Depo Shot or the Pill?

Don't want to scare you but I ended up having my period for 6 months straight, everyday with the depo shot. It does happen to some people and I just happened to be one of them. I was miserable and ended up going on the pill. Just something that you should think about.

My sister gained 10 lbs per SHOT on Depo...went from like 115 lbs to 150 in a year. She had trouble taking it off and her metabolism has been messed up ever since. I would NOT suggest Depo to anyone. There are other options like Nuvaring, the Patch and the implants too. She is back on the pill and much happier there. Good luck!

DONT DO THE DEPO SHOT!!!! Years ago I also had problems with my period and decided on the depo shot. I was on it for about a year and bled the entire time, and i am not talking spotting either. My doctor just kept telling me to hang in there and it would stop all together. Well after a year i was like NO WAY! Maybe it would be different for you but i don't think i would want to try.

I am with all the other people on here saying "DON'T TAKE THE DEPO SHOT". I gained 50 lbs in 3 months and my doctor agreed with me that it was caused by the shot. If it doesn't work for you then it takes forever to get it out of your system. I still have issues that I strongly believe was caused from the shot (10 years later). If you don't like how the pill affects you then it's easier to switch.

I wouldn't do the depo shot. I was on it once (3 months)...it literally made me a hormonal moody mess. It was terrible. My girlfriend was on it for almost 10 years and now has osteopenia, her dr told her it was a result of being on the shot for so long. Personally, I am shocked that it is still on the market!

It also takes a while for your body to get back to normal after getting off of the shot. The longer you are on it, the longer it takes for you to regulate.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I've been on depo for several years now and just love it. I have gained some weight, but it's difficult to say if it's from the drug or lack of exercise, as my habits weren't stellar before going on it. I haven't had a period in years and feel absolutely normal. I knew that the pill wasn't a good long-term option for me - I constantly would forget to take them - and the idea of inserting a foreign object, like an IUD, into my body that works by irritating the uterus so that it doesn't form a lining, just gives me the heebie jeebies. Depo was the perfect solution for me. My doc has me get a bone density scan on a regular basis, and so far everything's perfectly normal. Ultimately, though, it's your decision. You need to go with what's comfortable for you, physically and emotionally.

I was on the shot for 6 years and had NO PROBLEMS!!!! i loved it. I didn't gain any weight. I actually lost 80 lb with a lot of hard work and exercise. I went off of it because they started suggesting you only stay on for 2 years due to bone loss concerns. all hormone methods work differently for everyone. For everyone that had a wonderful experience, someone else hated it. It took my period about 2 months to come back after I went off of it. you won't have a period at all on Depo. and you don't have to worry about taking something EVERY DAY! I currently have an implant in my arm called Implanon. It's good for 3 years and I don't have a period with this either, which is normal. I would highly recommend it if you aren't planning on having kids for a while. Good luck.

I agree with the post by Jeanie. Everyone's body is different, but anytime you artificially mess with hormones (depo, birth control pills, etc.) you are risking causing serious hormonal confusion, which impacts the way other parts function. It may not always happen right away, it may happen once you decide to get off it.

I also believe doctors are too quick to prescribe meds without knowing what is the true cause. Often meds are prescribed because it will help band aid whatever problem is occuring, but it still doesn't address the root cause. Is there anything in the last 12 months that has changed that could be causing the difference in your cycle?

I took birth control for 12 years before I realized it was destroying my hormones and it was causing some of my health problems. I would encourage you to try and get to the root cause of the change and then address that. I wish you the best!

ok I was on the pill for at least 2 years, and it messed with me (I was cranky and hormonal) yes I gained a little waight but when I stopped the pill I was able to loose the waight, Then I was on the Depo for 4 years BIG MISTAKE. I had no emotional issues like the pill, I only gained 40lbs over the 4 years (Very Lucky) but it messed with my body worse then the pill I have been off the shot now for 11 years and I still cannot loose the depo weight. I also had to take meds to stimulate my overies when I wanted to get prego with my 1st child. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THE "SHOT" My SIL took it for only 6 months and cannot loose the weight she gained from it and she sees a nutritionist and personal trainer, and cannot loose it. This thing messes you up bad.

Do Not do the DEPO Shot!!!! My g/f was hospitalized with a severity of blood clots from the Depo Shot and she also gained about 15 pounds on it. I also talked to my Dr. about it and he is totally against it. He doesn't even want his practice to advise it to patients. I love Yaz... at my 6 week check up (just had baby) I will be going back on that. It helped with my acne my periods were only like a day. I got my first period now since baby was born and i have very painful periods and the yaz helped a lot. Take the pill.....

Everyone is so different. I could not tolerate hormonal birth control methods. I have one daughter who cannot tolerate hormonal birth control and are so grateful she did not try depot provera. They actually tried her on the pill form not as birth control, but to try to help period regulation. WRONG thing for her - what she needed was comprehensive endocrine testing and figuring out what was the underlying problem. She actually now takes progesterone, which ironically increases fertility, but she was low. (She was also low on other hormones as well including thyroid).

The other adult daughter went on depo to diminish her menses and it worked like a charm. The catch is that it can cause osteoporosis, blood clots, stroke. It is worse if you smoke, but then, I believe that is the case for all these hormonal birth control methods. So, if you choose depot, you may want your bone density, lipid levels, homocysteine, etc levels monitored as well. IMO too many doctors prescribe meds and then don't monitor the multitude of things they should monitor.

btw - either method - as long as it is hormonal - can cause weight gain. Different people react differently of course, This is just statistically.

Don't take the shot. It messed me up from the time I was 14 until I was 21. Doctors told me I was almost sterilized because of it. Pill is much safer to use. The shot also wreaks havoc on your body but stopping your period or making it really light like spotting which is bad. Good luck.

Seasonique could be a great choice for you. It limits the number of periods you have annually helping to alleviate the number of painful and heavy periods you have.
Also, since it is a pill, if you find that the side effects of the hormones are too much, you can just stop taking it.
Best of luck!

Im still doing the pill...
I guess after being on it for 15 years... i fear change. lol

i was going to go in for the mirana- but im not a candiate i guess.

It is known that all forms of birth control can cause you to miscarry. Google it.
Even the package information will tell you.... in the event your egg gets fertilized, the birth control makes it where the egg will not attach to you, therefore causing a spontaneous abortion. I even asked my OB about it and he did not deny it.

So if that is an issue for you, then you might want to look into it. I stopped taking birth control and let nature take its course. I have had my tubes tied with my last baby. It sickens me to think of how many babies I may have lost due to birth control.

I was on the Depo shot in college and it was be biggest mistake of my life. I experience weight gain and excessive nausea. Also, the worst symptom was DEPRESSION. I had never experience depression in the past nor have I since I got off depo, but it was debilitation. I did not want to get out of bed. I was miserable. In the middle of a college course, I literally burst into tears and ran out. It was horrible. Do not do it! There is no way to reverse the effects once you have taken it. Trust me, its a LONG 3 months!

No depo, my daughter did it and it just about drove her crazy. Try Nuva Ring. It goes in the vagina once a month and then you remove it and a period starts then you put in another one. You can even take it out for a couple of hours at a time if needed, my friend used them for years and said she only took hers out once for sex, it was in a hot tub and she just popped it out for the fun then put it back in. She usually didn't and her husband said he never even noticed it.

Have you considered the Mirena IUD? I would avoid Depo at all costs. I don't know anyone who was on it who had a good experience. The Mirena was wonderful for me when I had one. I had some intermittent spotting the first couple of cycles and then after that, I went from a very heavy 5-10 day period to 1-2 days of light spotting a month. The hormone dose is a fraction of what's in the pill. I was very sensitive to the pill - it took a few tries to find the right one because I would gain weight, get a case of the crazies, get headaches, break out etc. but I had none of those issues with the Mirena. My husband got snipped so I don't need b/c but if I did, I would do the Mirena again in a second.