DEPO and weight gain

kat9535
kat9535 Posts: 1 Member
edited February 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,
this is my first post. Im posting about my experience on the depo shot and my rapid weight gain.

My doctor prescribed me the depo shot back in November 2019 and I gained 15 pounds of PURE FAT. I know its all fat because I compared my inbody scan to right before my depo shot (oct 2019) to now (feb 2020)
I was suppose to get my second shot on February 2020 but decided not to because of my significant weight gain. My body fat percentage went from 18 percent to 25 percent.


I have always been naturally very slim. I'm 28, 5'7 and my weight would vary from 118-125. (my family is relatively slim)
I am now 138 and feel hopeless. Ive never weighed this much in my life.

Does anyone have experience of weight loss after getting off this medication? when did you see the weight coming off? any thoughts would be appreciated. Ive been really depressed about my body.

Replies

  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    The weight won't just come off by itself, you'll need to ensure you're at a calorie deficit for that to happen. But there should be no issues with losing the weight otherwise.
  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    Depo doesn't really cause weight gain itself, but it does seem to mess with your appetite control hormones. In other words, you've probably been inadvertently eating more.

    Once you're off it it can take a while to get back to normal and you won't really lose weight unless you cut calories or exercise more, so I'd suggest tracking your food intake for now and cutting back a bit.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    I had one DEPO shot and quit that nonsense as well, because while it didn't make me gain weight, it made me insulin resistant LITERALLY over night. I'd been humming along with IF happily the day before and suddenly I was STARVING ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, and eating ONE COOKIE gave me an instant headache and I was getting hand tremors from low blood sugar which hadn't previously been a thing my body was having trouble managing.

    You can lose the weight easily enough by managing your calories as described by the fine people in this thread, but the hormone signalling about what you've eaten and whether or not you feel like you need to eat more may be messed up and uncomfortable for a while. You can either choose to ignore it and gut it out with your calorie management, or you can wait a few months for it to wear off and let your body find it's old normal.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Hormonal birth control was my least favorite method, and that was just the pills. Never tried the shot. My second favorite method was the fertility awareness I used successfully when I was married. My very favorite is being with a partner with a vasectomy, which I realize may not be a great option for the OP, who is 28 - just sharing my experience.

    When not in a committed, monogamous relationship, I used condoms.

    I have also used the sponge and a diaphragm. Lots of options!
  • Vanessa120161
    Vanessa120161 Posts: 1 Member
    Hey I am having the same issue right now have you figured this out?? I am a little late to this post but I saw it searching deepo weight gain. I’m 26 and gained 30 pounds
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    Vanessa120161 wrote: »
    Hey I am having the same issue right now have you figured this out?? I am a little late to this post but I saw it searching deepo weight gain. I’m 26 and gained 30 pounds

    I think the first 4 posts on the thread had reasonable answers (though maybe not happy news), and one of them was from a Depo user.

    Best wishes finding a solution that works for you!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Vanessa120161 wrote: »
    Hey I am having the same issue right now have you figured this out?? I am a little late to this post but I saw it searching deepo weight gain. I’m 26 and gained 30 pounds

    Like any medication that leads to weight gain due to increasing appetite and/or water retention you have several choices:

    1. Find an alternative medication. You certainly have plenty of options for birth control.
    2. Find a way to eat less/move more. My brother is on medications associated with weight gain, but as he is super active, this is not an issue for him.
    3. Accept the weight gain. For gains caused by water retention, there should just be an initial few pounds and then a leveling off. You'll need to be more proactive for medications that increase appetite. For some people, eating large quantities of foods low in calories (aka volume eating) does the trick. Others use IF or keto.
  • Shajal20
    Shajal20 Posts: 1 Member
    I have had the same issue, I don’t know if weight gain is still affecting you but what I’ve noticed was that it wasn’t any prescription it was in fact my own happiness. If you ever had a time in your life where you were able to lose weight, think about why during that time you were content and happy enough to be able to lose weight and stay fit. Was it a relationship or new life goal that was achieved?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    You can't gain weight unless you're eating more than you need to regardless of the shot or not.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • BLGatling
    BLGatling Posts: 1 Member
    I was on the depo shot for 9 months. My doctor kept insisting that the shot wasn’t the reason for my weight gain. But when I stopped taking the injections, the weight fell off of me with ease. I don’t have science to prove it but I 100% think that the depo shot can cause rapid weight gain and I would just get off of it
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,788 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    You can't gain weight unless you're eating more than you need to regardless of the shot or not.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    This is very true, however, all hormonal birth control has weight gain as a side effect. It's hormones.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    You can't gain weight unless you're eating more than you need to regardless of the shot or not.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    This is very true, however, all hormonal birth control has weight gain as a side effect. It's hormones.
    Studies have been done on the pill and there's no indication it's a cause of weight gain. And even depo studies haven't identified conclusively what may cause weight gain with people who do. Increased appetite? Possible lowering of metabolic rate? Less exercise? While hormones do regulate everything we do daily, one thing is certain for sure...............you consume more than you burn, you'll gain weight. People would have to accurately track if they are burning the same amount of calories after the shot, getting the same amount of rest, dealing with stress the same way, etc.

  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    edited October 2022
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    You can't gain weight unless you're eating more than you need to regardless of the shot or not.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    This is very true, however, all hormonal birth control has weight gain as a side effect. It's hormones.
    Studies have been done on the pill and there's no indication it's a cause of weight gain. And even depo studies haven't identified conclusively what may cause weight gain with people who do. Increased appetite? Possible lowering of metabolic rate? Less exercise? While hormones do regulate everything we do daily, one thing is certain for sure...............you consume more than you burn, you'll gain weight. People would have to accurately track if they are burning the same amount of calories after the shot, getting the same amount of rest, dealing with stress the same way, etc.

    Weight gain is a POTENTIAL side effect for some forms of birth control, but as @ninerbuff says, if you're not consuming the excess calories (regardless of the reason why - whether increased appetite or reduced energy expenditure), you're not going to gain bodyfat (increased water retention could cause a bit of weight gain, but not fat).

    I've been on depo for years (and was on a couple different versions of the pill for years prior). I have been able to cut down to stage condition for multiple bodybuilding shows and more recently to almost-stage-ready condition for a photoshoot. Manipulating my caloric intake & expenditure works the exact same as it would otherwise...

    (and sorry if I dorked up the quote thing there - intended to reply to the previous comment, but...well...whatever. You are all clever enough to figure out what I'm referring to!)
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    A February 2020 post. This young lady twas still in mid-normal range at 138 for her age and height🤷🏼‍♀️Yes, some drugs may increase appetite, resulting in consuming more calories than your body burns and weight gain.

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