NuvaRing and Depression: What Users Say (Page 4)

• ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 2, 2022

For Birth Control "The first couple of months, I noticed the changes I was feeling, such as being very anxious or upset, but I didn't think anything of it and basically got used to the feeling. This was in 2018. Now, 2022, after having a serious talk with him, I have decided to stop the NuvaRing. For about 3-4 months now, I have noticed a dramatic change in who I am and how I view things. I was sleeping about 80% of my day, I always felt super sick with terrible migraines, constantly so depressed, or crying, or so ticked off over the slightest things. I noticed I wasn't loving myself the way one should. My breasts were always hurting and no sexual desire. A week off, and I feel so much relief and so much happier, positive! I will say NuvaRing did cut my periods down to 3 days and did help with cramps, but my overall well-being is more important than anything."

• Pro...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 16, 2013

For Birth Control "I love the NuvaRing. I started on it after my son was born 6 years ago. It's easy to use, gentle to put in and remove, doesn't move at all while in there, and I never ever feel it during sex. After I started using it for about 3 years straight, I came off for 2 years as my fiancé was out of the country. I just started back in June 2013, and love it even more now. It doesn't decrease my sex drive, and although I am newly married, I have to admit my sexual desire has increased. With every birth control, there are bouts of sadness and anxiousness, but you distract yourself by watching great movies and eating popcorn, not tons of goodies which probably increases weight gain. I have never attributed weight gain to the NuvaRing, but my own diet."

• Cic...
• June 13, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on NuvaRing for 6 months, and just recently, I've been feeling really depressed, crying for no reason, and accusing my boyfriend of cheating. I've just been really moody and not really wanting to do anything. Could it be a mood reaction from it? I need help so I could switch to a new birth control. It only happens 1 week before I have to take out the NuvaRing, and when it's out, that whole week I just become a disaster."

• Bba...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 2, 2019

For Birth Control "I used to love NuvaRing because I have irregular periods, and normal strength estrogen pills did not help to regulate them like the NuvaRing. Been on it for about two years now. I’m only deciding to stop it now because I’ve noticed my moods have been super crazy, and I’m normally not a very emotional person. My anxiety levels are up, and even though my life is pretty great right now, I still feel depressed. Possibly because this birth control lowers your sex drive like no other! I used to have such a high libido, and now it’s like it disappeared. I’m only 20! I’ve been with my SO for 3 years now and can definitely tell the difference from when we first started dating till now. I even did an experiment just taking it out for a week and then putting it back in for a few weeks and now taking it out again. My moods have calmed down, and my sex drive is back! Never getting this medication again unless I’m single, haha. A real relationship roller coaster with this."

• 5an...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2019

For Birth Control "The NuvaRing gave me NuvaRage! Can’t even begin to write how terrible of an experience it was to have the ring in. It made me anxious and so depressed. I cried every day for no reason and felt the lowest I have been in my entire life. The doctor told me I was crazy because there is no way that low of a dosage could have done that, but the minute I took the ring out, I was back to my normal self."

• Jus...
• September 19, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on the NuvaRing for three weeks today. I have a history of seizures, depression, and anxiety. I haven’t had a seizure in almost 12 years. My depression and anxiety were under control when I started. The last three weeks have been some of the lowest in my life. I ended up having a seizure a week ago, and my anxiety and depression are back in full force. I literally cry over everything and anything, have had the worst mood swings and emotional outbursts, and just feel overall awful about myself. I have experienced such heavy bleeding for the last three days with horrible blood clots (worse than I normally have each month). I have also had a feeling that I can only describe as “brain fog” since starting the ring. Today was my scheduled day to take the ring out, and I did, and I am not putting a new one in. I honestly feel so much better mentally, and this thing has only been out for an hour. My experience has been awful."

• Ema...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 14, 2021

For Birth Control "I love the fact that I can’t get pregnant. I hate the fact that it’s made me gain weight, and I now go through mood swings like crazy, and it has awakened my long dormant depression again. I stopped taking it after college and just started it again. I’ve used it for about 8 years total because I can’t remember a pill every day."

• Coc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 11, 2017

For Birth Control "Okay, so I used NV when I was a late teen with no complications whatsoever. I'm 32 years old now and just recently started back on it again after my c-section. This has been the worst birth control experience of my life. I've used it for 3 weeks and ended up with horrible headaches, extreme cramping in my stomach for a week now nonstop, feeling delusional, and very irritable with no sex drive whatsoever when before taking this I've always had a very high sex drive. I've been breastfeeding, and flow isn't all that good anymore, but worst of all, I have found myself so hard on myself and so depressed, and it's been beyond my control. Felt like I needed to seek help. After reading about side effects, I have figured out where the problem was coming from. No more NV for me."

• Mel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2019

For Birth Control "First, let me just say, NuvaRing was a horrible experience for me. I've only been on this BC for two weeks, first day spotting, which is normal from what the doctor said, 4 days in blood clots, tiny blood clots, acne, depression, and anger issues. I literally bled for two weeks straight. Took it out today because I had the worst backache ever. I couldn't even breathe. I was waking up every day at 4:30 am, not sleepy at all, made me so hungry. I was working out every day. All of a sudden I started using this and I went from working out hardly ever, fighting with my boyfriend, had vivid dreams, just horrible dreams. One day I had a sharp cramp in my stomach that literally went to my heart, and I felt that. This was horrible, and I have decided to not use birth control, just condoms. But this was horrible."

• Iam...
• July 4, 2015

For Birth Control "So, I was so excited to try out the NuvaRing. I have the mind of a goldfish, so remembering a pill every day would be a struggle. When I put it in, I felt no different. But the next few nights, I've never been more sick. And for the first 2 weeks, I was like a bunny in heat. I've become lazy, unmotivated, emotional, and had no confidence at all. I've read a couple of reviews, so I tried to stick it out for a month. Today, I finally took it out and had an overwhelming emotional breakdown. I was mean and cried for no reason and felt depressed. This is not who I am. I've had this thing out for about 8 hours, and I'm finally starting to feel better. I think I'm just going to try abstinence for my birth control method."

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 18, 2019

For Birth Control "I was put on NuvaRing because it was supposed to be a very low-dose birth control, and I was already on a pill that was making me super depressed. The first week I was okay, and I wasn’t so depressed anymore, but after exactly a week, the migraines were nonstop, and I believe I have colitis now. I also got heightened migraine symptoms that caused my legs to become numb and tingly, I thought I had blood clots. After 24 hours of removal, I already feel better. Birth control is poison."

• Chi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 6, 2015

For Birth Control "This birth control sucks. And I mean suckas. If you already have mood swings, anxiety, and/or a history of depression, please search for other options because this thing will intensify what you have like no other. I've never been on BC prior to this, and I did mention to the doctor if it'll make your mood swings worse, and she assured me it wouldn't. Complete opposite. I feel like I already struggled with some depression and mood swings, but being on this just takes it to a whole other level. The suicidal thoughts come when I'm most anxious, it just flat-out sucks, man. And the worst part is that I never asked to be on this bull, I only need it so I can have a normal period, and this is what I get? Life is hard enough as is. Just stay away from it."

• k30...
• January 2, 2019

For Birth Control "I’m 18 years old, and this is my first time being on any birth control. I went to PP in hopes of getting a non-hormonal IUD to find something to keep me protected without affecting my hormones, as I get very irritable and have tons of mood swings on/before my period. I was discouraged from the IUD and told I should try the NuvaRing. So far, in this ONE week, I'm facing extreme mood swings (I keep starting fights with my s.o. over nothing, and small things make me cry and feel extremely depressed and hopeless), headaches, more discharge/a yeast infection?, increase in appetite, and I haven't been feeling like leaving my room. The fact that it's only been a week makes me wonder if this is just the hormones readjusting or if the entire time of use will be like this. I'm not sure if I need to keep suffering through and doing a trial run for 3 months or just take it out now. Instead of helping my pre/during menstrual depression and irritability, it has just made it far worse and far more often."

• k30...
• January 2, 2019

For Birth Control "I’m 18 years old, and this is my first time being on any birth control. I went to PP in hopes of getting a non-hormonal IUD to find something to keep me protected without affecting my hormones, as I get very irritable and have tons of mood swings on/before my period. I was discouraged from the IUD and told I should try the NuvaRing. So far, in this ONE week, I'm facing extreme mood swings (I keep starting fights with my s.o. over nothing, and small things make me cry and feel extremely depressed and hopeless), headaches, more discharge/a yeast infection?, increase in appetite, and I haven't been feeling like leaving my room. The fact that it's only been a week makes me wonder if this is just the hormones readjusting or if the entire time of use will be like this. I'm not sure if I need to keep suffering through and doing a trial run for 3 months or just take it out now. Instead of helping my pre/during menstrual depression and irritability, it has just made it far worse and far more often."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2018

For Birth Control "I went to my gyno because I was experiencing anxiety due to hormones. He put me on this to 'regulate' hormones. It sent me into one of the worst depressions I've ever experienced. Anxiety, horrible dark sadness, nausea, vomiting, smells made me gag, extreme insomnia (didn't sleep a wink for 4 nights straight), and rage. I went to the doctor to get some sleeping pills because I literally could not sleep, and she recommended I take out the ring. Literally 24 hours later, my brain turned back on. It's been 5 days, and I feel a lot better but not completely. This stuff was hell on earth. Please take with extreme caution!"

• wil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 3, 2015

For Birth Control "I started NuvaRing 2 months ago. It is easy to remember once a month. I can't feel it at all, and it increased my breast size. But my period cramps are awful! I usually can get through the days by taking Midol and Tums, but this was incredible. No amount of medicine could make me feel normal. Walking, sitting, pooping, eating, breathing - it all hurt. My periods usually are heavy and last 7 days, and the NuvaRing didn't change much. Maybe a lighter flow. Also, I have been really moody and am feeling more and more depressed. I love the ease of this product, but there are some big negatives. I also have a few zits on my back that weren't there before I started NuvaRing... I'll wait a few months to see if anything changes."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 16, 2023

For Birth Control "I have been on birth control forever and did not like the pills, so I decided to try the NuvaRing. It was amazing until it wasn't. I was only on it for about a year before it made me throw birth control, in general, away because of the crazy side effects. The worst side effect I developed was severe abdominal cramping. It was NOT period cramps; it was excruciating 10/10 abdominal cramping that would just come at random times every day and last anywhere from 1-3 hours. It would sometimes even happen multiple times a day. It felt like someone had their hand inside of my stomach and was squeezing my uterus and wouldn't let go. At first, I nor my GYN did not think the cramps had anything to do with the birth control; I even had surgery to see if it was endometriosis. It wasn't, and I continued having these cramps. It wasn't until my SO told me not to replace it one month and see what happens that I then realized it was indeed birth control. I had severe depression as well. Has this happened to anyone else?"

• Dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2016

For Birth Control "Do NOT use! Especially if you know that you are more sensitive to hormonal changes. I took this and literally an hour after I put it in, I had a major rush of heat and felt like I had been hit with depression, anxiety, and had a panic attack as a result. Everything felt unreal. I've had anxiety and panic attacks before, and I've never felt like that before. I was crying and paranoid. What an awful experience. I would never recommend it to anyone. Going to possibly try something like the copper IUD that uses no hormones... crossed fingers it works."

• Sky...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 20, 2018

For Birth Control "I’ve been on NuvaRing for 6 months now and am deciding to take it out TODAY. I’ve been noticing the DAY I’m supposed to take it out for a week to have my regular period, I literally feel like jumping off a cliff. I’m so depressed. I am a singer/performer and love being on the stage and around people. Lately, all I want to do is be home in a cave and not see anyone. Even if I’m out hanging with a friend, I immediately have anxiety, want to go home, and don’t enjoy the things I usually do. I’ve been so nauseous for months but never tied it to birth control. I have bouts of crying episodes for no apparent reason. I even have waves of paranoia and rage...especially when it comes to moments with my boyfriend. My sex drive is pretty much the same, but besides that, I feel like a different person. I can’t live like this anymore. This is not the person I used to be. Hoping I feel better in a few days."

• Mea...
• January 15, 2020

For Birth Control "Day 1. Age 41. NuvaRing was easy to put in, I must say I felt kind of high off it, but I haven’t taken birth control in over 12 years. At first, the feeling was good after I got the ring adjusted so it didn’t hurt. Day 1 at night, I couldn’t sleep, tried, kept waking up, legs hurting, and the discharge was more than expected. Day 2, I took a nap in the day for 2 hours and removed it. Best sleep I had yet. Put it back in, went back to sleep for another 2 hours. Woke up with leg pain again and shortness of breath. I kept going and kept it in. Started to burn down there, and I chalked it up to the amazing sex I had the day before I put this in and figured it was from the condom use. Wrong. The next night, still couldn’t sleep, leg pain. So I removed it while watching a 45-minute movie to see if the leg pain went away. The burning did not go away! I tried putting it back in, and it started really burning and itching! Leg pain, burning, and lack of sleep, also felt depressed as well, which I chalked up as lack of sleep, but now I'm not sure. I am done."

• cas...
• April 22, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on NuvaRing for about six months. For the first month or two, I had terrible headaches at the end of the days I had class, but everything else was fine. Fast forward to 3-5 months, I was moody, I was even a little depressed, and I had no sex drive. I wanted to eat everything in sight. From the second month to the sixth month, I gained about twenty pounds with no significant lifestyle changes or dietary changes besides the NuvaRing. If you are tolerant of high hormone levels and don't gain weight, this might be a good option for you. It stays in for three weeks and comes out the fourth week for your period (which mine came very regularly while on it). If it wasn't for the significant weight gain, I would have stayed on it."

• Dea...
• August 13, 2017

For Birth Control "I only lasted 6 weeks on the NuvaRing. I experienced several side effects: vaginal discomfort, headaches, aches, depression, fatigue, mild nausea, complete loss of sex drive, and a weird sense of feeling unbalanced, but not quite dizzy. I also experienced an uncommon side effect where my cervix became so swollen I thought my uterus was prolapsing. After 3 weeks, I started spotting. I switched it out at 4 weeks for a new ring and had breakthrough bleeding. I finally decided to just take it out because my swollen cervix was really freaking me out, and I'm now on day 20 of a messed-up period. I passed a large amount of tissue a couple of days ago and had a ruptured cyst this morning. Neither of those have ever happened to me before."

• bab...
• May 7, 2015

For Birth Control "I tried writing my story, but that was too many characters, so here's the pros and cons. Pros: a lot less hassle than a pill, free with insurance, very predictable periods (about 3 days after I would take the ring out). Cons: it felt like it was slipping out all the time after a couple months (which it was), my boyfriend could feel it during sex, and the biggest con, the reason I stopped using it: depression. (I know that it was due to the pill because there were no other factors that would make me feel the way I did.)"

• cat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 24, 2021

For Birth Control "Was on NuvaRing for more than 3 years. First year it was perfect (after 3-month adjustment period when I had spotting). No other side effects. I used it to skip my period (left in for 4 weeks instead of 3, which is safe). Only had to remember it 1x/month. The second 2-3 years I was on it, my depression and anxiety got worse (not caused by NuvaRing but exaggerated by it). I had no sex drive. It started to cause some dryness and irritation, which made sex uncomfortable. I gained 15-20 pounds, and my boobs went up a cup size and were very sore all the time. I couldn’t lose weight no matter what I did, and I’m naturally very active and eat well. I stayed on it for a while after this because my initial experience with it was so good. Then one day I had a ring break inside of me (only in week 2), it caused a lot of pain. I went to the doctor thinking I had a UTI. At this point, I decided it was time to stop, the side effects were worse than the benefits for me."

• Lib...
• July 25, 2018

For Birth Control "After spending 2 years on NuvaRing and ending up on blood pressure and anxiety medicine, I’m done and never looking back! An incident with insurance caused me to lose my coverage for a few weeks, so that when I needed a refill I couldn’t afford it and decided to go without it. I couldn’t be happier that it happened that way. I realized soon after not having it in my system that I felt like a totally different person. While on it, my blood pressure was up, which led to me being put on meds for that. And it caused all sorts of other problems! Such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, high heart rate and a pounding heart, constant nausea (I had motion sickness just moving my head), headaches when it got close to the time to take the ring out. Extreme weight gain and hunger, moodiness, anger, the list goes on! I just can’t get over how different I feel after coming off of it. I no longer need the anxiety or blood pressure meds, and my therapist even let me stop coming!"