Depo shot + gaining weight= myth

Mtleiker

i wanted to clear the air. i took depo before to not have a period. then my insurance ended but i lost a little weight. i decided to take it again the following year because the pills made me crazy psychotic. all my friends told me that i would gain more weight faster. i had already gained about 10 lbs after starting nursing school. i was already stressed & i didnt want to deal with a period but i didnt want to gain weight either.......... i told my Dr. i wanted to start losing weight. he said the depo shot would increase my appetite but not make me hungry . i didn't understand and he said it meant in a sense food could be more desirable. the medicine itself, even though its a hormone, DOES NOT cause weight gain. neither does it inhibit weight loss. if you watch what you eat, eat appropriate calories, and exercise you should lose weight fine. i told him i lost weight last time. he said without a cycle perhaps i created a more solid schedule because i wasn't worrying about a period. of course all contraceptives have pros and cons but im just putting this info out there. not having a period isn't as bad as people say. most contraceptive put you at a risk of something anyways. i drink red wine from time to time to help prevent blood clots and i cut back on my smoking to. anyways just a little FYI for anyone who was thinking about trying it but feared gaining weight. im 5"0" i lost 13 lbs so far while still eating about 1500 calories a day

ShandaLeaS

In my younger years I was on Depo for about a total of 10 years and stayed the same weight. I didn't gain weight until I got off of it so I could get pregnant.

Lysander666

My ex started on depo and gained weight. All to do with depo. Nothing to do with all the pittas.

Hopelessone

UM, I gained 60 pounds in three months because of depo I had never weighed more then 115 pounds and I was in my 40s!! I am still trying to lose some of that weight

Hopelessone

UM, I gained 60 pounds in three months because of depo I had never weighed more then 115 pounds and I was in my 40s!! I am still trying to lose some of that weight

I wanted to add : Everyones body is different and deals with things differently. Just saying

honey_bee_keysha

I gained 12 pounds while on Depo. After I stopped, I lost about 20 pounds or so.

MightyDomo

It's true that it is not a weight gain type medication but just like birth control pills, patches and hormonal IUD's they all cause you to 'crave' things more.

I have gained, lost and maintained on Depo so I can say with certainty that as long as you are living a healthy lifestyle and have a good diet that has proper nutrition and not more calories than you need then you will lose weight or maintain.

kdsp2911

UM, I gained 60 pounds in three months because of depo I had never weighed more then 115 pounds and I was in my 40s!! I am still trying to lose some of that weight

I wanted to add : Everyones body is different and deals with things differently. Just saying

That's what I was going to say. Literally every BODY is different. Some eating habits work for some, not for others. Some medicines work for some, not for others. Some types of exercise work for some, not for others. It's unfair to generalize the effects of medication in relation to others, just because it doesn't have (or does have) a certain effect on you.

That said, really glad that it didn't cause any weight gain for you!

I had the Depo shot as a teenager, and I think it helped further my PCOS. I then tried Mirena, and I think satan himself created that monstrous device. It caused massive cramps that went all the way into my legs, really psychotic irritability, and yes...weight gain. It was terrible. I read up on the forums and a lot of women had the same issues...and eventually even started losing their hair due to the synthetic hormone!

jessmart83

I have been on depo for 6 years, the only reason I gained weight is because I decided to shovel fast food in my face like it didnt matter for about 6 months last year. Now that I actually care what is going into my body I have lost 25lbs since January. My weight gain had nothing to do with the Depo.

melduf

Obviously, its not the depo shot that makes you fat!! But if you are hungry 24/7, it's a little hard on the good resolutions... That's what happened to me.

soniadavisbey

It's true...my doctor told me the same thing..I had to get on the Depo in order to get my tubes done...I had the Esure method...the shot increases your appetite... the shot itself doesn't make you gain weight...

donna_glasgow

UM, I gained 60 pounds in three months because of depo I had never weighed more then 115 pounds and I was in my 40s!! I am still trying to lose some of that weight

same here I gained all my weight directly due to the depo jab ..... I ballooned from a size 8-18 in 3 months ... the doc told me it would have been due to the depo ... all of our bodies work different ... mine doesn't agree with any form of contraception ... hence the reason i have loads of kids

Danagirl28

I was on depo for almost 4 years during college....I ate like a pig. I lost 20lbs. Why? Because it made me anxious as hell, and I never stopped moving! There is no "this will happen" with ANY medication. There is a "this is possible" "this could happen" or even "a lot of people get...". I HATE it when people say a medication MADE them fat or thin....nope, it didn't. YOU did. The only exception being, if you got edema or another medical condition that caused an excessive buildup of fluid. When you put food in your mouth, what food you put in your mouth, is YOUR decision and responsibility. You can't say "depo made me gain weight"...but you can say "when I was on depo I ate like crazy and gained weight"....

Danagirl28

quirkytizzy

The Depo works by tricking your body into thinking it's pregnant.

So yes, it might put on some weight. (Unless you're the magical kind of woman who doesn't gain weight when they get pregnant????)

I got back on it after a decade. First week, almost 7 pounds of water weight. Cracked back down on exercise and water, it came off.

But yes, it can mess with your hormones (which can regulate weight, hunger, metabolism.)

Any woman worth her salt (or out of her teens) on hormonal birth control should know that. And even moreso, she should NOT be chastising women for how their bodies physically react to an influx of hormones being injected into your *kitten*.

Mtleiker

It's true that it is not a weight gain type medication but just like birth control pills, patches and hormonal IUD's they all cause you to 'crave' things more.

I have gained, lost and maintained on Depo so I can say with certainty that as long as you are living a healthy lifestyle and have a good diet that has proper nutrition and not more calories than you need then you will lose weight or maintain.

AND THATS EXACTLY WHAT THE DR. TOLD ME AS LONG AS YOU CAN MAINTAIN SELF CONTROL YOU'LL BE FINE. BUT LIKE I SAID THIS IS AND FYI FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TRY IT BUT ARE SCARED. YOU CAN DO IT AS LONG AS YOU CAN MAINTAIN DISCIPLINE BECAUSE OF THE NEW "CRAVING" OTHER ASPECTS CAN AFFECT IT THOUGH LIKE AGE AND METABOLISM. "PERSONALLY " AFTER ABOUT 3-4 MONTHS I MENTALLY PUSHED PAST THAT AND IT HASN'T AFFECTED ME AT ALL WITH LOSING WEIGHT.

Mtleiker

I was on depo for almost 4 years during college....I ate like a pig. I lost 20lbs. Why? Because it made me anxious as hell, and I never stopped moving! There is no "this will happen" with ANY medication. There is a "this is possible" "this could happen" or even "a lot of people get...". I HATE it when people say a medication MADE them fat or thin....nope, it didn't. YOU did. The only exception being, if you got edema or another medical condition that caused an excessive buildup of fluid. When you put food in your mouth, what food you put in your mouth, is YOUR decision and responsibility. You can't say "depo made me gain weight"...but you can say "when I was on depo I ate like crazy and gained weight"....

Second tht cuz its soo true plus i think a DR knows a little something about what he tells his patients. but hey if its not for you then dont take it. tht simple. only you know what you can and cant handle. i had to teach myself self control for the first few months

Mtleiker

UM, I gained 60 pounds in three months because of depo I had never weighed more then 115 pounds and I was in my 40s!! I am still trying to lose some of that weight

I wanted to add : Everyones body is different and deals with things differently. Just saying

That's what I was going to say. Literally every BODY is different. Some eating habits work for some, not for others. Some medicines work for some, not for others. Some types of exercise work for some, not for others. It's unfair to generalize the effects of medication in relation to others, just because it doesn't have (or does have) a certain effect on you.

That said, really glad that it didn't cause any weight gain for you!

I had the Depo shot as a teenager, and I think it helped further my PCOS. I then tried Mirena, and I think satan himself created that monstrous device. It caused massive cramps that went all the way into my legs, really psychotic irritability, and yes...weight gain. It was terrible. I read up on the forums and a lot of women had the same issues...and eventually even started losing their hair due to the synthetic hormone!

OMG i hope it didnt affect you too severely . that must have been such a scary experience. my friend had it for a while and got rid of it because of the horrible cramps and all the stories she heard. anyways i hope your body is ok now and you found a good one for yourself.

redraidergirl2009

It does cause weight gain for some people, just because it didn't for you doesn't meat it won't for everyone. We are all different.

lozloz85

i lost 1st on the depo but i will say it made me a psycho lol

beckslite

Everyone is different and will be affected slightly differently. It was a nightmare for me. I spent 12 months loosing weight, then went on it, then within 3 months I'd put it nearly all back on again. Having your appetite increased is no joke for some people. It was ridiculous. So yes for me it made me put the weight on as I was unable to control my appetite. And why should anyone have to anyway. Trying to loose weight is hard enough without increasing your appetite. Didn't suit me, and would never have it again. But it does work for others. Like I said, everyone is different. But for me yes I piled the weight on