I gained almost 100lbs with Depo!! Any other people experience this or with a medication??

sirinasphynx
sirinasphynx Posts: 7 Member
in Chit-Chat
Hi! My name is Sirina and I had always been on the skinnier side, until I got on Depo around 4-5 years ago. I did try exercising and I've always ate healthy, but still the pounds were piling on. By the end of my 4th/5th year, I went from being 140 to 238. I felt sick. I'm not the only one of my friends this happened to, either. My friend works full-time and eats decent, and she also gained several pounds in 2-3 years. I was curious if anyone else had a similar experience with Depo or possibly another medication?

PS: For those who are curious, I have been off Depo since the beginning of September 2016. I'm down to roughly 210.8lbs as on October 19, 2016.

Replies

  • leahjadeee
    leahjadeee Posts: 7 Member
    I've had the same issue with the implant, again with cerelle, and more recently with duloxetine. So frustrating! :(
  • toned_thugs_n_harmony
    toned_thugs_n_harmony Posts: 1,001 Member
    weight gain is a side affect of all birth control because, well, hormones.
  • sirinasphynx
    sirinasphynx Posts: 7 Member
    I haven't heard of Cerelle or Duloxetine, but I agree it is frustrating!! I'm currently on the arm implant, Nexplanon. So far I haven't had weight gain or any troubles, but I've only had it for a month. I'm definitely monitoring it tho. I am NOT gaining any more weight haha
  • j_baerg
    j_baerg Posts: 6 Member
    Depo is known to cause an average 30-50 lb gain, more if you're someone who gains easy, so while 100 lbs is definitely more I don't think it is out of the realm of possibilities. The way the hormone works is different than an OCP (an OCP could only cause a 5-10 lb gain). It was recommended to me by my GP to not use Depo as he had found that his patients gained about 50lbs on average with the drug. I also have a family history of osteoarthritis and Depo can cause reduced bone density. I found that a hormonal IUD was the best for me and hasn't lead to any weight gain. I would suggest talking to your prescribing doctor.
  • christeve37
    christeve37 Posts: 4 Member
    I just discovered this app yesterday thanks to my daughter. I've gained 80 lbs since going on Prozac eight years ago. I just weaned myself off and I am horrified. While I was on Prozac I wasn't really bothered by it. I'm glad to be out of the fog and back into action. I'm going to work hard every day to get back to my healthy weight and keep it off.
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  • melmelw03
    melmelw03 Posts: 5,332 Member
    Depo ruined my body about 15 years ago. It was like injecting fat directly into my body. I think I gained 60 lbs over a year and a half before I finally got off it.
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  • sirinasphynx
    sirinasphynx Posts: 7 Member
    I'm glad (and sorry) that other people had similar experiences. That's what I don't understand tho, I never have put on weight easily and as soon as I get on Depo, BOOM! I'm a whale, I feel like one. I normally eat very healthy since any greasy/sugary foods make me sick, ever since I was a kid. The weights coming off quite well my Dr said, so I'm hoping by this time next year to be at least be 140. She did say it would be more than possible if I keep at it.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 654 Member
    I lost weight when I went on Depo. About 10-15 lbs. Which was nice. It really is the side effect of hunger which will make you gain weight. I was put on elavil for my migraines, and I gained about 80lbs. I thought my appetite was just the same as when I started it, but it wasn't. I just wasn't careful, and now I need to lose it all. Damn hunger side effects.
  • Mandygring
    Mandygring Posts: 704 Member
    I gained weight after taking birth control and when I got off of it, i lost only a little bit. Then when I put on Zoloft....i gained way too much weight with that! I had gained about 60lbs on the antidepressant. I finally got off Zoloft and working it out at the gym. Lost 50lbs so far and still working. :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    138shades wrote: »
    CI/CO.

    Adjust your eating habits for side effects of increased hunger.

    Speaking like someone who clearly has no clue about how much harder it is to lose when you're hungry all the time because of hormones!
  • sirinasphynx
    sirinasphynx Posts: 7 Member
    I actually didn't have a difference in hunger!! I even took nutritional classes (Drs recommended it, thinking it must be me) and had to monitor my food intake and they said I was healthier than most people my age. I was on no other medication, just Depo. I did exercise regularly. I even admitted that maybe 30lbs would be my own fault, but 70?? My friend (I asked her, she gained about 60). But thank you for your guys' input!!
  • Kupo98
    Kupo98 Posts: 103 Member
    Maximus wrote: »
    @sandywaterbaby9 this could be helpful as far as motivation

    Thanks man that's awesome!
  • Kupo98
    Kupo98 Posts: 103 Member
    Black_LabeI wrote: »
    littlemissbgiff wrote: »
    That's how birth control works. You get so fat no one will touch you. Pregnancy avoided
    :D

    LOL!!!
  • toned_thugs_n_harmony
    toned_thugs_n_harmony Posts: 1,001 Member
    138shades wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    138shades wrote: »
    CI/CO.

    Adjust your eating habits for side effects of increased hunger.

    Speaking like someone who clearly has no clue about how much harder it is to lose when you're hungry all the time because of hormones!

    Coming from a person that apparently isn't working in any knowledgeable profession that deals with medication.

    Just because a person is hungry all the time don't mean you have to eat. Drink water whatever, don't blame medication because you can't control your eating and don't want to be held responsible/accountable for your own actions.

    Likewise with steroids, your body wants more food.....and maybe even decreases your motivation to workout as hard. Therefore, not adjusting or monitoring you will gain weight.

    Justification is a sad place to be.

    this!
  • shakiyla1991
    shakiyla1991 Posts: 1 Member
    I have a food addiction. I have trouble controlling how much food or times that I eat. I've tried everything. Fasting, diets, and exercise. I lost 120 lbs, started at 386 got down to 265. I got pregnant and was at 270 after. Got pregnant again and was 305 after. Started depo and am now at 350. I started in January of 2020. It's July of 2021. I won't get the shot for this month. I held at 310-315 up until January and it just exploded. In March, I started walking a mile a day on top of my regular work out, stopped eating anything with added sugars, and I'm still gaining. I'm not an expert. I won't say it's making me gain weight but I can say it's stopping me from losing weight.
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
    edited July 2021
    It has been well over a decade since I used anything other than IUDs so I'm unsure who's prescribing these: OB/GYN? Family doctor?

    Regardless, chat with them once you see weight fluctuations.

    That said, these Rx manipulate your hormones to a fixed schedule that is unlike your body's previous one. So accurately tracking food intake with an app like MFP allows you to see, over time, where you're more apt to feel hungrier during certain days of the month.

    The awareness alone can help mitigate. You end up making better choices during those days, ideally.
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
    To the person who disagreed above (and for any others), read a product monograph if your issue is with the Rx. Read ALL of it, then talk to the prescribing physician or a pharmacist of you don't understand something.

    If your issue is with nutrition geared to hormonal changes, then talk to a nutritionist.

    Science is science 🙄
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    edited July 2021
    I was on many different birth control pills in the past and with one of them I gained 20 lbs in one month despite not eating any more than usual. I have kept food diaries for years including then. I was in college then and working out 5 days a week and my exercise routine had not changed either. As soon as I switched to a different pill, the weight came off. Never tried Depo for the exact reason that it is known to cause weight gain.

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