Depo?

I took the Depo shot once...and once was enough. I bled the entire three months it was "good" for, I was starving ALL THE TIME {and consequently gained about 30 lbs}, my mood swings were out of control. I know a few people {not many} who have taken it and did great, but I will never, EVER do it again myself.

The way I remember to take my pill every day is 1. I set an alarm on my phone to go off the same time every day, and 2. I take it at bedtime, rather than in the morning. Especially when my child was little, bedtime was more regular than getting up time! I've done it this way for about 7 years and it's worked well for me.

I got the shot 3 times. I had the first one a month before I got married and it seriously was HORRIBLE! I was SO moody. I gained 40 pounds in 1 month and I now have lovely stretch marks all over my thighs. It made having sex extremly painful. Like I was being stabbed over and over (not fun after just getting married), and I spotted the whole time every single day for 9 months. Once I stopped getting the shot it took me 1 YEAR to get my period back and the only reason I did get it back was because I went on the pill and it forced me to get it back. I would not recomend depo to anyone. It was a nightmare!

I know that everyone responds differently, but for me, I can't wait to get off it!! It has made me a raging lunatic. I flip out over the slightest things and I have absolutely ZERO patience for anyone or anything. I have screamed at my 2 year old for silly things and I am disgusted with myself. I am very moody and my husband has said that I am making everyone on edge in my house and he is right, I am. I have gained weight and I feel terrible. I have had spotting almost constantly and even have gotten my period twice in a month a few times. I have been on it for almost a year and maybe my body is still adjusting but I don't care, I am going back on the pill.

I did the depo, and got the mood swings and depression. A girlfriend of mine was on it for years - she said she was okay after the third shot, but with two little ones at home, I couldn't risk the depression for 6 months. The same friend, when she finally got off, said it was miserable to get off, after being on so long. (She was on longer than she should have been, according to the manufacturer's directions.)

As for the pill - you have about a two-hour window, either way - it doesn't have to be the exact same time. Even if you miss one completely and take two the next day, you're still about 95% protected.

But I was also interested in something easier. Turns out my insurance doesn't cover a copper IUD, and I don't have $900 lying around right now. Maybe your insurance would cover it for you?

I took Depo for 8 years. For the first 3 shots (9 months) I spotted, after that nothing. I did not have mood swings other than the normal girl stuff. I did gain weight. I got off of it to have my kids and it took me 3 years to finally do it. I dropped 35 pounds within 6 months without doing anything. So, i would recommend some other form. My sister really likes her IUD. I would talk to your doctor about things without hormones. I feel so much better being birth control free!

everybody I talk to (and looks like everyone here!) hated the depo, but I love it! I was on it for a year after I had my first daughter. I was told it might take awhile to get pregnant again, but I was pregnant 2 months after the last shot wore off. then I was on it again for about a year after my 2nd was born. I was concerned about the potential bone loss, so I tried several different pills and discovered I cannot take any birth control with estrogen b/c it makes me depressed, moody, nauseous, headaches, etc. So I tried a progestin-only pill, but couldn't remember to take it at the same time every day (and with those, you HAVE to take it at the same time or you will start bleeding and have to use back-up protection for 48 hrs). So now I'm back on the depo again! I did spot after the first shot for a few weeks, but now I will probably have no periods or very light ones. I've never gained weight b/c of the depo. I've actually been losing weight the last few months.
So I just wanted to share my experience with it so you know it isn't bad for everyone. Most women have to try at least a couple different kinds of birth control before finding one that works well for them, so you never know how your body will respond to it. Good luck =)

Until I had my two children, I had never taken birth control in my life. I started on the i.u.d. mirena after my second child's birth and it was too much for me. For whatever reason, I was experiencing all the negative side effects and was having issues with the device itself. I went off of that and went on the depo shot. It was easy to keep up with but again, I quickly started experiencing the negative side effects. I am not pro or con on the topic. Everyone knows what's best for them. For me, the side effects got so bad that they literally started effecting my daily life. I was fatigued all the time, I completely lost my sex drive and had awful mood swings. I posted about my concerns and some said that those are symptoms of depression, but regardless, I know myself and know for a fact that it was not depression and that those symptoms are side effects. You can find it on any site. Everyone is different and are effected differently by certain things. You were on birth control for a while and you may be okay as your body is probably accustomed to the medication. I am someone who prefers homeopathic remedies over medication (ironic as I am a pharmacy tech) so I never have had anything stronger than advil in me. Maybe I got the negative side effects because I was only on birth control three years out of the twenty four years of my life and my body wasn't getting used to it. Who knows.. But I finally went off of the depo after learning that you can become sterile if you are on it too long. I have been off of it since the end of august and still haven't had a period or even spotting of any kind. I'm afraid at this point, since I stopped having a period when I started the birth control two years ago, that I may never get my period back (which can happen) and therefore, never be able to conceive again. But.. that's just my story. If you are only planning on being on it for a short time, I think you may be okay. In the end, it's all up to you and what's best for you. Good luck.

Lots of responses that it made them moody & downright crazy, same with me so I won't go into my depo saga. Just wanted to suggest you try Nuvaring. The first couple months on it I had some mild depression & irritability, but that's gone now (6 months on it) and I really like it. I don't have to worry about taking anything, just replace it every 3-4 weeks and go on with your life. Hubby can feel it during intercourse but says it's not distracting, after the first couple times he stopped noticing it altogether - much less noticeable to him than the IUD string from when I had a copper IUD.

I am over the baby making stage in life but my daughter took this and ballooned up about 100 pounds and still had break through bleeding. It took her over a year to get the weight off. So please do your homework on this particular form of birth control. Maybe you should make that appointment for hubby a little sooner than later so that you won't have to be the one making sure no more additions show up.

Good luck to you in your decision. How about the Mirena for a short time or such. People seem to have a better comment on that the Depo.

The other S.

I gained a ton of weight...ugh!

I was on Depo for about 4+ years and noticed weight gain. An average of approx 2 lbs per year. No other side effects though. I have been on an IUD for many years and it has been great! When we were ready for my 3 year old, the doc pulled it out (after 8 years) & I was prego in less than a month. Same thing with my most recent baby. No side effects at all...

Over time, I gained some weight with the Depo shot. This was many years ago. I also remember feeling a litte 'out of it', like kind-of loopy, when I got the shot, but it wore off by the end of the day. I think I took it for only a year, but the weight gain (though slight) and that constant bloated feeling all the time was enough for me to look at other options. But it was nice to not have a period. I now use Mirena (IUD). I don't have a period, I haven't gained weight, and I don't have that bloated feeling. I've been on it about 4 years. But everyone is different and every woman's reaction to any given birth control can be different. For me, of all the birth control I've tried, I like Mirena the best.

I just had my 4 wk check up and got on Implanon a implant birth control placed in the arm good up to 3 yrs. and it will stop your periods. So far had it for 1 wk and so far so good - your provider does need to be certified to purchase this you can find a certified provider on there website

I was fine when I was on it with no bleeding or mood swings (slight weight gain) but when I came off it after 2 years it was like those mood swings had been saving themselves up and I was crazy person. I would try something else and I hope you find something that works for you.

I know a woman who got pregnant despite the depo shot and her son was deaf, among other problems. I LOVED Nuvaring but it is more expensive than traditional pills. Not prohibitive, just more.

I know you said you've done your research but did you read about how depo has a STRONG link to significant bone loss which leads to osteoperosis? They SAY the bone loss can be recovered when the shot is stopped but that side effect alone is enough for me to say reasearch other options. Good luck.