Depo-Provera: asking the FDA to investigate: depo provera

» laran - depo provera

In response to depo provera posted by angelscuddle:

I am just starting to gather info on how many people have complaints about depo. I was on it for about 2yrs 6mths, only on 3x the normal dose, I received the quarterly dose every month for a condition that my gyno thought would be relieved by large doses of depo, stopping my cycles. Well, it certainly stopped my cycles, but it has nearly ruined my life, and now nearly 5 years after stopping the injections, my menstral cycle is a mess, heavy, debilitating, lasting anywhere from 8 to 20 days. I have headaches that start at the base of my skull, and feel as if my brain is swelling and pressing on my skull. I have arthritis in my neck, joint and muscle pain, chest pain to the point of seeing a cardiologist, no heart condition so far, but he said that a common side effect of depo was thyroid issues, explaining some of the chest pain, depression and the inability to lose the 80+ lbs I gained in less than 8 months. My family thought I was pregnant and not telling them!!!! I have many other conditions that I never, ever had until depo. I have been tested for lupus, and even had that specialist tell me that since that test was negative, that I was basically just fat and crazy. Sweet. Anyway, I am finding comfort in knowing that I am not alone, many others are suffering the same physical, mental, and emotional symptons that I am experiencing. Hopefully if we all yell and scream enough someone will listen, stop telling us we are crazy, and do something about it. I, too, was active, "the queen of stress", never bothered by anything, and now I have anxiety attacks to the point where I can no longer return to work, which is a fast paced, high stress, physically demanding job that pays well with excellant benefits. I would love to feel like my old self again, and I would love to make sure that no other woman has to suffer because MD.s refuse to acknowledge the effects hormonal drugs have on people.

-- posted by laran