire life. I was moody and irritable and cried even more easily than normal. Lately, I've been lashing out at my sweet girls and yelling at them. At first I thought it was because they are going through the difficult "2's" and mealtime is a struggle. I thought, they are more challenging so my patience is worn a little thinner. My husband has a different story. We've both noticed nasty mood swings and it's gotten to the point in the past month that I feel bi-polar. I really feel out of control. My doc said to go off it for a few months to see how I am. This is my "period" week and all of a sudden I've had a little period. I haven't been able to get my hormones under control since giving birth and it's frustrating. My husband wants his wife back and I don't want my girls to remember me yelling and crying for no reason. THAT'S enough to make anyone depressed on their own. I'm not sure what we are going to do for birth control at this point (condoms I guess...which is no fun when you are used to not using them). I will see what happens. I hope it's not the Nuvaring, but after seeing these posts, I feel a little better knowing I may be able to get rid of some of my craziness over the next few months as my body goes back to "normal". Good luck to the rest of you as well. I love being a woman, but boy, we get the short end of the stick sometimes!

Hey all,
I am meant to be starting the Nuvaring on Sunday. I was on Ortho Lo for about a year but gained significant weight on it and could not take the bloating so my Dr. switched me to Yasmin last month. I have been an emotional mess all month so we have decided to try another delivery method, the ring now and see if side effects are less for me. I am scared though in case I gain even more weight or have another month of depression. Has anyone had positive experiences switching?

I have been on NuvaRing for 8 months and am now realizing that my severe mood problems are most likely due to this bc. I went from rarely ever crying to crying every day for no reason. I find myself getting really upset with my boyfriend and friends for no reason. I also have noticed that I am much more anxious than I used to be. I got on NuvaRing originally because most of the pills I had tried previously made me very ill and throw up. I know all medicine affects people differently but has anyone been on a form of birth control other than NuvaRing that they would actually recommend and has minimal side effects?

Has anyone had vaginal bleeding because the NuvaRing irritated your vagina? I had a little bit of break-thru bleeding earlier in my cycle but now the blood looks more like it is coming from something else...I have used a diaphram before and that would really irritate my vagina during sex, I would lightly bleed for the next day or two. My bleeding now looks a lot like my vagina is really irritated similar to using the diaphram. I've had some mood swings--mostly deep lows and being incredibly impatient/irritable which I'm normally not like. Lots of breast tenderness, too. My gyno swore that the NuvaRing with finally be the BC that would work for me (I've been a numerous types of pills) but I've been on it for two months and so far things are not looking too promising...

Here's my history of birth control:

Started with Yaz when I got married. Had fantastic periods and great sex drive but it made me really sick and crazy hormonal. Had to stop it because I was getting migraines a few times a week.

Switched to condoms for a while, but found out I'm allergic to latex. Switched to the (expensive) lambskin condoms but still experienced some discomfort.

Switched to the nuvaring 3 months ago. I've had fantastic periods, no cramping, no headaches, etc...but the darn thing won't stay in this month! It slips down about every hour no matter what I do. I also have ZERO sex drive, and I've been experiencing numbing in my arms/hands.

Well crap, what am I supposed to try now? The pull-out method? Pills are out, condoms are out, nuvaring is out, mirena is out (haven't had a baby yet so I'm not a candidate. Maybe God's telling me that I'm supposed to have a baby?

Ugh. It's all so upsetting.

I've been on NuvaRing for about 6 months now and Its better than the last 6 birth controls i've been on in the last 4 years. I've gone through 4 different pills, and was on the shot for 2 years. The One thing i've noticed with the ring is that it makes me crazy! and not just once a month. I have random mood swings that I never used to get before I was on this ring, and I get violent! (not the kind of person i am.) Other than that, i really can't complain. Other birth controls were actually making me bleed for weeks at a time...sometimes months, and nothing was ever right. I'll deal with an occasional mood swing as long as im regular and healthy! oh yea...i like the fact that you can't even feel it =)

I have used the NuvaRing for approximately 2 years and been very happy with it for the most part, although I have started to realize some possibly connected side effects. Not having to commit to a daily pill taking schedule has been great and I liked the fact that it was a lower dose of hormones since it is close to your uterus and does not have to go through the digestive system like pills do. However, I have noticed a decrease in sex drive and I have been drier over time. Sex is still great, but I definitely have to work harder to get motivated. I have also noticed that my allergies have worsened over the last 2 years and I used to never get sick, but the last 2 years I have gotten sick several times. It may not be directly connected, but it is an interesting observation. I had a little weight gain and my breasts got bigger for about 2-3 months, but then it evened out and returned to normal and I felt great. I think I also was a little bit more emotional than usual the first couple months, but not drastically- nothing that caused any problems. I think I helped regulate my emotions by being conscious that my body was working to balance itself back out. However, because of the allergy thing, immune system thing, and sex drive thing, I think I am going to try going off it for awhile and use a fem cap and spermicide instead. I am ready for male birth control already! I will post again if there are any side effects with going off and how the new methods work. Thanks for everyone's comments; its so important to have this public information out there!

Nuvaring, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
1) you keep me from getting pregnant
2) I ignore you all month long, no annoying pills
3) you have made my boobs bigger
4) my appetite is lessened
5) I've lost weight
6) my skin is clearer
For every Nuvaring hater out there, remember that there are LOTS of happy customers who are too busy to waste their time checking up on side effects online

I was on many pills over the past 5 years, all with really bad side effects. The pills would cause me to have a period every two weeks, give me CRAZY yeast infections, cause all sorts of mood swings, and completely took away my sex drive. After giving me so many different brands of pills, my gyno decided that my body metabolized the hormones too fast and not enough of them were getting into my blood stream. He put me on the NuvaRing because it totally bypasses the digestive tract and the hormones get absorbed directly into your blood stream. I've just come out of my 1st month and feel great! My boyfriend and I both don't even notice it's there. I'm actually starting to regain some of my sex drive back and couldn't be happier with my new BC.

I started the NuvaRing in July and really liked the convenience of only inserting it in once a month. I would sometimes forget to take my pills and this was a good way of not worrying about forgetting my pills. Everything was fine at first,however, there were a few times where my periods were very irregular. One time I started my period 2 weeks early and it lasted 2 weeks long. My sex drive also decreased to the point where I just wasn't even thinking about sex. I thought the lack of sex drive was due to stress of planning a wedding, work, etc but I realized something was very wrong. I am only 30 years and yet I had no interest in sex. It wasn't my husband, I was just not wanting sex period. Then in Feb, I gained about 10lbs and now I can't get it off. I work out everyday religiously and eat really well and I cheat once a week and even then I watch what i eat. It's been a month and nothing gives. I did take the ring out 2 weeks ago and I don't plan on going back on it or any type of birth control. I am going to stick to the condom. This is the heaviest that I have weighed in the last 3-4 years, and the ironic thing is that I eat a lot better now than I did 3-4 years ago. Now my clothes don't fit and I feel like a cow. I also was experiencing hair loss I know losing 100 strands a day was normal but what I was losing wasn't normal. I also was getting really tired. Despite how tired I was, I still wake up at 4am mon-fri to work out. I am so frustrated, I can't wait till these hormones are out of my body completely. the last time I had this issue (not being able to get the weight off) was with Yasmin, luckily I wasn't on it for too long before I realized that brand wasn't working for me. Please let me know how long it has taken to get NuvaRing out of your system. I have been ring free for about 2 weeks and have yet to start my period, I think my body is screwed up..

HI. I HAVE BEEN ON NUVARING FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS. I WAS SO EXCITED TO FINALLY GET A BIRTH CONTROL THAT I DID NOT HAVE WORRY ABOUT. WELL AT LEAST THAT WHAT I THOUGHT. I RECENTLY HAD AN ABNORMAL PAP AND HAD TO REPEAT IT 3 MONTHS LATER. THEN I FIND OUT THAT I HAVE EROSION OF THE CERVIX . I WAS TOLD THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE NUVARING DUE TO THE FACT THAT EVERYONE ABSORBS THE HORMONES DIFFERENTLY. I HAD NO OTHER SIDE EFFECTS LIKE I DID WITH THE PILLS, WHAT A NIGHTMARE.

I am glad I found all of these postings. I have been on the NuvaRing for 2 months and I am just not liking it. I cry all the time. I feel like I have a problem. I am usually so happy and outgoing, but I feel like I am not myself. I've had it with birth control! I have tried all sorts of pills. I thought the NuvaRing was going to be the answer to my birth control problems, but it is just like the others. It causes me to be fatigued and depressed, as well as have bad headaches. AHHH. It is coming out ASAP! I hate using condoms but I guess they will have to do. Good luck to ya'll.

OMG! I'm so happy to have found this site. I HATE the NuvaRing. I liked it at first because it seemed easy. after being on it for a few months I have gained 10 pounds, I'm a rather small girl, I have random migraines and worst of all I'm very very depressed, irritable, anxious, tired. I have had emotional issues in the past but never have i cried this much or been so sensitive. My boyfriend thinks I'm loosing it and now I know why. DAMN THE NUVARING

I have been on the NuvaRing for 3 weeks now. I have been having bad side effects, I am 14 years old and I highly recommend you do not use the NuvaRing it makes you a depressed person all the time it makes you have headaches and serious cramps and pains which i have had. It makes you mean which I was happy all the time before the Birth control method my doctor put me on. I am not satisfied, I have felt like vomiting and my NuvaRing comes out when I use tampons and it gets in the way it hurts... it is not good... I have been feeling dissy very tired.. feel like I never have enough sleep my parents been wondering whats wrong with me too its kind of like having a major bad hang over.. ( not that I know ) but I have heard what there like. I have been feeling really sick really hot.. and eat a lot I have had rashes as I would say because I just don't get break outs... which is weird I have gotten a break out on my forehead and on my chin..
I have been eating non-stop my apatite has changed.. and I am taking this method out as soon as i talk to my doctor and get switched to the pill the 6th.
So I HIGHLY recommend you do not use the NuvaRing.. but thats your decision just know the consequences that come with it.
oh and one last thing i have been having weird periods with a darkish brown colored period it has a weird odor too.. you might not take my advice because I'm young but I know what its like and if i would have known the effects I would have NEVER put my self through all this, so check into the side effects before you start a new birth control method if you have already used the nuvaring.. some people think the NuvaRing is good which to some people it is.. but for me it is horrible at first it was GREAT!!!
now its not so great .. =\ I personally think the pill will be best.. people say how its so bad to remember but its like this is you want to be protected and if you make the dicision you will remember.. I seriously am thinking about the pill i have heard its bad and i heard its good.
( Some of the same side effects come along with it tho )
Just know that.
So if you have experienced any of these please let me know.
I have had trouble breathing to.
or just write me back on here let me know if you have had the same symptoms I'm kinda worried.

THANX
Alicia-

I have been experiencing a lot of numbness in my arms and hands over the last few months. I ignored it for awhile but decided I definitely should speak to my doctor about it so I am going this afternoon. It only just dawned on me a few days ago that the numbness might be related to the NuvaRing. I think I have been on it about 5 months.

Has anyone else experienced numbness in their arms and hands?

I've been on the NuvaRing for over two years- I thought I was the only one, but now I know it's the ring. I have felt more depressed than normal and it stings when I pee after sex and sometimes during it as well- I didn't know what was wrong with me. Plus now, I have absolutely no sex drive which is horrible. I need to go back to my normal self-- I was on OrthoEvra (the patch) before, but I changed to the ring because it started giving me horrible nausea. Now the nausea is gone, but all these other side effects are in play. Anybody have/had the same side effects as me? What birth control has worked for you?? Please help!

Hey there, I'm 21 and just recently started the NuvaRing (Dec.4th)....
This site dumb founded me! I was just clicking around this morning before work to see what this thing was doing to me and couldn't believe my eyes! Or the fact that I hadn't realized until I read it from others how it effected me personally! I have experienced almost insanity,crying, depression, confusion in my life, pains, bloating, my eye twitching?, rash and itching on my lower tummy and boobs, restless nights, I've always been pretty sexually driven but not so much lately... I just couldn't believe that almost everything I have been going through others are going through also! What is up with that? I tried the patch once awhile ago and it made me moody... so I went back to pills (I'm not a good pill taker) and about a year ago I ended up in the Hospital with an Ovarian Cyst the size of an orange! They put me on a higher dose of BC to make the cyst shrink/go away... I still have had pains and problems associated with the cyst so my OBGYN suggested the NuvaRing so that I wouldn't forget to take my BC and it would help me... Not So Much... I don't know what to do...? The past few days I haven't been as irritable or grumpy and have felt like a happy person but am still having pains. I started to have the beginnings of a period (not actual blood) at the end of Dec-beginning of Jan and recently 3 days ago actually started bleeding... so I've had an ongoing period for weeks.... I'm half tempted to just take this sucker out... I am calling my OBGYN tomorrow and explaining all this... any thoughts-comments- would be appreciated! Wish me luck...
Amanda

NuvaRing makes you go crazy. I forget to take the pills and then I go with what seems like the better way and I go nuts. I lost it. I couldn't do anything without thinking of sleeping or what it would be like if I wasn't here. Its the worse because ever!!!! I have been off it a month and I feel tons better.

Where do I begin?

I can’t tell you all how appreciative I am to find this site! I have been on the NuvaRing for nearly three years and was ignorant enough to never attribute my increasing problems to this terrible medication. In all fairness, I must admit that the initial reason I decided to use the ring was because I had even worse results with three different types of pills. My doctor then prescribed the ring, telling me that it would have the very least amount of hormones of any birth control. What she didn’t tell me and may not even know is that some women can not physically handle any type of added hormones at all in their body and must use a non-hormonal method. Why don’t they warn us of this?!

I come from a generally nervous and careful family. You could say they take life very seriously and perhaps too much at times. However, I myself have always been very social, productive, and had a passion for life. I used to love to write. I was good at it. When I started taking birth control, I was busy planning my wedding and so I just figured all the stress and business of life was taking all the fun out of everything. When I did get married, my sex drive tapered drastically (with the exception of my “free week” when it’s at its highest all month long, but still not what it used to be). I stated suffering from severe abdominal pain at certain yet random times of the month. One month, it got bad and was associated with a mild fever. The doctors did an emergency appendectomy on me just as a precaution. It turned out my appendix was fine and never needed to be pulled! Since the beginning, I’ve suffered the same pain almost every month. Not a month goes by that I don’t have weird things happening to me physically. About a year ago, I started suffering terrible panic attacks! I get extremely dizzy in stores, in traffic, while eating, lying in bed and it happens completely randomly. I suffer terrible leg cramps at night during the week of my period. They’ve gotten so bad that I wake up crying sometimes. I never used to grind my teeth and now I have TMJ! I’ve become overly paranoid and find that at certain times of the month I have more courage to do things I know I shouldn’t ( I have crazy thoughts), while at other times, usually right before my period, I’m afraid to do anything at all. I become obsessed with the thought that I’m dying and I suffer from extreme panic attacks for no good reason at random moments. Rarely, but on occasion, I feel completely normal and just wish I could stay in those moments for good. I suffer from: night sweats, bouts of intense emotion and sadness at the start of my free week, nausea upon insertion of the ring, lethargy and the feeling that my body is held down by weights. My appetite fluctuates greatly from day to day. One day, I’ll eat very little, and the next I’ll want to eat everything. Also since I’ve been on birth control, I’ve developed what you could call an eating disorder. I argue that I don’t have an eating disorder simply because I know that I am not myself on birth control. I haven’t always been this way, and I look forward to the day when I’ll be back to normal. I’ve grown so neurotic that everything in my life is just one big disorder! Doctors can only seem to diagnose what they can see, and so naturally they label me anorexic at 5’7 and around 90llbs. Two and a half years ago, I was a thin, normal girl at 105lbs. The pill made me gain about ten pounds, and since I’ve been on the ring, I’ve lost more and more weight as I’ve grown weird about everything in my life including food. I don’t use laxatives or throw up my food; I’m just a strict eater, disciplined to a fault and with more self control than one should be allowed to posses. I hate my life now. I’m terrified of having an attack in front of people and my daily life has become unpredictable and daunting. I want to be normal. I don’t want to have another dizzy spell ever. I hate it! I feel for women everywhere who are put on such drugs. I did decide to contact NuvaRing first, even before I found this site. I figured they could provide the best answers. Since it’s the only form of medication I take continually, (I’ve decided NOT to follow doctors orders to take the three different anti-depressant meds they’ve prescribed to me in the past two and a half years) I started to wonder if this was the cause of my problems. A representative of the drug told me that there have been no known reports of dizziness, my main complaint. This made me feel alone in my frustration. Now, either she was out right lying to me or the company hasn’t been notified by patients like us who suffer everyday from the adverse reactions to the hormones unnatural to our varying bodies. Regardless, this will be my last month on the ring. I’m pray that I can go back to life as I knew it. I don’t know if that’s even possible. Right now, that just seems like a dream.

I am 29 years old and I have been using NR for almost a year already. although I got through mood swings all the time, now that I think back over the last year or so, I have been acting especially crazy. I am never calm, irritated by everything and everyone, break up with my boyfriend at least 1ce a week, cry a few times a week. Only after reading these posts did I start realizing that maybe its due to NR? I started taking Valerian pills to calm me down, but I became emotionless. I cant be happy for anyone, want to be alone, and not go out. I thought this was all due to stress at work, but now I'm beginning to think otherwise. I took out the ring for good about 3 weeks ago and as soon as few days later have noticed that my breasts are VERY tender, so tender that it hurts to wear a bra. My nipples are HUGE and hurt so bad, this got me scared -thinking that I may be pregnant, but I have been very careful after taking out the ring. Has anyone else noticed this after removing the ring for good?

I can't tell you how much better I feel knowing that others have been going through the same things I've been going through since being on the NuvaRing.

I basically turned into a different person. I am INSANELY tired all the time (and I am usually bursting with energy), I am very depressed, I'm incredibly irritable (to the point of nearly destroying my relationship with my boyfriend), I'm constantly hungry, my breasts have grown to epic proportions (at least a cup size in three months), I have gained a lot of weight, I have disgusting amounts of discharge every day, I have absolutely NO sex drive, etc.

It's horrible to live like this. I yanked that thing out last night and I will NEVER go back on it. Now I'm hoping I don't have the side effects of going off it like others mentioned...

I recently got off nuvaring due to finances, after reading these posts I have realized the pains I have had the last four months were probably from the nuvaring, I have had migranes and dizziness and blurriness. But since coming off nuvaring I have suffered a hard pain near my left overy, I also have a rash on my tummy. The pain is all day and gets worse here and there. A cousin told me she had to have her overy removed from a tumor she had because of Nuvaring, yet she has to stay on Nuvaring because she doesn't want to lost the other one.