I stopped taking the depo shot and started the pill about a month ago. I am currently having my first period since December. I have never been one to have cramps until now. The cramps are horrible, nothing seems to relieve the pain. Yesterday it feel like I should have been giving birth.
Has anyone else had this problem after ending the depo shot? Any advise would be greatly appricated.
Thanks
Tina
I've never used the Depo shot, but for me personally even when my period is late (2 weeks this months I was having a heart attack) I experience HORRIBLE cramps like exactly what you described... giving birth. I think you're body is just trying to make up for lost periods perhaps.
The cramps I had with my first 3 periods after getting my IUD were about 1/4-1/2 as bad as contractions. Heat on my back, tylenol+ibuprofen+a mild muscle relaxer (midol or pamprin, can't remember which...but I remember having to read the back so that I didn't double up on either the tylenol or ibuprofen -again, can't remember which had what in it 7 years later-) helped tremendously.
When my appendix was about to rupture though, it was EXACTLY as painful as giving birth. If you still have your appendix, try pushing in on your lower right side of your belly (far in, and essentially parallel to your belly button but over to the right) and then taking your hands away really FAST. If you nearly black out and see stars (it's called rebound pain)...have someone drive you to the ER.
Otherwise it's tylenol+ibuprofen+moist heat. You could also put a call into your doc for a mild relaxer, or pick on up OTC. Raspberry leaf tea (great for labor because it helps concentrate the contractions) works for some people, but makes it worse for others.
Good luck! Gawd, I HATE cramps.
Messing with the hormones with something like Depo is not a good thing. I have been paying the price for the past several years trying to get the hormones working. They affect your whole quality of life and when you get older, it is harder to fix.
I would go see a doctor that will take in-depth hormone testing to see what your levels are and then prescribe (this is the important part) bio-identical hormones to help regulate you. With what I know now, I would get off the pill immediately and find a safer form of birth control. Your testing should consist of blood, urine, and saliva and it should check for the 'free' and 'unbound' estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone.
My doctor, Dr. Mary Berry, in Anaheim Hills, is fantastic and deals specifically with women and the systems that run the body: thyroid, hormone, adrenal.
I was not personally on the depo shot, but my sister was. She said she had really heavy, cramped periods for about 4 months in a row. Since your body has stopped having a period it is now time to play catch up at getting rid of the waste it has incurred. It will pass, but it could take a couple of months. You can also go on WEB MD and read more about it.
I had horrible cramps when my daughter was stopping breastfeeding. I found that Pineapple worked very very well. The first time I ate a whole can at once, and that helped immensely! The next time, I spaced the can out over a couple of day, and that helped a lot too. Something in it helps to regulate blood flow. I ate it about four months, now the cramps are back to 'normal' there, but not killer...
Good luck!
R.
I also went on the pill after having the depo shot. Prior to being on birth control, I never had any cramps that were noteworthy. But since being on the pill, I do have rather uncomfortable cramps. I wouldn't say they are close to birth pains, but they do make me a little miserable. I take some Advil and that really helps. Anti-inflammatories should help more with the pain than other pain relievers. You may want to talk to your doctor about it if you can't find something to help over the counter. Hope you find some relief!
Most of the problems we have are allergy related. Look into NAET.com for allergy eliminations. You may also want the NAET allergist to test your hormones - estrogen & testosterone.
Be well.
N.
Aloha Tina,
Sounds like the depo shots has deprived your body of certain nutrients. Something that has helped many women (including me) with menstrual cramping is calcium and b-complex. The best time to take the b-complex is at the start or middle of the day. Calcium is best absorbed at night so take it at bedtime. There are many brands available out there, and if you want a brand that provides guaranteed bioavalability and absorption go to http://www.MomIsTheBest.com . That's my Shaklee website. Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm here to help.
To your Health, Success and Happiness
Marie-anne
