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Experiences with Depo-provera?

  • 23-09-2007 10:47pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi all, I'm thinking about maybe getting the depo-provera injection but I've heard there can be some unpleasant side-effects such as depression, weight gain ( I can't afford to put on any weight, i'll look like a tub!) and lack of sex drive as well as bleeding throughout the month instad of regular periods. Now I don't know how common these side-effects are so I'd like to here other women's experiences before I go to the WellWoman centre.

    Any info or advice will be greatly appreciated!


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 344 ✭✭Dreamer 7


    I had the bad luck of taking Depo last summer , what a nightmare!!! No sex drive, nada, nothing zilch. Oh and the was the little matter of me putting on 2 stone in 6 months !!!!!!!! Its now over a year later and I am still trying to get back to the size I was. No bleeding for me though none at all, but I still got a PMS week were I'd go a bit loopy.
    Put it this way op I would only ever use Depo again if I was sticking the needle into someone else who I really really really didn't like :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,339 ✭✭✭How Strange


    I haven't tried it myself but I've heard stories of thin girls putting on ALOT of weight very quickly. IMO, thats not good for you.

    Why are you considering depo-provera in particular? Was it recommended? Yasmine, the pill, is supposed to be one of the best for hormonal balance and not putting on weight. I won't use any of them because both times I went on the pill I piled on loads of weight and had awful mood swings so now I rely on condoms. Touch wood, they have always been fine and no problems.

    I find the Well Woman Centres are not very good at giving alternatives to the pill. I asked before about the diaphram but they dismissed it. The WW on Pembroke St is quite good but you will have to be forceful wth them to get info on options for contraception.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33 meremortal


    Hi Lamentia,
    I tried depo-provera a few years ago, I loved the freedom it gave me in terms of not having to take a pill every day. I was warned people often gained weight - but that this was due to increased appetite, and was therefore psychological so I just kept an eye on my diet to make sure I didnt eat too much extra. I personally didnt gain any weight and in terms of mood swings etc I was fine. I came off it when I became single again just to give my body a break. I then tried the implant a year or so later because I was going travelling because I didnt like the idea of having to get an injection in India or something - so tried the implant instead. Again this was great in terms of not having to think about contraception (this time for 3 years!), but found that I did experience reduced sex drive and mood swings. The one thing I did like about the implant was that when I got it out my body returned to normal straight away with regular periods etc (and apparently alot of people come off the implant and if theyre trying to conceive can do so quickly enough) whereas with the depo it took about 6 months to get a period and I didnt like the fact that it had such an effect on my body.

    I'm now considering trying the pill or another thing I've heard of that is a slow release pill you insert, have to do some more research.

    Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions about Depo or the implant.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 210 ✭✭Storm_rages


    i love it, it is the way to go..


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    Hi there, I was on depo for a few years in my early 20's and I cannot advise strongly enough against it - I piled on weight, became a shadow of my former self, became depressed to the point of suicidal thoughts, lost all semblance of a sex drive, for what - the "convenience" of not having to remember to take a pill once a day?

    It took ages for my system to right itself after I came off it, and now I find I have infertility problems - I will not say the depo was the cause of it, but I doubt it helped matters much when I consider the havoc it wreaked on my body while I was on it, and for the entire year after I came off it. At the time I didn't consider future feelings towards having children, as when I was younger I definitely didn't want to have babies, but I will say that there may come a time when you do want to get pregnant, and you may find yourself, like I am, looking back at your contraception choices and wondering if perhaps they may or may not have had some impact on your reproductive health. As I said, the two may be completely unconnected, and probably are, but you may find yourself kicking yourself in the future for giving yourself any cause for worry, I know I deeply regret going on Depo as it plants the seed of worry in your head that maybe you did something yourself in your past contraceptive history that is now causing you and your partner heartache.

    Anyone I have personally spoken to who tried Depo has nothing but bad to say about it, of I'd say about 20 females, all 20 said they put on weight and got at the very least mood swings and at worst depression, most not to the same extent I did, but a few were just as bad as my experience, or in one case, worse.

    Talk to your Doctor about the Depo, and what other alternatives are open to you, and weigh up all the pros and cons before you decide on what is best for you. Any doctor I have spoken to since about the Depo have negative things to say about it, and one (an older gent) was horrified that I had been prescribed it at all - his opinion (which I was initially outraged to hear, and am a bit way of posting here in case it offends some people) was that the injection should only be used in cases where the woman in question could not be responsible for her contraception. I won't go into further detail, suffice to say he felt it should only be available as a very very last resort for women who could not be expected to be in a position to be responsible for their contraception.
    I realise my opinion is very biased, but the fact of the matter is that if I could turn back the clock, I personally would run a mile from a depo injection, as it ruined 2 years of my life.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,367 ✭✭✭✭watna


    I use depo-provera and it's brilliant for me. The only side effect I had (and I was on it for two years then stopped and was advised by my doctor to start again a few months ago) is light bleeding for a few weeks. I didn't lose my sex drive or put on any weight. However, I can't take the pill as the oestrogen makes me sick (vomiting, nausea, depression and very bad skin when it is usually flawless) so I have to take progesterone based contraception. I also tried the patch which made me ill too (regular cystitis, bad skin and moodiness) . It's whatever works for you, everybody's body is different. Mine reacts badly to the pill but not to depo-provera. You should talk to your doctor and see what he/she recommends. You can try depo-provera and see what happens. It is great for reliability (99.99%) and it's not affected if you're sick or on antiobiotics. The reliability is what i like best, plus it stops my periods! The only problem is that unlike the pill if it disagrees with you you have to wait three months (or more) for it to fully leave your system, maybe a bit longer. I'm just lucky that it works so well for me. You'll just have to find out what works best for you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭Bendihorse


    Dont use it, aside from a belief that contraceptives are bad in general (i read a report in the indo a few weeks back that said: if the contraceptive pill and all derivates were presented to the medical know powers that be, that it would never be granted a licence) Depo provera is probably one of the worst.

    I took it for a year while in college and grew gravely depressed and lost all sex drive. I did not gain weight, but i think this weight gain/contraceptives is a myth and brought around by expected increase in weight gain. Anyway, the weight issue wouldn't be important to me. I flunked out of college as i got to the stage where i couldn't get out of bed... If you have any history of depression or ill mental health, or its in your family, id steer well clear.

    I too now stick to condoms.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 296 ✭✭BeansMeansHynes


    I have been on the depo-provera for just under two years and I think it is great. I put on a small bit of weight (it gave me a huge appetite) but exercise and watching what I ate soon sorted that out. It really suits me as remembering to take the pill every day is an effort for me and I was always worrying. I never felt I could trust myself to remember to take it. The depo is 99.9% effective and reliable and it completely stopped my periods which was good for me because I got extremely bad periods before, backache, vomiting, and severe cramps for 4-5 days and very bad mood swings. It really depends on the person i suppose but it def works for me.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 53 ✭✭strawberrybox


    hey i know 2 friends who got this injection and both got it taken out, one turned into a complete physo with terrible mood swings and depression and both piled on weight and one of them was bleeding nearly non stop till she got it taken out, is there on other option for you?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,022 ✭✭✭ali.c


    Bendihorse wrote:
    I did not gain weight, but i think this weight gain/contraceptives is a myth and brought around by expected increase in weight gain.

    this is something that comes up alot, like it or not hormones are involved in alot of things that go on in our bodies, including metabolism. Different people react differently but its not myth.

    I had a pretty horrible experience with depo, i put on a stone in 2 months, i had bleeding constantly, the nurse assured me this would likely stop on the second injection, eh i was like i dont ****ing think so. Once my body got back to normal the weight fell off, took about 6 months after i came of the depo though, tbh it made me think twice about putting something into my body that i cant stop if it goes wrong. Of course it works differently for different people and for me its not that inconvenientant to take a pill daily.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    'Thanks guys! I'm rethinking going the Depo route now, though maybe I'll try it out for just the 3 months and see how that goes, otherwise Yasmine sounds best though I'm not great at remembering to take medication and I'll have to keep it hidden from my parents >.<'


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    'Alot of people have mentioned that its "not that much hassle to take a pill everyday"... but 3 of my friends who now have kids were on the pill when they got pregnant! I travel alot with work, do late nights, etc etc and I just do not trust myself to take the pill at the same time every day. I get a very uneasy stomach very easily and if you vomit it can mean the pill wont work. I think people considering this as an option shouldnt be considered lazy - but should definitely make themselves aware of all the options and risks associated with it. I'm on the depo now and am fine, but obviously not everyone is. It just increases your appetite a bit, but just be aware of that and you'll be fine. It did take a while to get used to it and I did consider stopping after the first one because I was getting regular, light bleeding but after the second injection I was fine.
    Different strokes for different folks! Do your research and see what works best for you - do an internet search for all your options. Good luck!'


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    'I miss my Depo so much. I had to come off it after being on it for 7 years (technically far far too long) but had ZERO side affects, other than no periods which is a total plus if you ask me. No weight gain (or appetite increase), no sex drive impact (unlike the poxy mini pill which I am on now), no PMS symptoms, nothing. It all depends on what suits your own personal chemistry. It definitely suited me far better than the pills I have tried, in terms of mental and physiological well-being. Actually I think I was more mentally capable and stable on it than off, due to the lack of hormonal rushes.'


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 919 ✭✭✭Shelli


    hey i know 2 friends who got this injection and both got it taken out, one turned into a complete physo with terrible mood swings and depression and both piled on weight and one of them was bleeding nearly non stop till she got it taken out, is there on other option for you?

    You cant have it taken out, your thinking of the implant. Thats the problem with it, if you get the side effects you just have to ride it out, and it can take up to a year to get back to normal. I was on it for 1.5yrs, put on 4 stone, had really bad skin and massive mood swings. But many people swear by it. I guess it depends on how sensitive you are to hormones.

    I'm going to have the Mirena fitted in two weeks. Have a look into it if you interested in something handy, once it's fitted it lasts up to 5 year and can be removed at any time. The doc explained to me today that the risk of side effects are less than the pill, implant or injection becuase it's a much smaller dose of hormones and it goes straight into your womb and not into your system as much.

    There are loads of options out there now, if your worried about side effects talk to your doctor, in my experience though the depo injection is not the way to go, for the simple reason that it stays in your system for an unknown length of time.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 541 ✭✭✭Electric


    I was on Depo for over a year and it was a nightmare. Became so depresssed and lethargic. I would cry at the drop of hat which is not like me. And I bled for about 4 weeks straight. It was a horrible experience and I would not recommend it for anyone. I changed doctors and they took me off saying that they didn't recommend it either.

    I tried the implant and in my experience that didn't work either it was worse than the Depo. In saying that my best friend is onto her second implant and finds it works a charm.

    I'm now on the regular oral contraceptives and it's great. No mood swings weight gain or other nasty side effects. I know some people say it's a hassle to take it every day and they know people who have gotten pregnant on it, but all you have to do is work out a time of day that suits you and take it then. I keep mine in my purse and have a reminder set on my phone for 9pm (so I know I won't have to get up to take it) and I haven't had any problems so far.

    Best advice is to talk through all the options with your doctor and if your not happy with their recommendations you can always get a second opinion.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    I was on the depo provera shot for 4 yrs until I decided to get pregnant. I loved it! I did not have a cycle the whole time I was on the shot. After I got off it took 8 months for my cycle to return to normal and then 3 months after my cycle returned, I conceived with my first child. I won't lie, I did have some side effects, but they were not that serious to me. I gained 10 lbs within the first year of being on the shot. That was not a problem for me because I had been small all my life. I was 98 lbs when I got on the shot and then went up to 108 lbs which everyone said looked good on me since I was so small at first. Then I got off the shot I lost the weight and dropped down to 102 lbs. Another side effect was I did have a lack of sex drive, which did not sit well with my husband. After I had my baby, I got back on the shot for another 2 yrs until I was given a bone density test and found that I had slight bone loss. I now have to take daily calcium supplements which I can never remember to take. (same reason I don't take the pill). I tried the nuva ring after that and had problems with it slipping out so now I am thinking of getting the mirena IUD.


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