NuvaRing and severe anxiety

Iv been on the nuvaring for about 2 weeks now and last week i had the worst anxiey attack ever now i have had them before and Iv never experienced it like this before. Iv called doctors but because i don't have a family doctor i couldn't get seen right away iv been to the ER and they gave me ativan but didn't give me a prescription for it. A day went by or so and I had 3 severe anxiety attacks but i managed to control it cause my husband was there to help me what if it happens again i have 2 lil girls to take care of and i dont want my health to put an impact on them.So please if you have had this same thing happen to me tell me what you did to get help.

I had been on BC since I was 19 yrs old (Early 1999). I started off on Depo shot. I liked it at first. I stayed on it until early 2001 when I started to get severe anxiety attacks right after I got the shot. Then my Dr put me on Alesse. I had problems with it within 2 months of being on it. I had severe headaches and by the end my period was lasting almost 2 weeks at a time.

Finally my OB put me on the NuvaRing in 2004. I really did not want to go on it because I just did not feel right having to wear it inside me. For the first 8 months, I had no problems. Then right at the end of 2004 I started to have breakthrough bleeding. I did not know that this was just the beginning. I started to have IBS. There were times I had diarrhea and then I was constipated. I thought nothing of it. Then in April 2005, my body went crazy. In one night I had 3 anxiety attacks within 45 minutes. For the next two weeks I had heart palpitations. I could not sleep. My doctor checked me out for everything. My heart was fine. All of the blood test came up negative. Then while all of this was going on I started my period a week early. My Ob told me to go ahead and take it out then put it back in a week later. I did what my Ob said and after having it in me within 5 days I started to have a hot flash. I took it out immediately.

My OB said not to use it anymore. It took 6 months for almost all of my symptoms to go away. They were so severe that I actually lost my job. My ob told that bc are now out of the question for me.

Before you decided to go on the ring..you have to wonder can too much of the medicine come out of the ring? They say it is timed release..but can too much be released....I recommend taking the pill before you use the ring.

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

Snowflake, and others who want to know what happens after you stop, yes, I am MUCH better. (My original post was done on Oct. 31st.) My therapist has even noticed the dramatic change in me. Good to know the majority of my depression and severe anxiety was due to the NuvaRing. If I have an issue, it is nowhere near as bad as it was before. I have gotten my sex drive back, though haven't lost the weight yet. ;) Gonna have to work on that. I feel like my old self again and my relationship with my finance is getting better. Though a couple weeks ago, I had my first period off of it and after gotten a yeast infection. I have never had one before, and I am 25. I stopped it a little over a month ago, but it could take about 2 to 3 months for the hormones to fully be out of your system. So my advice to you would be next period, try something else. I am waiting a while until this is all out, then going to consider another option. Again, all birth controls affect people differently, so I am in no way bashing the NuvaRing. Wish it worked for me because it was convenient in other ways. Hope that I was able to help, and hope you feel better soon.

I'm on my 3rd ring and i am miserable. The first week i put the ring in i noticed a differance. My symptoms are: extreme paranoia, anxiety,panic attacks,insomnia,shaking,nervousness,diarea,loss of appetite,fatigue,flu symptoms. I am normally an anxious person ut not like this. It is worse since starting the nuvaring. My doctor told me to just give it more time but i'm geting to a point where i feel hopeless. My family can see the change in me. I just put the 3rd ring in a couple days ago but all i wanna do is take it out because i'm so scared. I'm not concerned about pregnancy because i am not sexually active at all. My doctor prescribed this med because of my PMS. I'm using the ring every 3 weeks so i don't get a period at all. I'm afraid of how my body will react if i take the ring out and suddenly get a period again. My pharmasist advised me to leave it in until you would normally take it out but i don't know if i can stand using it anymore. Does anyone have any advice. I'm afraid to talk to my doc about the emotional symptoms because it always seems they never believe the med can cause them. Thanks for all who read this, wish me luck or send me a prayer. Everyone else who's miserable on this BC you're in my prayers :)

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

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

I am just about to finish my 3rd month of nuvaring. I have never been able to take the pill (I either vomit, or bleed non-stop). I have been having side effects that are increasing daily. I have a bit of lower back pain, started bleeding the day before I took it out on the 2nd month. I have been spotting this month since Thursday of last week, and have 3 more days before I am supposed to take it out. I am using a tampon today because it is so heavy.
I have nausea that comes in waves for the first 10 days. I also have severe breast tenderness.
I have minor headaches in the early evenings. I am not a headache person; never really have them.
The worst part is is the panic attacks (which I have never had). It starts with me holding my breath, tightness in my chest, and severe anxiety. I have felt weepy and out of control. It is getting worse the longer I am on it. It feels like someone else is driving my feelings. I don't recognize myself, nor my reactions to things. I feel a bit paranoid about things. My fears have been irrational. I feel sad, and cry for no reason at some point every day. On the 6th day after I put it in, each month, I have cried the entire day. I am taking it out tomorrow after I speak to my doctor, and getting an IUD. This is a nightmare. I also have night sweats. I also think it is pushing on my bladder. I feel like I have to urinate all the time, and then I sit down to pee the tiniest amount imaginable, and I do not have the ability to push my urine out quickly, which I could do before the ring was in. I had my doctor check me for a UTI, or any other problem like that, but I was "fine."

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

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