Can't lose anything thanks to Depo Provera!!!

laurawilfong

Thank you so much! This is soooo true! So many people are insinuating I'm overeating or something but I'm not! I eat 1100 calories (fish, chicken, rice) and am exercising 1-3 hours a day. Obviously I'm doing everything right and the only change is the Depo. I'm not getting a period, either!

*sigh* No. Actually, a lot of us are saying you're not eating enough.

Also, if you're off the Depo, and still not getting a period, get to the doc.

Doc said to keep waiting. There isn't anything he can do, short of giving me more hormones. And don't be rude.

missjojo31

When I was on that, my doctors actually told me it in and of itself won't make you gain weight, at least not any more than any other birth control. It actually just increases your appetite which leads to over-eating and that's what causes the gain.

Your doctors are either liars or idiots.

What a delightful comment in the Motivation and Support forum. Jeez.

I did just want motivation and support and some people are debating! So sorry!!

back on topic, depo makes some women retain water, have you tried water pills, like aquaban?
they have worked for me as i get monthly water bloating as normal,
hope you find something that works for you xx

Nissi51

I feel your pain.. was there.

afanco

My fiancee and I have been learning Natural Family Planning. It's a great alternative if you do not want to put any chemicals in your body that mess with your hormones. It takes a little more effort and some self control, but it's worth it!

http://www.ccli.org/

laurawilfong

When I was on that, my doctors actually told me it in and of itself won't make you gain weight, at least not any more than any other birth control. It actually just increases your appetite which leads to over-eating and that's what causes the gain.

Your doctors are either liars or idiots.

What a delightful comment in the Motivation and Support forum. Jeez.

I did just want motivation and support and some people are debating! So sorry!!

Don't be sorry, it's the entertainment factor

OH girl! LOL

jonnythan

And YOU said the shot itself causes weight gain regardless of calorie balance or appetite.

I said that it CAN, not that it always does.

Until you are a woman and taking hormonal BC, you really need to stop. I usually agree with what you say on the boards, but in this case you just don't get it. Not your fault, but you don't.

Women don't have a monopoly on scientific fact about female physiology.

You made the claim that it's the shot itself, and not calorie balance or increased appetite, that causes weight gain.

You have supported this claim with..... absolutely nothing whatsoever. I contend that it is a ridiculous, unsupported claim.

Please, support this claim if you can. I'm just some crazy male who thinks that people should have some basis for calling a bunch of actual physicians liars and idiots. But I'm a male, so I don't count!

Seriously. Support your claim. If you can.

laurawilfong

I feel your pain.. was there.

Thank you for your encouragement! Glad I'm not alone!

gigglybeth

Hormonal birth control effects everyone differently. I stopped the pill and lost 7 pounds in 2 days that never came back. Obviously that wasn't fat, but water retention.

HBC tricks your body into thinking your pregnant so of course you're going to have changes to your system at that time, but it's hard to know what they will be until you try the different pills/shots/rings/patches/whatever.

laurawilfong

When I was on that, my doctors actually told me it in and of itself won't make you gain weight, at least not any more than any other birth control. It actually just increases your appetite which leads to over-eating and that's what causes the gain.

Your doctors are either liars or idiots.

What a delightful comment in the Motivation and Support forum. Jeez.

I did just want motivation and support and some people are debating! So sorry!!

back on topic, depo makes some women retain water, have you tried water pills, like aquaban?
they have worked for me as i get monthly water bloating as normal,
hope you find something that works for you xx

Thanks Miss Jo JO! Love the kitten!

TeachTheGirl

Seriously. Support your claim. If you can.

'It could be that the extra progesterone lowers the body's metabolism, which promotes the storage of fat, or it could be that it increases appetite. We don't have the answer at this point.'

(Source: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-women/2009/03/04/is-your-depo-provera-causing-weight-gain)

So how about no one is right and no one is wrong because even medical science doesn't truly understand.

jonnythan

Seriously. Support your claim. If you can.

'It could be that the extra progesterone lowers the body's metabolism, which promotes the storage of fat, or it could be that it increases appetite. We don't have the answer at this point.'

(Source: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-women/2009/03/04/is-your-depo-provera-causing-weight-gain)

So how about no one is right and no one is wrong because even medical science doesn't truly understand.

That would be nice, except our friend here is making a positive claim that it's NOT about appetite or metabolism, but it's the shot itself.

I'd be happy as a clam if she came back and said "OK, maybe we really don't know and it's due to appetite increases or metabolism suppression instead of just the shot by itself."

PRMinx

And YOU said the shot itself causes weight gain regardless of calorie balance or appetite.

I said that it CAN, not that it always does.

Until you are a woman and taking hormonal BC, you really need to stop. I usually agree with what you say on the boards, but in this case you just don't get it. Not your fault, but you don't.

I'm going to agree here. I'm not usually one to pick fights on the board but, really, you need to let this one go. Until you take birth control and personally feel the way it changes your systems and your body, you have no place here. It's actually insulting that you think you know better than women who have experienced this first hand.

Whether the weight gain is caused by a metabolic slow down, wonked out digestive problems, constipation, hunger, water retention etc. is irrelevant. These are all side affects that make losing weight more challenging and all that really matters is the conversation on how to work through these challenges.

Sheesh.

TeachTheGirl

But she could still be right.

If you Google 'depo shot weight gain' you'll find HUNDREDS of posts from women all across the world who are struggling with the same thing. If you KNOW you are eating within your calories, and using MyFitnessPal will help with this, then is HAS to be something else. And if it's not based on 'overeating' or 'increased appetite', what else is there other than something to do with the shot itself?

dare2love81

Thank you so much! This is soooo true! So many people are insinuating I'm overeating or something but I'm not! I eat 1100 calories (fish, chicken, rice) and am exercising 1-3 hours a day. Obviously I'm doing everything right and the only change is the Depo. I'm not getting a period, either!

*sigh* No. Actually, a lot of us are saying you're not eating enough.

Also, if you're off the Depo, and still not getting a period, get to the doc.

Doc said to keep waiting. There isn't anything he can do, short of giving me more hormones. And don't be rude.

How exactly was that rude?

And if you want motivation and support, be open to all the suggestions you've been getting in this post. I haven't seen anything in here that's been rude, just some people taking things a little too personally.

If you want help in why you're not losing any weight, open your diary. I'm not trying to be rude, but you're likely not eating enough. Adult women should never eat less than 1,200 calories a day, and that's bare minumum for women who don't exercise, which you say you're doing 1-3 hours of each day. I would bet your metabolism has very likely slowed down. Again, not trying to be rude here, but don't just chalk it up to "it has to be the Depo". There are so many other factors at play here.

jonnythan

But she could still be right.

If you Google 'depo shot weight gain' you'll find HUNDREDS of posts from women all across the world who are struggling with the same thing. If you KNOW you are eating within your calories, and using MyFitnessPal will help with this, then is HAS to be something else. And if it's not based on 'overeating' or 'increased appetite', what else is there other than something to do with the shot itself?

And she could be totally wrong.

We don't know.

And yet here she is, claiming that doctors are liars and idiots and that she has the right answer.

That's pure intellectual dishonesty. We don't know what the mechanism is.

Leslie1124

I've heard that about depo I hate BC sooo much. I'm on it myself only b/c 3 is our max kids and I'm not getting pregnant again lol..I can't wait to be birth control free some day.

Vasectomy. That's what we did the week after we married, no more problems.

ours is scheduled next week.

PRMinx

First of all, WebMD lists the side effects "weight gain" and "increased appetite" separately, which implies that the drug maker sees reasons outside of "increased appetite" that lead to weight gain.

Also, there's this from Drugs.com:

Metabolic
Weight gain is more frequently encountered than weight loss during medroxyprogesterone (the active ingredient contained in Depo-Provera) therapy. In women using intramuscular medroxyprogesterone for contraception, the mean weight gain after one year of therapy is 2.5 kg. After two, four, and six years, patients gain a mean of 3.7, 6.3, and 7.5 kg, respectively.

Data regarding the effect of medroxyprogesterone on lipid profiles have been conflicting. Some studies report possible negative effects on lipid profiles while others have documented a reduction in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

Metabolic side effects have included weight changes (increases and decreases), glucose intolerance, and changes in serum cholesterol concentrations.

Read more at http://www.drugs.com/sfx/depo-provera-side-effects.html#4Tlw5z8O5YAje4dC.99

Next time do your own research.

laurawilfong

I took Depo-Provera when it first came out, you actually sound better than me. I gained almost 40 pounds and tried to lose the weight. I was pretty much starving myself and exercising like crazy and kept gaining. I believe it helps you gain weight because pretty much as soon as the medicine was out of me, I lost like 30 pounds in a month without much effort. It was crazy. I was mad because I had no other problems with it except for the weight and at the time I was in the military and I had to stay within certain standards.

Thank you for the encouragement! I sure do hope when it's out of my system, all this hard work will finally pay off! Thanks, Doll!

laurawilfong

First of all, WebMD lists the side effects "weight gain" and "increased appetite" separately, which implies that the drug maker sees reasons outside of "increased appetite" that lead to weight gain.

Also, there's this from Drugs.com:

Metabolic
Weight gain is more frequently encountered than weight loss during medroxyprogesterone (the active ingredient contained in Depo-Provera) therapy. In women using intramuscular medroxyprogesterone for contraception, the mean weight gain after one year of therapy is 2.5 kg. After two, four, and six years, patients gain a mean of 3.7, 6.3, and 7.5 kg, respectively.

Data regarding the effect of medroxyprogesterone on lipid profiles have been conflicting. Some studies report possible negative effects on lipid profiles while others have documented a reduction in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

Metabolic side effects have included weight changes (increases and decreases), glucose intolerance, and changes in serum cholesterol concentrations.

Read more at http://www.drugs.com/sfx/depo-provera-side-effects.html#4Tlw5z8O5YAje4dC.99

Next time do your own research.

Thanks Paige for some cold, hard facts!! Bless you!

dare2love81

double post