Has Anyone Taken the Depo Shot and Gained Weight???

I have been on the depo shot for about 2 years now. I did gain some in the beginning but it seemed once my body adjusted I lost it. However, upon trying a new doctor out, he said he was amazed at my size because I was the very first women he knew who could take the shot and not gain weight enough to go off of it. So it must mean that you most likely can and will gain weight with it. I am sorry for the bad news but maybe you can find something else that works better without the gain. Good luck!

I've never been on depo. However after the birth of my first baby I put on 10lbs while breastfeeding because I was starving! With my newest baby I never lost any of my pregnancy weight. I think because I had such bad morning sickness the whole time I'm thrilled to be able to eat again, lol. I REALLY don't need to be eating for two though!

i got the depo shot after the birth of my first child..i had dropped all but ten pounds of my pregnancy weight before getting the shot. i got the shot one time. why? because i gained forty freaking pounds in two months, while breastfeeding,watching what i ate and playing volleyball. if you do a search online you'll find quite a few sites and boards dedicated to the horrors that are depo.

I hated the depo shot! I gained weight AND I had my period every single day for like 2-3 months! I will never do the shor again!

I'll be honest I hate Depo for alot of reasons, but I didn't realize that it helped with my weight gain too. I tried it six years ago when my first was born, and I went without a period for like 2 to 3 months and then I had one for like 3 months straight, and then for six months everytime I was intimate with my partner, the period started up again. I think it should be taken off the market. I did also gain back my pregnancy weight with it now that I think back on it, but I also didn't eat well. You say that you don't eat very much, but when you do eat is it healthly? Because that can be part of the problem too. If you aren't eating often enough, then when you do, your body will hold onto everything you eat because it is starving for nutrition. I know I was really bad about running through a drive thru anytime I needed something, quick and on the go. If the small amounts you are eating are bad for you, try adjusting your diet a little and see if that helps. I really don't have any BC to reccomend because the only other thing I have tried was the pill ortho-lo and I got pregnant on it, so my husband is taking the plunge and getting snipped. Whatever you do, get off of depo and find somehting that will work for you.

hello my name is jackie and yes i did take the depo shot after i had my first child 7 years ago. i also gained weight from it and it was hard to lose it but everyones body is differnt if i was you you i would find something else cause the longer you stay on it the more weight you will gain.

I haven't had the depo shot. But I was on Yasmin before I had my children and it was a great birth control pill. But now that I have 2 kids, I don't need another thing to remember to do each day so I went with the mirena IUD. I had it inserted 1 month ago and have had spotting most every day. Both the doc and nurse told me that would happen. I'm still breastfeeding and had no bleeding before the IUD was put in. I have to say that my husband and I love the freedom the IUD gives us and if the bleeding subsides like I've been told and have read, Mirena IUD will be a great choice for b/c.

I was on the shot about 5 1/2 years ago. I only took 3 shots (9 months worth) and over that period of time I gained 30 lbs. I also had severe headaches. At the time I never even made the correlation between my weight gain and the Depo shot. I would consult your doctor about your weight gain because it can be a sign that the shot isn't for you. Good luck trying to get your weight off again!!

After I had my first little girl ( 3 years ago) I asked the Doc(who is a midwife) if i could get the shot. Now i am overweight as it is so she looked at me and said NO BECAUSE YOU CAN GAIN UP TO 60 LBS the first 6 months of taking the shot and i did not need that. So I never took it.

Well after the birth of my little boy (3 months ago) the doc asked me what i wanted to take and i said maybe the shot and she said NO you will gain to much weight. after my 2nd pregnancy i lost 40 lbs in 1 month. (woohoo) i have kept it off so far, so i don't want the shot. Well she told me to get an IUD so i think that is what ia m going to go with. I go for my appt. next month sept 20th. (i use the indian hospital in tahlequah so i have to go when they can fit me in). I read alittle on it and you gain no weight like with pills and shots, you have virtually no Periods after the first year you have no peroids if you do they are 1-3 days and really light. BUT I LIKE THE NO WEIGHT GAIN PART. so i am going to try it.

I took the depo shot twice in one year. I gained almost 20 lbs and didn't have a period for a year and a half. It really screwed my body up. I'm now on mirena IUD. Abosolutely fantastic. I't a bit expensive but some insurances will cover the cost. You have a choice of a 5 year or 12year IUD. I chose the 5 and never have been happier with my birth control. You don't have a period but you don't gain any weight, and no hormone fluctuations. It is 99.9% effective. Within the next 5 years when I have it removed, I can concieve a baby practically immediately. You can't do that with hormonal contraceptives. Good luck.

I see you have posted your resolution, but I'm going to post this anyway to try to "educate" whoever is willing to read this.

First, it's worth noting that I do realize a lot of women take hormonal contraception and do not have any problems. However, for some of us, it's not that easy.

Not trying to freak anyone out, but anytime you are taking any hormonal medications (shots, pills, etc.) you must be EXTREMELY careful. I am sure many of you might already be aware of this, but I was not until it was too late. I realize the majority of women take the pill and have no problems, but all women should still be educated, "just in case."
I was on the birth control pill (BCP) when I was 21. I got dehydrated and had a STROKE (blood clot in my head and had a Dr later tell me I had age on my side, because most people that have this don't make it). I HAD NO RISK FACTORS!! I didn't smoke, was only 21, was at a normal weight, etc., etc. Then, I developed more neurological problems as a result of the stroke so this is now a life long thing.
My message? Be very careful when taking anything hormonal. Even before that happened, I was so seriously moody, depressed and had major weight issues and my libido was nonexistent. I was too screwed up/irrational from the pills that I didn't even realize I was behaving this way until several months after I had the stroke and had been off of the pills. And then it dawned on me, the pills had been making me nuts & a completely different (not to mention undesirable) person.
If you are going to take pills/shots, I suggest enlisting someone you trust - husband, mother, sister, best friend, whoever, that will let you know if you are not yourself and they will push you to see your doctor, get a dosage change, etc.
Also, again - not trying to freak anyone out, do a search on the internet for "birth control pills" and "suicide" or "depression." Let me explain - I had a friend (after I had come to my own conclusion that the pills were making me wacky) say that she had a gf that attempted suicide because the pills were making her crazy literally. After hearing this, I researched it on the internet using those keywords and I was amazed at the message boards. So DO YOUR RESEARCH! Know what other people are saying, how the medications makes them feel, etc., so if there are any drawbacks, you know what to look for. I guess I put to much trust into the fact that I thought my Dr knew what was best for me and he did not. After I did all of this research, I once told my gyno, who had prescribed me the pills, that I thought the pills had made me freaking nuts (aside from the fact they almost killed me). He just stared at me blankly and it floors me because he's been a gyno for so long that he delivered ME 32 years ago. Guess who found a new gynocologist?

Here is a link to one of the message boards with over 103 pages of posts - read through those and hear what others are saying about contracption:
http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/forums/ubbthreads.ph...

You are going to be thinking, what nerd actually reads the warnings/indications inserts for their medications? Well this nerd now does - to answer your question. I have included a link to Orthocept’s (brand of pills I was taking) warnings/indications:
http://christiancontraception.com/docs/ortho-cept.pdf

Page 2 has a list of reported side effects: migraines, changes in libido, etc. and item #6 – Emotional disorders. Here it appears they claim a patient needs to already have a history of depression, which I don’t believe I had such a history prior to taking the pills. However, I think it’s worth noting that they at least admit it can cause “depression to a serious degree.”

Be vigilant and active in your health care so you'll be around a long time for your kids.

P.S. Now anytime any of my Dr's prescribes me a new prescription, I google the heck out of it to see what other people are saying, etc. BEFORE I take any pills. I am very anti-any type of pills really, but unfortunately I have to take some or I will kick the ole' bucket!

Good luck!

yes and i gained 30 lbs and my depression skyrocketed. the docs dont always tell you the bad things about they different typ4es of b.c.

That is exactly what happened to me! I went from 96lbs to 130lbs in no time flat! I stopped taking it and lost most (20 lbs) but not all of the weight. I say STAY AWAY from depo!

I didn't have the depo shots but I did have the birth control in my arm under the skin and it caused me to gain alot of weight. I have had weight problems ever since. I had it taken out 4 yrs later. I pray it will get better.
Have you tried changing your eating habits and changed how often you eat. If you do that it might help. It has helped me.

Yes, I did. I gained about 10 pounds and could never get it off no matter what I did. I was on the shot for 9 yrs (which was way too long) I did lose the weight as soon as I got off of it, but had a hard time getting pregnant and now have poor bone density. The only thing good about the shot to me was not having a period. I would maybe look into another form of birth control.

Everyone I know, including me, has gained weight with that stupid little shot! My hair fell out, not all of it, but handfulls at a time, especially after showers. I would look for other birth control methods, cause you'll just keep gaining. And it's harder to get off. I had Mirena (a safe IUD) inserted. It's worked great. I have a little discomfort during my period (which is minimal) but I haven't gained any more, and my hair stopped falling out. If your not comfortable with the idea of an IUD, then just research any birth control method you choose. There's been alot of birth control out there that have been dangerous to health and some recalled. I know the birth control patch was recalled, but don't remember why. I hope you find one that's right for you. :)

M.,

I was on Depo for around 5 years, and averaged 5-7 pounds gain each year. My weight stabilized after I got off it, of course then I became pregnant. But after I had my son, a lot of the weight went away again.

I don't know if you are able to or want to take the pill,but after trying many different kinds, I have finally found one that works for me. It is called Yasmin. I kid you not,I virtually have no side effects at all. My big issue with BCPs was the big hormone changes caused migraine headaches--so I've been through just about all of them. I believe Yasmin works better than any of them. Of course,you would need to discuss it with your doctor to see if it is an option for you.

I am not a doctor and don't know the exact side effects but I was on the depo for almost 2 years after I had my son. I also gained weight in the beginning but it did even out eventually. Be careful because I had awfull side effects from the depo shot. It started with weight gain than went to hair loss.soon after the mood swings kicked in. I also started break through bleeding every 2 months. The month before my shot was due I would bleed the entire month. The worst was when I started lactating. The doctor said it was from all the hormones. I had to get off of it even though I loved the convience of it.

My sister in law on my side of the family had the shot and i kid you not she still looks like she is still 8 months pregnant and my nephew is 7. my other sister in law on my husbands side took the shot and has continutes to take the shot and everytime she takes the shot she gains weight and it is bad, i will never take the shot b/c of this.

I did. I gained about 25 pounds or so in the year I was on the shots. It also took me 9 months to start getting my period from the time the shots wore off (or 1 yr from my last shot) and then another 6 months after that before I could get pg again. I liked the convenience of the shots, but hated everything else about them, but I was breast feeding and it was the safest form of birth control I could take at the time. Mel

I wanted to let you know that after having my baby last summer, I elected to get an IUD. I absolutely love it. It's good for 5 years. My periods are hardly anything at all with no cramping or bloating. My only other experience with birth control has been the pill, and I definitely prefer the IUD over the pill. Hope this helps!

I have never taken the shot. I wanted to after the birth of my second child, but when I asked my dr. about it she said that after she tells people that they will gain weight they decide to go another route. I definitely don't want to gain anymore weight so I went back on the pill, but after reading some of the posts below I may try an IUD. So thanks for the post, otherwise I would have never known about it. I can't believe your dr. didn't tell you the side-effects though. I wouldn't take the shots anymore. Good luck!!

Depo Provera will cause increased appetite, which will lead to weight gain. But if you are not eating very much then it shouldn't be causing weight gain.