I'm 26 years old. I took the shot back in January 2015. After a month into the shot I start noticing my hair fall out. Aft first I thought it was regular breakage and then it started to come out in chunks. That was my first and last depo shot ever. I was due for the second shot in April, but decided to not take another because I would rather have my thick and health hair. I'm an African American woman and I usually see new growth after a month of relaxing my hair and I didn't so that concerned me. I didn't see it until 6 months after. I'm still experiencing a lot of breakage from dead ends but my hair is also growing and my new growth are coming in. This is a good sign that the shot has left my system. It is the ending of October and it took me over 10 months to get over my hair loss. There's hope. For those researching about the depo shot on whether or not to take it, DON'T!! It's not worth it. You're depressed most of the time, moody and plus sex isn't exciting anymore and it's somewhat painful(the main reason you want the shot is to have good and careless sex). I say, take the pill or just stick to the condom.
I was on the Depo shot for almost 4 years and lost 75% of my hair. I had a hysterectomy 10 years ago and my hair is basically the same thin stringy mess it was when I stopped the shots. I will have patches of new growth that never make it past about 1 inch long and the top of my hair is considerably thinner than the back. Male pattern baldness at its finest. Sorry girls, I wish I could tell you it all reverses but I am still waiting.....
Not always! I have taken many different kinds of supplements and even prescription meds to re-grow hair. Its been 10 years and I have very little to show for improvement.
I'm 20 and have been taking the shot since March last year. I started taking it because of endometriosis, and it helped relieve my symptoms within a few short weeks, so I've been taking it since.
I went to my hairdresser about a month ago, and she asked me if I had noticed that I was missing *a lot* of hair in the back of my head (two patches on each side of the back of my neck). I hadn't noticed anything, except that I got a rash a few weeks before that and asked my mother to check it out, and none of my hair was missing then. My hairdresser suspected some sort of alopecia, but I had these short "stumps" that made it seem like my hair was actually growing out again. A little over a week ago I noticed that my hair was thinning on the sides as well, although luckily not visible unless I lift my hair up. The hair just breaks off a few mm from my scalp. It's gotten progressively worse on the sides since, but it seems to have stopped in the back at least. I've later noticed a smaller patch slightly above the two larger ones in my neck that I hope won't get worse, but right now I'm mostly concerned about the patches around my temples.
I took my last shot two weeks ago, and the only reason I even took the shot again was because my doctor didn't suspect that it was the cause of the problem given that I've had no symptoms until very recently, but now I'm not so sure.I went to a different doctor because it was stressing the f**k out of me, and he tested my vitamins etc. and everything came back fine. I regret taking the last shot so much, in case that's why I'm losing my hair and not an autoimmune disorder or whatever. I'm not 100% sure if this is caused by the shot, but he prescribed me betamethasone (a steroid cream) in case it's got something to do with my skin, and I've noticed that my scalp doesn't itch anymore.
My hair DOES NOT fall out in clumps, and I haven't found any hairs so to speak on my pillow, and I don't seem to loose excessive amounts when brushing or washing my hair. The doctor tried pulling on my hair, and it's definitely stuck in there and it's soft and looks healthy. But it just breaks off at seemingly random spots. The tiny hairs still stuck in my scalp remain there for weeks, hence why the hairdresser thought it was growing out again. Those smaller hairs appear to have fallen out in the back of my head, but not on the sides. I know that the shot lasts about 6 months after your last injection (I can’t think straight at the moment due to stress, but I hope that means I have about 5 ½ months left with the effects – and not that it means there’s still 6 months of effects after it’s been 3 months since my last shot. sh*t I can’t even work that out at the moment).
Anyway, I was hoping that anybody here might have any tips about prescription drugs I could ask for that could help stagnate my hair loss if it’s due to hormonal changes. I live in Europe so US exclusive stuff is no good. OR if there are drugs you can take that actually defy the effects of Provera, that would be a lifesaver. I refuse to believe that there isn’t anything you could take to hinder it. There’s a drug for everything today, so.
My hair fall started in nov 2015 when my second shot was due. and I never realized the hair loss was because of the depo - if I had known I would have never gotten the second shot. I just thought its the stress, me not eating right etc. I have always had very thick and long hair - so much hair that it would take my hairdresser almost an hour to straighten it. Now the top of my head is bald. and I have bald spots in the front and the sides. I have lost all my confidence and I can't regret this shot enough. I went to the dermatologist and he said its alopecia areata. And he gave me cortisone injections and just prescribed me predinosone since the past week. After almost 4 months, I am seeing baby hairs grow in one bald spot. So I think there is still hope. I am going to get a full physical check up in the next two weeks and start to take vitex to balance the hormones (if my doctor advises).
If anyone is planning to take depo shot, please don't. I have laid in bed crying for days for things that didn't even matter. I have lost my motivation and have no desire to do anything. But im starting to see small changes now. i feel its because the shot is going to wear off soon. I have started to feel less depressed and haven't cried in a while. If you're going through the same - just trust me you'll be fine after getting off the shot.
I'm just drinking alot of water, taking my calcium, multivitamin, and biotin and prescribed predinisone for hair. It sucks to not be informed of the side effects prior to getting the shot. I was just told to take calcium and that was all. Anyways, I can't wait for the shot to completely get out of my system - which I believe will be a couple of months :(
stay strong ladies.