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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by alexandra_k on January 1, 2005, at 18:44:21
I had an injection maybe August... They are supposed to last 3 months. In that time I have gone up a solid size in my weight, and pretty much lost most of my desire for sex. Is that how it is supposed to work? Birth control that works by making you not want to have sex? Ha!
Anyways, I had decided not to have another one. But my period still hasn't really come back. Just two days of brown smudge (in total since I had the injection). Not that I am complaining about that (no no no) - but I am wondering whether the return of the period will be the begin of the weight loss. Anyone been here before?
Posted by Larry Hoover on January 2, 2005, at 10:10:46
In reply to depo injection, posted by alexandra_k on January 1, 2005, at 18:44:21
> I had an injection maybe August... They are supposed to last 3 months. In that time I have gone up a solid size in my weight, and pretty much lost most of my desire for sex. Is that how it is supposed to work? Birth control that works by making you not want to have sex? Ha!
>
> Anyways, I had decided not to have another one. But my period still hasn't really come back. Just two days of brown smudge (in total since I had the injection). Not that I am complaining about that (no no no) - but I am wondering whether the return of the period will be the begin of the weight loss. Anyone been here before?You mean depo-provera?
There was just a warning in the paper yesterday about this stuff. Health Canada issued a warning that it can cause permanent bone loss.
Anyway, towards your questions. The loss of libido is considered to be a fairly common side effect. It could be another two full cycles before you get anything that resembles a normal period. Your pituitary has been tricked into suppressing both FSH and LH production, and it will take a bit of time before the depo substances completely leach out of your muscle tissue. These are uncontrolled variables. Just so you know what the depo part of the drug name means....the active substances are mixed with solvents in which they are very poorly soluble. Because the oily stuff is put into muscle, where blood flow is only by capillary, there is not enough transfer between this viscous solvent and the blood for the drug to move quickly. It gradually seeps out, which gives the long-term effects. To say a shot will last for three months is really a general statement. Its effects could last significantly longer than that, but just gradually reducing over time.
The weight issue could be water weight. If it is, you're lucky. It will gradually fall away. It might not be water weight, though. You may have to deal with it the old-fashioned way.
Lar
Posted by alexandra_k on January 2, 2005, at 20:11:02
In reply to Re: depo injection » alexandra_k, posted by Larry Hoover on January 2, 2005, at 10:10:46
Our uni medical clinic seems to be quite fond of it. Saves people forgetting to take the pill. I did freak out a bit when they said that some women can bleed uncontrollably, but they said that that would happen just before I needed another one and so they can treat it by giving you your next one early. I realised, however, that it is not so good for the old body. Didn't take me long to figure out that it wasn't making me feel too flash. All bloated and crampy but no period to releave that. and then I noticed the weight starting to pile on. My weight is very sensitive to medications. Dr's tell me that it must be because I change my food intake, but I beg to differ, I think they alter my metabolism.
Thanks for your input on this. I am now very determined to avoid them in future.
Posted by jujube on January 2, 2005, at 22:38:31
In reply to Re: depo injection » Larry Hoover, posted by alexandra_k on January 2, 2005, at 20:11:02
I, too, had a Depo shot in August. I went through 3 months of hell - throwing up every day for close to 2 months, horrid mood swings, extreme anxiety and suicidal depression. Since I was puking every day, I didn't gain any weight. I have had a normal cycle since the shot wore off, but have heard of some women waiting months and months before having a normal period again. Perhaps I got back to normal quicker because I had started taking Vitex (Chasteberry) around the time the shot was to have worn off. A friend of mine went on Depo and she bled profusely for 3 months straight and became severely anemic as a result. I was lucky - stopped bleeding completely. There are a few websites where women talk about their Depo experiences, and some of the stories are horrible.
Anyways, good luck to you as your body detoxes from Depo. I am sure you will lose the weight soon.
Tamara
> Our uni medical clinic seems to be quite fond of it. Saves people forgetting to take the pill. I did freak out a bit when they said that some women can bleed uncontrollably, but they said that that would happen just before I needed another one and so they can treat it by giving you your next one early. I realised, however, that it is not so good for the old body. Didn't take me long to figure out that it wasn't making me feel too flash. All bloated and crampy but no period to releave that. and then I noticed the weight starting to pile on. My weight is very sensitive to medications. Dr's tell me that it must be because I change my food intake, but I beg to differ, I think they alter my metabolism.
>
> Thanks for your input on this. I am now very determined to avoid them in future.
>
>
Posted by alexandra_k on January 4, 2005, at 2:31:23
In reply to Re: depo injection » alexandra_k, posted by jujube on January 2, 2005, at 22:38:31
> I, too, had a Depo shot in August.
he he and you got your curse back before me!
Joking. I think it is better to have it than not at this stage. I think it messed up my system not getting rid of it all. I get horrid pictures of stuff needing to come out but not being able to and just kind of.... oh never mind too graphic and yuk yuk yuk.Wow about the throwing up. I did get warned about the depression but my t/p-doc said better to get depressed than pregnant. Well, thats one way of looking at it I suppose.
Yeah well no more.
Posted by jujube on January 4, 2005, at 2:48:54
In reply to Re: depo injection » jujube, posted by alexandra_k on January 4, 2005, at 2:31:23
No more for me either! It is disgusting stuff. My family doctor won't even use it on her patients, even if they ask for it. When I started researching Depo after I became sick, I find out that it has been used in the prison system to essentially chemically casterate sex offenders. As for better than being pregnant, it's weird but basically what the Depo shot does is tell you body that it is pregnant. It just totally messes up your hormones the longer you stay on it. I'm glad in a way that I had such a bad reaction because it forced me off it before any real damage was done.
Oh well. Live and learn.
Tamara
> > I, too, had a Depo shot in August.
>
> he he and you got your curse back before me!
> Joking. I think it is better to have it than not at this stage. I think it messed up my system not getting rid of it all. I get horrid pictures of stuff needing to come out but not being able to and just kind of.... oh never mind too graphic and yuk yuk yuk.
>
> Wow about the throwing up. I did get warned about the depression but my t/p-doc said better to get depressed than pregnant. Well, thats one way of looking at it I suppose.
>
> Yeah well no more.
>
>
>
>
>
Posted by alexandra_k on January 4, 2005, at 3:23:12
In reply to Re: depo injection » alexandra_k, posted by jujube on January 4, 2005, at 2:48:54
> I found out that it has been used in the prison system to essentially chemically casterate sex offenders.
Yeah. Thats what occurred to me after my body started feeling awful too. I thought OMG this is what they do to people who are very sick indeed and I have just volountarily gone and done it to myself.
All this sounds really odd. Typically I wouldn't be thinking along these lines at all, but it does something nasty.
Posted by Wildflower on January 4, 2005, at 10:20:28
In reply to depo injection, posted by alexandra_k on January 1, 2005, at 18:44:21
I tried this drug back in college. For me, it was a horrible experience. I bled almost every day for three months - not heavy but enough to annoy me. The doctors convinced me that I'd be fine after the second shot. Not the case. It also made me gain weight that really didn't go away. Once I switched to another BCP, I felt better.
I wish you luck!
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