Depo Shot - Arlington,TX

My sister-in-law hated it. She cramped and had her period for a month. She also gained 50 pounds. Because of her, I never wanted to get the shot.

I got the worse acne ever on my 2nd depo shot. In case that happens to you try AKN Skin Care pills form the health food store. It was the only thing that worked after suffering with pizza face for over a year.
~A.

RUN, don't walk, away from this stuff. It should not even be on the market, IMO. Weight gain is minor compared to the SEVERE mood swings and other female issues. I even wonder if it was a contributing factor in my breast cancer. Please stay away from it.

I wouldn't do it . It completely screwed up my metabolism. I took it for 9 months and gained 30 pounds!

I actually loved it! My problem came in that I couldn't figure out why I was getting bad headaches daily. I kept searching. After trying every little idea I read or someone adviced me. I quit taking the shot when reading it was a possiblity. Turns out my headaches were hormone related. I only get them once a month now - every 28 days almost to the T. It may not be that way for you. I didn't have any trouble getting pregnant, no bad bleeding problems and it did not cause weight gain for me. But I will never use Depo again.

I work at a doctor office and I can honestly tell you that MOST of our patients gain weight on the Depo shot. Just be prepared for little to a lot of weight gain. And the bleeding...ugh!! Give the RING a try.

I got 4 shots total. I didn't gain any weight, but had lots of problems with my cycle, and it made me VERY emotional...to the point that my husband finally begged me to get off it! Even I could notice how hormonal and downright mean I was being! I would never use it again!

I liked the Depo shot because it is a very easy and effective form of birth control. It also makes your periods light or non-existence. I did gain a little more than 5 lbs, though.

I have had the depo shot in the past and I absolutely HATED it. I don't use that word lightly either. :)
The shot affected a lot of things including my weight (which was the biggest issue). I got the shot shortly after having my first child. I was unable to lose any weight that I put on throughout my pregnancy and actually gained 10 extra pounds after getting the shot. I tried almost everything possible to lose the weight but NOTHING worked. It wasn't until I was off the shot for almost a year that I was able to lose any weight. I second the other mommas with the severe mood swings and loss of intimacy. The doctor said my area was like a 60 year old woman's. No offense, but being only 19, I didn't want to hear that.

I now have the Mirena and I absolutely LOVE it. It did hurt to have it inserted and I am still spotting after 5 weeks, but other than that it has been good. I don't have to worry about taking a pill or getting the shot every 3 months.

Good luck!

I have had it for many years with no period. I love it. The only down fall is that it took me many years to get pregnant after I stopped taking it. Highly recommended.

i have had the iud since about 2 months after i had my daughter and she will be 2 next month. I have also been on the pill and on the depo shot. I couldnt remember to take a pill everyday and the shot did make me gain weight. I only took it twice ( you take it every 3 months) and i gained 25 pounds so i stopped taking it. I love the mirena (iud) so far. Good luck!

Personally I believe the Depo shot to be evil! Ok, maybe not evil but I didn't do well on it. I had a friend warn me that she bleed for almost a year after one shot, but another friend loved it.

My expeience...I bled for 8 months!!!!! That alone was birth control enough....no "somethin, somethin" went on in our bedroom. To add insult to injury I gain 35 pounds in the first three months!!!!! It was horrrible...oh, it doesn't end there....I developed blood clots from it & had 4 pulmonary embolisms. For me to be alive is a true gift. There aren't too many people that live from a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in lung) and I had 4 of them.
Everyone is different, but that was my experience.
Best of luck with your decision.

I was only on my depo for two shots(6 months) and its hard trying to concieve. But since you don't want children now it may work out for you I didnt gain any weight but i did have an increase in my appetite

I got 2 shots of the Depo shot and on that time I went from a size 7/9 to a size 14/16. I really had no other symptoms or problems with it other than that but that is a big problem.

My SIL was on depo and it caused some depression problems turns out it is a common side effect. I know I would never get it after seeing her experience.

I took it about 6 years ago one time. I don't remember gaining weight, but my sex drive went to NOTHING! It was horrible. My best firend has been on it for about 8 years and loves it. I guess it depends on your body, but you do not know how you will react until you try it. After reading about the people below that bled for months I'm not sure I would risk it. I will never do it again! What about the Nuva Ring?

It is so funny, or weird I guess you could say, to hear all these different things. It really goes to show that everyone's body is totally different! I have been on the depo shot for a little over a year now and haven't really had any problems so far, the only complaint I have is that last month I bled for about 3 weeks. I normaly don't have a period and if I do it's very light and no cramping which is awesome considering mine used to be terrible so I've really liked it. I've probably only gained 5 lbs all year but I haven't been working out like I should so I can only blame myself for that haha! Basically I'm saying that there is really no way to tell how your body will react but since there seems to be more women with problems then not, you might want to look into something else first or just talk to your Dr. and see what they would reccomend. Good Luck!

I did depo once and HATED it. I completely lost my sex drive - totally. Didn't really gain weight, but I'm kind of an exercise nut.

My experience was horrible. I had constant menstrual flow for the entire time the shot was supposed to be effective. I had to take iron supplements, it affected our marriage bed, and I had PMS symptoms. I was miserable. Now my doctor said it sometimes happens but is rare, but being pregnant wasn't half as bad as being on that stuff. Remember it is a chemical too, I've had problems getting pregnant again (I had it after my first child) and sometimes I wonder if it chemically changed things, as the first two times I was off the pill I got pregnant the first two months, it has been two years of trying and no success. Not saying that is the cause, but nothing else has changed. So it makes me wonder.

I did not gain weight with the shot, but I bled the entire 3 months. I guess it had the opposite effect on me. I swore to never do it again. It was the worst experience of my life. I went back to the pill and left all other options alone.

I would try something else, the depo shot is causing osteoporosis!

I have a co-worker who is only 27 years old and she just recently found out she has an extremely severe case of it, in most cases it's reversible so she's hoping for the best. Also these osteoporosis studies have JUST came out so not alot of women know about it yet.

G.,
I work at a home for mentally challenged adults and one of our residents has been on the depo shot for years. We haven't really noticed a change in her weight and it has worked great for her. I know some people say it just does not work for them. The only other thing to consider is bone loss. Because she has been on it for so long she had to have a bone density test done and it showed some loss so the dr. put her on Boniva to help. Just a thought. I hope you find something that works well for you!

E.

I would advise against it. I had one after my son was born and had my period for 3 months. The dr said it happens to 10% of the women who take it and talked me into getting a second shot. Bled for ANOTHER 3 months! He said that only 10% of the 10% had that happen. I didn't try it a third time, lol! It was also more difficult to get pregnant again with our second child.

Different methods work for different people. After doing the research and examining shots, IUDS, etc, I decided that the good ol'pill is the method for me. We use back up condom during the time when I would be ovulating if the pill by chance did not work. I am wary of shots and things that seem too good to be true. Listen to your gut and you will make the right decision.

I took the depo shot about 7 yrs ago and did not have a good experience with it. I don't remember if I gained weight or not, but I had horrible mood swings and a decrease in sexual desire. I hope this helps!

I gained about 30lbs. didn't understand why, nothing had changed in my lifestyle. Finally, they took me off and i started a regular pill and things calmed down.

There is a small percentage of women, like me unfortuneatly, who have a constant period after the depot shot. I had one in March and I'm still having to wear a pad. What a pain. Some women have no side effects at all. there's no way to predict. Good luck!