Okay, another, different DepoProvera question

[Ms_Lilith]

I loved it while I was on it. Though I gained weight on it, but hey, that happened with all the different BC's I've tried.


What happened when you went OFF of it?

I'm on my 23rd day of spotting, and of cramps. My doc said it was normal, cus I'm a larger woman, and so the meds weren't as effective, and so my uterus built up blood and endometrian (sp?) lining slowly over the two years that I've been on it.

But 23 days of spotting? Jesus.


Please, let me know what you went through, I'd like to know this isn't totally abnormal.

 

[Spenser41]

I Have no idea about the meds

But you have the most kissable mouth! Well, ok not sure I could get my lips just like yours but it would be fun to try!

 

[Ms_Lilith]

Re: I Have no idea about the meds

But you have the most kissable mouth! Well, ok not sure I could get my lips just like yours but it would be fun to try!

*smile* It's not my mouth, unfortunately.. it's Rose McGowan's mouth.

 

[boston_bbw]

As a large women I was also pretty screwed up coming off depo. It took me 9 months to get my period back and when I finally did I had light bleeding for 7 weeks..

 

[Ms_Lilith]

As a large women I was also pretty screwed up coming off depo. It took me 9 months to get my period back and when I finally did I had light bleeding for 7 weeks..

SEVEN WEEKS?! Jesus. I am not looking forward to anything like that...

 

[someplace]

I'm sorry to report that I had a 6 month period when I went off DepoProvera. On top of that I shed some shockingly large clumps of lining that freaked me out the first time....well I never DID get used to it actually. But things finally settled back down about 9 months after I stopped taking it. I also experienced severe mood swings during the withdrawal stage. Not a nice experience by any means. I sincerely hope your experience is much easier!

 

[angelfaeriedust]

deleted

 

[boston_bbw]

I never returned to "normal" either after the depo experience and the 7 week period. Mine was more more like someplace's experience.. huge clumps, moody, and crampy. This was hmm.. over 5 years ago now and there are times when I get 2 periods 2 weeks apart and other times I litterally have to take pills to get a period.. I have never been right since and have also had the infertility word thrown out by my GYN but not gone as far as any testing just yet.

 

[Saoirse]

yep.. I have to add to the bad news thing too.

It took about 8 months for me to have a period when I came off it (I was only on it for 6 months). I was completely irregular for a few months after that..... with one or two excrutiatingly painful periods. If I had known about that... and the weight gain... I would never have gone on it in the first place!

Hope things get better for you!

 

[jacuzzigal]

I'm sorry, Ms. Lillith. I was on Depo and loved teh convenience, but once I went off I went through over a year of hormonal fluctuations and my cycle not being on track - to the point the doc thought maybe I was entering menopause (and I was only 32!). That stuff puts your body in perimenopause and it's nasty to get over. I would never recommend it. It's not worth the convenience. Hang in there because things DO even out.

 

[Ms_Lilith]

well right now, I'm dealing with an infection in my uterus, left ovary, and my bladder, and I'm not sure how I got it.

My doc thinks that maybe, as I'm a larger girl, the Depo wasn't as effective as it should have been, and that blood slowly built up in my uterus over the last two and a half years, and that's why I'm getting this infection, the 23 days of spotting, and the terrible cramping after orgasms.


This just fucking blows.

 

[jacuzzigal]

That is unbelievably sucky! I'm sending you get well vibes across the Web.... Hang in there. Treat yourself to something nice! Spoil yourself. You deserve it. And I PROMISE - it won't always feel this way. It will get better.

 

[werbl]

I've been trying to get my girlfriend to go off depo and onto some other form of birth control for quite a while. She's had almost all of the strange side effects the drug company lists - most recently anal bleeding. Also, she had spotting for the entire first year she was on it, and her sex drive has dropped of significantly since starting. Now I'm worried about her coming off of it too! I just don't know how a drug that messes with a woman's body that much can be any good long-term. I'm particularly concerned because about 5 years ago my mom went through breast cancer, and the docs cited her use of the pill through most of the 70's as her primary risk factor. I know that the hormone levels are a lot lower today, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[ChromeCollar]

More bad news here too. I was on depo for almost two years, when my doctor told me I had to get off of it. I was gaining 5 pounds a month. I just now started losing that weight, 7 years later.

My cycle has never returned to normal. After getting off the shot I had constant bleeding, then it went to two weeks on, two weeks off. So, my GYN put me on the pill. I was on that for a long time. Two years ago I decided to get off of all BC to see if my body had returned to normal. It hasn't, me and hubby have been BC free for those two years and I have had a total of 4 periods on my own. The shot has screwed up my body horribly and I am not the only one.

The end of my story with depo is I am having infertility problems and may never have kids of my own.

That is so sad to hear. I've been on it for almost a year, and am switching to IUD in the fall when my next shot is due. Depo gives me an almost irrational irratability, and some terrible mood swings. I cant wait for the crap to get out of my system. I've gone for a month between when I was supposed to take the next shot and when the previous one ended, and did experience alot of strange effects that the other ladies are talking about.

This stuff is nasty... and I dont think many OB GYNs warn their patients accordingly as to long term effects, or maybe there just havent been enough studies done on the long term effects.