Birth Control agony!

My wife became very suicidal on the pill. I have to go through training for my job to recognize the signs of potential suicidal thoughts. My wife and i both agreed that she would not go on that again. I would make sure you are discussing all other possibility’s first.

Honestly, I think the Depo Provera shot is evil! I had very very bad reactions to it. I gained about 30 pounds in a month! I also became very suicidal, to the point of putting myself into a mental clinic for a few days. Try that on for weight gain! Second shot really did me in for weight and emotional stability. I would not recommend that shot for ANYONE! Over the past several years I've also become very anti-pill also. The issues I have had dealing with the hormone treatments via birth control pills have been horrific on my emotional, physical and just overall well-being. In all honest, inviting external application of excess hormones is really not good for you, period!

If you need the pill, I would recommend requesting Low dosage pills and stay away from the tri-stage ones. Lo-dose should keep you in safe zone for pregnancy and not affect you too badly. I would definitely discuss things with your doctor and DO NOT let him/her talk you into anything against your will, comfort level, or your own intuition. Trust your body! Be very very careful with what medications you put in your body. Especially if you are trying to lose weight.

I have been on the Pill for the last 10 years (came off 2 years ago and got pregnant/had baby & back on again when he was 6 weeks old, he is 1 year old now). Never had any problems and don't think it made me gain weight (and I lost weight while on it).

I don't know anything about the Depo Provera shot though.

Everyone reacts differently to the different medications. So no one's experience here is going to be too helpful. I think asking your doctor about an IUD is worth doing. Even if you've been told that the only birth control it covers is the pill or Depo, that might not have been mentioned for a variety of reasons. A lot of doctors won't approve one if you haven't had a child (increased risk of pelvic infections that can lead to infertility and lawsuits) but it's still worth asking about. The worst that can happen is they say no. You also may want to consider why you chose the shot over the pill in the first place. And why you're on birth control at all (acne, PCOS, actual birth control, etc). If you are the sort of person who can't remember to take a daily pill, then there's a significant risk of weight gain with MUCH more permanent side effects (take it from someone who got pregnant on the pill) if you switch. As someone else stated, you need to sit down with your doctor and have a good talk about all of this. And if you can't do that for some reason, then you need to find a new doctor. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

Edit: Please don't get scared by my getting pregnant. I started a pack late, was on low-dose, and had been suspicious for years that the low-dose doesn't really work for me. That's been confirmed since then when I was diagnosed with PCOS. My ovaries laugh in the face of low-dose pills.

I went off the pill about seven years ago, and my husband and I use a barrier method of birth control. I just didn't like medicating myself literally every day. Now that we just had our second baby, he plans on getting a vasectomy (his idea, not mine).

Aaaaanyway, although I didn't have major problems on the pill, I felt funny about putting all those hormones into my body all the time. I felt that it was better to just let my body do what it does, though I understand that for some people that is unbearably painful and difficult.

I would talk to my doctor about my options and let him/her know that insurance doesn't cover other options like IUDs (there are non-hormonal ones) to see if they can discount it to the point that it is affordable for you. You'd be surprised at what doctors will do for you. (I'm not insinuating anything illegal, just saying that insurance has messed up healthcare to the point that simple things are totally unaffordable for most people, so if they are willing to charge what is fair for a regular patient...)

Currently using Implanon. I get my period every other week. Complete with cramps bloating and cravings. I am having no problems losing weight.

PLEASE tell me you mean every other month, not every other week!

Just to add my two pennies in!

I started on Depo after 6 years + on the pill. Cilest to be specific. Before I started the pill i weighed around 120 lbs. Then the pill put me up to 135. Marriage and a car accident put me up to 170 maybe? At the highest. I'm 5' 3" so not good. I started working out and losing weight and got down to 140 but could not drop the last lot in a few months. Switched a month ago to Depo and have managed to drop down to 135 again and STILL DROPPING.

Different people react to different hormones etc and you CANNOT make a general assumption. You need to speak specifically to your own personal physician and ask them for their advice. Up to and including trying different types of pill etc. You need to find the right fit for you. The same dress doesn't suit every shape, so why would the same medication work for all women?

I have the implanon too and I am currently getting my period every week - I am demented. I have stuck with it for about a year and it has not eased. I am currently also taking the pill to get a break from constantly bleeding.... I am making an appointment this week to have it removed and don’t know what to go for.

I wouldn't rule out having a third baby but would consider it for a couple of years… so I need something reliable that hopefully will go easy on my body!

PS I would comment that this is the 4th time I have has a implant and the first two times were fine with no problems.

I have been on Lo-Estrin 1/20 Fe for over 5 years. My first pill (Mircette) made me crazy - literally. Too much estrogen. I gained weight out of sheer laziness, I actually lost weight when I first started LoEstrin.

I've heard horrible things about Depo. I don't mind my pill, though lately I've been pretty forgetful about it.

Don't let your insurance dictate what you use- make the choice that's right for your health and pay out of pocket if you have to. I quit using BC pills when I was 21 and then used a diaphragm after that. A bit less convenient but it worked and had no side effects, and I wasn't dosing my body with artificial hormones 24/7. Now I'm 60 and it's not a problem anymore!

I don't have experience with the depo shot as I've never taken it. I would imagine your body would react in sort of the same way it does with the pill.

The pill itself won't make you gain fat. It can make you hungrier causing you to eat more and therefore making you gain, it can mess up your hormones and therefore causing water weight gain, and it can make you feel more tired so you don't exercise as much and therefore lead to weight gain.

Can you give it some time to see how things may change? It takes 3-6 months for your body to get used to the pill but I'm not sure if that would be the same for the shot. If you don't like the shot change back to the pill when you can if you are ok with that.

Talk to your doctor and find out what option is best for you. Just because your insurance doesn't cover it doesn't mean you can't try another option. LOok around for the best price and pay out of pocket if you have to. You have to do what is best for your health, not what your insurance company will pay for. Depending on what you go for call around to various offices, clinics, etc and see what they charge for things. When I was in between benefits at work I found a walk in clinic that sold birth control pills for $3 a pack without any coverage. You had to go back every three months but it was much cheaper. If you are taking the pill or the depo shot for birth control alone there are a lot of other options out there.

I am on the Implanon for 3yrs and I get it taken out this November. It was very different from the Pill but I have a very bad habit of forgetting to take it. this is why I chose Implanon. I will admit just like a few ladies have mentioned I had my period every other week for like the first 6 months now its so spontanious it's hard to keep track of some times I can go 2 months without it others I get it twice in 1 month. I have gained between getting comfotrable in my relationship and getting this about 60lbs. I haven't tried to hard to lose weight until just recently and I am doing ok lost 11lbs so far. I been thinking about trying the shot so I guess I will find out soon.

I'm on Ortho Tri Lo and I'm losing fine.

I have been on tri-phasic, then used diaphragms and spermicide, then decided to have two kids, then used withdrawal (successfully for 7 years), then got tired of my period and my anemia, got Mirena almost 4 years ago. Mirena is wearing off and my doc won't order it thru her office anymore and it isn't covered via my pharmacy benefit, so now I am taking ortho tri cyclin lo.

Maybe I am lucky but I don't think any of these hormones every affected me with regard to my weight. However I know depo-provera causes side effects like acne and weight gain so have avoided that.

I would ask again about iud--reliable (more so than anything except sterilization), don't have to remember anything, and no planning required. If not, you can go back to the oral contraceptive and just get in the habit of taking it at the same time every day--use those electronic gizmos to set an alarm to remind you. You can also skip your periods for months if you want to, just talk to your doctor. You can skip placebo pills or get the newer birth control pills that only have placebo every 3 months or more.

But many people have to take meds at the same day, it just takes discipline, just like logging our food.



Edit: just read a second post that you don't need it for contraception just to regulate period: Mirena pretty much stopped my periods (YEA!!!!) until it wore off. FYI.