Depo Provera Weight Gain .. Help?

garlic7girl

All I can tell you is we educate our clients forcefully and constantly about eating correctly and exercise before they start even using it. Also, our physicians have mentioned this issue has been mainly with USA not other countries and/or the weight gain is not as much. We try and tell them if they gain more then then 3lbs in the 12 weeks to next one may want to consider another method.

Don't despair there are plenty other methods that work fine.

Nikki_42

I was thinking of switching to Depo for the convenience of once every 3/months. But my doc actually told me, with no prompting from me, that one of the major side effects is a lot of weight gain. So I never did it.

ThickMcRunFast

Birth control is just as personal as running shoes. There is nothing that works for everyone. I've been on Depo for years and have never gained weight or had trouble losing. It has been nothing short of miraculous for me The pill, on the other hand, made me horribly depressed. My doctor was upfront about the fact that increased appetite is a common side effect of Depo, but it never materialized for me. It will be different for everyone. Please, don't stop/start a certain form of BC based on the opinions of strangers on the internet.

nroseberry11

I have been on and off Depo for 8 years now, my advice...STAY AWAY!

First off the weight gain, to combat what some others have said, no matter how much you exercise and how well you stick to a diet plan you will still gain weight. The idea of depo like other bc's is to trick your body into thinking it is pregnant, thus it tends to hold on to calories a bit longer and makes it harder to burn because it is saving them for the baby. I gained 40 lbs and it is taking me forever to lose it. As well, you gain a lot of weight in your midsection and in strange places, its just overall a crap shoot of side effects not worth it.

Second is the chemical changes it has on your body. Many women experience mood changes and depression with it because of the intense hormone dose. I had a bit of mood changes but mainly mine was lack of energy, I didn't want to do anything and couldn't get out of bed. I was overloaded with hormones and my body moved to a slow crawl.

Lastly, I hadn't had a period on depo shot as long as I was on it, and then the past two times I stopped the shot, it took me one time 9 months to regain and previously one year and two months. The problem here is that as your body is coming off the shot you will experience sever pregnancy symptoms such as breast tenderness for a long period of time, cramping, maybe spotting, extremem tiredness, etc. So while these symptoms carry on for months, you still don't get your period and if you are like me, constantly think you are pregnant and spend hundreds on pregnancy tests each month.

My advice is for overall health and wellness......Dont do it!!

nroseberry11

Birth control is just as personal as running shoes. There is nothing that works for everyone. I've been on Depo for years and have never gained weight or had trouble losing. It has been nothing short of miraculous for me The pill, on the other hand, made me horribly depressed. My doctor was upfront about the fact that increased appetite is a common side effect of Depo, but it never materialized for me. It will be different for everyone. Please, don't stop/start a certain form of BC based on the opinions of strangers on the internet.

bearkisses

i can't believe they still prescripe depo...have they changed the formula?

2 doctors refused to prescribe me a refill, i had taken it for over 2 years. i realized that if they are refusing, i should probably just not use it.

binknbaby

Ugh. Yeah, Depo has the absolute highest number of risk factors of any birth control method (barring surgery). If you don't want something to remember (like the pill), you'd be better off with an IUD, although that comes with its own risks--just not as many as depo. The Ring might be a happy medium--fewer risks, leave it for 3 weeks at a time, only "messing with it" twice a month (put it in once, take it out once).

susi_q_xx

this has been really interesting - I've been on depo for a couple of years & gained over 2 stone, although I have now lost almost a stone of it (and my diet is generally pretty bad, far too much junk), so I put it down to my metabolism slowing down as I got older. I did mention it to my doctor, but as I've always had trouble sticking to diets for any long period of time, didn't think too much of it. The problem is, I do love not having periods, so don't particularly want to go back on the pill. I think I'll mention it next time & have a chat about alternative methods!
thanks very much for all the info

bcf7683

I guess I'll present another side of the argument. I'm on Depo right now and previously tried two different birth controls. I did gain weight with all of them but now that I'm on here the weight is coming off. So far the only problems I've seen in loss are when I don't eat well. Depo has actually made my moods BETTER while the other two BCs made me depressed or a raging B. In all I have a love/hate relation with Depo because of the side effects (something that kills your libido is definitely a great birth control :grumble: ) But everyone is different. Have you considered other BCs? There may be something out there better for you. I do believe you when you say depo is causing problems for you. It sucks that other people give you flak. So, I guess I wanted to say there is hope and good luck with your journey!

^^^Pretty much agree with what she said. I've been on it for around 4 years now, initially gained weight (maybe 10lbs at most) but I haven't had any problem with losing while eating right and working out. A friend of mine has also been on it for a while, I never saw any negative side effects with her either- she actually recommended it to me. I didn't realize it had such bad side effects on some people :ohwell:

bearkisses

I guess I'll present another side of the argument. I'm on Depo right now and previously tried two different birth controls. I did gain weight with all of them but now that I'm on here the weight is coming off. So far the only problems I've seen in loss are when I don't eat well. Depo has actually made my moods BETTER while the other two BCs made me depressed or a raging B. In all I have a love/hate relation with Depo because of the side effects (something that kills your libido is definitely a great birth control :grumble: ) But everyone is different. Have you considered other BCs? There may be something out there better for you. I do believe you when you say depo is causing problems for you. It sucks that other people give you flak. So, I guess I wanted to say there is hope and good luck with your journey!

^^^Pretty much agree with what she said. I've been on it for around 4 years now, initially gained weight (maybe 10lbs at most) but I haven't had any problem with losing while eating right and working out. A friend of mine has also been on it for a while, I never saw any negative side effects with her either- she actually recommended it to me. I didn't realize it had such bad side effects on some people :ohwell:

it deteriorates your bone density....

Bakkasan

Did the same to my wife when she was on it. Top it off she is type 1 diabetic with the complication that it's damn near impossible to lose fat without starvation(she is moving to a omni pod this week so that will change).

It was lazy but effective birth control.

Lexieberry

Oh man, Depo shot is the devil. I received only one dose after giving birth to my son because its safe while breastfeeding...I should have gone with the mini pill. I didn't exactly gain a ton of weight, but I couldn't for the life of me lose anything! NOt to mention the horrible side effects of depo I didn't get my 2nd dose after 3 months, needless to say...I am only now getting rid of it from my body some 8 months later. I heard it can take up to a year! Good luck on your WL journey

bcf7683

I guess I'll present another side of the argument. I'm on Depo right now and previously tried two different birth controls. I did gain weight with all of them but now that I'm on here the weight is coming off. So far the only problems I've seen in loss are when I don't eat well. Depo has actually made my moods BETTER while the other two BCs made me depressed or a raging B. In all I have a love/hate relation with Depo because of the side effects (something that kills your libido is definitely a great birth control :grumble: ) But everyone is different. Have you considered other BCs? There may be something out there better for you. I do believe you when you say depo is causing problems for you. It sucks that other people give you flak. So, I guess I wanted to say there is hope and good luck with your journey!

^^^Pretty much agree with what she said. I've been on it for around 4 years now, initially gained weight (maybe 10lbs at most) but I haven't had any problem with losing while eating right and working out. A friend of mine has also been on it for a while, I never saw any negative side effects with her either- she actually recommended it to me. I didn't realize it had such bad side effects on some people :ohwell:

it deteriorates your bone density....

I've been taking a calcium supplement/multi since I've been on it.

I'm not here to say that everyone is lying, I'm just pointing out that not everyone has horrible side effects

ashleew1117

I am as well on this, and i have gained weight from it but it's my own personal fault for not eating right or exercising.
I talked to my doctor and she said weight gain yes, but it's up to you rather you gained the weight or not. it's not impossible to lose weight with it, it slows your metabolism but that doesn't mean you can't up your metabolism while on this shot. I have started losing weight while on this shot and so far i have lost 6 pounds with no problem.

It's up to you to try to lose the weight! (:

Myndi73

I've been on Depo for about 10 years. Yes, there's a little weight gain, but with diet and exercise it comes off. I love Depo. It's done wonders for me. I have endo and the pain is pretty much non-existant and my migraines are gone.

megmay2591

I would advise any woman to avoid Depo Provera. I was on it for almost two years, and I gained 25+ lbs. I know that it didn't just make me gain weight, it increased my appetite and I allowed myself to eat more. I'm on Ortho Tri-cyclen lo now and have been for a few years. I've lost 20lbs without any problems.

Diet pills will not help you, they are all just a scam to get your money. Don't get another Depo shot!!

Car0lynnM

Wow, very interesting. I"ve been on Depo for going on 18 years, and been told by my doctor that I can stay on it. I've recently lost over 20 pounds, so it can be done. I am even on another medication that can cause weight gain, and still have been able to lose. My bone density is fine and I'm getting plenty of calcium so I don't see that becoming a problem.

I would think if the weight is that much of a problem, there may be other issues going on.

dtiapril

I didn't do well on the pill and now have the implanon implant in my arm. I know a lot of people who have had disasters with it but for me it has been perfect for over 4 years with no side effects.

The only issue is that I'm completely irregular now. I bleed one week, then nothing for 3 months, then once a week for a bit and just all over the place, but it's only ever very light so it's manageable and I normally get a warning twang just before it starts.

Previously I was on for 7 days straight and mega heavy so it's a massive improvement.

BrawlerBella

I'm truly sorry you are having these side effects. I'm 41. I've been on Depo Provera since January 1999. I have not experienced weight gain and I still continue to lose pounds. My opinion is you can control it with diet and exercise.

murphy612

I took Depo for about 8 years and did gain quite a bit of weight. I did however lose it while I was still taking it, it was just a LOT harder. I then started to experience a ton of side effects including hair loss, decrease in bone density, SEVERE mood swings, acne, etc. etc. So I got off of it (Although my Dr. said my issues were not caused by the Depo and dropped me as a patient when I questioned him). Getting off of it was hard too, almost like withdrawls or something. It took almost a year for my cycle to come back normally and my hair has never grown back. But as for weight, you can lose while on it, it's just a lot harder and a lot slower.

I'm hormone BC free no (paraguard IUD) and feel 100% better. I'd never take anything like that again.