Gaining weight rapidly! No diet changes!!

KateCon912

My Dr. just switched my birth control from the shot (which made me lose 5 lbs) to the pill. It's a generic pill (Tri-Sprintec) and it's making me gain weight like crazy! I eat about 1200 calories normally, and this pill has made me STARVING at all times, so I might have gone up to 1300 most days on average. HOWEVER, I have been gaining about .5-1 lb every morning when I weigh myself. Obviously I'm not EATING that much to gain weight, but now I've gain almost 10 lbs back and I've been on the pill for 2 months. I keep getting more and more depressed when I weigh myself and see that every morning I go up another pound or so.

I'm going to ask my Dr if I can just stop taking the pill and go without for a few months so my body can get back to normal (I'm also having other hormone-related problems too). Do you think this will fix the weight gain? Will I start losing again when I stop the pill?

IveLanded

Yes, going off the pill will probably halt your weight gain but you probably won't lose weight. More often than not, when women gain weight on one form of birth control, you have to work it off just like any other weight gain, unfortunately.

Your doctor isn't the boss of you..........you can take (or not take) whatever birth control you want. The shot has some seriously bad long term side effects BUT hormonal birth control affect everyone a little differently........find what works for you and if you like it stick with it. There is no "My doctor switched me"........it's your body, your call. If you don't want to switch, don't.

KateCon912

Thank you so much for your advice! And my Dr. didn't switch me without my consent, I wanted to get off the shot ASAP but didn't necessarily want to get on the pill again. She convinced me and it's obviously not the right decision. I'm going to a different Dr. tomorrow to get another opinion, but I still don't know if I want to get on another pill and risk gaining more weight, or get off the pill completely so I can let those hormones get out of my system. I am very sensitive to hormones and I'm getting a lot of side effects. I've been on BC for like 5-6 years. I think I need a break!

IveLanded

Not to get too personal, but if you don't NEED to be on them, a break might be good. You can find your "normal". I got my tubes tied because dealing with all the crazy hormonal stuff is just a pain.

You might ask for the "mini pill", which has significantly reduced amounts of hormones.

KateCon912

That might be good for me. And I am very scared to get off of them because I'm getting married in Sept. and I have no intention of having children any time soon. I'm 22 so I know they won't tie my tubes. I just can't take the hormones because I'm having so many side effects

IveLanded

I should have mentioned I'm old and DONE having kids.

I have friends who really love their IUD's, and they do make the old fashioned one with no hormones, so that's also another option.

magnoliafly

Have you thought about getting an IUD? They have hormonal (Mirena) and a non-hormonal (Paragard) variety. I had the hormonal variety which is good for 5 years. No periods! Foolproof. The non-hormonal kind lasts 10 years but your periods get worse so there is a catch-22 there.

I felt better on Mirena than on the pill or Depo. Mirena stays localized in your uterus so you don't get weird hormone-induced stuff happening.

amy0975

I am very sensitive to hormones as well. I gained weight gradually for 10 years while on different types of bcpills finally reaching 90 pounds gained. I finally went to an endocrinologist who tested my hormones and found that I am low estrogen, high progestrin. All the pills I had been prescribed were low estrogen, high progestrin which made me gain weight. He put me on Triphasal which is the opposite. It balanced out my hormones and I didn't have any side effects at all.

This past Monday I got a Mirena installed and went off pills completely. My dr told me the Mirena has a low dosage of hormones that are released over 5 years all in the uterus. It will not affect anything else. I have several friends who have the Mirena as well and love it. You may want to consider something like that or a non-hormonal IUD.

ninerbuff

Maybe you're pregnant...............................

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KateCon912

yes I was really interested in getting an IUD but I heard that most doctors only insert those if you've had kids. I wanted to get the hormone-free one and the longer heavy periods don't bother me because thanks to the Depo shot I've been bleeding continuously for 8 months now. My Dr keeps telling me it's normal, that's why I'm seeing a new doctor tomorrow! So anything will be better than what I've been experiencing!

magnoliafly

Doctors will insert you even if you haven't had children. You just need to find the right doctor. I had mine inserted at 23 with no kids. It took some searching to find an OB/GYN that would do it on my insurance but after that it was fine.

A Mirena is better than having to remember to take a pill every day or accidentally get pregnant.

Roni_M

If you are thinking IUD and are dead set against kids I would recommend the Mirena. Basically it's a 2 in 1 deal and I got pregnant with a copper IUD (so don't trust them at all LOL). I have one to control bleeding (due to a bleeding disorder) and my 18 year old daughter has one (she's never had kids). Irregular bleeding is normal for the first several months (my daughter is still experiencing this at the 3 month mark) but at the 6 month to a year your periods stop (so nice!!). The hormone stays local so even people with hormone sensitivity (they make my bleeding disorder much worse) can use them. Definitely something to look into.