Getting Buffed While On Depot-Provera

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

Since starting depot-provera three months ago a friend of mine has noticed large weight gain. She has expressed an interest in exercising to get in shape. Have any of the board members had experience with a fat loss regiment while taking this? Does anyone know how it interacts with other supplements be they hormonal or otherwise? Thanks for any input.

 

[wilson6]

Depot-Prov is a progesterone, it increases appetite and will make you fat, not buff.

W6

 

[MS]

Just think what it does to pregnant women, and there's your answer!

 

[FitFossil]

Just about any type of hormonal birth control can cause weight gain. It depends on the person and some brands are better than others, but Depo-Provera has the reputation of being "fat in a syringe".

Along with weight gain, it can have other side effects such as loss of sex drive (it's been used as "chemical castration" for sex-offenders), depression, irregular periods (sometimes no period or constant bleeding), migraines, etc. While I've never used it myself, I've never heard anything good about it. How did your friend decide on Depo-Provera?

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

She decided on Depo because of a fear of forgetting to dose regularly with pill form birth control. Any other suggewstions.

 

[BronzedGoddess]

Well I got on Depo right after I had my son and it made it SO VERY hard to loose the weight. I only got one shot and I got off of it. maybe she should try that new patch or something.....

 

[Temple]

IMP the reason depo is such a good form of birth control is that it makes you so fat nobody would want you. Pill, patch or IUD are all preferable although from a BB standpoint the latter is the best option.

 

[wilson6]

"the reason depo is such a good form of birth control is that it makes you so fat nobody would want you."

That would be a good marketing line for Pharmacia and UpJohn.

W6

 

[FitFossil]

The "official" listing of Depo side effects says 'weight gain @5 pounds'. From reading the stories on this Depo site:
http://www.abcinternetmarketing.com/depo-provera/horrorstories.html

these women say it's more like 5+ pounds for each shot!

or worse.....

"...as a result of depo provera birth control injections that I took for a total of one year...50lb weight gain"

"...In the course of 6 - 7 months I went from a size 8 to a size 18..."

"...After a couple of months of being on it I gained 100lbs. In any event, since I have a Hiatus Hernia, such excessive eating would be nearly impossible for me and it should have been blatantly obvious that I didn't gain the weight by 'pigging out'...."

 

[circusgirl]

hmmm maybe this would explain why I am having so much trouble losing fat. I'm eating 1700cals a day, I'm constantly STARVING and I have not lost a single pound in 2 weeks.....

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

How does the patch work? What is the hormonal mode of action? Any females have experiences with weight gain while on the patch?

 

[fawnmarie]

I guess I'm the only woman on the face of the earth that did NOT gain any weight on depo. I've actually lost weight on each shot.

The way it worked for me is by destroying (completely) my sex drive.

"You wanna do what?!"

The constant bleeding was a bitch, too.

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

She said another reason she likes depo is that she ceases menstruating while on it.

 

[Nonerz]

How does the patch work? What is the hormonal mode of action? Any females have experiences with weight gain while on the patch?

From what I've read, the patch works just like the pill. It basically "tricks" the body into thinking it's pregnant (to put it simply).

Here is a link to the website...very informative. Check out how thin it is! http://www.orthoevra.com/

irregular periods (sometimes no period or constant bleeding),

That's putting it lightly! I tell every woman I know who is even entertaining the idea of Depo...DON'T DO IT!! It has been known to jack up your hormonal balance so bad...and for extended periods of time as well (in my case, I spotted for over a year off & on...mostly on). Yeah, it's birth control all right...but not worth it if you create havoc on your body...IMO.