Depo-Provera?

Le Rack

I know this isn't a medical board, and if I have this in the wrong place, sorry mods, feel free to move it.

I've been suffering serious like morning sickness and cramps and such of late with my period, my friend suggested an injection that lasts for a year that technically stops periods altogether for the year and stops pains and all the rest, a contraceptive obviously. Depo-Provera is the only one I can find to be available in Ireland, but it seems to only last three months, which would still be something!

Just wondering if anyone in here has had an experience with it? Side affects and such, since I've never gone on the pill due to weight gain issues and such.

thanks for any help

teachertrixibel

hiya,

I was on that for a while, but changed to Implanon which lasts for 3 years. I've been on it for 6 years now. For me, I've no periods at all, except for the last 6 mths before I get the implant changed. It's fabulous and very safe... ask your GP - it's expensive but well worth it!

Nevyn

I would not suggest the Depo-Provera for any woman.

If you are having such issues I would suggest you talk to your gp about a referal to for a Gynecology check up, or book yourself in for a consult with the ifpa and talk to the dr there.
As what you are describing could be due to a whole rang of issues.

There are new types of pill which are coming on to the market which can be taken and eliminate periods for a certain amount of time but as far as I am aware they are not available here yet.

Some women don't have periods when they get an implanon or and IUS.
I am on my second IUS and have not had a period in about 6 years.
Again talk to your dr or make an appointment for a consultation at the ifpa if you think they will know more then your family gp.

leeroybrown

Thaedydal wrote: »

I would not suggest the Depo-Provera for any woman.

Seconded. I know someone who had a very nasty experience with it. From what she said about her experience and that of others I would have to say that it sounds like a last resort solution.

spurious

+1 for the IUS.

girl_friday

Stay away from Depo Provera... I came off it in 2003 and would not recommend it to anyone! I'm sure my side effects don't happen to everyone so not putting them up to scare people off but I cannot stress enought that Depo Provera is not for a lot of people! I wish I had done more research.

SnoozyS

I personally found the Depo injection to be great. Was on it for over 2 years with no nasty side effects. The only concern i had about it was that it had been linked to a decrease in your bone density.

With all pills, i think it just takes a while to figure out which one is right for you.

Wurly

I was on Depo Provera for 7 years. Had a fair amount of weight gain. Not a huge amount but I went up about 3 dress sizes. I'm off it just over a year now and am two dress sizes down without any effort. The third one is harder to shift.

It's worth mentioning aswell that when I went on it first, it took me almost 9 months for my periods to stop. I had continuous spotting for that time and some spells of heavy bleeding. It nearly drove me mad but then after that it was worth it cos you don't get periods. Just occasional spotting for me.

My doc advised me to come off it due to new research out that suggests it contributes to osteporosis in later life. That scared me a lot and I came off it. As I was on it for such a long time, the damage may already be done, they've said.

So there you go.. If I had to go on it again, I have to say, I wouldn't.

b3t4

I'm with Thaedydal, I would not suggest the depo provera to anyone.

Follow Thaedydal's advise and seek medical advise. You could potentially have endometriosis (I only mention this as some doctors do not even concider it) or a range of other issues that might be causing the pain that you are experiencing.

Please head to your doctor/ifpa clinic.
A.

Karen_*

I was on Depa provera for years and found it great. Gone was the nasty PMT (which hasn't returned since I came off it). I had no periods and the only side effect I had was a bit of weight gain. It really suited me and I'd go on it again BUT I wouldn't discount the bad experiences other people have had. What suits one person might not suit another and if you get it and it doesn't agree with you then you have to put up with the effects for three months and sometimes longer.

Stench Blossoms

I got really fat when i went on it.

When I came off it it took almost 2 years for my periods to come back to normal.

Wouldn't reccommend it to anyone.

05D

No no no depo provera!!

I went on it a few yrs ago, went mad on it. Turned into a different person altogether.

came of it then and bled non stop for about six weeks, took another few months after that to become regular again. I'd say go for the Implanon or maybe try the pill.

ash_18x

i was on it too for about 5 years, i would not recommend it to anyone, i put on about three stone with it and despite what people say it was not due to eating more/ doing less exercise as i was eating and doing exactly the same as before! my doctor kept saying that i was after getting lasier etc and telling me not to come off it as he knew people who did and got pregnant bla bla bla, i changed to a female doctor and she was apalled and took me off it straight away due to the bone density risks and the weight gain.
i am off it now nearly 3 years and i lost all the weight i had gained with a bit of work!
it has its benefits but also its side effects, i know it suits some people just not me!
i have heard similar about the implant thing though, lot of girls i know have gained loads of weight with it.
i am on the nuvoring nearly 3 years and so far all is good, no weight gain or side effects, fingers crossed!!

Rayven199

I tried depro provera once (obviously for the three months it lasted) and I had to get off it, I became very depressed and angry on it, completely changed my personality so I wouldnt recommend it.
Also, I bled for a majority of the three months that I was on it! Stay away from it!

I have heard of other injections that last the year, but as far as I am aware they are not available in Ireland.

Clink

It's so reassuring to hear lots of other people had horrendous experiences on Depo (my doctor at the time tried to convince me I was imagining the horrible side effects).

I was on it for a year, I put on a lot of weight, all interest in sex went out the window, I'd mood swings, depression. All of which disappeared as soon as I came off it.

Whatever you do, don't take Depo!!

05D

Clink wrote: »

all interest in sex went out the window!!

I was the opposite, I was like a rampant rabbit! Got very frustrated as well if I didn't get it!

Le Rack

Good lord, ok so don't take it!

I've not "suffered" like this before, only been the last few months, and the odd time I'd get bad before that but didn't put any pass on it...I'll give it another couple of months and see how it goes, I was on a lot of very strong drugs for a spinal injury over the last two months so that may well have fcuked with my system etc...

thanks everybody!

WindSock

I was on it for around two years, and while I had no major problems with it, I felt that there was something not quite right about it. It took me about 6-8 months to get back to a normal cycle.

Bluebells

Yea, I was the same on the injection. Angry, fat and had a perminant period. Was not a happy camper.

Ive tried a few pills (microlite being the best) and im on the patch now which has been great all round. Except for the funny little square thats left on your leg after you take it off!

missmatty

Was on depo for years, had no problems. Put on no (extra ) weight. Only off it at the mo for a break cos of the bone density issues. Would go back on it like a shot when I need to. Only thing was a couple of painful/unusual periods 6-8 months after coming off it, when cycle readjusting. It's different for everyone.

Bendihorse

I was on it years ago, suffered with depression and mood swings while on it which cumulated in me dropping out of college. Wouldn't recommend it but different drugs effect people in different ways so if you could take a gamble on it... I never had any issues with bleeding while on it, periods stoped almost straight away, never had subsequent bleeding or spotting and didn't endure weight gain either. After i missed my final injection, periods returned pretty much as normal within about 3 months.

Im not on anything now, the experience of Depo Provera and what it did to my body was enough to put me off using chemical birth controll. I guess i may be more secure in not being on something because im in a long term relationship and feel that myself and my boyfriend would be equipped to deal with an unplanned pregnancy should it occur.

echosound

Another vote for "don't go on it". Had all the unpleasant side effects listed by others - lots of weight gain, extreme mood swings verging on depression, total loss of libido, took ages for my body to get back to normal after coming off it. TBH it ruined a good swathe of my life in college, turned me into a different person. If I had my time over, I wouldn't touch it with 10 bargepoles lashed together.

Oryx

ALL contraceptives can have side effects (Im one who had a bad reaction to an IUS, which would be considered unusual) but unfortunately its a 'suck it and see' situation, as what works for all of us or all of your mates might be a nightmare for you.

Id ask your doctor for a recommendation, but remember to air all of your fears with him/her. And while I know that the internet is often full of falsehood and rubbish, sometimes a careful, well considered web trawl can throw up information which will give you a general trend of how the different contraceptives work in the majority of women (similar to the trend you see here against depo-provera). Its not conclusive but can be informative.

eth0_

Hmm...I just started on Depo again (was on it for about a year a couple of years ago), I got the injection 3 weeks ago and I haven't noticed any difference in myself. If anything I have lost about 4lbs since the injection...and I never had any side effects the last time I was on it.

There are side effects with all contraceptives..I have had a lot of problems with various brands of the Pill, causing me to put on weight, water retention, mood swings etc. Never had that with depo.

I honestly think women who go up several dress sizes/put on a few stone while on Depo are just looking for something to blame it on. If you look at peer reviewed scientific research on the drug, the average weight gain is about 5lbs over a year (I think). That's really nothing.

As for women who have stacks of bad side effects and yet stay on Depo for years and years - did you honestly never consider it might have been the depo? My GP warned me about side effects and told me to come back to him if I had any. For instance, in the rare cases of women who get a 'continuous period', he said he could give me a drug to stop that if it happened.

ash_18x

eth0_ wrote: »

I honestly think women who go up several dress sizes/put on a few stone while on Depo are just looking for something to blame it on. If you look at peer reviewed scientific research on the drug, the average weight gain is about 5lbs over a year (I think). That's really nothing.

i have to disagree here, from my own experience i was still walking two miles a day, no change in my eating habits and the doctor told me not to come off it that i was just being lazy! it was only when i changed doctors that she took me off it straight away.

eth0_ wrote: »

There are side effects with all contraceptives..I have had a lot of problems with various brands of the Pill, causing me to put on weight, water retention, mood swings etc. Never had that with depo

you have just stated here yourself that a vaious brand of the pill caused you to put on weight, are you just blaming it on the pill??

eth0_

ash_18x wrote: »

i have to disagree here, from my own experience i was still walking two miles a day, no change in my eating habits and the doctor told me not to come off it that i was just being lazy! it was only when i changed doctors that she took me off it straight away.



you have just stated here yourself that a vaious brand of the pill caused you to put on weight, are you just blaming it on the pill??

Weight as in about 5 lbs which I would say was water retention because I lost it all within 2 weeks of coming off that particular pill...

I just do not buy the argument from people that Depo caused them to put on several stone..it doesn't affect your metabolism. If it did, it would show up prominently in the independent studies of the drug.

simply_unique

In April 2008 i was diagnosed with endometriosis, i had keyhole surgery and thankfully they removed the lot of it, my surgeon prescribed depo provera for me and i wasnt too happy about it due to various stories i had heard but nevertheless went ahead and got the injection. I got my last injection in september and feel id like to return to taking the pill. does anyone know if this is a wise move and how i would go about making the change? I am overdue the injection by about 3-4 weeks now and am starting to feel the cramps again so if and when should i return to taking the pill?? thanks! x

Nevyn

Make an appointment with your dr and ask them.

bigpinkelephant

I was on it for about 8 months.
The mood swings I got were unbelieveable.

I wouldn't recommend it. If you go on the Pill and get side effects, you can just stop taking it. With the Depo, you have to wait til it leaves your body itself.

I have just come off Depro Vera after 4 and a half years, I always recommended it to everyone, and was always told "but you put on weight with that". Now I insisted I didn't, which was true, I put on alot of weight when I was pregnant due to a severe case of pubus sinfisis which meant I could hardly walk, so, after I had my daughter, I had lost about 1.5 stone and was really struggling to lose more, there was no way I should have been the weight I was for the amount I ate and the amount of exercise I did, so one day my friend just happened to say to me "imagine the weight you would have lost if you weren't on that pill" so I came off it about 8 weeks ago and the weight just started falling off. I don't think I'll ever go back on it again.

LegacyUser

As with any drug, Depo will suit you or it won't. I was on it 8 years and did have to come off it for bone density issues, so yes, I had that side effect, but was on it many years longer than recommended. I put no weight. I had LESS mood swings, far more mentally stable than having to deal with the nonsense of PMT. No periods, so no puking and pain and missing college/work (I had very heavy periods from day 1. There was nothing wrong with me that caused them to be so evil, I was just unfortunate). My libido came back after having been crushed by the combined pill and I saved a fortune in tampons.

The pill I am on now (Cerazette - the minipill is my only option now for age and health reasons) did cause mood swings for the first 8 to 10 months but has stabilized now. Starting on a drug or changing a drug may cause side effects. But side effects are different for different people and I'm not going to say 'don't take Cerazette because I had a bad experience'. One person I know on the implant bloated out significantly, it looked like steriod weight rather than food weight, so you know, everything can affect you negatively.

Other than the very mild bone density issues (as it turns out it's a hereditary issue) the worst side effect I have had from Depo is that when I do come off the pill and start having periods again, I won't be able to cope with the pain, the mess and the general complete nonsense of the it.

LegacyUser

ive never taken an injectable contraceptive so i cant comment on that, but i have had differing experiences of pills at different times. And I DEF believe that certain contraceptives do make a hufference weight wise. I took yasmin from a very early age as i had fierce trouble with heavy periods that lasted weeks and made me very anaemic. No problems with it what so ever. But when my skin got very bad i switched to dianette. A disastorous reaction, extremely bad mood swings, depression and weight gain. Which is certainly not what you need to contend with when you are in school and dealing with the pressure of exams etc. However I took another form of medication for my skin also, i think its called minox and while this worked wonders it gave me VERY bad nightmares for the first week of taking it. I cannot rem if i was taking this aswell when i tried dianette for the first time. I then stuck with yasmin for many years until recently when my skin flaired up again. i decided to give dianette another try and this time none of the old issues! I gain a little weight every time i take it, and where as when im not on the pill ill feel fat during period days, now i feel skinny for that pill free week! but i do feel this is water retention or something as i took a month off dianette lately and was my normal size within a week. However my boobs shrank dramatically!! and when i looked at the label i saw an increase in breast size as a possible side effect.
I cant wait until i can rely on natural birthcontrol as i think alot of these mediactions do us more harm than is currently known. However, the benifit to the pill IMO is that you can cease taking it any time you want and the side effects are over. I would not be too quick to get an injectable without seeing how your body would react to one of the major brands of pill first. Weight gain is likely to be minimal, and in some people the side effect is actually weight loss, as another poster verified.

Good luck in your quest.

lizzyvera

When I changed pill to Yasmin I got depressed and spotty, but I gave it a chance for three months. Yasmin has fewer side effects than most pills I'm told but just whatever formulation it was, it made me very sad and greasy.

Anyway, if that was an injection that lasted a year it would be almost unbearable. Is there any way of trying the preparation in pill form for a month or two before having it injected?
It's unlikely that you'll have bad side effects but I still wouldn't risk it if it lasts so long.

b3t4

simply_unique follow Thaedydal's advise.

Your doctor really should of explained why he put you on depo provera but that's typical of some doctors. Please go back to him/her and ask what you should do.

A.