Question about the Birth Control Shot

This is a medical question that you should ask your PCP or your healthcare specialist who will be administering this.

Drugs affect people differently...

For me, I wont even describe the problems I ran into.... because I was only amongst the smaller percentage affected by it...


Please - talk with your doctor.. they know your health-situations... we dont...

I've heard of people gaining weight with this, the I.U.D. is supposed to be good.....one of my girlfriends uses this and has for years without weight gain

you should be able to look up the medication on the web also it will list the side effects and how common they are.

I used to get the shot. I don't know if it's the same kind as you want to get but it's the one that you go in for every three months and you don't have a period. Yeah it's kinda nice not to have to worry about it, but.....

If it's the same kind, it works by putting your body in a state of pseudo-menopause... meaning I became physically like an old lady at 23. The thought of sex was gross to me because those hormones were turned off by the drug. I knew something was wrong, so I got off of it. It took an entire year for my period to get back regular. It was horrible. I did gain weight, but not much. I would imagine this depends on the person.

If you are looking to change for a more convenient method, I highly recommend the ring. Once a month.

Everyone reacts differently, but you should get the implant instead, because that can be taken out if you get bad side effects. The shot lasts for months nd can't be rid of

Im a nurse and I can tell ya that you do NOT wanna get the shot.... it will mess you up in more ways than one

I have not done the shot, but if you are looking for something you don't have to worry about 'every single day' you could also consider NuvaRing or an IUD. The upside to NuvaRing is you put it in and leave it in for 3 weeks, so it's not a daily thing, but you are also able to cease using it immediately if you feel you need to. The upside to the IUD is it goes in and stays in for up to several years, although you do have to go back to your dr to have it taken out. But at least you don't have to wait several months for it to wear off if you decide you don't like it. You can just go get it taken out whenever you can get an appointment.

The NuvaRing has hormones similar to the pill. Some IUDs have hormones and some don't (there are different types). You can talk to your dr about all these options and the risks/benefits of each and decide what sounds best for you.

i give this to pts, i would say 1/100 gain weight and when they do they do ,you cant predict the pt some times someone thin gets big sometimes someone big gets bigger if any history of depression can make worse and the vast majority the periods will stop however others will bleed continually try the fpa website unfotunately what suits one person doesnt suit another and pts only tend to comment on a medicine that didnt work rather than on one that did.just some thoughts

I was on the shot for about 7 years and in that time I gained about 75 lbs which I have been unable to shed. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless it's their only option. I know results vary from person to person and some don't experience the weight gain but from personal experiences many do. Not to mention if you want to have kids down the road it can take a while to get pregnant after going off it. This isn't saying it will just that it can. When my husband and I got married I was on the shot and started doing research about getting pregnant after it and some people still didn't have a bun in the oven after 2 years so I switched to the pill until we were ready which was about a year. Just do your research and make sure you are aware of ALL the side effects during and after going off it before you make your decision.

i had it for years and gained weight which i found hard to lose, also was terribly moody all the time! have had mirena IUD for last 5 years and no issues, have managed to lose weight on that.
Dr said the hormones in the shot dont actually make you put on weight, more that it makes you want to eat more, so if you have good willpower it might be ok for you.
its best to have a chat with your Dr if you have any concerns, as once you have had it you are stuck with it for at least 3 months, if you have been on it longer can take up to a year to get out of your system totally!

i had the depo shot when i was 18, i turned into a fat miserable moody cow and spotted every day for 3 weeks at a time. my cousin had it and had no problems atall, however after being off it for 7 years she hasnt had a period again. then again, i also know two other people who had it, one lost so much weight she had to stop and the other is still on it now and is fine. my point??? it affects everyone so differently, your dr will help you decide but just make sure you read all the side effects.

The first thing my Endocrinologist told me when I went in for weight loss was to get off the shot. He said if I wanted any decent shot at losing weight I should find a different method. Anyway, here is my experience with the shot:

After I first had the shot, I got my period for about 30 days straight. Not just spotting, full on period. The doctor and pharmacist assured me that sometimes this happens to people when they first start it. It really pissed me off because I chose it so I wouldn't get my period. That month I was also a nightmare to be around.

Other than the first month, it was great for the 18 months I was on it. No period. Didn't gain too much - under 10 pounds (I wasn't tracking back then).

Then I decided to go off Depo. That’s easy enough just don’t get the shot again. But my period didn't come back... I started doing some hardcore research and found some people that depo caused infertility in and freaked out. My doctor told me some women take up to a year to get their period back. It took me almost two years. Now my period is back, and normal, and I am actually happy/relieved when I see it (or has happy as you can be for a period). Now in the back of my head I’m always a bit worried that I may have done some damage.

If I could go back, I'd have done more research and probably picked something different. Good luck with whatever you chose.

Weight gain was the least of my problems on Depo (and yes, there was a fair amount).

Full out bleeding out of nowhere with zero predicibility. Eventually had to keep extra pants at work.
Waking up in the middle of the night in full on sobbing fits. No idea why I was crying.
Hated the idea of anyone even touching me.
Horrible acne (a couple of which I still have slight scarring from years later)
Took 7 months after I stopped getting the shots to get a period. Do you know how many preganancy tests I had to do during that time??

Got an IUD 7 years ago, and I'm on my 2nd one now. I love it. Don't have to go to a dr every three months and know pretty much to the day when my next period will be. Couldn't be happier and wouldn't get Depo again for anything