Asking Opinions on Depo-Provera Shots...

I know this is coming really late but i'm new to this site. But a good friend had depo and she had horrible side affects. she felt pregnant all the time and she had never had a child. also she went through a lot of trama as a child and teen and it amplified her temper into rage fits. But I also wanted to warn you about mirena they don't tell you how bad the side affects can be with it. extreme moodswings,weight problems,rash,itching,pain for more than one reason,chapped lips,and much much more. so good luck on choosing what works best for you. all I got to say I'll never take any birth control with hormones in it again!

I haven't used it but my sister in law did after her second son. She had terrible migraines and ended up with two boys exacttly one year to the day apart because she got pregnant one it with in the first three months.

I wouldn't get it and here's why...
My best friend got that when we were in high school. After it wore off after a year she was bleeding for almost a year straight! Not normal periods, like non-stop heavy bleeding all the time. She saw several doctors who told her they couldn't tell her what was wrong with her, but that it could have been the shot. Then a few years ago when she tried for their first kid, she had a miscarriage. Again the doctors said they didn't know why but that it could have been the shot that made her miscarry. Then last year when she succeeded in getting pregnant again, she had a very complicated pregnancy and had to have a c-section before her due date.

Hi K.! Everyone has given you great feedback I just wanted to add one thing just in case you decide to go this route. Depo will greatly depleate your calcium levels and will begin to leech the calcium out of your bones. If you do decide to get this you need to be supplementing with calcium and not just any calcium you need either calcium citrate or better yet Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite Concentrate which is the best form and most bio-rediavailable form of calcium. I am a chiropractor and I know how important your bone health is so be carefull and keep that in mind in your choice.

I have never personally had them but a good friend of mine did and she gained ALOT of weight with them. It also took almost a year for her period to start once she stopped them. Her experience was not good with them.

If you're looking for another option, I have had Mirena for over a year and love it. If I have a period, it is very light and lasts only a day. There are also no hormonal side effects with Mirena.

Hi I will just tell you my experience with it was horrible! I gained 15lbs, my hair fell out in chunks, and I had no sex drive. I also had no cycles so I walked around on perminent PMS. I am currently on the Ring and love it it is low maintence I know I am not pregnent every month when I take it out and then have a cycle, it dosn't make me fat, and I feel less crazy on it. I hope this helps.

Hi Kristie. I only got the shot once after a friend highly recommended it. My friend loved everything about it. Unfortunately, I had food cravings similar to when I was pregnant (i.e., sweets) and because I couldn't fight them, I gained a LOT of weight in just three months. My OBGYN said the injection has the same hormones similar to when you are pregnant so apparently our bodies feel like we did when we were pregnant. I hope you have a better experience if you decide to try it. Good luck!
M.

I have been on Depo since I was 18, and I did it because I would not have periods ! Well I got off and it took 2 years to get pregnant with my first, and 1.5 years to get pregnant with my second ! When I was on it before kids I never had any side effects, BUT after having kids I have a HUGE weight problem ! I was suppose to have my injection yesterday and I didnt ! My doctor has me on Lybrel now, he said I am not suppose to get periods with it either ... so we shall see ! I nor anyone else can tell you to or not to get on Depo, it is your choice but I would recommend doing research on it ! I finally did after being on it for so many years and the stuff I read was horrible ! Good luck, you are the only one who can make the decision for YOU !

I was on Depo for several years before I had kids. I didn't have any problems at all while I was on it and I had no period for most of the time. Towards the end though (after probably five years), I did start having some spotting - not heavy, but frequently, and it got to be really annoying, so I went back on the pill. After going off Depo, my period never really returned. Whenever I asked my OB about it (two different ones), they would tell me it was nothing to worry about. But when I decided I was ready to get pregant for the first time, I mentioned this to my OB and she told me that I might have trouble getting pregnant on my own, becuase if I wasn't having periods, they I wasn't ovulating. I was upset, but decided to go off the pill anyway and see what happened. I got pregnant about 4 weeks later! I've had another child since, and no trouble getting pregnant, but I still don't have normal periods very often. I guess I can't complain about not having periods, but I do still wonder if it's because of the depo??

Hi K.-
I can only tell you what happened to me from Depo - you'll have to decide for yourself if you want to be part of the statistics or not. I had my son 15 years ago and received the depo shot right after he was born. I left the hospital at pre-pregancy weight and was doing very well keeping off weight - until I recieved the 2nd shot. Within weeks, I started gaining weight and didn't have a period. Within months, I had put on 30 lbs and was tired ALL of the time. I wasn't eating any more than normal and was still working out, but I had no energy, even post-workout. This carried on for 9 months, all of which were spent without a period. (that's the only positive side!) I asked my doctor about my symptoms and his first response was that its postpartum syndrom and that I was probably depressed. I explained that I was not depressed and my eating/exercise habits had not changed and that something else was going on. After several minutes of persistence, he ordered thyroid test - all of which came back HYPOTHYROID DISEASE. I stopped getting the shot and then had a 2-month period. My thyroid is almost completely inactive from the Depo shot and I have to take Synthroid for the rest of my life. After reading the fine print on the disclaimer, I became part of the percentage of women that suffered this side effect. If I were you, I'd run screaming from Depo.

I had a friend who had it and it took her almost a year to get her cycles back normal.

Just like any birth control, it affects everyone differently. A friend of mine loves it. I got 1 shot and decided it wasn't for me. I was moody, felt bloated for 3 months, probably put on some weight although I can't say for sure, and I spotted 75% of the time for 3 months. My OB said the spotting is normal on the first shot, but I didn't want to bother trying it again. I went on the patch which worked really well for me as it didn't make me gain weight or feel moody. You put 1 on like a bandaid and switch it out once/week. Good luck with your decision!

I gained a lot of weight, and got very depressed on Depo. Personally, I would try anything except that.

I only took 1 shot years ago, I was not comfortable with how I felt so I decided to not get the second shot. After being off the shot for 9 months, I had no periods. I decided to have a 2nd child and ended up having a miscarriage. I will always blame Depo for the miscarriage because I believed it was still in my system at the time of conception.

K.,
GREAT questions! I haven't used Depo myself, but I worked in a family practice where we did well woman care as well, and I can share with you some of the experiences of our patients. (None of this is medical advice...have to put that in here!) I would have to say, more had negative things to say than good...BUT those who liked it...LOVED IT!
First the good...when it works the way it should (if it's a good match for your body), you get to just worry about birth control once every 3 months when you get your shot. Most of my patients where it worked well, who were on it for a while stopped having periods all together and they loved it and didn't have side effects. I saw NO "oops" pregnancies with any of our women as long as they got their next shot on time.
Now the bad...a lot of our women hated it. The biggest drawback, I would say, is if it's causing problems, there is no way to get it out of your system for at least 3 months. Some of the side effects I've seen fairly commonly were spotting or flow throughout the whole 3 months (most who had this quit after the first 3 months so it's hard to tell if it would have stopped), depression, weight gain (that was sometimes significant), and yes, some difficulty getting a regular cycle back after stopping. If you're planning on possibly getting pregnant in the next 5 years, I would try a different method of birth control. I've seen women who have taken a year or more to get back to a regular cycle (while others seems to get it back almost right away).
Overall, I do not regularly recommend it. Some women do great, like I said, and a lot of our ladies in the practice chose it for the convenience and because other family members did well with it.
I hope this helps a bit.
Have you considered Mirena ?(hormone IUD)
Have you tried the Nuvaring? It's once a month, you insert it/take it out yourself, and would likely have less potential side effects (but more "ooops" pregnancies were reported with it).
Give me a PM if you have other questions about different options...some are better than others for different situations...and some are even contraindicated if you have certain medical history.
Good luck in your decision.

About ten years ago, I did a lot of research on this shot. I didn't get it for two reasons: 1) all reports showed evidence of weight gain (not just a maybe, a definate), and 2) when I asked my GYN, she was opposed to it because she said, once it was in your system there was no getting it out should you present with any side effects.

Hello,
Don't do it! I got a 2 depo shots 8 yrs ago. I thought that it would be awesome. First of all I gained about 15lbs. I Got the first shot right before I got married (you get it every 3 mos). I instantly became depressed and had the only panic attack that I have had my entire life. I am usually a very happy energetic care free person. I didn't link the first shot to the depression I just thought it was anxiety due to just gettting married. My husband thought why did she turn crazy (lol). It wasn't until I was due to get my third shot that my husband thought there was a link between my moodiness and the hormones so I didn't go. And slowly as it got out of my system I went back to my old self. As far as being able to get pregnant I did not get a period for two years. So if you want to be prego right away after shot it will take awhile for you to start ovulating again. Also do some online research on it. I remember when I did some research online shortly after deciding to go off of it I read that they gave it to sex abusers to lower there sex drive but this was 8 yrs ago so I can't remember where I read that. Hope this helps. Also Iuds are awesome that is what I use easy to take out but can stay in for 5 -10 yrs.

I was on the shot for about two years. I didn't notice any side effects. In fact I loved it. The most inconvinience was going to get the shot. I had no problem getting pregnant three mo. after I quit the shot. However, years later I went through colon cancer. I have know idea if the two are related, but it is something to think about. I am not a smoker, and don't have too many other issues that should have caused cancer, but who knows? Barb K.

Personally Depo is EVIL stuff! I gained a lot of weight & when I got off of the shot I bled for a month with just a few days of a break before the bleeding started again. I had to get on the pill to stop the bleeding & regulate my cycle again. It took a few months on the pill before we could try to concieve!
It is nice for the protection & not having to remember to take pills, but I will never do that to myself again1

God Bless!

I don't want to scare you. I gained a ton of weight (40lbs) and it seems like I had breakthru bleeding ALL the time... It was not for me and it took a year or more to get it out of my system.

I had one shot of this. I didn't have any period throughout it, but had spotting for a long time after it wore off. As well as periods every 2 weeks thereafter for months. We were wanting to have another baby, and after getting some RRL tea, the double periods finally stopped. But, it was obvious that I was not ovulating for a long time after. We finally did conceive, but that was a heart wrenching time.

I also know 3 ladies who got pregnant while on it, 2 of them had multiples. So, I think it is some pretty harsh stuff and whacks out women's systems.

9 years ago I used D-P for 18 months. I didn't have a period the entire time (it was great!) However, I did gain 25 pounds and was always hungry. I went off D-P and got pregnant a week later so for me that was not a problem Hope this helps!

hi K., when my 13 yr old born i decided to get the depo shot. i didn't like it. i bleed for 3 months straight. it was horrible. this is just my experience, but i'm sure several other women have had great experience with it

I've always said I would never suggest this b/c option to my worse enemy. I gained 30 lbs in one month, completely lost my sex drive, was very moody from the onset... needless to say, this did nothing to contribute to our new marriage. Also, it took me several years to get pregnant. There may have been other factors that led to that, as well, but I'm not certain, so I thought I should throw it out there for what it's worth. Since then, I read somewhere that this was originally created for male sex offenders, to decrease their sex drive. Why it was ever turned on women as a form of birth control, I will never know. I hope this helps, and good luck to you!

I gained 40 lbs while on it and my period lasted for almost two weeks every month.

I hated Depo. I put on 30 pounds, and I was chemically depressed. My sex drive was gone, because I didn't want to move off the couch to do anything, let alone have sex. I also felt like it affected me mentally, making me less sharp.

I had no periods when I was on it. My blood was so iron rich, the Red Cross wouldn't take my donation, as it was useless to them.

My last sot was In Sept, with the next one one due in Dec. I was pregnant end of Jan/early Feb, so the "may take up to 18 months for you to get pregnant after going off the shots" obviously didn't work for me.

My experience with Depo was not something I'd like to see anyone else repeating.

One of my good friends got it a few years ago and she hated it. She gained alot of weight very quick, and bled for atleast the first month if not longer. I know I haven't heard many good things about it and mostly weight gain is usually the main thing. I've personally never had it though.

I began taking the Depo shot when I was 18 years old. I didn't have any side affects and it completly stopped my periods. It was a blessing to be on. I am now 33 and decided a year ago I wanted to try to have a child. It took me 5 months for my first period to return and I got pregnant within a month of getting my first period. I am now 7 months pregnant and everything is fine. So my experience with the Depo Shot has been fabulous. I know this is not the case with everyone that takes it though. Good luck.

I was on the shot from the time my son was 6 weeks old until right after he turned 1 technically (last shot was june but it lasts 3 months so was in my system till sept). I went in every 12 weeks for my shot which I'm pretty sure is the only option for time frame. I did experiance menstrual changes I STOPPED having a period. For me I didn't mind but I also wondered what would happen as far as having future children if I didn't have my regular cycle.... Which leads me to now my last shot was in June and then I didn't go in for my Sept shot and am just now starting to spot for my period and last maybe a day or 2, not the regular flow I'm used to. My husband and I decided that I'd go off the shot(use condoms) to give my body a chance to hopefully have a few regular cycles before we were ready to think about another baby. Well the condoms idea only lasted about a month and now we are just seeing what happens. I hope my experiance can help you with this decision. I also noticed the weight gain or unable to lose pregnancy weight, that I've seen in other response on here. I was around a 14/16 jean before preg and am now 18/22 and trying so badly to lose it. I've been taking this colon cleanser and Acai Berry for about a week. Hopefully I'll be able to recommend it in future posts. http://acaiberrysite.com/ It has GREAT benefits and can EVEN BE TAKEN DURING PREGNANCY. Which is a plus for me since my cycle is so iffy right now. I didn't wanna be on diet pills and then find out I was preg and worry if it hurt the baby.

This is probably going to sound weird but, years ago, before we had kids, my best friend and I went together to get the shot. For me I never had a period, and completely lost my sex drive. She on the other hand had one continuous heavy period the entire time, and also lost her sex drive. Neither of us liked it at all, she quit using it after around 6 months, and I quit around a year. It is not a good form of bc (in my opinion). Hope this helps your decision. Good luck.
B.

Please be careful I have migraines big contraind doc never checked now I have three spots on my brain from a stroke it triggered a condition called anti CArdio lipin syndrome which caused blood to become to thick which caused stroke K.

I only heard positive until after I got on it and then I heard all the horror stories. I believe that is a risk not worth taking b/c you don't know how it will affect you. While I was on it: I gained 60lbs, I started having suicidal thoughts, I was thought my husband was doing horrible things that he wasn't, I was in deep deppression, I never yell at my husband but I blew up at it all the time. I was insane....it's not worth finding out how you react to it! I'm so thankful my husband stuck beside me! Most men would not. I was able to get pregnant within 2 months, I was on it for a little less than a year. It was the worst thing I could have ever done for my family.
Good luck with your descicion.

K., I have to agree with Kelly. My experience was also horrible.

Not only did it not work for me, I immediately began a period that was heavy and lasted for three MONTHS!! I finally went back to my doctor in person and demanded he do something to stop this period. Can you imagine a non-stop period for that length of time?? They put me on the pill for one month to stop the period. NEVER AGAIN.

i loved not having a period, but hated the wight gain,lack of sex drive, and moodiness.

i have the iud murena (sp?) now. like that much better. insurance covered mine, and it is good for 5 years and reversible.

Dont do it! I tried it for over a year because my dr at the time said it would get better but it never did. My cycles have not been the same since and i have been off of it for over 10 years. It was the worst thing i have ever tried. Now i am using yaz and i love it but if you prefer not using a pill try the nouva ring. I know alot of friends that wont ever go back to the pill.

K., I have always gave my opinion that I would never again get it, and when people ask me about it, I say I would never do it. I got the shots several years ago after the birth of my 2nd child. And here we go with TMI. I never wanted sex, hated it, was dry all the time, and sometimes I didn't even like my husband! I talked to my Dr about it, he said yes it can change you, so I stopped taking it. I think I probably took the shots maybe for a year or so, but I know it took a good 6 months to get over the symptoms I was going through. I'm back to normal now :)

I tried it several years ago and hated it. I got 3 shots, so 9 months of birth control, and spotted the entire time, plus spotted for 9 more months after the last shot 'ended'. So a total of 18 months of spotting. It was light spotting, but it seemed like such a hassle that would never end. I would get a day here and there when I did not spot, but if I added those days up over the 18 months it was probably not more than 6 weeks of non-spotting days. I'm sure there are people who it works great for, but if you're one of the ones who it doesn't work well for the side effects can really be a pain! Good luck - I hope you find something you like!

My obgyn does not advise women to go on depo shots due to the amount of weight gain that is possible, he says that he has heard and seen a lot of women gain weight from the shots. It is also harder to get pregnant afterward. The copper IUD has worked wonders for me, other people I know like using the Mirena IUD because it slows down the flow amounts you have monthly. I would like to have a Mirena IUD, but I can not take hormones due to a clotting disorder and a previous clot.