DepoProvera Shot? Anyone have any experience with side effects, pros, cons, etc?

Question

Any advice?

Answer 1

Well I personally had a bad experience with it, but I am also very sensitive to hormones.Cons:weight gain,outrageous mood swings(I am talkin' bout bein' so mad that you could spit fire one minute and then the next minute crying so hard about being mean & angry).I also had an unexplainable occurrence which I later heard was rare but also had happened to others:2 months of being on the shot I started having prenancy symptoms so I went to the doc and they kinda laughed at me"What makes u think u could be preg if u r on the shot?"I felt so stupid,but 2 weeks later I got what i thought to be my period but I hadn't had 1 since I was on the shot and I was cramping unbearably and thought it was just because i hadn't had 1 in so long.But then I felt the need to curl up in the floor and it relieved the pain when I kinda bared down and pushed and when I did I passed something.I thought I had a miscarriage and took it to the doctor to see what was going on.Went to the emergency and they said that my cervix was opened as if I had passed fetal tissue,but all prenancy tests were negative.They tested the tissue and it came back that there was no fetal tissue and it wasn't miscarriage but the doctor said he had never seen anything like this before.So to this day 3 yrs later I still have no idea what happened.Needless 2 say I didn't get it again. The only pros that i can think of:convenience Sorry if this is too much info.Just want to help.Everyone is different and some women do really well with it.

Answer 2

Its all progesterone(sp?) which causes bone loss I was on it for 8 years, i believe it caused my migraine headaches. It was nice only having to get it once every 3 months & only having spotting when the shot was due, my sister tried it & bled for 5 months straight tho.... BUT.... Last year my dr. told me i needed a bone scan b/c the shot can cause bone loss, well my ins. at the time didnt cover it so i didnt have it done. I swicthed ins. companies a few months ago & luckily my new one covered the scan. The results were almost devistating, they told me that if I didnt immediately get off the shot & start taking a calcium supplement that i would be crippled in 10 years! Im only 25 & they diagnosed me with Osteopenia, which is close to Osteoporosis (thinning and deterioration of bone mass), had it progressed it would have been osteoporosis. Usually that is found in realy old people. If i was to falll tomorrow I would probably fracture a hip. Luckily because I am so young they said it can be reversed if I take calcium & do weight bearing exersizes. I didnt think something so serious could happen. If you want it for short term use I would say its probably safe, but definitely not for prolonged usage. Like I said, I was on it for 8 years & unfortuantely it didnt make me gain any weight. I am very thin & was kind of looking forward to that side effect from it. GOOD LUCK & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Answer 3

Oh my Gosh! Is the only thing I have to say about the shot. I took it 2 years ago and I started my period after 2 weeks of getting it called the doctor she said it would stop and where from 5-10 days well to make a long story short after having a period for 7 months straight and no sight of a let up it was pretty clear to me and my OB-GYN that it wasn't going to stop because in this time she tried putting my on different pills and the patch nothing stopped it, so I had to have a D&C done to clean me out, Finally that worked and no more blood! I wouldn't do it again!

Answer 4

Don't do it!! I've done research on the Depo shot for school and it's not very good. In fact, it is one of the only birth control methods that contain's a FDA black box warning, meaning...they're are a lot of precautions and side effects that go along with it.

For example...
1) it is meant to be ONLY TAKEN FOR TWO YEARS maximum. What does that tell you?
2) Also, it causes your bone density to decrease. As young women, this is one of the only times where we are "collecting" our bone mass. Women are already predisposed to bone loss.
3) About after 6-12 months you lose your period. There are no significant studies that shows what happens and the side effects when this happens.
4) If you plan on becoming pregnant in the near future, it will take you awhile to become fertile again (longer then other BC methods).
5) Side effects: nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, breast swelling and tenderness, depression, skin disorders, alteration in appetite, altered weight and changes in libidoconvulsions, jaundice, urinary tract infections, allergic reactions, fainting, paralysis, osteoporosis, lack of return to fertility, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus.
6) The Canadian Coalition on Depo-Provera, a coalition of women's health professional and advocacy groups, opposed the approval of Depo in Canada.[39] Since the approval of Depo in Canada in 1997, a $700 million dollar class action lawsuit has been filed against Pfizer.
7) Original studies used included Upjohn studied the effect of Depo for 11 years in Atlanta--mostly on black women who were receiving public assistance-- but did not file any of the required follow-up reports with the FDA. Investigators who eventually visited noted that the studies were disorganized. "They found that data collection was questionable, consent forms and protocol were absent; that those women whose consent had been obtained at all were not told of possible side effects. Women whose known medical conditions indicated that use of Depo would endanger their health were given the shot. Several of the women in the study died; some of cancer, but some for other reasons, such as suicide due to depression. Over half the 13,000 women in the study were lost to followup due to sloppy record keeping." Consequently, no data from this study was usable.
8) Cervical cancer in Upjohn/NCI studies. Cervical cancer was found to be increased as high as 9-fold in the first human studies recorded by the manufacturer and the National Cancer Institute.
10) And a whole lot more...check out the website below...

Answer 5

Depo provera is not for everyone. It is convenient but the side effects may vary. Mine was not very pleasant. I felt like I was a monster-- i was angry all the time. I had rashes( pimple like) all over my upper legs and arms. I got pregnant right away after the several days being off of it. It was followed by a surgery too. For some reasons my gall bladder was very active. maybe mine was an isolated case but you do your research and kinda listen to your body.

Answer 6

I used the deprovera shot before it didn't make me gain any weight or make me have any mood swings or anything like that, but after about 3-4 months taking it I did not have a cycle any more until I got off it and that was a plus for me.

Answer 7

I took Depo Provera for a number of years. I believe that it caused me to gain weight as well as have difficulty when trying to get pregnant.

Check out the website listed below - it seems to tell it like it is to me. Beware the horror stories out there - lots of people have had problems with Depo Provera. In the end, it is your decision to make - it is better that you have researched the facts/myths first. Good luck!

Answer 8

I gained weight on depo, I know 2 girls that got pregnant while on it, it completely stopped my period and when it was time to go in for another shot....the bleeding and cramping were extreme!

When I finally stopped taking it after about 9 mos my period was messed up....I wouldn't go there!!

Answer 9

It has improved in the years but I gained alot of weight when I was on it. Then when I got off them I got pregnant soon after that,

Answer 10

A friend of mine had that and she got pregnant