Im having brown discharge but not supposed to have my period for another week, and ive been on the same bc pills for over a year. is this serious?

Not likely: Sometimes women start experiencing spotting, brown discharge even after being on the same pills for a long time. If this persists through several cycles, speak to your doctor about alternatives to the current pill. Often changing the pill formulation will help this to resolve.

Breakthrough bleed: Breakthrough bleeding (bleeding at the wrong time) is very normal on birth control. It happens in about 1/3 of users. Its no big deal and usually self corrects over time. If you are not satisfied or it continues to happen then consider using a different birth control method. It is a common side effect and does not mean something is wrong or that the Nuvaring is not working.