What's your experience with the Depo Provera shot?

Question

I'm thinking about getting it, but I'm not sure 'cause of the consequences that can come with it. If you had the shot and aren't referring to a friend, are you still on it? Why or why not are/ aren't you still on the shot?

Answer 1

I went on it for 2 cycles...it was the worst decision of my life!! I had an allergic reaction to another medication because of the shot. I then tried to get pregnant for 18 months after and foudn that the shot had stopped ovulation all together and I had to take clomid to get pregnant

Answer 2

Don't do it! There are a lot of women even on here that you can verify are having a lot of problems with it. You may be creating an irreversible problem. The percentage of women having bad reactions appears higher much higher than they will admit to.

Depo Provera is akin to forcing your body into an early menopause state.

I've been off the Depo Provera since 2000 and my hair and my eyebrows still haven't grown all the way back. I lost about a 1/4 inch along most of my front hair line. The rest of my hair came back and is thick and strong, but the hairline is not the same compared to what it was. In addition to the severe hair loss, I gained over 40 pounds, 20 while taking Depo and 20 after coming off. I never had a migraine before Depo and during use and for the first year after being off it, I had severe migraines at least once a week. My skin itched like I wanted to rip it off and I was hot all the time. I would get extreme vertigo with no warning. Just try staggering at work or while in the pharmacy and not look like you had a drinking problem! My bones also ached a lot. Depo has been proven to cause osteoporosis. Over a year after coming off the Depo Provera, I developed two serious blood clots one after the other. The cause was never completely determined because I had not been on birth control of any kind for over a year and my blood tests were normal. I finally had a rib removed and the clots stopped, but I will contend to this day the Depo had at least a little something to do with it. About the same time as the blood clots, I started having severe cramping and a year into it, my doctor found pretty severe endometriosis. With the resulting depression and the lack of sex from Depo you may not have to worry about getting pregnant because you won't want to have sex anyway. I know some people do just fine with this birth control, but it's not worth the chance. It takes upwards of 6 to 8 months for the effects to wear off and sometimes longer. My hair has never grown completely back along the hairline and I am having a hair transplant at a tune of $5,000.00 to fix it. I had to have my eyebrows tattooed because they will not fill back in! I am only 35! I can't wait until Depo is researched more deeply and to someday find out what else this drug did to screw up my system.

I got the (copper) IUD (since I can't use hormones anymore due to future clotting risks). My insurance paid for it. You still get your period, but it's worth it.

Our bodies are made to have periods unless we are pregnant. If you force your body into an unnatural state, it WILL fight back!

Answer 3

i had it for about 6 - 9 months and ended up wishing i never got it to begin with. It was cool for like the first 3 months cause my period stoped right away and I didn't have to worry about it for awhile. Then after the first 3 months I started getting my period like every other week for about 4-7 days each time. I couldn't stand that. I had to stop the shot because of it and I didn't use a birth control after that. Just the natural contraceptives and I still had problems with regulating my period for up to a year and half. It really sucked. I went off the shot in Feb. 2004 and I couldn't count on a regular period until after about Aug. 2005 or so. So, I wouldn't recommend the shot for anyone. Just my opinion. If you do decide to try it good luck.

Answer 4

I gained lots of weight and NEVER had a period for the 1.5 years I was on it. When I did stop it, I had a period for 3 months straight.
It also made my endometriosis go away for the most part during those 1.5 years, but when I stopped it, it came back with a vengence!
I stopped it because I didn't like the feeling of being completely... uh... Not a girl I suppose. I stopped it about 1.5 years ago, and my husband and I decided to have a baby.
Another thing is it took a while to get pregnant after I stopped it.
I really wouldn't recommend it.
If you are looking for something without estrogen there is only one other alternative, the "mini pill", and if you're looking for the convienence of not taking a pill, there's the patch. I wasn't able to use the patch though.
I would suggest talking to your doctor about your fears and concerns. She/He will help you out a lot.
Good Luck.

Answer 5

According to my gyno, 10% of women will experience some degree of complications from Depo Provera. I, unfortunately, was one of the very small percentage of women that had extremely adverse reactions to it.

I began taking Depo in summer of 2002. By Dec. 2002, I was constantly nauseaus, irritable, pissy, snappish, etc.. Essentially, I felt as though I were pregnant every day, and had gained FIFTY pounds. My body thought it should be pregnant because of the Depo.

If I had been in my (now) hubby's shoes then, I'd have dumped me. What really sucks is that one of the nurses refused to really listen to my problems, and told me that the complications from Depo would pass, ignoring the fact that I'd been experiencing them for about six months. It was a year later, and several different compliants before someone listened to me, simply because it is SO uncommon for women to experience such extreme adverse effects.

When I went off Depo Provera, I still wanted to be on a contraceptive. I ended up having to take a Plan B (known also as the morning after pill) in order to jump-start my period. I was then able to experience a normal period for the first time in a year and half, and able to start oral contraceptives within a month of quitting Depo.

I, and a friend of mine, were taking Depo simultaneously. She'd been taking it for about two years longer, though. Both of us have experienced weight loss while off the Depo. I've gone from a size 16/18 down to a size 10/12 in the year after I got off it, and maintained that size for about a year. My friend went from an 18/20 on Depo to a 12/14 while off it.

Now, keep in mind that SOME weight gain is fairly common with almost all forms of contraception. However, it should never be as extreme and should be something that you can combat with a couple of healthy dietary choices and a slight increase in physical activity.

The bonus to Depo is that, for that vast majority of the women on it, it puts a halt to the monthly cycle. Thus, no bleeding. On the downside, Depo is one of the forms of contraception that can take the longest to work it's way out of your system should decide to go off of it and attempt to get pregnant. If attempting to conceive post-Depo, you should plan ahead and expect to be waiting at least six months or more before conception. Another, less discussed effect, is that your cycle may never be regular again. I used to be like clockwork. My cycle would come every 28 days, and I could always expect it to start at the same time of day. Even now, with an oral contraceptive, which are supposed to regulate your cycle, I can be up to two weeks off.

Also, prior to taking your first Depo shot, be aware of your own and your family's medical history. There are several pre-existing conditions that may cause your OB/GYN to recommend that you choose an alternate form of contraception. "Women who have diabetes mellitus, major depression, blood clotting problems, liver disease, or weight problems should use these methods only under strict medical supervision. Depo-Provera or Lunelle should not be used if the woman is pregnant, has unexplained vaginal bleeding, suffers from severe liver disease, has breast cancer, or has a history of blood clots or stroke." See the website below.

Obviously, I won't be recommending Depo Provera to anyone in my lifetime. I've had such a better experience since being on Ortho-Triclycen, then Ortho-Tricyclen Lo. Both of these are a daily, oral contraceptive, but I'd rather remember to take a tiny little pill everyday than not be able to eat and still gain weight!!

Answer 6

Everyone is different when it comes to anything like the shot BC or IUD. I had a friend who continued having the shot and some how her body reacted and now she isnt able to have children but stayed so skinny. Another girl gained about 50 pounds (seriously) on it and she was only on it 6 months. Your body reacts different ways. Go take your concerns to your doctor and they should be able to help you figure this out. Your body is going to react differently then mine. Its best to figure this out now then later on.

Answer 7

I was that .01% that has comclications with it, I had so many problem that I had to go on the pill to stop my bleeding, but my friend swears by it she has been on it forr a few years and doesn't have any problems.

Answer 8

I hated it because I bled like crazy with it.

Answer 9

i love it!! u dont have to remeber to take a pill...and u dont get ur period...i love it ive been on it for 2yrs!!