| rushsmom
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| Depoprovera is known for causing weight gain; it's a very common side effect. Is there another form of BC you could use? |
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Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:46 pm |
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| 300705
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i've been on depo for 5 years (wow, just realised it was that long!!)
my weight went from about 175lb to 227 in 2 years, but i did break my lef badly as well, and couldn't move! so i did slimming world, which got me from 227 to 127 in 9 months, but after a year and a half at goal weight i started gaining again. so i'd reached 176lb when i got on the beach... now i'm 162 - that 14lb has taken me 8 weeks. not too bad i guess...
i dont' blame the depo. and my bleeding has been totally erratic since i went on depo anyway. |
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Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:08 pm |
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| MathChick
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rushsmom wrote: Depoprovera is known for causing weight gain; it's a very common side effect. Is there another form of BC you could use?
I believe all BC will include a risk of weight gain, just some more than others. BC is female hormones and from what I understand they work by telling the body that it is already pregnant so eggs are not released and deposited in the fellopian tubes. But the side effect of that is if your body were pregnant it would want to be putting on some cushion to protect the baby, hence the weight gain.
I had a very bad reaction to BC as well, though I was not on depo. Along with lifestyle it caused me to gain 30 lbs in a year and not be able to get rid of the weight despite diet and exercise (I didn't try THAT hard, but I should have lost about a lb/month and instead i was gaining, and NOT muscle). It also effected my moods and left me really depressed. I thought it was just school and work and family stressing me out so I stayed on it months longer than I should have.
I will never go on BC again because of the hormonal and physical strain it put on me. I will have the kids I want and get my tubes tied. |
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Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:45 pm |
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| exotic
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Castalia wrote: I'm on Depo - guess I'm the odd one out b/c thankfully I didn't gain any weight because of it. I started it just over a year ago. 2 weeks in to SB and down 5.5, I guess that's a medium pace.
I love Depo - I had the worst periods before. They were horrendous and I would be so sick, even on the pill. My only complaint is that my arm hurts for 2 days after I get the shot. :-) (shot baby here!)
Castalia,
I'm surprise your nurse gives the Depo injection in your arm. The injection really should be given in your buttock. Next time ask to have it in your buttock and you will not experience the soreness that you have in your arm.
Exotic |
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Sun Jul 03, 2005 8:16 pm |
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| Castalia
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They give me a choice at my Dr - I've always picked the arm. I just got my 5th shot last week and the nurse asked me where I wanted it.
My reasoning for the arm was that if I got it in my bum, it would hurt to sit for a few days whereas now it just hurts if my arm gets bumped. Does is not hurt as much in the hip/bum?
I go back in Sept - I'll have to keep that in mind for then. |
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Sun Jul 03, 2005 10:55 pm |
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| Rachael83
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Most of the time a nurse will give the option of buttock/arm. Often if the person is much skinnier they will have to get it in the buttock, as there could be not enough flesh on their arm.
How sore it is for either will depend on the person recieving the shot. Some find the buttock more comfortable, and some find the arm more comfortable. |
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Mon Jul 04, 2005 6:00 am |
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| lazy_engineer
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Staysilly wrote: Hello all. I too am on Depo. I have been working on SB since February 18th, so just over three weeks, and I've only lost about 7.5 pounds during that time - a LOT slower than I had hoped :? . I have a total of 13 pounds to lose to be at my "happy" weight - pounds that have krept on since I started the depo. I also had some spotting about a week after I started, which kind of threw me off because I've been on depo for over two years and haven't had a period during that time. I went in for an annual exam yesterday, and my doctor said it's nothing to be alarmed about - a change in diet can do that.
I searched for this old thread b/c I've been on depo for about a year. My periods stopped pretty quickly, but now, after about 1.5 weeks into phase 1, my period started again! And I was curious if the SBD was responsible for that. It was nice not having periods, but I'm thinking it's healthier to have them, as this is what our bodies are supposed to do. Anyway, I wonder if it will last, or if it's just a temporary thing due to the sudden diet change. |
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Tue Jul 26, 2005 6:37 pm |
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| EQJen
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I had a conversation with a nurse at my new doctors office regarding the hip versus arm for my DP shot. She was surprised that I had always gotten them in my arm and said they must be given in the hip. When I came in for the actual shot a new nurse said she had checked some drug manual and it said either site is fine for your shot.
I'm SBing now and this thread is sort of discouraging. I guess if my weight loss is slow I'll know why. Either way I can't stop taking my DP. Even after several different strengths of bc pills, my cycle was so horrible and painful that it was like a miracle when I started DP. |
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Tue Jul 26, 2005 11:23 pm |
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| rachael1
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I have been on depo for almost 8 years and I have been STRONGLY advised by my doctor to change to the pill next time I am due for a shot. Here are her reasons why:
1. Depo has most likely attributed to my weight gain of 30+ lbs. (And I have been a gym rat for most of those 8 years! )
2. Depo robs your bones of calcium. If you aren't on a supplement you should be. I have been told that even though I am on a supplement and consume a good deal of dairy that I still will need to get a bone density test when I am 30.
3. Depo robs your body of the good cholesterol--this is a big one for me. I have excellent cholesterol numbers but my good one is low. I asked about diet and the dr told me that I would not be able to eat enough to significantly raise mine (she, of course, still encouraged me to consume the good fats).
4. Finally she told me that I have bascially robbed my body of Estrogen for almost eight years which is VERY unhealthy.
I thought it was maybe just the one doctor's opinion that I see, but I heard the same thing from three different doctors.
I am switching to a pill method as soon as I am due for my shot!!!! |
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Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:50 am |
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| andrya
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If you're doing well on Depo, then I don't want to change your mind or anything, but my experience was pretty awful.
I was on Depo for about two years, and my period stopped completely after about six months. Well, after about a year, I started to have a lot of trouble with pain during intercourse. No matter what I did, even with lots of artificial lubricant, etc. it still hurt both during and after. I went to my doctor, who treated me for a bacterial infection, a yeast infection, and a couple other things. Then, when it didn't clear up he sent me to a gynecologist.
At this point it had been about a year with painful intercourse. As you can imagine, it was hard on my husband. He stopped wanting to be intimate--he's really bothered by hurting anything and this was especially hard on him.
While having this problem I also gained about 25 pounds, and was having other issues, like sleeplessness, depression, etc.
Anyway, eventually my gyno told me that because of the Depo the walls of my vagina had thinned significantly, and that I was basically going through menopause. (I was 24 at the time.) No one had told me that having your periods stop because of a drug was more or less the same as having your periods stop because of menopause. Chemically your body goes through many of the same changes, and all the side effects can also be the same.
I stopped taking the Depo, but it took over six months for the pain to go away, and I have to say that my relationship (at least the sexual aspect of it) has probably suffered because I experienced pain for so long.
If you haven't had side effects, then I wouldn't discourage you from using Depo. However, if you start having menopausal symptoms, talk to your doctor about the Depo being a cause! I went to at least three different doctors and got treated for a lot of different things "just in case" before someone realized what the real problem was. It cost a lot of money, and it was a hardship for both myself and my husband. |
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Thu Jul 28, 2005 6:53 pm |
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| Barbmcs
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| I am 45 years old. I too am here looking to lose the 15 pounds I gained after 2 Depo injections. I had a terrible experience with Depo - extreme fatigue - I had my last shot in December 04 and still havent gotten my period (only ever had 2 shots) I wouldnt recomend Depo to anyone. |
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Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:49 am |
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