Coming off Depo Provera after one shot

Hey everyone-

20 years old/5'5/135lbs

Just letting you all know, YOU ARE NOT ALONE AND THIS IS VERY REAL. I received my first injection of pro depovera about 11 months ago. I overall received only 2 injections. I went off the shot because I had bled for 5 months straight, and switched to the pill. My period is still not normal regarding length of period and cycles in between. I recently made the connection today of the anxiety and panic attacks I've been experiencing, and how the time frame matches. I literally have no control over my reactions to things emotionally and physically. I've never been an emotional person. My clothes are literally soaked with sweat daily, including my shoes. I've never had a perspiration problem. I will begin weeping for no reason. I'd never been a person who cries. My blood pressure is high. I've never had high blood pressure. I FEEL MANIC! I'm currently prescribed a daily SSRI medication, however I'm having panic attacks multiple times a week. Prior to the depo provera shot, I had no history of any mental illness like anxiety and depression. Now i'm going to see a psychologist tomorrow to figure how to move forward from here and alleviate the extreme panic attacks i've been having, and how to get my emotions and mind in control again. I'm feeling a little hopeless since there's no definite time of when I'll feel like myself again..I've been off the shot for almost 5 months now. This shot was definitely not worth it for me seeing as I'm now mentally ill. For anyone experiencing any similar issues, hang in there, and stay positive.

xoxo marissa

I took the 1st & only shot in Aug. and it only last 3 months. It is now April and I have yet to have a period! I am not pregnant. I have horrible menstrual cramps almost EVERY morning, my eating habits are not that great, chest pains, headaches, dizziness, heart pulputations, and moodiness. I'm really small, 100 lbs, so I'm wondering if its just taking longer to get out of my system or what. I just recently lost my health insurance so I have not been able to go to a doctor about it but after reading these posts, I am assuming all of these symptoms I am having, that I did not have before, are from the depo shot.

I took the 1st & only shot in Aug. and it only last 3 months. It is now April and I have yet to have a period! I am not pregnant. I have horrible menstrual cramps almost EVERY morning, my eating habits are not that great, chest pains, headaches, dizziness, heart pulputations, and moodiness. I'm really small, 100 lbs, so I'm wondering if its just taking longer to get out of my system or what. I just recently lost my health insurance so I have not been able to go to a doctor about it but after reading these posts, I am assuming all of these symptoms I am having, that I did not have before, are from the depo shot.

To all of you ladies coming off depo provera, I too was on the shot and my doctor never told me of all the HORRIBLE side affects one can have even after coming off. I have done a LOT of research and am livid I was NEVER, not once, told of all it can do!!! You will have to excuse me as I type this because I am sooo VERY angry!!!!!!!!!! I feel as though my doctor was suppose to look out for me and she did NOT!! I went to her and her nurse on SEVERAL occasions and would ask different things about the shot. I don't mean to discuss my sex life BUT I even went to her about that...I had no libido AT ALL! She had the nerve to tell me that my hubby and I needed a "date night" and was sent home with a RX for testosterone cream and said "if that doesn't work, we needed to see a marriage counselor". My marriage was fine except for the sex life. Come to find out in all the research.... it causes a loss of libido! Also do you ladies know that not only does it cause bone loss BUT also it DOUBLES your chances of BREAST CANCER?!?!?!? They give this drug to male sex offenders as a form of castration too! I hope and pray they remove this drug from the market permanently!!!  Also I have been off of the shot since March 2011 and still no period and my Reproductive Endo says the depo has destroyed my lining! Good luck to all of you ladies that are having problems with your health or for you all that are having fertility problems. This drug is HORRIBLE!!    

I had one depo shot as well. I am married for 2 years and I started to get thoughts like u did was he right for me and such. I have been with my hubby a total of 6 years and I love him very much.It was upsetting that I felt that way. He is my best friend still but it can be hard due to depo shot. I am bleeding every day. I am very tired and also get dizzy as well. I need surgery for my uterus prolapse due to pregnancy but I need to stop the bleeding first. You are young and if you have a supportive man like I do. you guys will get through this together. best of luck sweetie.

I've only had 1 depo shot and within a month I had gained so much weight, bad chest and heart pains, times of not breathing in my sleep, ended up in hospital with a blood clot in my lung. I suffer with Crohn's disease so I felt this would be a better option then the pill as my body wouldn't absorb it. I had a rough time on the implant I bled for 4 months straight. I am not getting the depo again and I really wouldn't recommend.

i feel exactly 100%, all i do is doubt and cry.
yes, prior to the shot i was so damn happy and everything was perfect. now i just get nervous and anxious, only about mine and my boyfriends relationship. i cant wait til im off of this.

I took the shot Oct 2012 and got off March 2013... so I only took the shot twice because my body did not feel right...I regret taking it. My period stopped right away and I am still waiting for it and it's june. I read on the sexualandyou.org site that the average person is themselves again approx 9 months after discontinued use. My teeth were the biggest problem, and it makes sense that I would feel the effects of the bone density loss there first...my teeth have never costed me so much... and I know it's related to the shot. 2 big cavities that almost had to be root canals. good thing I have insurance. I take very good care of my teeth. I floss! I brush twice a day. I use mouth wash!I've had small teeny tiny cavities in the past that my dentist would keep an eye on...and all of a sudden I have full blown cavities... doesn't make any sense!  I've got the headaches right away and the nausea, the sweats, depression, libido almost non existent and EXTREME exhaustion.  Rewind, before I got on the shot, I had a very strong sex drive, happy go lucky and had energy and fast forward, I'm uber sensitive, I was always sensitive but now I can't take a joke. I'm sad ALL THE TIME. MY STOMACH HATES ME and my bf practically has to beg me for sex...I just want to be me again. I feel ugly because I was breaking out non stop and I gained weight and continue to do so... I'm  15 pounds heavier... I changed my diet even though I am a pretty healthy person but its like if I eat one loaf of bread now Ill gain 5 lbs! its so ridiculous. I joined the gym a month ago and its helping but I feel its not fast enough. I just got back from Cuba about 2 weeks ago and my symptoms almost all disappeared! I think being in the sun A LOT helped. ppl who have seasonal depression just need light...so it makes sense all the suns wonderful rays did the trick...my libido came back too. I'm thinking I should go to a tanning salon twice a week or something since the sun here seems to be non existent in june! there is hope ladies! and it feels great knowing I am not alone. hang in there! I noticed with the stomach stuff, the bloating, have to eat light meals

I have been going through the same thing. I had my baby in January of this year and my life has been hell ever since. It has been five months since my ONLY dose of depo provera and I have been bleeding heavily nonstop for the entire time, experiencing, breast pain, leg swelling, bloating, vomitting, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, hair shedding, extreme weakness, concentration issues, severe depression, fevers, chest pain and chest pressure, constant cramps, back pain, limb pain and loss of my sex drive. I was not informed of all of this from the doctor and it has ruined my life. I have been trying to endure being a full-time college student and a mom at the same time. My husband is growing agitated because I am constantly ill and we havent had sex for months on account of all of these complications. Doctors give me no insight...just say to wait it out. They say it could take six months to a year before it is gone, meaning I can bleed for one more month or for the rest of the year...it works in not getting you pregnant because YOU CAN'T HAVE SEX!!! That is not a contraceptive...it is evil and ruining the lives of healthy young women....it should be banned...

honestly, this shot is a major wake up call. Why is normal to be taking hormones?Hormones come from animals and they mix it with synthetics and give it to us. it's crazy how all of us were so desperate and tried depo even with the black box warning. I've been on diff kinds of birth control and my body is done... its not normal to be bleeding EVERY DAY non stop! like... wow. I would try to look at it as a cleansing or something. Everytime I eliminate I smile because I am one step closer of having this 'thing' out of me. iunno about you guys but I'm done with hormones!!!

I got my first shot of depo in April, it was recommended to me by a gynecologist because a) I got pregnant on the pill and b) I have migraines with auras so the pill = no bueno.

 

It is AWFUL. 2nd shot should be next week and I am NOT going. Took an appointment to get another type of birth control instead.

 

I can deal with the random spotting, I can deal with the cramps, I can deal with an eventual weight gain but I CANNOT deal with the mood swings, it's horrible, the smallest things upset me, I'll drop a pen and be pissed about it for like 3 hours, no kidding. I want to lash out at everybody and the next minute I want to cry in my bed. I've become an awful, hateful person and the worst part is I CAN'T CONTROL IT. It's not like being pissed off "normally", I'm over-the-top about everything and I can't control what I say. I've never been the most patient woman but I've never been this terrible.

 

I affects everything, I work with people but anytime a customer asks "too many" (1 being 1 too many) questions or doesn't understand or whatever it takes me all my strength to not yell at them, I'm moody, bitchy and snappy towards my boyfriend, this is the worst, we've been together almost 6 years now and I feel like 1 shot of this sh*t is about to kill us because he can't understand what hormones are doing to me and he can't endure my attitude anymore - and I can't blame him for not standing me anymore, I CAN'T STAND MYSELF ANYMORE EITHER.

 

My advice if your doctor wants to give you this. Say f**k NO. THE REWARD IS NOT WORTH THE RISKS. I wish I had read more stories of the depo shot before I decided to take it, because my life has been a mess for almost 3 months and I've got the shot to blame for it.

Feel the need to throw my two cents in. It's a long two cents. I got my first shot when I was 30. I was in a serious relationship and could never remember to take the pill at the same time every day. And if I didn't, I had debilitating periods. I never experienced anything bad with the shot - OR SO I THOUGHT - for the 8 yrs I was on it.

So many other things were going on in my life that why would I make the connection? My bf and I broke up- it was world war three. (Let me interject and say that was the best thing that ever happened to me, though, as he was totally wrong for me.) I was in the midst of an eating disorder that started way long before the shot (like 20yrs before) and when I began real recovery (I suffered many forms but anorexia was the latest) and started eating again.. I got super sick. Discovered my gallbladder died and I had to have it removed. Why do I mention all this? Because even after I had my gb removed, I was still super sick.

So here I am, super sick all the time- nausea, bloating, severe diarrhea (supposedly side effect of no gb), moody, anger, depression, irritated, frustrated.. God the list is long but hey, I'm recovering from an ed and all the therapy that goes with that. I get put on antidepressants (which help).

I change my diet frequently to find foods that don't bother me. I'm already vegetarian. Nothing helps. More fiber. Nothing helps.

Still on depo.

I start getting so ill that I have to quit my job and work from home- next to a bathroom. I think I must have a food allergy. Go for testing. I must have a food intolerance. Thought it was soy. Stop eating soy. Nothing. I'm still a mess. Physically, emotionally I evened out a bit. But then more major life stuff happens- dad goes into a nursing home for Alzheimer's, fighting with landlords, no money because I had to quit my high paying job... stress was through the roof. I was so ill it was ridiculous and I went through even more tests.

Still on depo.

Fast forward. I'm 39 and have been sick for my entire 30s. Recently met the love of my life - the most awesomest man on the planet. We have drastically changed our diets (for so many reasons) and I have stopped eating processed foods, went vegan, plant-based, whole foods, non-gmo, gluten-free, sugar-free.. noticed a huge change. Oh- did I mention? Diagnosed with fibromyalgia 7yrs ago. The majority of the symptoms for that went away with the diet change.

Still on depo.

Lo and behold, I'm still sick- still have certain symptoms that just won't go away. So we decided my last shot was three months ago. No more poison. I was due for the next shot two weeks ago. After a ton of research and reading all of your comments.. here is my conclusion- the real reason I have been sick for my entire 30s? The only common denominator? DEPO.

This shot is EVIL and it's POISON. Even if you don't think it is. I know I didn't. 9yrs later.. I'm convinced.

God speed.

I have been diagnosed with severe depression, paranoia, and anxiety. I even started seeing a therapist. I was doing great, then I got the depo shot and suicidal thoughts and attempts were all that were ever on my mind. I felt worthless, doubted my boyfriend who constantly talked about marriage, and I just wanted to end the pain and misery I felt. This was my first depo shot. I didn't realize what was making me this way... Now I do. This shot is evil, terrible, and life changing in the most worst way. Please please reconsider the shot

As soon as I started reading these comments I called my husband and said THANK YOU for dealing with me!!! I'm not crazy!!!

 

Been on depo 3 times now, once was for 2 years in 2006 to 2008, the doctor said it wasn't good to be on it more than 2 years at a time, made me take medicine to get my period and estrogen levels back to normal, the first 7 months I spotted then nothing for the rest for the 2 years, felt fine.

Second time was in 2011 only took the shot once, I felt super emotional, but I figured it was because I had a lot going on, but even my closest friends were saying that I wasn't acting normal or seemed to be REALLY stressed, my period came back almost instantly then I couldn't stop bleeding for a month.

Third time, oh and this is a charmer, was in 2013 of this year in February (Valentine's Day, HA!), and spotted on and off for 1-2 months one week off, one week on. I was supposed to get my second shot in May, and said no. I STILL to this day (August 15th), hadn't had my period come back, I'm always crying and being super sensitive, I had gotten myself down to 179lbs before depo, and back up to 186-189 again, I can't lose this weight to save my life and my confidence is horrible, my poor husband has had to deal with me and all of this...and I'm glad I wasn't the only one NOT having a sex drive, I felt so bad and insecure I even cried a couple of times after I had sex with my husband. I jUST want DEPO out of my system FAST!!! It's already been over 3 months, I saw some women said 6months to a year, I don't want to wait that long but I don't want to take any more medicines, so I have been exercising regularly again, and drinking TONS of water!!! It helped a little bit I lost 3lbs in one week then gained it right back! Glad to know I'm not crazy, so tired of this feeling though. Mostly the crying OMG the crying, I can't stop sometimes!!! I've become so irritated too in general, that I changed my work schedule to over nights so I dont see many people at all anymore, and can still function at work!!! 

 

 

I had one depo shot, back in June, and was completely unprepared for the side effects.  A friend of mine was on it for quite a while, and she had great luck with it, but for me, it has been nothing but HADES since the beginning.  Emotional moments, mood swings, headaches, sudden, intense gastro-intestinal upset, ... not to mention the weird discharge, and the month long period I have been on. I am in a wonderful, stable relationship, which is struggling, because we can't have sex.  The bleeding itself isn't so bad, but the other "stuff" that has been with it is unacceptable.  

I fully intend to talk to the doctor, and be very blunt with him about all of this.  I will not be taking another depo shot.  Ever.