Anyone Use Depo Provera Shot??

This didn't come along until I was way passed needing birth control; however, my daughter is getting married in January and recently had her first gyno appointment so she could get on birth control and her doctor advised against the shot. I can't remember what her objections were but after their conversation, my daughter opted for the pill.

I liked the convience of it, but I did gain weight as well. Prob about 10-15lbs the year I was on it. I also felt bloated and what not all the time. I dont remember if it altered my mood or not.

I second that the Nuvaring is a nice answer. I used that before my husband got a V.

GL!

I don't want to scare you , and I know these side effects don't happen to everyone, but I gained 50 pounds on the Depo Shot in the span of less than 6 months! I went from a size 2 to an 8 practically overnight. I hated the shot. I do have friends this didn't happen too though, so hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones. I also had an extremely decreased sexual desire with this shot. I really hope it goes better for you!

I used the Depo shot just after my oldest daughter was born. I gained about 30lbs...some of that may have been the fact that I was going through a divorce also. Beyond that it wasn't bad. I had the very rare spotting, but never enough to worry about.

first of all you have to keep in mind that what happens to others will not neccessarily happen to you. but i was on the shot for 2 years. the advantages were that i never had a period. i experienced spotting when it was time to update the shot which is once every 3 months. wonderful! the first year i gained 5 lbs, i thought it was me overeating. the second year i gained 25. now that is not me overeating. therefore i got off the shot. i didnt have a period for a while and when it started back i flowed like a river. it took a while for my period to become regular again. what i recommend it......yes if weight gain is not a concern for you otherwise hell no, cause most likely you will put on some lbs.

I use the depo shot since i can not use any other form of birth control and love it. I love the whole not having a period thing which works great for me since I chase two kids around all day. I an so though that i began using it right after the birth of my second daughter and I was doing great losing baby wieght but did gain about five pounds of it back. The other side effect that no one seems to talk about is that it can make your hair fall out. Not in big quantities though but as if you are just stressed a little. Which can make hair fall out as well. I do take calcium supplements everyday as well because the shot can cause bone lose and it is recommended that you do take some sort of extra calcuim. Hope this help.

I'm gonna jump on the against Depo bandwagon. I was on it for 9 months in high school. I have always been on the chunky side but this pushed me way over that edge. I gained 30-35 pounds in that 9 months. It took over a year for my periods to return, which was nice, but kinda scary at the same time because I was young and knew I wanted kids. If you have kids already and want something easy and fairly fiil proof, I highly recommend the Mirena IUD. I have had one for almost 3 years and it has been absolutely wonderful. Good luck whatever you decide.

I used Depo about 6 years ago and didn't like it. I was highly emotional, hungry all the time and gained about 30 lbs. I wanted to go on Depo to eliminate my periods, but I ended up having a lot of spotting on top of my regular periods. To me, the shot just isn't worth all of the hassle! I do hope, though, that it works out well for you! :)

~H.~

I was on it for 5 years. The only side effect I had was the weight gain, which I could deal because it was not that much, I went from 120 to 135. My face cleared up and I had no periods at all. When we decided to have a child it only took us 7 months to get pregnant. Which is a lot sooner than I thought it would happen.
Good Luck
J. R

My aunt got the depo porvera shot and it really screwed her up. she had her period every other week and then she quit having her period, which caused her to get some kinda of disease in her blood. i dont know what the perentage is for this kinda thing but that what happened to my aunt

I used to use Depo Provera and it was very convenient, however I also gained 30 lbs while on it. My Dr. verified that Depo Provera had caused the weight gain. I now use the Nuva ring and love it!

i was on the depo shot after my first child was born 9 years ago. i never saw a downside, except i would have periods a month at a time instead of the normal days. after about a year of being on the shot, my periods completely stopped. they didn't come back until a bout a year after i stopped taking it. i have recommended it to a few friends of mine. they seem pleased with it

I loved the fact of not having a period...but in 9 months gained about 15 lbs... was NOT happy with that and got off of the shot shortly thereafter. I'm 5'2" and usuallya bout 120-125 so going up 15 pounds was VERY noticeable... a few pounds with that convenience of no period (or quarterly) would NOT have been a big thing for me but 15 lbs SO very much is!) I didn't have any side effects (other than that) and if it wasn't for the weight gain, I'd totalyl have stayed with it.

Hi C.,
I was on Depo for about 6 years. The first 6 months I had some pretty heavy spotting then is was great fro the rest of the time I used it. I had NO weight gain and NO mood swings. Also, if your Dr. will bill it as an office visit, it is a very reasonable form of birth control.

My 1 word of warning/advise is… when I stopped getting it because we decided that we wanted children, I didn’t have a period for about 18 months. It was difficult to plan on trying to conceive because I wasn’t even ovulating. This was a very unsettling time for me, I didn’t know if I ever would.

All worked out fine and now I have two great little boys. Please let me know it you have questions and Good Luck!

E.

I took the Depo shot for 9mths b/f I figured out that it was making me sooo grouchy. Granted, we had just had our first child and I know that is an adjustment, but my poor husband could just breathe and tick me off. I didn't notice any weight gain, but maybe I would have lost more of the baby weight if I had not been on the shot. As for the sex, as some other mentioned, I don't know if my lack of drive was from the shot or the new baby and breast feeding. I hope you are one of the few that skip the side effects. Good luck.

I was on the depo shot and absolutely hated it. I gained about 40 pounds in a matter of about 3 months, it was horrible. My face was puffy and I had no sex drive at all. I wouldn't recommend it.

Hi C.,
Just from the research I've read and the experiences that I've heard from other people, the depo shot is one of the worst forms of birth control because of the serious nature the effects can have on your body.
I've read of women who were athletes in great shape who ran everyday suddenly gained 30 pounds and while still running and eating right everyday it took them two years to lose the weight.
Some woman, who were considered very fertile, after being on the depo shot find it very difficult to conceive. It takes a long time to get it out of your system.
My sister-in-law began having horrible migraines about 6 months after starting the shot. It got so bad that they thought she had a brain tumor and she had to have several costly brain scans. Finally through research they figured out the cause was the depo provera and once she was off the shot her migraines went away. I implore you to seriously reconsider another form of birth control. God bless you.
-F.

Hi C.,

I had to respond to this one because my expeience was not a good one. It was nice that my period didnt come as often and when it did it was really short (2 days) BUT I was a miserable person. I had crazy mood swings! I didn't even like myself!!!!! I didn't gain weight though, I was just a b---h. =O It may not have that effect on you so its worth a try. Good luck!

V.

I work with teenagers and yes, I have seen them gain weight on it. I have never tried it myself, I am sure it effects people differently.

I gained about 30 pounds, had HORRIBLE migraines, and suffered with boils from the time it began until about 3 months after stopping. It was *THE* most awful experience with birth control I ever had. I took it for one year and sufferered miserably and needlessly.

i took depo for about 4 years. i loved it. i didn't have any side effects on it, but everyone reacts differently on it. i liked it better than any other birth control i have taken so far.

Hated it!! It made me crazy, moody, tired...I mean I slept all the time, and I gained 10 lbs in 3 months. It works for some, but not me.

I had the depo shot back in 2003. I got pregnant over a month later and ended up having a miscarriage. Very devastating for me. Will never try it again. My friend also had it and never had any problems with it (why I tried it), but she did have very odd periods after the shot.

I did not realize it at the time, but while I was on that , I was a horrible person!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought it was so great b/c I never had a period, but I fought with my husband all the time, and I thought he was the horrible one until I got off of it! I do not recommend it at all!

My sister uses it. She hasn't had many problems but her doctor did warn her about bone loss and suggested calcium supplements.

Like another lady said: it affects everyone differently. I used it for 5 years and absolutely loved it. I didn't have a period & only gained about 15 pounds in 5 years (I got lazy!!). I actually gained a ton of weight on the pill & thought the IUD was the worst thing ever, for me at least. I've talked to my OB & will probably go back on Depo after this baby. Good luck in your decision!!

Oh wow i read the other responces and all i can say is wow!! I no longer feel like it was just me! I was on the shot for almost a year and i never stopped spotting! They kept telling me it was my body adjusting to the shot. I was a totally different person while i was on it. I had no desire to have sex and even the smallest thing would upset me. Everyone is has a different experience and i hope this was the best desision for you. Good luck!!!!

Hi I got the shot right after I had my oldest daughter. From my experience alone I would never get it again. I bleed for 3 months straight. They tried to give it to me again but I said no way because it could continue happening or it could get lighter but I wasnt going to take that chance. A friend of mine also had the shot and she gained an excessive amount of weight that took a while to take off but she also didn't have a period for the whole year that she was on it. So I guess it is just how your body reacts to it. Have you thought about using the nuvaring? I used that and loved it. Hope you find the right one..goodluck.

C.,
I liked the shot for except for one thing.. I gained ALOT of weight and getting that weight off is the hardest my dr told me.. I also did not have a period while on it and that did not bother me..LOL but the weight was an issue... I have been off of it for a year and I am still trying to lose more then 40 pounds... I like the seasonal birth control pill. You only have a period every three months and I have not seen any weight gain... Good luck

I used Depo for three years, in hindsight it was horrible!

I gained 15 pounds. They state in their literature an average gain of 3 - 5 pounds, what they fail to note except in very small print is that it's 3 - 5 pounds per year.

However that was the least of my troubles. At first it was great, no period to mess with, nothing to remember to take. Over time though I noticed my moods getting erratic, very emotional, and violently angry. I finally began to suspect it was the depo shot and did some research on-line - and scared the daylights out of myself! I found many women complaining of the same psychological side effects I was having. So I talked to my new doctor and she told me she didn't recommend the shot for that reason, too many women felt crazy and out of control on it after a while.
I stopped the depo and gradually began to feel more like my old self, but it took several months for the mood swings and rage to completely disappear.
I also think it made me more sensitive to horomones overall. I used to be able to tolerate the pill and can't anymore, it also causes mood swings and depression - problems I didn't have before the depo shot.

It nearly killed me! $30,000 in medical bills later and thank god I am here. I had a heavy flow for over 5 months non-stop. First no period for 2 months but gained 20 lbs (I had always been very skinny w/ high metabolism before depo). The I started and didn't stop for over 5 month (HEAVY) and I was in and out of the hospital and became VERY annemic and would faint and get dizzy. They couldn't make it stop! They tried all kinds of hormones and nothing worked I just had to wait for it to get out of my system. They think my body did not respond well to the progesterone and maybe it was too high of a dose for me (I am under 5 foot and WAS under 100 lbs). I will never be the same. BEWARE and if you haven't taken it don't! I joined a class action law suit because they do not list all the possible side effects. IT IS DANGEROUS!!!! After the whole ordeal my metabolism never went back to what it used to be or my energy level, I got endemetreosis and would get wierd pains in my joints ever since. I wish I would have never got the shot. I thank God we were able to get pregnant still considering all the damage that was done! I am strongly agaist depo! Say NO to DEPO!

I gained 15-20 pounds, (not so good) did not have a period at all (kinda fun for the year) but when I found out it was a abortive type birth control, I stopped. It turns out that you can still ovulate, fertilize an egg, make a baby, but the hormone levels produced by the depo prevent the baby from being able to adhere and settle into the uterine lining. that means we could become pregnant, but then would essentialy miscarry. Not good. For my husband and I, that was a scary thought. I also had a decreased libido, and breast tenderness. I do not recommend it.

My OB/GYN is not using the Depo shot anymore because it can lead to bone loss. They have found that it is one of the side effects. One of my friends that still uses it has to take oral suppliments so that she does not get osteoperosis. Probably something to ask your provider about.

i used the depo shot for over a year. i gained 60 pounds had no sex drive and a period that lasted 15-20 days right before the time to get the next shot. it was awful and i will never do it again.

Every woman reacts differently to medications, and Depo is one that seems to have some pretty awful side effects rather frequently.
I had a crappy experience with it and really wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. I gained 50lbs, stopped getting regular periods (which I knew would happen) and didn't start having regular periods for a year and a half after I came off of it. (Came off in Jan 06, and I have been having semi regular periods for the past 5 months)

I would definitely recommend an IUD to women who have already had a baby or two. (I've never had a kid, so its not an option for me)

Ultimately it is up to you, just be very aware of the possible side effects of depo! (My gyno didn't say ANYTHING to me about the possible side effects, just put me on it without blinking.)

I have been on it for about 3 years now and I have gained about 10 lbs. I did diet and excercise and was able to loose weight, but once I stopped it came back on. For my first shot I had a steady three month period. It was light, but very annoying. The nurse convinced me to try the shot again and I have not had a period since. I don't get PMS symptoms either. I love it. They recently came out with another form of Depo that they give you in your stomach. It is supposed to help you lose weight. I have not noticed a difference in my weight and it costs more.