Depo Provera

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2004
Depo Provera
4
Fri, 09-24-2004 - 3:37pm
Hi, I just got the shot Depo Provera because it sounded like a great birth control method and the nurses told me the only side effects were slight weight gain and rarely spotty bleeding. When i got home i looked up online and found lots of differnt side effects and horror stories from it. I haven't felt right since i got it and have had horrible headaches ever since and it's to painful to have sex now because i'm soooo dry all the time. Does anyone else have experience with the shot? I guess i should have looked it up before i got it. Any info on this drug would be appreciated. thanks.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
In reply to: honeybambino
Fri, 09-24-2004 - 4:22pm
Hi honeybambino, welcome!

It may take a few weeks for your body to become accustomed to the strong progestin. Some women can experience some rather severe side effects but hopefully you are still adjusting and will feel better. Here is the prescribing info. for Depo-Provera http://www.pfizer.com/download/uspi_depo_provera.pdf that lists some of the side effects. I hope you are feeling better soon. Let us know how you’re doing, ok?

Hugs,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: honeybambino
Sat, 09-25-2004 - 11:04am
Artificial lube is your friend! Say it with me.... Depo Provera is a very strong progestin--that's why it's so effective! It's really good at shutting down your ovaries so that you don't produce eggs, but you're also not producing nearly as much estrogen(nor are you providing any synthetic estrogen like with the pill) or testosterone. You need estrogen for vaginal lubrication and testosterone for your libido, and some women will find this to be worse than others.

You have to be careful what you read on the internet. Anybody can make a website and say whatever they want, and if somebody has had a HORRIBLE experience with Depo (and a good number of women have, but a good number of women also like it enough to stay on it for years) you bet they're going to broadcast it to the world. Me, personally, I wouldn't take it. But that's me.

If you do find that the lack of estrogen is unbearable (lack of lubrication, annoying spotting will happen sometimes in a low-estrogen situation, etc.), you can talk to your doctor about adding a little, either with an estrogen-only pill or with an estrogen cream. But make sure you use a lubricant when you have sex!! Without lubrication and without estrogen to keep those vaginal tissues supple, you can cause damage to the tissue with too much friction, and that can leave you susceptible to infections. My preferences are for Astroglide and KY Liquid, and I'm sure there are lubricants available over the internet that are a little more....fun. ;)

Good luck! It might be okay after you get used to it, and if it's not, just hang in there until it wears off. We'll still be here! ;)

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-25-2004
In reply to: honeybambino
Sat, 09-25-2004 - 9:42pm
I was on depo last year, and it seemed like a good option for me, since with my work schedule I can't remember to take my pills on time. I only had 3 injections, and the first 2 were great, no cramping, bleeding, nothing. Right before my 3rd shot, I started my "period" and it lasted for over 2 months straight. I gained a little bit of weight, and had headaches sometimes. Needless to say, I stopped taking depo and went back on the pill for about 3 months, then my Dr put me on the Nuva Ring, which I started this month. I really like the Nuva Ring, and I would never go back on depo. It's been almost a year since my last injection (Nov) and I still haven't had my period. It can take some women up to 18 months or longer for their cycles to return to normal. I wish I would have read up more before I went on depo, had I known that I would have never tried it. Nuva Ring has been great so far though. I'm just hoping I can get AF back to normal sometime soon! Good Luck!
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
In reply to: honeybambino
Wed, 09-29-2004 - 12:43pm
Hi honeybambino! I was on Depo for 8 years- I just recently switched back to the pill. The first few years I was on the Depo were great but then I started to have problems. I started gaining weight, my skin got real bad and I noticed I was always tired. My mom kept telling me it was the Depo but I didn't think it was. I had gained 50 lbs with out changing my eating or exercise habits, and I had severe cystic acne all of a sudden. I would wear my hair hanging in my face always beacuse I was so embarrased to be in my mid 20's with such severe acne. I went to the Dr's and she gave me a topical to try and clear the acne- when that didn't work I went to a dermatologist and was put on antibiotics that made me feel sick every time I took them (3 times a day) and still nothing helped my face. And then I decided to go back on the pill- to see if my skin would improve and I would have an easier time of losing the 50 lbs I gained- I still didn't completely believe that the depo was to blame. Then a funny thing happened- within 3 weeks of stopping the depo my skin was all clear except for the scars that my acne left, and now (4 months later) I have lost 17 of the 50 lbs I had gained while on the depo. I can't tell you how good it is to wear my hair up and not be embarrased about how I look. I am sleeping better at night, have energy to spare and have my self confidence back. I know there are women who have no problems at all on the depo, but my opinion is that it is not worth the risks- I didn't have severe medical side effects, but lost 3 years of my life because I was so embarrased by my acne that I wouldn't even go out with friends. I also have a few friends who tried the Depo and had problems with bleeding constantly while on it- they have all switched to other methods of BC too. I would never again use Depo and would not recommend it to anyone. Again just my personal opinion. :)