depo-provera weight question

This is for the women out there -

I've been on Depo-Provera (birth control shot) for years now. Yesterday was my three month shot - it was also the worst binge day I've had since I started calorie counting.

Could that injection of hormones be related to my out of control eating? Does anyone out there take depo, and if so have you had the same weird problem?

yea mine has always been in my arm or butt, thats weird! ya know ive been on depo like 6m and as of jan (my last shot) i gained almost 20lbs BUT i agree with what some of u have said if ur watching what u eat, u should be ok, since beg feb i have been watching what i eat an im more then half way to loseing that 19-20lbs i gained.

I was on Depo for about 2 years and gained about 40lbs.  I would have HUGE chocolate binges for about 3 days after the shot (that may have been where the 40 came from).  The biggest side effect for me is that now that I am trying to get pregnant (for 2 years now) and having lots of trouble.  The shot messed my cycles up perminately.  But to answer the original post, yes I would have major binges after the shot.

I was on depo for 3 years and found my drive to be active was lessened as well as cravings for food were harder to ignore at any given time, after gaining 40lbs and not being interested in sex at all I switched to the pill which didnt  automatically make me lose weight but the cravings for food was lessened and drive to be active was much better.

yea i thought i would get it in the arm but it was in the stomach and now i'm not sure what the purpose of that is if usually you get it in the buttocks or in the arm..so to erica200 you said you gained 20 lbs in like 6 mnths yea thats pretty  much what i've been hearing all around-thanks for the advice on watching what i eat early on

I started depo when I was 18 and was highly active with running about 8-10 miles a day. I  gained almost 15lb every shot. It was impossible to lose now after 6 years it is finally starting to wear off and I am losing weight very slowly.

I did the depo for about 7 years and only gained about 5-10 lbs.  I do not believe the depo makes you gain weight, atleast it didn't for me nor my daughter....who has been on it for over 2 yrs (she had really really bad periods) and anyways, she hasn't gained anything.  I recently just started the depo again this month after being off it for a couple years.  I always hear that its not good for your body to not have periods, but after being on it for 7 yrs and having no adverse affects, then being off it for a couple and still no adverse affects, I'm a believer in it.... and it does wonders for my skin..... the weight I have gained over the last 2 years (which is why I came to Calorie Count) was due to my eating habits and physical inactivity, as I was not on the depo shot at all during this time....  I don't recall any difference in a lack of sex drive during this time either.  We were actually more active when I was on it, then when I was off it.... (cramps and periods suck!)..... ha ha...

As for any cravings after getting the shot, well i just got my shot last week, and I did have huge cravings last night.... I dont remember ever having them before... but last night was the worst... lol;

If your thinking of taking, or you are taking Depot you may what to look into the other side effects, not just weight gain. More specificly it lowers your bone density.

I am on depo, I don't think it makes you gain weight. I have not had a problem with it almost 2 yrs now. I don't notice that it makes me want to eat either. I would not stop taking it if I were you. It could be mind over matter. Good Luck

I too gained weight on depo, although I am unsure whether this was due to the shot. What I do know is that the weight hasn't come off simply because I have come off. It has been a year and a half since not being on it...so I'd think there would be a change already.

My dr.. advised I come off it because of the calcium depletion that occurs on it. I had two children in my early twenties, and the next five years was on the shot, so became a high risk for osteoperosis.

Hellow Everyone, So I did the entire depo shot and did 2 shots (6 months) and I wish I would have researched!  I gained about 20lbs in the 6 month period.  I went back to the gym and was working out (and still am) about 3-4 times a week, I kind of changed my eating habbits but still average and the weight just didn't stop coming on!  I went to the dr the other day and she told me that I wouldn't see any weight change until my period to start, oh man, I never have prayed for my period before, but I am now! Did anyone have this happen to them, as far as having your period and seeing the weight loss happen.  Please let me know!! Im so eager to get this weight off, I have a wedding in 2 months and would like to see at least 5lbs or more come off by then.  Please help!!

I was on the shot when I was younger meaning in high school for my acne and it actually helped me lose weight. Then I went off of it for a couple of years and got the acne back. So I started depo back up and I gained tons of weight every 3 months. That is why I am trying to lose weight. I dont blame just the depo but that is what started the cravings. I was gaining about 5lbs every 3 months. I didnt change any of my eating habits so I know the shot was to blame. I guess it was based on me being older that it affected me different.

 I am on the Depo shoot and I have been on it for a month already. I was a little concerned about gaining weight but I haven't I have been dieting and excersicing and actualy have lost 16 lbs since I started taking the shoot. The only thing is that for  two days, after the shoot, I did have alot of cravings but they go away after that.

Depo-provera is well known to cause weight gain, especially in those that are already overweight or predisposed to metabolic syndrome (diabetes type II, CAD, HTN).  Most male physicians do not view this as a true contraindication to using the medicine to prevent pregnancy.  Understand, Depo-provera is one of the most simple and effective methods of preventing pregnancy; however is it worth the side effect risks?  If I were trying to lose weight there is no way I would be on any type of progesterone.  I joined this site just b/c I saw this question posted.  I couldn't believe that no one's physician had mentioned this. 

I gained 15 pounds from this.  Biggest mistake I ever made.  I was using the patch, but I'm 40 and I've been using birth control for a long time and decided to just come off of it all together.  I've defaulted to my husband to take care of no more babies!

Both my daughters were on this shot - one gained 40 pounds, the other developed serious bleeding and gained about 20 pounds.  The shot tricks your body into thinking you are pregnant - hence the weight gain.

I gained about 20 pounds while on depo.  I had the worst cravings and I was eating all of the time.  I have also gained weight on other forms of hormonal birth control as well as experiencing mood swings and lack of sex drive. 

I decided to get a copper IUD.  I was nervous about the IUD but it is the best decision I have ever made. I will never take hormonal birth control again - my body just does not agree with it.

How long did it take you to lose the weight after going off depo provera?? Did you really have to work at it or did it just shed itself?

Im curious about that too, how did the weight loss go after the shot?  Im really eager to lose this weight.. (i've been working out like crazy) but the doc did say once the period starts it should start to come off.. is this true?

Im curious about that too, how did the weight loss go after the shot?  Im really eager to lose this weight.. (i've been working out like crazy) but the doc did say once the period starts it should start to come off.. is this true?

I happen to work in the family planning field...

Any hormonal method of birth control can cause changes in weight - sometimes gaining and sometimes loss. The most common and documented side effects of depo is irregular periods (whether cycling into no periods or erratic bleeding) and weight gain - on average about 3 lbs a year cumulatively so, for example, if someone is on for 5 years you may gain 15 lbs. Some people have less, some more. Weight gain can be due to Depo's effect on the thyroid as well as less ability to metabolize carbohydrates efficiently. Another side effect can be delayed fertility - it may take up to a year to become pregnant for some people so, if you are planning a pregnancy, you may want to take that into account. For those who are on Depo because they like not having to remember to take a pill a day, but like the idea of a hormonal method of birth control or want an easily reversable method, an option is the monthly NuvaRing. Effectiveness isn't affected by weight  so it isn't less effective, like the Patch, if you are over 198 lbs. Hope this helps... And I wouldn't be a "good/typical" family planner if I didn't add that hormonal methods don't protect against infections, sexually transmitted or otherwise.