I have only been taking nuvaring for a month (just took it out two days ago for the first time) and I have already been experiencing some of the same side affects as many of the women here. For the last week and a half I have been in the biggest depression I've been in in years. I read an earlier post that said if you already have a predisposition to, say depression, the nuvaring side effects can hit you harder. I think I agree with that. I was crying, moody, hollow feeling, and everyone I crossed, whether friend, acquaintance, or stranger, asked me if I was "okay"... It was, shall we say, noticeable to others.
In fact, it was horrible. I just kept telling people, "I don't what's wrong with me but I'm not right." I was grumpy, tired, and had no zest for life. This depression was so pronounced, extreme, and out-of-character in just a month that I started researching and found this site. (I hope that helps for anyone reading this who is thinking about using the nuvaring and are prone to depression).
I also had extreme tenderness in my boobs about a week into putting it in...like so bad you have to gently glide down your stairs because any bobble will be painful...you know what I mean... :)
I had taken estrostep for a few years but I had gone off it for a year until I decided to try B/C again and my gyno recommended nuvaring for the convenience. I don't remember having any side effects with estrostep and I plan to go back to that immediately.