NuvaRing and depression anxiety

I take nuvaring for a year by now, get a lot of symptoms but I just realized with my husband that my problems are just caused by my medication. After I have read all of yours posts, I REALLY think theses come from this. My symptoms are the following: shortness of breath, night sweats, trouble sleeping, nightmares, depression, anxiety and problems with my skin. Don't take that!!

I am 36 years old and my OB thinks I may have endometriosis. For the last two years I have suffered from pain during intercourse heavy periods as well as sistitis in the bladder, I also have a grape size fibroid in my uterus and suffer from night sweats and hot flashes. My Dr. decided to put me on the nuvaring to treat what she thinks is a hormone imbalance. However since starting the ring two weeks ago I am having chest pain, racing heart, shortness of breath and severe mood swings including depression, anxiety and crying spells. Even when I am resting my heart is racing and I have chest pains. There have been some good side affects however such as I think that the sistitis is clearing up and my complexion is better but I do not think it is worth the risk of having a stroke or heart attack to stay on it. It amazes me what drug companies will push through all in the name of profit. Thanks to all of you who have posted your side effects on this site it gave me the courage to call up my Dr. to look into other options of treatment. Bless you all.
Miss S

I cannot disagree with these negative postings more. I absolutely love the nuvaring. I have not gained any weight...of course I diet & exercise about 5 days a week....do those of you who have experienced weight gain exercise regularly? I have also had an INCREASE in my sex drive...I have been with my fiance for 5 years, and for the past 3 of those, I have had no sex drive whatsoever. I got on the ring & bam, it's there with a vengence...the only problem with that is that we're getting married in 2 weeks & I wanted to make it special & stop having sex a couple of months before the wedding...but I just can't get enough of it. I have dealt with depression & anxiety my entire 27 years of life, so if the nuvaring is causing that...it's not any worse than normal. The only side effects I've had is the discharge, (which yes, is very annoying) and tender breasts...but I can deal with that. Although I have noticed that I cry a bit easier...but I was always a crier as well. I cry when I'm mad, sad, happy...always have, so nope...guess that's not from the ring either. ALL birth control effects everyone differently. I'm not saying this for everyone, but sometimes a lot of people like to blame certain actions & physical changes on something & maybe this is the case...for some people. I've been on the pill before & I always got off it b/c of weight gain....well, it was b/c I wasn't eating properly or exercising. I liked to blame my mood swings on the pill as well, but once I thought about it, I still had those before & after taking the pill. The only reason I quit the pill was b/c it did give me acne. Anyway, just my thoughts....& I wanted to post something positive for the ring.

I actually LOVED the convenience of the NuvaRing. However, I felt that over time, my sex drive had deteriated, I was getting more moody and irritable, and tired all the time. After talking to my Dr., she suggested that I try a low dose pill for a while and see if that helps. Regardless to taking any form of birth control, she told me, the female body will still have hormone changes and other body changes that are not controlled by or a side affect of your form of BC. It could very well have been that my body was changing on it's own, and due to that, I needed a BC change as well. I see some of you blame the Ring for some symptoms that could just be natural to your own specific body type. Talk to your Dr. to see if a switch would be the right thing for you. There may be other factors like stress, depression, anxiety and anemia that make your symptoms worse, not your NuvaRing.

I switched my birth control from the pill to nuvaring a little over five months ago. I am a graduate student/research assistant and have been in a great relationship for 3 years. I know myself and I know my body, SOMETHING WAS SEVERELY WRONG. I knew there was something happening inside me. I have been off nuvaring for almost two weeks and I feel significantly better. These were my symptoms:

PHYSICAL:
-severe leg pains
-pains in my arms
-chest pains
-shortness of breath
-headaches
-blurred vision
-weight gain
-rapid heart beat

EMOTIONAL:
-depression
-anxiety
-feeling of hopelessness
-easily discouraged
-rapid mood swings
-withdrawl from talking to people
-feeling like a burden to others
-paranoia

I had never felt like this before, and I thought I was going crazy. I could not explain what was happening. If you feel any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor immediately! Physical symtoms could be signs of blood clots, which can result in death. And even more painful were the emotional side effects. If you are feeling any thing like this please talk to someone or even email me! Nothing will happen if you take the ring out early, but definitely consult a doctor. If you do take the ring out, please be safe and use a condom. You are not alone! Everyone's body is different and sometimes we need to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us.

I have been on NuvaRing for 4 months. I was previously on DepoProvera for 10 years, but due to bone loss, osteopenia, had to get off it. I had no side effects with Depo, no periods, no PMS, no problems.
I gained 12 pounds the first 2 months on NR. My weight continues to climb, even though I exercise and eat well. My breasts are swollen and sore constantly. I have excessive discharge, itchiness, and burning. I have also noticed I have gas more often.
I do not take the ring out for a week for a period, I just insert a new ring after 3 weeks and have experienced no bleeding. I have NOT experienced any of the other symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, headaches, which is surprising since I have been estrogen-deficient for 10years and am suddenly on it.
Overall, my symptoms seem minimal compared to others' experiences, so maybe everyone is different. But it does scare me that these symptoms are possible in the future.

PROS:
easy to use, convenient
only have to take it once/3 weeks
big boobs!
no period

CONS:
weight gain
breast soreness
yeast infections, itchiness
excessive discharge
gas
cost $35 every 3 weeks (my Depo was free)

I have been on this drug for about 1 year now. I have been suffering from depression, anxiety, mood swings, stomach pains, NO sex drive, and SWELLING of my face and eyes. I thought it was just me and that something medically was wrong with me. Recently I went to the doctors because I couldn;t take this suffering anymore and I got all sorts of blood work done, x-rays, the whole nine yards. Everything came up to be completly normal. Then my doctor asked about my birth control.... the NUVARING. I discontinued the use of it today. I never thought a birth control pill could make me feel this way. This pill is terrible and i would not recommand it to anyone!!!!