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?

i can speak from experience i have been on depo since august of 2006 and an of january 2007 i had gained 20lbs after having a baby. BUT i wasnt eating right or exercising my dr even said if by my next shot i gained again i need to get off, well my next shot is in like 2 weeks and as of today i lost 20lbs so i belive if u control ur cravings, eat healthy, an exercise it can be controled

I've been on depo since 1998.  I love it!  No more cycles, no more PMS, no crazy acne, no cramps, no more having to buy tampons! 

I don't think I gained weight because of depo.  I gained weight because of horrible eating habits and a really poor diet.  I'm still on depo and I was able to change my eating, become more active, and I met my goal weight.  I lost a total of 45lbs.

I get my shot in my shoulder.  I just prefer it that way.  I've also heard about the risks of losing bone density, but I am active and I also take calcium supplements daily.

The only down side of depo (I think) is that it does kill your sex drive.  Lot of people have said that it does the same for them as well.  But as I see it, if my husband knew me with PMS, I wouldn't be "gettin' any" any way!  LOL

I have never had any problems with weight gain while on the shot.  In fact, around a year ago I actually lost 15 pounds.

I gained 60 pounds in 3 years while I was on Depo. I didn't eat any worse while I was on it than I did before. I got off of it and went to LoEstrin and immediately lost 10 pounds. Again, did not change my eating habits there. I'm still fighting to get the weight off, but it's slowly coming off for me.

As far as no periods, I still don't have them. I do not go off of my pill. This was a suggestion of my doctor who has his daughters do the same. I've done this for several years now with no problems. A friend told me how unhealthy she thought it was to have "all that blood still in there". Sadly, this opened my eyes to how little some women know about their bodies. There's no build up of the lining, so it's not like you have a bunch of blood just lying around if you don't have a period.

Side note on the pill.....in order for the Catholic church to be ok with it, it had to serve some purpose OTHER than birth control......which ended up being regulation of menstrual cycles.

I am 21 and I started depo at 17, I recently got off and onto the pill because depo was giving me these big bumps on my face, they looked like pimples but they hurt really bad and were unpoppable. The dermatologist said that it was because depo adds alot of testosterone (male hormone) to your body and some women already have too much. basically the balance of estrogen and testosterone was off which lead to these bumps. I never gained any weight but I was very emotional all the time. if you can remember to take a pill everyday you should switch NOW!

How long does it take to get your period back after going off Depo?  I was on Depo for about 1.5 yrs, and I know sometimes it takes time to get back on "cycle".

I went off the shot in Jan, then did LoEstrin for one month...in that time I had 1 period.  I decided to go off BC completely in Early March, give my body a rest so to speak...and I haven't had a period sense. How long should it take? 

PS...there's no way I'm pregnant.

I was on depo for a year and a half.  I didn't experience any eating binge behavior because of it.  I did experience another rather nasty side effect, and had to stop taking it, which made me very sad.  I loved having no period!  But the depo shot can leach your calcium.  I knew this, so I was taking a supplement now and then.  Then I started getting terrible muscle cramps in my abdomen.  Found out it was a calcium deficiency!  I had to take a supplement 3 times a day, or I would get cramps so bad they about made me cry.  Now I'm off the shot and fine, but for all you depo folks, you might want to consider taking some calcium!

It took nine months for my period to come back after my last shot.  I was on it for six months.

Hi I'm new here & found this by searching for info on depo

I've been on the shot since Dec 1993, and as far as the weight gain, I didn't really start gaining significantly until I moved to Dallas & got a cubicle job. I blame it on the chair, and my butt not leaving it for 8 hrs a day, not the shot. :-) I was 120lbs when I first started depo, and now I'm 140, but I've been 140 for the last ten years or so.

I lost my period within the first year, but now, the reason for my search, I'm getting it back. It started out as coming around once a year, the last couple of years, and now it's creeping up on me every couple of months. The shot is cheaper to get it thru Planned Parenthood than my doc, so unfortunately I see a different nurse practitioner with each shot. Every one of them tells me "the body will do what it wants" and say it's normal. But is it really? Has anyone else out there been on it more than a few years? Is it a sign the depo's not working as well as it used to?

It's more of an irritaion than a concern, because it seems to come without warning. And it's hardly anything, a pantyliner is all that's needed, but it's the "is it over? is it done? when will it come back?" that is bugging me. I was wondering if any other women have this problem, or am I the only one who made it a decade on this shot.

And I do understand the whole calcium deficiency, but it wasn't until recently I started reading "use no more than 2 years", none of the docs @ PP have said anything to that regard even tho I've been on it over a decade....

i was on depo for four years- just went off- gained 15lbs.

i'm getting back on it asap. it wasn't just weight gain- i gained 5 inches in my hips in a matter of 6 months.

I am only 22 years old and I have been on the depo now for 8 years and until this Febuary (2007) I never had a problem with it, except once three years ago I spotted and was put on 3 extra pills a day for about 6 months. Starting Febuary I began to have extreme hair lose, sweating and weight gain. I work twice a day at a minuim of 5 days a week, I eat properly and just kept gaining and gaining weight. I went to a nutrinist and started a womens bootcamp and also started with a personal trainer. I did everything you can imagine and was still rapidly gaining weight. So I was told to go to an endrocrine doctor and check my thyriod. Well I just recieved the results today and my blood work showed that I that my puterty gland is producing as hormones as a woman that is post-menopausal. I have gained 80lbs. since Feb. 2007 and its only June 2007.  My doctor showed me research where women that have been on depo for extensive number of years  have this problem. I hope that this help someone who is looking for others with the depo.

I'm almost 21 years old and have been on Depo for almost 5 years. Like many entries I've read, my doctor has told me that Depo is most likely not the cause of my weight gain, but I think she's wrong. I gained around 50 pounds from the time I started the shot. I had lost 30 pounds by cutting down my food intake ALOT, but now I have gain 15 pounds of it back and I can't seem to loose any more weight. I'm even going to a gym 3 times a week and taking gym classes in the morning at my college, but still no results. I feel like my metabolism has frozen and my weight is slowly going back up. I'm thinking about switching to the IUD without hormes and was wondering if anybody had any opinions about it.

I am 21 years old and I've been on depo for almost 2 years and I've gained 15lbs. I don't know if its all depos fault, because I did marry a heavy set guy. So, I see him eat more, therefor I eat more. Its kinda bad. I get such bad cravings though. I'm only slightly overweight but I'm afraid I'm going to keep gaining. Whats another birth control thats not a pill that also stops your period like depo? Because thats a side effect that I love! I just don't love the weight gain. Also, how exactly do you count calories? Is it total calories you count or the calories from fat? Thanks girls.

I;ve been on depo for 4 years now...and altho i have friends who have gained weight due to it, i havent. My doctor says the weight gain is not due to the depo but since depo fools ur body into thinking ur pregnant (in a way) u might get more cravings and so u might end up gaining weight. I gained 10 pds my first yr on it, but i think its the combo of freshmen yr and the shot...but once i realized how round my face was getting i immediately started hitting the gym. If you exercise on a regular basis and dont eat like crazy, depo wouldnt cause any significant weight gain.

I'm suprised at how many people are on the depo shot...and how long u guys have been on it. Do you guys get any side effects other than weight gain? Like moodiness? And what about the whole bone loss issue? I'm really considering another option for a yr and then getting back on it.

I've been on the depo shot for well over a year now. I haven't done anything but consistently lose weight. My doctor said that some women gain up to ten pounds in a year. I don't think I have the same life style as these women. Perhaps, less active ones. Or it's total bs. Of course, I've never had the pms, cramps, bitchy attitude, bloated, bs either. I think it's all a mental thing.

( 5'2 105lbs. Trying hard not to lose more weight. Maintain Maintain Maintain. )

I agree with Azhangie, " If you exercise on a regular basis and dont eat like crazy, depo wouldnt cause any significant weight gain. "

However, loss of bone density is a real concern. Take your calcium/vitamin D supplements.

Good Luck!

I'm 17 years old and have had severe problems with my menstrual cycle since I started high school.  I am normally a low normal for my hemoglobin, but am borderline anemic when I am on my period.  I used to throw up, bleed through a super plus tampon and maxi pad within an hour and a half, and have cramps so bad it left me inable to do my normal activities. I had a hard time staying at school for long periods of time and swim team and cheerleading practices seemed like being in hell.  I

I was on Ortho-Tri-Cyclin Lo, but my body adapted to the low-dosage hormones within half a year.  My doctor said, "Yasmin" or the shot.  I get two allergy shots twice a week, so I'm definately not afraid of needles...so I went with the shot. 

At the time I started the shot, I weighed about 127 pounds, which was about normal for me.  I'm 5'4" and muscular, so that is a comfortable/healthy weight for me.  It is almost time for my 4th shot, and I'm almost positive I'm changing back to something else by then.  I am still an active person, but the shot has made me feel more sluggish and feel the need to eat MUCH more. 

For the past 3 months, I have been trying desperately to loose weight (now 140lbs) because my fat/bloated pants don't even fit loose anymore.  In fact, I can hardly get in them.  With the extra hormones, I have become much more anxious all the time, and can really tell that I am gaining weight.  I'm trying so hard to loose it: eating better and exercising like crazy and I have gained 3lbs.  I'm still a teenager though, and I just want to be back to normal.  I'm having my senior pictures made next month and I don't want to look fat in them because that just isn't me!  :-( 

My youngest daughter was given a shot of depo for the potential side effect of weight gain - the birth control is just a 2ndary issue for her at this time (she's 17 and has been on other bc)

I've been on Depo for the better part of 8 years now - aside from not remembering the pill I was having severe interaction concerns with other medications I was taking at the time.

Because of how the doctors have responded when I've asked if Depo could be causing some of my 'issues' I'd never really looked to deeply in too it - it was always a "Well it's a possibility but I think it's more likely "X, Y or Z"" and these are issues I'm STILL having concerns over.

Weight gain - I used to be 107 and I couldn't gain a pound if I tried, and I DID try, for 6 years I tried with 4,000 calories a day diets, fatty, everything and I couldn't budge my weight. Started Depo shot and have gained about 10 pounds a year, though not that gradually, its usually about 15 pound CHUNKS - I'm currently at 180 and miserable.

Pelvic Pain - I've had recurring pelvic pain that no one can seem to figure out, possibly endometriosis, but its baaack after years of no pain and suddenly I'm bleeding (period???) with cramps, or just having severe cramps with no bleeding.

Hormonal fluxes - Crabby, cravings, and over the past 6 months serious and severe breast tenderness (its PAINFUL not just tender).

Those are just a few of my concerns that while, I'm not sure it's "all" Depo, I'm begining to think more and more it certainly could be affecting it!

Part of the reason I've been so against going off of the shot is that not having a period when, before going on the shot I spent 10 years or so, 1 week out of every month was off limits, in fact it was getting to the point I couldn't do ANYTHING for 4-5 days because I was at home, in bed, with severe cramping and discomfort.

There really doesn't seem to be another solution to the no-period having side effect.

And really, is that all that healthy anyhow? That's one I've struggled with since I started, I mean the body does things for a reason and here we go stopping what it does... but how is 4-5 days of bed rest good either? Though it sounds nice right now. ;)

Anyhow, as far as people thinking the weight gain is all in the mind or can only happen because the person must eat more or not eat well - Depo is a DRUG that affects your HORMONES which include your METABOLISM, ie your ability to BURN fat and calories at a reasonable pace for your body and its weight.

So you could eat the same exact thing, or less, do the same exact things every day (or more!) and yes, GAIN WEIGHT. It's simply how the body is processing what you are taking in, and of course your hormones would come in to play here.

I do think I'm going to talk to my Gyno/GP about going off of it, even if its' just for a 'break. I hadn't heard about the calcium deficiency either so... definitely going to check in to that too.

Hope everyone finds what they are looking for and takes care of themselves.

Just an update after a month and a half...

I went to the doctor and am OFF DEPO now!  I'm trying Yasmin, so back to periods, but not more outrageous side effects and weight gain!  For some reason, having my period as an exchange for lower weight is sounding really good right now.  I was told that I have gained 12 pounds since March, so 12 pounds in 5 months!  Most of it was gained in two spurts (1 in mid-May, 1 in late June, each with about 5 solid pounds in 3 days)

My doctor is sympathizing me and my mom too now, which is what I've really needed this whole time.  I have been eating healthier and exercising more but keep gaining weight and it just isn't fair.  This should be interesting trying to get back down to my usual 125 from my current 142.  I had a thyroid test done the other day because my weight gain has been so extreme with no lifestyle changes, but was normal.  My metabolism is just at the level of an old lady, but my appetite is that of a kid in puberty. 

Here goes the BEAT DEPO WEIGHT CHALLENGE!

hey i have had the depo shot for almost 2 years now, after my son was born and i get severe headaches and chest pains, has any1 else experinced this, and what is another good birth control i could take because im starting to get nervous, please reply, thanx