Did Depo Screw Me Up?

cm1458
cm1458 Posts: 742 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Like many others, I experienced a lot of weight gain with depo provera.
I went on the shot because my periods were so bad I could not get out of bed, some lasting up to 3weeks without stopping. I started the shot in May 2012. When I started I weighed 149lbs (height: 5'9). Eight days after being on the shot, my weight shot up to 158lbs. By November I was back up to 170lbs.
I hadn't really changed my eating/exercising habits much at all.
In November, I discontinued the use of depo provera. I have not have my period AT ALL since i started it one year ago.
Despite exercising and dieting, I cannot lose weight for anything.
It has been 7 months since i stopped taking the shot)
Every now and then I will drop a pound or two but it always comes back (sometimes, it brings friends, too) within a 2 day time period. THis week, I went from 165 to 173 OVERNIGHT.
I am eating 1500 cal per day, I am on my feet for 6 hours per day, and I lift+jog+do yoga.
NOTHING works. I am BEYOND frustrated over the weight issue and not having my period.
Has Depo Provera screwed me up forever?
What should I do?

Replies

  • aigoooooo
    aigoooooo Posts: 31
    It can take up to a year to balance out, sometimes more. Hormones are really tricky. I'm currently recovering from my own birth control debacle. It screwed up my blood pressure, so i sympathize. I keep checking to see if I'm not high anymore lol
  • jennkain97
    jennkain97 Posts: 290 Member
    I'm really surprised they would put you on Depo at your age at all! It's well known to cause bone loss, which is exactly the opposite of what you need in your teen years. I think it's probably contributing to your problems with weight loss, but its not the only thing. Previous "extreme dieting" has likely screwed up your hormonal balance as well. At this point, you need as clean of a diet as possible (I know the issues there) and TIME. Your body needs to heal. Meanwhile, stick with lower impact exercises-- over training can also screw with your hormones-- and maintain a reasonable deficit. Moderate weight training may also help.
  • DeathListFive
    DeathListFive Posts: 29 Member
    Give it time. Everyone responds to birth control differently, and it does take a long time to get back to normal....especially with you being so young. Like another poster, I'm surprised they put you on depo so young.
  • mammakat0830
    mammakat0830 Posts: 117 Member
    I work in Women's Health... Depo is HORRIBLE!! I am so sorry this is happening. Like the other post said, it may take up to a year to balance hormones out. 95% of people on Depo gain weight! Use something like the Nexplanon or IUD if you want long term (no pills or rings).

    Drink plenty of fluids and keep doing the right things you are doing...unfortunately IMO all you can do is wait it out or maybe go see your doc?
  • CBeland2013
    CBeland2013 Posts: 23
    I was on Depo for a year. I go off of it last May to try to have another baby...let's just say, my body is only just now back on track and there is no baby news yet. Exercising and changing my diet have helped me loose the weight and get my body back on track. Time, taking care of yourself, prayers, and patience will all help you get back on track. :)
  • jlemoore
    jlemoore Posts: 702 Member
    I took the dep for 5 years. It took me about 7 to finally get normal. Yes, it may take time.
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    Depo was totally horrible to me. I got the shot when I was in high school & I threw up & passed out from it. Then I bleed every single day for 3 months until they put me on the pill to try & get me regular (which I couldn't stay on either.) And I had headaches practically all the time. I know there are some people out there that Depo has worked ok for, but it seems like a lot more people have had problems with it. I use Nuva Ring now & it's pretty awesome.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    Depo Provera takes a while for it to be "Detoxed". Be patient...but unfortunately, you may have to wait a while until your body gets back to normal.

    Depo Provera is terrible - i would not wish that **** on my worst enemy...well yes i would. Thats how bad it is.

    The weight gain i heard it incredibly common...I gained 60 lbs in 9 months. Still trying to lose it.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    It took me almost 3 years to get my period again it does eventually go away but see a doc to make sure you dont have any of the more nasty side effects
  • andreae13
    andreae13 Posts: 239 Member
    It took me almost 2 years to get back to normal after only taking 2 shots!! I really wish I would have read up on it more before taking it. Just give it time like others have said and your body will balance itself out again. I know how frustrating that is to hear though.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    I have been taking depo provera for years and have both lost and gained on it. If you are absolutely positive of every morsel that goes in your mouth and are getting extremely accurate calories burns and ensuring a safe deficit (10-20% off your TDEE or 1200 cals plus ALL exercise eaten back) then there might be something else at play. Birth control does not control your ability to gain or lose weight just as pregnancy wouldn't. It's about your activity, intake and maintaining of a good deficit that leads to gains and losses. Are you having any other medical issues or is there anything that you feel on your body as being 'off'?

    With having insomnia I found it literally impossible to lose weight and I was working much harder at it then I am now and I have lost 25 lbs in the last 6 months. The insomnia directly effected my losses and gains because without sleep my body was unable to fully reset it's cycle and started trying to 'survive' by storing all the fat it could.

    Maybe talk with your doctor and get some panels done to rule out anything else that may be going on including a thyroid problem, PCOS (you noted your cycle used to be very painful and had long flows so it is a possibility) or if you may be lacking in a certain area of nutrition that can be detrimental to weight loss.

    All the best in figuring out what to do.
  • julimonster
    julimonster Posts: 243 Member
    Hated it, I shot up to over 200 lbs when I was on that years ago. There are a lot of other birth control options out there, best of luck to you!
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    Yes, it did. I'm sorry. Depo-provera is the worst *kitten* invented. I know women who didn't have their period for 2 years after they stopped it. You need to rebalance your hormones. I highly suggest finding an acupuncturist specialized in Traditional Chinese Medicine. With acupuncture and Chinese herbs (a cocktail tailor made for your own needs), you'll see improvements. That's what I did and I swear by it. I never was on depo, but I had hormonal imbalance and couldn't get pregnant. It took me a year to change my bad diet, start exercising, losing 30 pounds and then after trying the acupuncture + herbs, I saw an instant change in my cycle the first month and the second month I felt pregnant. Try it! Also, read the books by Dr. John Lee about hormones and use a USP progesterone cream.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    I have been taking depo provera for years and have both lost and gained on it. If you are absolutely positive of every morsel that goes in your mouth and are getting extremely accurate calories burns and ensuring a safe deficit (10-20% off your TDEE or 1200 cals plus ALL exercise eaten back) then there might be something else at play. Birth control does not control your ability to gain or lose weight just as pregnancy wouldn't. It's about your activity, intake and maintaining of a good deficit that leads to gains and losses. Are you having any other medical issues or is there anything that you feel on your body as being 'off'?

    With having insomnia I found it literally impossible to lose weight and I was working much harder at it then I am now and I have lost 25 lbs in the last 6 months. The insomnia directly effected my losses and gains because without sleep my body was unable to fully reset it's cycle and started trying to 'survive' by storing all the fat it could.

    Maybe talk with your doctor and get some panels done to rule out anything else that may be going on including a thyroid problem, PCOS (you noted your cycle used to be very painful and had long flows so it is a possibility) or if you may be lacking in a certain area of nutrition that can be detrimental to weight loss.

    All the best in figuring out what to do.

    I totally disagree with that. Hormones affect how your body stores and use fat. Birth control medication are fake hormones that screws up our bodies. They also increase the risk of breast, ovarian and cervical cancers.
  • yvonne0824
    yvonne0824 Posts: 2
    I just went off of Depo and switched back to the ring last week. In 6 months I gained 20 lbs (136 to 156). I continued to work out religiously and increased my strength ridiculously during that time but like I told my doc, I doubt I gained 20 lbs of muscle in 6 months.

    While on Depo, I was getting frustrated eating paleo, counting every single calorie, working out twice a day and still gaining 5 lbs over night so I decided not to stress about it until I could make the change in birth control. Fortunately I had my period 3 months after my 2nd shot (last week) so hopefully my body is back on track.

    In the past week I've lost 6 lbs so I'm down to 149.5 (a number I never thought I would be happy to see). Hopefully I'll get back to the 135-140 lb range in the next couple of weeks without too much struggle. But to do this I'm running an additional 30 minutes/day (in addition to my normal hr long cross fit workout) to burn an extra 300 cal/day. And setting my diet as super strict paleo at 1200 cal/day & using MFP to hold me accountable. I usually eat paleo, but not strictly. No alcohol or treats until I can get back to my normal weight range. It's not worth it at this point.

    Good luck to you and anyone else going through this. It's not easy but will be worth it if we can get back to "normal."
  • lizjjam
    lizjjam Posts: 48 Member
    It took 3 years for my periods to come back and at that time, I weighed 235lbs. I never associated it before but thinking about it now, i´m sure that was a big part of the weight issue as I´ve always been pretty active. I came off the depo in 2004 it took until 2007 for my periods to come back and when they did, they were more painful than ever. I think it´s probably the worst thing I ever did to my body.

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