have any of you took the depo shot???? HELP!!

emilybeatrice1
emilybeatrice1 Posts: 163 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
So about 4 weeks ago my doctor gave me the depo shot.... i then went to see an obgyn ( i should have went there first) who told me i am basically doomed and will deffinately gain weight. This shot lasts for three months. I have already gained like 8 pounds. However i just had surgery and had a stint put in my kidney for kidney stones and my weight gain happened the day of surgery and over night. I am just wondering if any women out there have taken the shot and not gained... I have been hearing horrorible things about this shot.
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Replies

  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    Yes I did... and I did gain weight... I tend to on progesterone only birth control (as I also did so on a progesterone only pill)....

    I will give you the advise my doctor gave me, that I didn't take... be very mindful of your food intake, because you are going to want to snack more than before... so make sure you have low calorie options available at all times.

    ETA: I gained most of mine in the course of 6 months (by the end of 3 I could no longer fit into my clothes)... and I too have been struggling to lose it (of course I put some more on after getting married, having a baby and being on another progesterone only pill while breastfeeding (which is why I know I gain on any progesterone only).
  • honda2884
    honda2884 Posts: 1
    I took the depo shot over 5 years ago and for a 3 year spand of time. I gained 40 pounds with in 2 months. Wise advice keep taking the pill. I know not having a period is nice but, I am still to this day fighting to get the weight off that I put on.
  • LittleMissNerdy
    LittleMissNerdy Posts: 792 Member
    I was on it a few years ago for about 2 years. I did gain weight but it was over time, it wasn't over night. That's why I actually didn't notice it right away!
  • christibam
    christibam Posts: 478 Member
    I was on it when I was 15 years old to stop my periods because they about killed me (super early onset endometriosis). I gained 50lbs in ONE month. :\ I think I gained a total of 80 throughout the year I was on it.
  • katsten
    katsten Posts: 24 Member
    Ive been on it twice. Once when I was 16, gained about 10 lbs for the year I was on it....was a lot more active then tho. Walked at least 2 miles per day, sometimes up to 12 miles. I went on it again right after my boys were born. I gained 20 lbs in 2 months and decided that it wasn't worth it. I've been on Mirena for 3 years now and haven't seen adverse side effects from it.
  • LittleMissNerdy
    LittleMissNerdy Posts: 792 Member
    My 16 year old cousin was on it and noticed weight gain almost right away. I think what we can say for sure is, yes you'll gain weight. At what rate all depends on each person.
  • mebemini2012
    mebemini2012 Posts: 48
    I've been on it for a long time not sure how long, but it's a mindset thing. I didn't gain anything. I have continued to lose weight and will. I believe its the choices you make and what kinds of foods you eat.
    Also, with all medication it reacts diffrently so maybe I'm just an the exception.
  • dimplez711
    dimplez711 Posts: 88
    I've been on it for over 2 years now and have been in super denial about the weight gain factor.

    I went from size 16-18 to 22-24, in clothes from the same stores. I blamed it on everything from diabetes, to being in a good/healthy relationship, to sheer laziness. It started to dawn on me after I realized that even though I'm on 3 diabetes meds that normally decrease appetite, I still have the munchies constantly. I'm not a doctor and I can't say for certain that depo is the main factor, just based on personal experience and what I've read/been told.

    Next week I'm going to ask to go back on the pill. Not having to deal with that TOM was awesome, but I don't appreciate the extra spare tire I'm carrying around in exchange. We'll see if this makes any difference in my weight loss efforts.
  • lorena1120
    lorena1120 Posts: 9
    I was on it at the age of 15 and was slimmed at the time but blew up. I started gaining weight immediately and had no menstrual cycle for a an entire year which I liked but it was so not worth it me gaining all that weight ever since i have not been able to get back to the weight i was back then I'm just glad i was on the shot for 9 months and not longer.
  • CrazyHedgehog
    CrazyHedgehog Posts: 30 Member
    I was on it for about 3 years, but starting 19 years ago, I remember the doctor commenting on the fact that I was his ONLY patient who had not gained weight with it, I am on the depo bar now, its the same drug, but in a slow release bar for 3 years at a time, it gives a smaller dose on a daily basis, instead of flooding the body once every 3 months.
    I have been on this for about 16 years! and yes, I am fat now, but really think it is and always was down to my eating and lifestyle!
  • emilybeatrice1
    emilybeatrice1 Posts: 163 Member
    thanks everyone for the insight! I will continue to fight the food munchies and be very mindful of my eating. I'm just going to get my tubes tied! lol! then i wont have to worry about any hormones from a shot, or pill or any other form.
  • psmd
    psmd Posts: 764 Member
    ugh I gained 15 pounds in 3 months when I took it 8 years ago. Stopped after the second shot but never lost the weight and started to gain more. That was the first time in my life I gained weight like that :( Would never recommend it to anyone who cares about their weight!
  • nutandbutter
    nutandbutter Posts: 447
    I've been on it for a long time not sure how long, but it's a mindset thing. I didn't gain anything. I have continued to lose weight and will. I believe its the choices you make and what kinds of foods you eat.
    Also, with all medication it reacts diffrently so maybe I'm just an the exception.

    Not the exception. I also lost weight while on it and I was on it for 7 years.
  • Jennicia
    Jennicia Posts: 409 Member
    As with ANY birth control- it CAN make you gain weight. I work in a OBGYN office and I can say that we have alot of patients on the DEPO that do very well. No weight gain, no problems. If you continue to eat right and excersise I don't forsee you gaining that much. However, if you do notice alot of weight gain, then talk to your GYN doctor and they can switch your form of birth control.
  • nichole325
    nichole325 Posts: 244 Member
    Wow I am so happy I stumbled across this topic! I have an OBYN appt on Monday and I was going to ask about other birth control options. I am currently on Avion and have been for YEARS and was wondering if the pill is preventing me from losing weight like i should be given my exercise habits etc.

    I definitely won't be looking into the shot anymore after reading this! yikes!
  • FreshStart89
    FreshStart89 Posts: 297 Member
    ive been on depo for about 3 months now and ive still lost weight. (i started my ticker over for 2012)
  • heatherhart
    heatherhart Posts: 113 Member
    I was on depo for a yr and gained over 25lbs. Depo was the worse I would never take it again or recommend it to anyone, hopefully you can get off of it soon
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    I 1000% suggest Neuvaring. No weight gain or side effects since it's low dose hormone. I've been on it for 10 years and it's the suggested solution for women in their 30s - 40s.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I gained 20 pounds and had chronic pain with urination for 18 months and spotting every day for 9 months.
  • LittleMissNerdy
    LittleMissNerdy Posts: 792 Member
    As with ANY birth control- it CAN make you gain weight. I work in a OBGYN office and I can say that we have alot of patients on the DEPO that do very well. No weight gain, no problems. If you continue to eat right and excersise I don't forsee you gaining that much. However, if you do notice alot of weight gain, then talk to your GYN doctor and they can switch your form of birth control.


    ^THIS. I've known people who have gained weight on everything to the pill to the patch. It's all about finding what works for you in ALL areas.
  • TamImbrogno
    TamImbrogno Posts: 72 Member
    I took it years ago and gained ALOT of weight! I was also on mirena and gained 30lbs in 2mths! After my last child I opted for a tubal haha!
  • jry823
    jry823 Posts: 11 Member
    I have been on it twice. I didn't gain the weight others have reported. I gained mine the old fashion way- more food + more stagnation. Using the diary here to track what you eating and remaining honest with your intake is a pretty good way to avoid the gain.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    I think whether you gain weight or not is totally dependent upon the individual and their body chemistry... for some it makes them gain weight like crazy and for others not so much...
  • simplyeater
    simplyeater Posts: 270 Member
    I was on for a couple years and steadily gained. It's not the shot that makes you gain, it's your increased appetite. I might have gained anyway (cause I continued to do so even after I stopped Depo). If you monitor your calories you can control it.
  • hamiltonba
    hamiltonba Posts: 474 Member
    I was on it for 8 years and had severe bone mass loss. I was told (by my doctor) to tell everyone I know not to take it!
  • mebemini2012
    mebemini2012 Posts: 48
    I've been on it for a long time not sure how long, but it's a mindset thing. I didn't gain anything. I have continued to lose weight and will. I believe its the choices you make and what kinds of foods you eat.
    Also, with all medication it reacts diffrently so maybe I'm just an the exception.

    Not the exception. I also lost weight while on it and I was on it for 7 years.

    Well its good to know I'm not alone and prove to others you can still lose while on it!
  • dimplzz
    dimplzz Posts: 456 Member
    I was thinking of going on it as well. I asked my doctor about the weight gain thing and she said that it is the same with half the pills out there. It tends to make you crave things or give you the munchies. The pill itself doesn't make you put the pounds on but it is the foods and how much you are eating. So has it just made your appetite go crazy? Do you find yourself eating the same that you were before or are you eating more? I am super curious because I have been debating this in my head for like 4 months now and I am just scared. I am soooo close to my goal weight.
  • carriem73
    carriem73 Posts: 333 Member
    I did for 15 years- I can answer almost any question you have about it- feel free to friend me or sned me a message!
  • Maridelsol82
    Maridelsol82 Posts: 90
    I am a birth control health educator and can tell you that research has proven that Depo will make you more hungry. It is the only birth control that can cause you to gain weight. But as the person above stated it is the choices you make about food that will effect you. If you pick healthy snacks and continue to workout and have a generally healthy diet you should be fine. Or pick another birth control method.
  • seattlerain
    seattlerain Posts: 189 Member
    I am glad I did not go with the depo shot.
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