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Original poster

depo provera

34 replies

singingmum · 27/12/2003 15:22

Know this to be a strange subject but felt it neccesarry to tell what I have discovered about this injection.
I have been researching this subject since my son who is 9 was a baby and I had the injection.Firstly side effects I have suffered since:-
Massive weight gain we are talking stone not pounds and that was after only one injection in the three mnths in my system followed by more as time went on.
Panic attacks
Depression
Agrophobia
Almost became infertile(thank goodness for st johns wort)
Hormone imbalences to the point where at 27 I am suffering signs of menopause.

These were my side effects.
Since looked into this have found that the side effects are anything from headaches to paralysis.(This was documented on the orig depo website but they have now re vamped and made the drug look safe).
Have also recently been told although have to speak to doc about this, that the drug deepo provera was origionally created to MEDICALLY CASTRATE SEX OFFENDERS!!!!! You can imagine my reaction to this.How in the hell do you take a drug made for this and use it as a contraception.This drug is also reccomended by docs to teenagers I myself had it at 17.This drug was apparently never tested on teenagers so how can it be recommended to them when it is not known what effect it will have on a still developing reproductive system.
I know that some people on here swear by this drug but please realise that the full extent of damage is not noticable until after coming off the drug.I only had one injection and am still paying for it and have only managed to find one doc who will state that it is my prob and him only off record as he is worried for his own career.
The drug tricks the body into beleiving that it has gone through menopause( we all know that menopause effects many areas of our bodies especially our bone density levels and therefore can cause weakness in them)this cannot be healthy but does explain the tendency for periods to stop.Please research this subject thourghly before going near this injection.I believe you may be shocked at what you find if you put the name of the drug into a search engine.Some people are trying to get it band.I hope they succeed.

OP posts:

popsycal · 27/12/2003 15:26

oh my goodness
i had two injections of this stuff about 4 years ago
stopped as i forgot to have third injection
didnt use contraception properly for two years - took that long before getting preg although we weren't really trying properly....
this is awful

popsycal · 27/12/2003 15:27

my moods changed too - but other stuff goingon at the time may have caused it or been a factor

Original poster

singingmum · 27/12/2003 15:35

I put my orig mood swings down to awful family but found that when things went right still awful mood swings.It really hit me that there was more to things when someone said to me that I had always been the strong one holding the family up and now look at me.I no longer see half my family my life isnt to lousy and I have 2 great kids and a wonderfull partner and yet in the last 12mnths I have been out once.It drives me mad to know that all this is because I am lousy at remembering to take tablets so listened to my doc.You can kind of understand why I don't put much faith in the medical proffesion now.

OP posts:

sb34 · 27/12/2003 15:43

Message withdrawn

Original poster

singingmum · 27/12/2003 15:44

Just wanted to add not trying to frighten people but feel very strongly on this subject.I believe people should know as when I looked on this site there wasn't much about this drugs side effects etc.

OP posts:

Original poster

singingmum · 27/12/2003 15:50

sb34 I also suffered a miscarriage when my son was almost 2.I also suffered a fake 5mnth pregnancy.This was hell as we had been trying for a few years and had been told our chances of conception were basically non existent.After my daughter was born in 2000 my partner decided he'd have a vasectomy.We couldnt cope with the probs of trying for maore and we had one of each so that was perfect.My partner was 23/24 when he finally had the op and we are glad it was done.I have probs with periods ranging from times when I skip them to 6 week ones which have recently made me drained and ill as you can imagine.You have my sympathy where periods especially are concerned.

OP posts:

sb34 · 27/12/2003 15:57

Message withdrawn

sb34 · 27/12/2003 15:59

Message withdrawn

Original poster

singingmum · 27/12/2003 16:05

My miscarriage happened at 12 weeks but baby died at 7.Felt sick as I swear I felt the baby move.%mnth fake preg wasn't fun as again felt movement and even the doc felt my stomach and thought it was real preg but had norm period week or so later and it turned out I was never preg in the first place.I felt like I finally knew why my nans dog was down when she had phantom preg strange I know but true.

OP posts:

sb34 · 27/12/2003 16:14

Message withdrawn

melsy · 27/12/2003 17:30

I took depo for 9 months (3 injections), also brought back depression & anxiety. Although work was horrible also at the time so hard to tell.

One of the worst things was the weight gain - nearly 2 stone. aaarrrrghh, which I am now trying to loose , half way there. The other was I ended up with menoratia (not sure of spelling) basically had a period every 10-14 days for a about 8-9 days over 3 months . So basically bled permanantely. I had to be signed off work for 2 weeks as so ill from it. Problem was that when I went back to work they brought in HR as they thought I had ISSUES, & wasnt coping very well , well excuse me if I am truly ill.My boss was a little f@*k head. So resigned, got preggers and miscarried - now wondering if Depo was the reason.

It was a horrible end to the year , but thankfully by mid Dec got preggers again with my now amazing DD.

Demented · 27/12/2003 18:40

Hugs to everyone, this is awful.

A nurse at the family planning clinic offered this to me after accepting that the pill gave me psychotic tendancies, bizarre, glad I didn't take her up on it, looks like it would have caused more problems.

nutcracker · 27/12/2003 18:45

I've only ever had one injection of depo and that was enough. I felt really ill and tired for weeks after. I ended up having my thyroid and iron levels tested as the doc's insisted that it def wasn't the injection. After the 3 monthes it was another 6 months before I had a period and it took me alot longer to get pregnant than before. I didn't really put on any weight but then i wasn't eating because i felt so crap.

Jimjambells · 27/12/2003 19:28

Might be worth contacting what doctors don't tell you. I expect they'll knoww more....

popsycal · 27/12/2003 20:17

what is that jimjams?

Jimjambells · 27/12/2003 20:29

It's a magazine: here . They probably have a back issue with it in.

popsycal · 27/12/2003 20:45

thanks jimjams - looks very interesting indeed!

snowysam · 27/12/2003 20:52

OK, I'm now terrified. I had an injection of this a week and half ago when the doctor persuaded me at my postnatal checkup that it was the best option (he was also trying to persuade me to get DH to have the snip!). He told me the only side effects was a possible increase in appetite which may lead to some weight loss - I think not! My DH is adamant that I'm not having the next shot, esp. as the last 3 days I've had sickness, headaches and a very dodgy belly.

I'm really worried about the libido bit too. In my last two pregnancies I had a real problem with it. It took at least 18 months after each birth for me to get my libido back - my HV and I have made a date to discuss what to do if it occurs this time and now my stupid Doctor has put me on something that could make it 10x worse!

Please has anyone had a good experience on it, otherwise I'm just going to panic for the next 11 weeks!

sb34 · 27/12/2003 20:58

Message withdrawn

jacksmumto1 · 27/12/2003 22:33

I tell everyone NOT to have this! I had 3 injections (the last one over a year ago). Sex became very painful plus I completely lost interest. I had erratic periods; headaches and various other symptoms. I didn't find out about the problems until I read an article in a magazine about women who had had problems (and recognised my problems). A year later we are still trying to concieve no.2......

vicimelly · 28/12/2003 05:35

I have had two injections of this and am due my third in two weeks, The only annoying side effect I have had is that I am having very small bleeds almost every day, I feel fine, it's an annoyance more than anything else.
I am considering getting a different form of contraception instead of getting my next injection but only for this reason.
I understand that some people may get really awful side effects from this drug, but everyone is different and in the interest of stopping people who are on it from panicking, some people ARE fine with this injection
I have two friends who have been on this for over two years and have none of the symptoms described above, and neither have I.

TysMum · 29/12/2003 19:28

I had two injections of this and the mood swings were quite terrifying.I also bled for 6 weeks at a time, so it didn't stop my periods. Just gave me the worst symptoms of PMT that I had no way of controlling. I think it is too many hormones at once and I ended up with a kidney stone after them, so the effects were very long lasting. Please try another method as I agree this should be banned!

Original poster

singingmum · 06/01/2004 16:15

I am not trying to scaremonger here I am just trying to make sure that others do not have to go through what I am still going through.The biggest prob with depo is that the side effects are rarely noticed while taking this drug but as soon as you come off you start noticing.My mils friends daughter was fine while on the injection she has suffered numerous miscarriages which the docs can't find a cause for and another had no period for a year and then what the docs called a possible miscarriage(they needed a new sofa it was that bad).
I would not wish this injection even on my worst enemy and my only way to warn people is this as I no longer go out .I am about to confront my local doc with what I have discovered as soon as I possibly can.If I could get this drug banned I would but you find a doc willing to officially state that this drug is a problem it's a nightmare and makes me feel worse.I even started to doubt my own sanity at one point.Please all reading this dont touch this drug you would be better off taking banned substances at least then you know why you become ill.

OP posts:

Levanna · 06/01/2004 23:44

Hi, I'm finding this really interesting. I was on Depo for a year or so. Prior to taking it, my periods were as regular as clockwork. When I finished taking it, my periods never returned properly, (from 48+ day cycles, to 6 months without a period). I have since been diagnosed with PCOS. I suffered extreme mood swings while I was on Depo, very extreme, and I've only just got a grip on my emotions again now, about 3/4 years following the last injection. I have always been sure that Depo has had something to do with my period/fertility problems. My sister also tried Depo while in her teens, she seemed to have continual periods, which eventually stopped, then, she miscarried, all while on Depo.
I agree, this isn't and shouldn't be about 'scaremongering' but I truly wish someone had warned me about Depo before I ever went near it .

ThomCat · 07/01/2004 10:14

Well bloody hell! I've been on it for about 2 years!! However I have to say that I don't feel, seem, look, act any different. However it's scared me enough reading this to look into alternatives.

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