Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel and Depression: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Iam...
• July 4, 2015

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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."

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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 7, 2020

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel for Birth Control "I was using the NuvaRing for several months, and I was very pleased with it, I never had any side effects. One day, my insurance switched me for the generic EluRyng. It causes me vaginal itch during the first couple of days after insertion. I’ve been having morning headaches. My stomach feels bloated. I had mild depression and anxiety in the past, which was under control, but this medication set it off. For the last two cycles, one or two days after I removed the ring, I experienced a terrible headache that will not go away for a day. I’ve never had headaches like those before. At the same time, I’m experiencing weakness, palpitations, cold sweat, and lightheadedness the week the ring is out. I called the insurance, and the doctor needs to request approval to put me back on the NuvaRing. They said it shouldn’t be a problem. Looking forward to getting back on the brand."

• k30...
• January 2, 2019

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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."

• Sam...
• July 24, 2020

For Birth Control "Just like many women on here, I had been a NuvaRing user for 10+ years. My only side effect from that was my monthly headache, & I managed it. But this new ring? First, where was the communication that the rings were changing? This is our body, and no one gave us the heads up, barely a choice about this. That speaks volumes to what they think about women. Secondly, I’ve only worn this ring for 1 month. I’m awaiting my cycle now (5 days post-removal), & I know for many reasons my body is not responding the same as before. During this month, I have experienced fatigue, slight depression, major headaches, & usually when it’s time for my cycle, I usually have a higher sex drive. I haven't had any sexual desires this entire month. I’m concerned how this will affect me in the long run. I need to know who do we need to contact to make that switch back. It's too late in technology to be coming out with some BS type of birth control. This is more damaging than prevention."

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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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."

• bro...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 14, 2024

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel "I'm ultra sensitive to all birth control pills. All the horrible side effects I would have. Especially the depression and irritability. I'm 31 and had never tried the ring until 6 months ago and I absolutely love it. Sometimes I get some irritation during sex but you can take it out during those times, otherwise, I never feel it. I have no side effects and my skin is so clear. Absolutely zero effects on my mood. I'm actually happier and feel more balanced. If you feel like you're not in control of your birth control, I would try this!"

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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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.)"

• 25 ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2021

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel for Birth Control "I began this early February after a year without the NuvaRing. I used NuvaRing for 5 years before and loved it with my whole heart, used the pill before, and the ring made it so much easier for me with no issues or side effects. The EluRyng has broken me out pretty horribly and decreased my sex drive massively, but worse than that, it’s made my anxiety 10 times worse to the point where I stopped my newer dosage of antidepressants for a week (that had been working very well!) to see if that was the cause, and it was not. This has sent me into a deep depression period. Really wish I’d have read more on this first but thought I would be getting the NuvaRing. It took about 2 months for me to determine this was definitely the EluRyng and I took it out. If you have any issues with mental health, I would not even take a chance on this, and I hope I can get back on the NuvaRing."

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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel 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!"

• SOS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2018

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel for Birth Control "The NuvaRing is officially “the devil.” I loved it the first two years and, like most, was recommending it to everyone. However, I got off it for four months (Jan-April 2018) then went back to it in May because I didn’t want to get prego. Well, it’s been a nightmare since. I have the worst mood swings and can’t stand my own self. Lost all motivation, depressed, angry, happy, sad. Labia itches, armpits smell weird, constant headaches, and bloating. It’s like I’m living in a nightmare, and I can't get out because I’m afraid of becoming pregnant... so I lay around crying all the time, wishing for something to change. OH AND yeah, the week I take it out, I do feel human again, so I think I should take it out NOW and feel alive again."

• zo1...
• April 7, 2016

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel for Birth Control "Pros: insert once a month & forget about it. Cons: little to no sex drive, anxiety, mood swings, anger, depression, dryness, burning during and after sex, bloating, slight weight gain near stomach. I've been on and off of NuvaRing since 2011. And it wasn't until this last time that I realized that it is what's causing or at least helping all of these negative things. I've now been on it for 10 months straight, and I am taking it out tonight and saying good riddance. I love the idea of NuvaRing, but the side effects made my life/my boyfriend just a little bit more miserable than it needs to be. But I also know it really does work for some people, just not for me!"

• Tay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2018

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel for Birth Control "I started Depo in March of 2016, decided to try out NuvaRing because of the ease, and I felt like I would be in control of my body. I started NuvaRing in November of 2017, and nothing extremely noticeable went wrong. The months passed, and I started to notice my hair was thinning, but I didn’t think much of it. February of 2018 is when everything went TERRIBLE. Insomnia, anxiety, depression. I was a MAD WOMAN, I just couldn’t pinpoint my change in emotions to NuvaRing. One morning in June, I woke up and could literally not stop crying for no reason, something instantly snapped, and I snatched the NuvaRing out that day. Suddenly, my mood changed for the better. Here I am in August, and my mood swings are awful the week of my period. It feels like I’m on NuvaRing all over again. Hopefully, my hormones balance out, and I’m not stuck feeling like this the rest of my life."

• Cin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 26, 2020

For Birth Control "I am unbelievably thankful for finding this forum. Since I’ve been on the generic NuvaRing, I’ve had terrible PMS symptoms (at 39, I hadn’t had these in 20 years)! My cycle is unpredictable: heavy one month, gone the next. I’ve had terrible anxiety and depression, intestinal problems, and random skin rashes. I was on NuvaRing for years and loved it. I will be requesting a new birth control method after being validated about my suspicions about the generic version."

• dis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 12, 2018

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel for Birth Control "I have been using the NuvaRing for about 2 weeks, roughly. It has caused me stomach aches in the beginning, followed by headaches. As it's coming up to the date where I'm supposed to take it out, I'm feeling menstrual cramps, mood swings, anxiety/panic attacks, and waves of depression. I do not feel like myself. I can't sleep, and I can't eat properly. I was recommended to use this medication because I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). I am 24 years old, I have never been on birth control till now. I will be making an appointment with my doctor about this, it's actually really bad."

• Jen...
• May 5, 2016

Ethinyl estradiol / etonogestrel for Birth Control "I've been on NuvaRing one month so far. I love it! No weight gain yet, my skin is staying clear, increased sex drive a lot. I feel a bit sad, but I've felt like this since the birth of my son 6 weeks ago. Overall, I would recommend this to any woman looking for birth control."