switching to the shot
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switching to the shot
| Sat, 08-12-2006 - 10:35pm |
I have used the pill for 5yrs and still forget to take it. I thought about switching to the shot but not so sure its a good idea. Any advise would be great.

Hi thethreebrysons, welcome!
Jill
If you like the pill and are not having side effects from it other than forgetting to take it, then what about setting an alarm on your watch or associating an activity that you do at the same time of day with taking your pill? When I was on the pill, I set my alarm on my watch to the time of day that I took it (in the morning when I would always be home anyways) and made sure to stop what I was doing and go take it or reset the alarm to 10 minutes or a time that wouldn't make a difference in effectiveness.
On the other hand, I have only heard negative things about Depo (weight gain, bone loss, fertility loss, can't stop side effects because it lingers for months in your system). I would talk to your doctor about options that may be right for you. From this board it seems like a lot of ladies like NuvaRing. Would an IUD be a good option for you? Do you know about them? There is a FAQ on the main page of this board for more info. Good luck!
My advice from personal experience DONT DO IT.
I was on the shot for about a year and a half, at first I liked it because I never had any periods expect right as I was almost due for a new shot. But after about a year I started to get horrible horrible headaches daily. I tried everything, was in for an MRI, on preventatives, taking so many pain pills to get rid of the headaches that my stomach would cramp up to the point where I felt I should be in the ER for stomach pain. Eventually I stoped the shot and after some time the headaches faded and I was able to go off the preventatives completely. Also I noticed my weight creaped steadly while on the shot and after 2 years of being off of it I still do not weight what I did before. So I would seriously not recommend the shot, try Nuva Ring, the Patch, an IUD, or wait for implanton to come out.
I have not heard of a birth control method yet that someone doesn’t like but it seems that the shot has more negative feedback than most methods.
That said, I am currently using the shot. I like it fine and I am losing weight while using it. I am also doing weight watchers to get rid of weight from a pregnancy. I have a 4 month old and am breastfeeding, so I need to use either minipill, shot, IUD or non-hormonal methods (like condoms or diaphragm). I picked the shot. I haven’t really had bleeding but a little spotting. I am due for my second shot Thursday.
You might want to try the patch or nuvaring before trying this. I really loved the patch but cannot use it while breastfeeding.
Good luck deciding.
Holly
Angela