Well I love the depo shot. I have been on it straight since 2009 and no major issues besides weight gain. Which with diet and exercise you should be fine. They did have to test my bones due to long usage it takes calcium away which I checked out fine. The one thing I love about it no period maybe spot right before your next dosage. the only other thing going to the Dr every 3 month that part suck because some time you could be sitting for hours when that's all you need. other then that I love Depo... And as some others have said it does everyone different but every one I know that has been on it is weight gain

sexyme77

Orlando Fl

Absolutely "compelled" to give a review to help others, make a notice warning review against depo provera hoping to save others atleast hopefully from my experience. I am now off depo shot after two straight years, these are the cons mostly or pros however if you choose to see them that way that I incurred. Mainly this is to say depos cons incredibly worse than any benefit and completely out way the primary achievement results. Started weight 135 5"2, currently 197. This is not a simply shallow as self esteem. This is why I gained that people need to know and please don't do it!!! Depo you may hear turns muscle into fat, correction in my case, depo turned muscle into fat yes, but manly growth of fat, not in feminine places or like a woman gaining weight. I have just started estrogen supplements, and I can feel a change back to a woman emotionally and physically that quick. Depo gave me strong large back and arm muscles, and a gut of a man. The supplements have immediately started to change back my form and mood if this was suffered by you also, I'm taking a phytoestrogen supplements just about 27$ from vitamin shoppe. Depo also manlike started hair on my chin, the growth stopped with the end of the shots. I am 30 having started around or before 28 but no later, because I immediately suffered mental side effects spanning back two years. It probably started around after 3 months with the second round of injection. I was just released from the hospital after 9 days due to a nervous breakdown. Depo stops your period, sounds too good to be true? It is!!! Your period is a trait of a woman. I stopped having the more seen as feminine emotions. When I was hurt or offended which women have to deal with a lot unfortunately, a bad side effect was that I didn't let emotions out. Depo made me resentful or angry instead of just forking it out like a movie or a cry or telling that person off. I gained muscle heavily in my shoulders from revving up stress. The short, stay away!

Mslee850

Pensacola, Fl

I have been on depo for 7 and half years now but been on and off depo since 2001.I had my 1st child in july of 2001 and after i had him i got on depo was on for about a year and half cause i forgot to get my next shot. I got pregnant within a couple months not even knowing i was until i went back to get my next shot. I was really shocked cause i never got my period back and wasn't trying to get pregnant. After i had my next son i got right back on it for about 5 years. I got on and off depo due to side effects but i didn't have really bad one's.I grained a little weight,moody sometimes,lost interest in sex and it hurt to have as i couldn't stay wet. After 5 years i wanted to get back off depo and i was also being prep for a surgery which they always do blood work.A month after i got off depo i was pregnant again as it was even bigger surprise then my last child.My dr called me and said were going to half to hold off on doing surgery for a while cause your pregnant i dropped the phone as shocked as i was.I picked the phone back up and told him i wasn't but i really was. I never got my period and i decided that after my last one who is almost 8 years old now i am staying on depo so been on depo ever since.Everyone is different when taking the shot and the side effects are not all the same.I have bi-polar and other mental health issues which with the depo it does sometimes make me more depressed but i am dealing with the side effects.I did try the IUD but i bleed so bad on it plus the 3 weeks it was in my body rejected so it came out by itself my drs thought i pulled it out they were crazy.It hurt going and it hurt coming out cause you feel like your in labor when it comes out. I wanted to give everyone a run down of what i have been through cause it doesn't ruin everyone's life's but it depends on your body.I am not planning on getting pregnant again as i have 3 wonderful Boy's which are 14,12 and almost 8.Make your own decision but reviews do help.

sam035

saratoga,Ny

I first got this shot February 2015. The next day i got my period which lasted for about a month but it was very light, I never had to change my tampon, just in the morning and then done for the day. The only other side effect I had was slight drowsiness but that was only for about a week. I have not gotten my period but occasionally I get a dark brown discharge but that doesn't last, that has happened to me twice. And hey I'm not pregnant, so I do recommend this.

Clairecoleman31

Dubuque, IA

I am a 19 year old female who was recommended to try the Depo shot back at the end of August of 2014. I was heading off to college the week after and decided to try the shot because the previous pill I was on screwed up my period a lot. I was so stupid for not looking up the side effects before agreeing to get this horrible shot. The first few weeks seemed fine, I felt normal. After that...I gained 15 pounds in two months. I was actually exercising more and eating healthier too. I usually only got a few break outs here and there but this shot gave me the worst acne I have ever had in my life. It was so bad around my lips, chin, and jawline. I am actually surprised my boyfriend wanted to kiss me. Make-up could not cover it and I was so embarrassed to walk back to my room after washing my cover up off at night in the bathroom. Because of these side effects, my self confidence was shot to bits. Here I was trying to meet people and make the best out of my first year of college, and I looked and felt so unattractive and gross. I felt sad and disgusting which affected my work ethic and then my grades too. I barely wanted to have sex anymore with my boyfriend because I felt so gross and my drive was nonexistant. It really put a strain on our relationship. I also read a lot of reviews after getting it that it decreases bone density and that overall, it is very bad for you. Also it should not be used for more than two years because it can cause infertility!!! I refused to go back in to get my second shot but it took a good 3 months to get back to normal. It feels so good to be myself again! Also my skin has completely cleared up and I have lost 7 pounds so far :) I am so much more confident! In conclusion, DO NOT GET THIS SHOT. Look into it more before you agree to do so. I know that every women is different, but I have not met one person who has had a good experience with it.

BreAnnM

Minneapolis, MN

Depo Provera is very effective at preventing pregnancy ...because it works by making you overweight, unattractive and repelled by the sex act. I was previously on Nuva Ring for 7 years. I absolutely loved it and would have stayed with it, but unfortunately my new insurance plan did not cover it. So instead of dealing with the hassle of pills, I opted for the Depo shot. HUGE mistake. I received my first shot on December 17, 2014. The next week (which was when I was supposed to get my period), I bled very lightly for about three days. After that, I never had a period again. This is the only thing I liked about Depo. The next month, my normally perfectly clear and healthy skin broke out in acne. I also started to break out on my back. I also began to lose excessive amounts of hair every time I would take a shower or brush/comb my hair. At first, I wasn't that alarmed since I have very thick hair and had some to spare. Well now my hair is noticeably thinner and I am very unhappy about this. I gained 15 pounds since first getting the shot, which is ridiculous because I am generally very healthy and active. My eating habits have not changed at all and I cannot seem to work off the extra pounds, no matter what I try. I noticed that my sex drive has been absolutely killed, which is placing a strain on my marriage. I previously had a very healthy sex life with my husband and now I am literally never in the mood and even repulsed by the idea. I read the reviews before first getting on Depo yet I did not heed the warnings because I know that every woman's body responds differently. However, this is one case where I wish would have trusted the general consensus because it would have spared me a lot of grief. I cannot wait for these hormones to wear off. I will definitely NOT be getting my next shot. I think I will be trying the non-hormone IUD (Paragard) next.

violetdragon

Bay Area, CA

BAD BAD BAD BAD! I'm writing this because I don't want anyone to go through what I did.This medication did exactly what it was supposed to in terms of birth control,I did not get pregnant. That should be good, but the struggle I had to go through for it was not worth it in any way shape or form. I am very dissatisfied with it and wish I had researched it before I took it. I took one shot on Jan 22 2014. It is Aug 18 and I'm just now seeing changes on going back to normal. I won't go into detail but here are some side effects I experiences: ABSOLUTELY NO SEX DRIVE/HURT DURING PENETRATION, ACNE, GAINED 30 LBS WHILE EXERCISING AND EATING HEALTHY, VERY MOODY,DIARRHEA, VOMITING,CLAY COLORED STOOL, SEVERELY DEPRESSED, BLOATED, AND SPOTTING. I took this as an easy way out of using regular contraceptives and it almost ruined my relationship with my boyfriend whom I live with. He said I wasn't myself and I didn't feel like it at all. I can't even explain what it feels like to think you are crazy. Finding out it was the hormones gave me a little ease but now that I'm returning to normal and actually feeling happy again I would never go back. Nurses say you should try it twice just to make sure it works, but there is no amount of money or persuasion that would make me do this again. If you take it and it does work well for you, please be careful and take care of yourself or use calcium pills because major loss in bone density is tied to long term users of depo provera.

kfo

USA

If you are like me I have a hard problem remembering to take a pill everyday so my doctor suggested a birth control that is a shot and you only get it every 3 months called Depo. Well I was sold and decided I would try it and it was a long 2 years for me. I am pretty good about handling side effects from medicines but this one I couldn't bare no longer. First I must say The Depo shot does prevent pregnancy is why I gave it a 5, and it is easy to receive. My side effects were mild compared to others but my biggest issue was weight gain! I stand 5 feet and when I gain weight it shows and over the 2 year span I think it was an extra 45 pounds. Then there was constipation and mood swings. I guess my mood would be bad gaining that weight and if you are unable to go to the bathroom. This was enough for me to try a different form and leave the Depo shot at the doctors office! I think it is a great idea for those of us who forget the pill but I wasn't willing to stay miserable and keep gaining weight.

AprilTolley

USA

Please I am begging you lady's out there that are considering getting the depo shot to stop now! My doctor made this seem so simple and easy , I had extreme heavy bleeding and have tried so many pills and depo was the last option. It ruined my life after only 4 shots . I had constant bleeding from it , I never changed my eating habits and gained 20+ pounds, I was losing hair , breaking out , even becoming an emotional wreck. The depo made me bleed for over a year with a two day break if I was lucky. And I recently found out I can't have children now! I have been so depressed and cannot believe how much I have ruined my life over this evil shot! I read the reviews and you lady's have to take the hint that it is no good and toxic and poison to our bodies!

Suzanne89

USA

I started the birth control shot in May of 2013, the day before my 20th birthday. To say the least, it was a terrible decision. The shot was great in some ways. I didn't have my period the entire time I was on it (3 months). My periods were always irregular though. It was also nice to be free from worry about contraception. The bad overwhelmed the good though. The first week or so that I was on the shot I had bad headaches. Not migraines, but it was painful. I spotted about halfway through the first month and that continued for about two weeks. I didn't need to wear anything for it. At three weeks on the shot, my biggest problem happened. I became incredibly, terribly, horrifyingly depressed. It was awful. It was the worst summer of my life. I would have died if I hadn't known the shot would last just a few months and that it would (hopefully) end. The depression I got from it didn't wear off immediately after the three months, it took about an extra month, but I figure that's how long it took to work its way totally out of my system. It's a side effect that I know doesn't happen to everyone, and often wears off with time, but I wouldn't risk it again for anything. I would say that if you have any history of depression at all, DO NOT risk the shot. NOTHING is worth that. I barely had any instances of what might've been depression. If you're going to try it... Make sure you have someone you know could support you through that kind of pain if it happens. I didn't gain any weight. I started at 120 lb and ended at about 115, actually. I'm 5'5". I got moderate acne while on it as well.

RebeccaBrust

USA