1st time Depo shot - what to expect?
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1st time Depo shot - what to expect?
| Mon, 11-01-2004 - 10:46am |
Hello,
I will be getting my first Depo Provera injection this week.
| Mon, 11-01-2004 - 10:46am |
Hello,
I will be getting my first Depo Provera injection this week.
I'd never take it again...
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It's been almost a year since I had taken the Depo-Provera shot and I'm still paying for it.
I had only gotten one shot, and in those 3 months I bled for 2 straight months (kind of defeats the purpose of the shot, doesn't it?), became ridiculously paranoid, upset, was told I was depressed by my doctor, I couldn't handle even the smallest incidents. I had to move out of the basement suite I lived in because I had become so sensitive to everything I couldn't tolerate the noise of the people that lived upstairs.
I suffered extreme mood swings, almost to the point of being able to be deemed as bipolar.
When I was able to finally have sex after months of constant, heavy bleeding, it wasn't even close to enjoyable because the shot had almost depleted my ability to produce natural lubrication. Things like KY would work for maybe 2 minutes. It wasn't fun at all.
I had become incredibly short-tempered and everything annoyed me. To this day, I'm not as patient as I was before the shot.
My periods are still irregular. One month it'll be normal, the next month, it'll be 5 days late and ridiculously light, but last for 10 days as opposed to my usual 5. The following period usually turns out to be 2 weeks after my last one and is very heavy. This pattern has been going on for 10 months.
I'm on the pill now and am suffering worse than usual side effects because the Depo shot has thrown my system way out of whack. My body has become over-sensitive to medications. I haven't been able to lose the weight I put on while on the shot (15 pounds or so) and more often than not, I feel flu-like.
Before the shot, I felt normal. Now, I feel like everything has changed, including myself.
To anyone who's thinking of taking the shot, I would STRONGLY advise against it. There's no sense in running the risk of taking it, in the slight chance you may be one of the few who tolerates it well. I would just as soon have a histerectomy than to ever have the Depo-Provera shot again.
I'm beginning to wonder how this drug was ever approved, and whom they tested it on.
I wish I would have investigated more before I got the shot. Its poison going into your body. I'm now on an anti-depressant and NEVER GETTING THAT SHOT AGAIN!!!!!!!
Depo can have some harsh side effects. We usually get a lot more negative posts about Depo than positive ones but there are women who are delighted with how well Depo has worked for them. You can search the archives for posts about Depo using the search box at the top of the screen. One thing to keep in mind is that if it turns out you are having problems you can't stop taking it as you can the pill. Depo has to wear off and it may take 13 weeks or longer for the side effects to disappear. Thanks for posting,
Good luck,
Jill
I have had an overall great experience while being on Depo-Provera. During the first months, you`ll probably spot quite a bit. It really is a good idea to wear pantiliners every day, or you`ll probably end up ruining quite a few pairs of panties. I was a little crampy on and off, but nothing an ibuprofen or two couldn`t cure.
I`ve been on it for nearly a year and love not having a period, or, if I do, just one or two days of bleeding and - ta da - nothing more! I do have occassional difficulty getting lubricated during sex, but that could be a lot of things and not just Depo. I haven`t gained any noticeable weight, either.
Overall, Depo`s been super for me. (: I hope it works well for you. Like all BC`s, it reacts differently with different body chemistries - so not everyone will have a horrible time, just like not everyone will have a great time. Although there seem to be many women that loathe Depo, I know quite a few that love it, too. So take that into consideration. And, after three months, if you don`t like it, you don`t have to go for it again. There are tons of other options you can pursue!
Lena
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply.
I strongly urge you to reconsider getting the Depo shot. It is a very convenient form of birth control, but it is self-defeating in the sense that it kills your sex drive. For me, I'm talking no libido, none, plus inability to orgasm. I also gained 20 pounds. I went from 125 10 145 in less than a year, and I'm 5'2"! No one told me about these side effects first, and I wish my doctor had. Also, I spotted heavily for the first six months I was on Depo, and if anything puts you out of the mood, it's that. The spotting does go away, but in my opinion it's just not worth it.
T
I've been on it for over 4 years with no problems.
I've had no weight gain (actually I've lost weight), my sex life is great, and I have a period about every 4 months. (Which is fine with me!) I do remember a little spotting when I first started, but it wasn't anything I couldn't live with.
You have to remember that everyone's body chemistry is different and everyone will react to various BC methods differently. I could tell you multiple horrors of the good old birth control pill - my body and the pill did not work well together. But the shot works well for me!
Talk to your doctor about your options. She/He should be able to help you. After my horrors with the pill, I changed doctors and my new one put me on the shot. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was much happier, much less moody, and my period was finally regulated. (Oh, and then there's that plus of not having to remember to take the pill every day or worrying about back up methods if you throw up or take antibiotics!)
Good Luck - just remember not everyone reacts badly! You could be one of the lucky ones :)
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