Depo Provera - Advice Please

Bon90

Hello

I started the Depo Injection mid December and to my surprise I have actually lost weight... However at that point I was going through a break up and had very little appetite. Since my appetite has come back I have managed to maintain my weight.

However I am due my next injection in 2 weeks time and I am debating wether to go get this due to the weight gain that goes along with the injection!! I have previously been on Depo 9 years ago and gained a lot of weight but this time it seems to be having the reverse affect... Well at least so far.

My question is, has anyone had a similar experience with Depo? If you gained weight when did this occur? Is being constantly hungry normal and if i fight this will i keep the weight gain at bay?

Any advice would be extremely appreciated. Thank you xx

lawlorka

I have been on Depo for years - it is not the reason for weight gain. It might (and I mean MIGHT) cause an increase in appetite but that is within your control - just don't eat. It is no different than having to control your eating at TOM when you start craving all sorts.

What I love about it is that I haven't had a TOM in years and if anything this has helped with losing weight because my weight loss is steady throughout the month and I don't get crazy hormonal binging cravings!!!!

Honestly, I think people use birth control as an excuse.

JaneyB311

Hi, I got my first shot of Depo Provera on 20th December, gained some Christmas weight, but so far in 2014 I have lost 15lb. However these last 3 weeks my weight loss has really slowed down (3 pounds in 3 weeks) and I was starting to wonder if if the DP is to blame. However, I do not suffer any hunger from this and am eating very clean and around 1200 most days, working out 4-5 times a week.

I'm due my next shot in 2 weeks and am going to get it but I will keep a watch on how my weight loss goes, as I do not want to to be slogging it out from diet & exercise andf not seeing any results because of this medication.

juleszephyr

I have been on Depo for years - it is not the reason for weight gain. It might (and I mean MIGHT) cause an increase in appetite but that is within your control - just don't eat. It is no different than having to control your eating at TOM when you start craving all sorts.

What I love about it is that I haven't had a TOM in years and if anything this has helped with losing weight because my weight loss is steady throughout the month and I don't get crazy hormonal binging cravings!!!!

Honestly, I think people use birth control as an excuse.

^^^^^ This...

I was on Depo for 8 years before I had my boys a decade ago, I went back on 4 years ago after my marriage broke up (my ex had a vasectomy) and it really has much more to do with other factors and control. The benefits far outweigh any POTENTIAL increase in apetite...

Bon90

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I think I will go ahead and get my next one as I guess it is all about self control and learning to curb your appetite if it does increase! Plus it is a great form of contraception to be on

QS82

I'm also on Depo and have been for about 1.5 years. I used to have the implant and did feel hungry a lot but i'm not sure it was actually the cause, probably just my own greediness! :laugh:

I've not personally had any issues with Depo injections though, no increased appetite or anything and the benefits are pretty amazing compared to having TOM and all the pain/hunger/emotional stuff that went with it. Bliss!

Best of luck to you if you go ahead.

bekahlou75

I was on Depo for about 2 years and the only time I gained weight was after I got pregnant on it. Nothing's 100%.

SezxyStef

I was on Depo for 10 years, gain weight due to inactivity, lost weight due to increased activity.

Went on Mirena gained due to inactivity, lost to increased activity, gained it back when I got lazy again, lost it again counting calories

Back on Depo since October 2013, I have continued to lose weigh if I stay in a calorie deficet. I haven't really noticed an increase in appetite per say except after a lifting day.

so in total I have been on "notorious" BC methods for over 20 years and the only time I was fat was when I would eat too much and not move enough.

Just be aware of the possible increased appetite and ensure you eat filling foods until your body gets adjusted.

grrawritsjordi

Hi, I got my first shot of Depo Provera on 20th December, gained some Christmas weight, but so far in 2014 I have lost 15lb. However these last 3 weeks my weight loss has really slowed down (3 pounds in 3 weeks) and I was starting to wonder if if the DP is to blame. However, I do not suffer any hunger from this and am eating very clean and around 1200 most days, working out 4-5 times a week.

I'm due my next shot in 2 weeks and am going to get it but I will keep a watch on how my weight loss goes, as I do not want to to be slogging it out from diet & exercise andf not seeing any results because of this medication.

From what I understand about weight loss, the more you lose, the harder it is to lose. My dad lost 60lbs in a short amount of time due to divorce, but when he tried to lose the last 20 he wanted to lose, it was so hard and he gave up. He has gained 40 lbs back. If you want to lose more weight, create a bigger deficit.

From what I understand about depo, it increases your hunger because of the hormones. If you haven't been giving in to the hunger and you have been working out and keeping to your deficit, then you wont gain weight. I don't understand people who say they have been working out and eating right and they are still gaining weight and blaming the depo. I'm sorry, but your body just doesn't add on lbs.. (I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings)

I started depo about two weeks ago and read up on it and spoke with other people on it. I knew what I would be in for when I started it and have started working out and changing my diet and creating a calorie deficit through MFP. I am not sure if I have become more hungry since starting depo because I started my diet and exercise right at the same time as the depo. My goal in doing this was to get my body used to the deficit and also used to the better foods and a lot more water.

Edit: What I mean in the first paragraph is that when you get closer to your goal weight, it becomes harder to lose due to increased muscle mass and the last fats to go are the hardest to lose.

grrawritsjordi

Also, to add on to that, I gained most of my weight when I started the pill about 4 years ago. However, during this time I was going through changes in my body as I was getting older and I had decreased my exercise and started eating more.

I blamed the birth control for the longest time because it gave me the body I have now, but I can only blame myself for not taking care of my body.

Blueseraphchaos

honestly, i just stopped getting the shot. it didn't increase my appetite, and i didn't change my eating habits, but my best guess is that it wrecked my metabolism. even without changing my eating habits, with the last 3 shots each i gained 5 lbs in a couple days. i can only assume i gained weight because i didn't cut back on my calories, but i also didn't increase them, so why the weight gain? i got my last shot in December and have since lost 5 lbs (I'm actually hungrier now, but i just ignore it, lol). i think everybody's bodies are different...i never gained weight on the pill, but got the mirena after my second child and gained 70 lbs, and i know that had to be a combination of having had two kids so close together without time to recover in between and a lack of taking care of myself, but when i had the mirena removed and was on the pill, i lost 30 lbs, then on depo gained it back (I'm sure a mix of factors contributed), but the last 3 shots i was diligent about working out and eating properly and still gained weight. i quit the depo, I'm hungry more now but i ignore it and I'm losing weight doing the same things i was doing when i was getting the shot.

i have no real explanation, just an experience. i worked hard and got nowhere until i got off the shot. that's all. hopefully you don't have the same experience as i did.

paperpudding

Any hormonal B/C method MAY increase appetite and thus lead to weight gain - they all work by 'tricking' your body into thinking it is pregnant and therefore you dont ovulate and cant conceive, but I guess you get the increased appetite of early pregnancy as well.

If you stop Depo, which b/c method will you use instead?
if this is also a hormonal method, same possibility is there - so no point swapping from Depo injections to Implanon or the Pill, for example.

Heathr_WhoLuvzDave

I only had one dose & never went for a second one. The night sweats were horrible & woke me every night. I was losing weight, with no problems, while on it.

lemonsnowdrop

I gained about 9 pounds after my first shot, but lost it within two weeks after changing my diet and exercising. I assume it was water weight, but if you do gain, it should be easy to get off.

Toxyc

I went on the depo provera about a year and a half ago. While on it, while still working a fairly active job at a daycare, I gained 10lbs. I did not change my diet during this time. [TMI] I did stop getting them after the first as I ended up spending 6 months bleeding, as well as severe pains. [/TMI] I lost around half of what I had gained during the following year.

toiletski

I was getting the shot for almost 3 years and gain 50 lbs. I also stopped working out and ate everything. I'm working on getting it back off now. When I do get my period, it's really heavy and painful so I was considering going back on the shot because it stopped my period completely. I talked to the OBGYN about this and she said it's GUARANTEED to make you gain at least 10 lbs a year. That's scary to me, but I think I'm gonna take the plunge anyway. I may just have to work harder to lose the weight. But I can't know for sure if the shot made me gain before or my laziness did. I'm going to go with the latter.

susie3g

I gained a lot of weight while on Depo. I counted calories religiously and exercised 5 days a week and didn't lose a single pound. I did it for a month and gave up. Now, a year later and on the copper implant (Paragard), I've lost 17 pounds in this first month, doing the same exact thing I was doing before, except I only exercise about 3 days a week now. People say that birth control has nothing to do with it. However, my experience tells me different and even my doctor told me that the depo shot was notoriously known for causing women to gain weight.

cafeaulait7

I hated, hated, hated Depo and yes I gained weight. I was really hungry, but who wants to be that hungry when there are other options to try?

Now I'm on progesterone (bio-identical) to stop my periods. I just have to be on progesterone for hormone balance, so I'm not talking BC here. Anyway, I take Prometrium for my progesterone.

I really liked the Nuvaring for BC, and I cheated and left them in during my period week so I wouldn't have mine. The estrogen in that is something I never take anymore (I'm too high already), but there are lots of combined-hormone methods that can be used in ways to limit the number of periods you have.

lemonsnowdrop

I was getting the shot for almost 3 years and gain 50 lbs. I also stopped working out and ate everything. I'm working on getting it back off now. When I do get my period, it's really heavy and painful so I was considering going back on the shot because it stopped my period completely. I talked to the OBGYN about this and she said it's GUARANTEED to make you gain at least 10 lbs a year. That's scary to me, but I think I'm gonna take the plunge anyway. I may just have to work harder to lose the weight. But I can't know for sure if the shot made me gain before or my laziness did. I'm going to go with the latter.

That's bull. Some people don't gain at all. There's no GUARANTEED anything.

lauriebeakley1

It can react to different people different ways, just like ANY Rx. See how YOU react to it & go from there. That is the only thing you can do. How we react to it is no "guarantee" to how your body will react to it. I've been on it for 20 years & have had no problems at all. No weight gain from it, no night sweats or anything. I have no horror stories at all to tell you. Sorry to disappoint all of the others that are trying to scare you. This is my own personal experience & I believe you need to have your own personal experience.