Depo-Provera: asking the FDA to investigate

Top 139. Oct 15, 2003 11:19 AM

» plantjam1 - Re: Depo Provera

My daughter started Depo when she was just about 17 and is now 20. For the past year and a half her life has been hell and we are just discovering a lot of information about this shot that she really wishes she had known about before taking even the first shot. Had the doctor at the family planning clinic asked her, even once, if depression ran in her family, she could have said yes, maybe have been warned and not gone ahead with the shot. She had never been depressed prior to taking these shots, she never had a problem with her mental health. During her time on the shots she developed what every other doctor diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder (and yes, they all knew she was on depo). She was given Zanax, she was given other relaxants, she saw a therapist to work through it and nothing helped! We switched doctors many times as no one helped and the anxiety/ panic/ agression/ depression/ body aches / constant headaches/ nausea/ foggy mind/ mood swings/ hair doesn't grow/ numerous flu symptoms coming and going/ allergy symptoms and the list goes on and on. How did we make the connection? During a conversation with her last week she told me how the anxiety and panic had just "stopped" - that she hadn't had one in two months. Guess what? She also told me she went off the shot two months ago too! Right now she is in a deep depression but since all of the research I have done on her behalf she sees some light at the end of the tunnel. After going off the shot she has had a period, only few days long and very heavy. She has an appt. with her general practioner next week to start herself back to a healthy life. I only hope and pray that she can. As her mother I cannot explain how awful it is to see your daughter go through something like this and know I should have known better. That I should have known to investigate this but I didn't. I asked her what questions she asked about this form of birth control and she told me the side effects were possibility of no period, possible weigh gain and that you couldn't stay on it too long or you could possibly become sterile. Long meaning many, many years. I am so upset and yes, I too will be looking into any class action suits against the pharmacutical company producing this life devastating product that is being marketed to vunerable, persuasive young women whose reproductive systems have just begun to be injected with a synthetic hormore that can produce these types of results??? Yes, I also believe they knew many, many more of the symptoms that are actually presented by the doctors who are just marketers for the pharmacutical companies. This "shot" has stolen part of my daughter's life and will more than likely continue to for some time to come. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. Any further info you can give me on where I can formally protest would be helpful. I will also be logging this complaint with the pharmacutical company also. Thanks again! If you have any questions, I'd be glad to help.

-- posted by plantjam1

Top 140. Oct 18, 2003 10:36 PM

» boyd124 - Re: Depo and Law Suits

In response to message posted by vmcelvy:

Hello,
I'm looking for others that have had problems wiDepropro. started the shot 9 years ago and have had nothing but problems ever since. I've been off the shot for 4 to 5 years and have had to see several doctors about severe pain in my calves. I have no insurance and have spent thousands of dollars on doctors and medicine. I need help bad!

Thanks,
Boyd124

-- posted by boyd124

Top 141. Oct 18, 2003 10:43 PM

» boyd124 - Re: Re: pcos and depo

In response to message posted by ShilahM1313:

Could you pleasemailil me and let me knomoreoe about you law suit. I'm looking sue to and would like to speak to a couple of people before I proceed.

Thanks,
Boyd124

-- posted by boyd124

Top 142. Oct 19, 2003 3:03 PM

» brinna - Re: PLease help me someone

In response to message posted by murphyskittie:

Hi, don't worry, I'm going off depo right now for the second time...the bleeding hasn't started. Last time I had my period for about two-three months all the time, it was horrible, but after a while it totally went back to normal and I even got pregnant after that...you'll be fine.

-- posted by brinna

Top 143. Oct 21, 2003 11:25 AM

» sldav75 - Depro -- 4-1/2 years

I loved Depro, have been on it for 4-1/2 years. I never had a complaint, except for the first 3 months where I experienced major leg cramping. Recently, I switched doctors and my new gynecologist noticed I broke my wrist about 2 years. She sent me for a bone density test. At age 36, I am .4 away from full blown osteoporosis. I have moderate bone loss -- osteopenia. My doctor says this is absolutely a direct result of being on depro for so long. I am a vitamin/health food junkie!! She explains that the lack of estrogen caused the bone loss and that no amount of calcium could have prevented this from happening. Does anyone else have this problem? Was anyone else told that Depro causes bone loss? My doctor never warned me and when I pick up my prescription, the paper explaining the drug contains no warning of this as well.

Feel free to contact me at sldav75@hotmail.com if you have had a similar experience with bone loss and depro.

-- posted by sldav75

Top 144. Oct 26, 2003 4:44 PM

» kjhyum - Re: Depro -- 4-1/2 years

In response to message posted by sldav75:
had two depo shots in 95. after having 1st shot i was at a bar getting drinks when a women taking with her hands, hit me in the rib cage and broke two of my ribs. the bones in my feet started to shrink and i went from a size 71/2-8 to a 61/2. i only had two shots but after the 2nd shot i started getting cysts which i didn't know what they were and why i was so sick and why my bones seem to be shrinking (i also am 1inch shorter than i used to be). Every doc i went to tells me it has nothing to do with the shot. My friend had been on the shot for years and she has lost all the muscle in her pelvic bones and no one can explain to her why.

-- posted by kjhyum

Top 145. Oct 27, 2003 7:55 AM

» reallyrichsnail - Re: Re: Depo Provera

In response to message posted by plantjam1:

I too have been on depo provera for some time. I should have made the connection sooner, I was on the shot for almost 4 years around 19-22 years old and during that time was severely depressed and had violent mood swings and was very agressive. I was on antidepressants at this time also and took zanax for panic attacks. I was in therapy trying to get to the bottom of the issue, never once thinking that it could have been my depo. When I moved to Michigan 3 years ago I decided to give my body a break from the Depo and stopped getting the injections. Slowly I came out of my depression and was so happy I had to stop taking the anti depressents and no longer had panic attacks or the moodiness. It was a great 2 years without the depo.
Irregular peroids and a great new boyfriend led me back to birth controll, but I can never remember to take my pill so I needed a shot. Lunelle was a wonderful option, the pill in shot form so I still got the estrogen my body needed with once a month convienience. They discontinued it, however, due to women getting pregnant on it. So it was back to the depo. At first I was fine. I have been on this shot since March 2003, and with each passing month the old me seems to be back. I am very moody, very agressive with my boyfriend, whom I love, and starting to feel the depression. I cry for dumb reasons. I have no explaination for any of my behaviors. Then I decided to do some research regarding the depo and find all these postings and stories. I want off this shot, the bummer of it all is that I have another 2 months until I am due for my next injection for it to wear off. I am hoping my boyfriend and I can last that long. I have tried to explain what I think is going on to him but he doesnt think a shot can cause the evil creature I become. I disagree. I just wanted to vent and share so you know you are not alone and neither is your daughter. Had I known what an evil drug depo is I never would have gone back on it. A wolf in sheeps clothes.....

-- posted by reallyrichsnail

Top 146. Nov 2, 2003 10:14 AM

» AmyNYC - Beginning to Realize...

I have been on the Depo shot for just under a year. When I first began taking the shot - I thought it was a miracle. Previously I had been on the Pill, but was always forgetting to take it or taking it at the wrong time. It was a hassle to keep up with. Depo, in my eyes, provided a wonderful alternative. I loved it.
The past five months, I have not felt like myself. The most noticeable changes have been headaches ALL the time, and a drastic change in my libido. Before getting the shot, and even during my first few months on it, I had a very healthy sex drive. The past five months have seen my libido plummet. I blamed it on everything - except the shot. It never occurred to be that could be the problem. Same with the headaches. Before the shot I would get a migraine maybe once a year. Now, I've been experiencing them every couple of months.
I also began following a vegan diet shortly after going on Depo-Provera. It had nothing to do with the shot - I just wanted to make a lifestyle change. I had been feeling sluggish and thought a vegan diet would help my energy level. I noticed my hair started falling out. Not anything drastic - but noticeable to me. I blamed it on the vegan diet and began taking vitamins.
The past six months I have been getting really bad breakouts. Especially just before it is time to get my shot again. I was flipping through a photo album over breakfast today and I notice that, while my skin has never been perfect,in all of the pre-depo pictures my skin looked 80% better than it does now. It was at that moment I started to wonder if my acne was due to depo. So I got online and started reading about the side effects. Not only is my acne a side effect of the depo, but I am beginning to believe my loss of libido, headaches, lack of energy, mood swings and even the yeast infection I am currently fighting (the first time I have EVER had one) might all be from the shot.
I thought I was making a very informed decision when I went on Depo-Provera. I spoke with my OBGYN, read the pamphlet from front to back, spoke to friends who were on the shot...I did everything I was supposed to.

So, I am due to get my next shot on November 13th. I am making a decision to get off the shot - but now comes the process of getting this drug out of my body. I am not looking forward to this and would appreciate any advice you can offer.

-- posted by AmyNYC

Top 147. Nov 15, 2003 10:14 AM

» vividsky - Depo Provera is a Curse

My mother and I were talking today about "yet" another health problem I am facing and she brought up the fact that I use to be on Depo, so I decided to do a search to find others like me. I came across this site and could not believe what I was reading and the horror stories. Well I’m going to ad my horror story to this and I plan to take action as well. Yes it is true, depo is good for some people, and it was great for me the entire year I was on it. BUT...one day my hormones woke up while I was on depo and all I can say is it felt like I was losing my mind. I felt like my head was caving in, my body hurt all over, I could not eat without throwing up afterwards, I was losing incredible weight. Went from 110 to about 100 pounds in one week. All I did was cry, didn't want to be around anyone including my boyfriend whom is a saint... My mom picked me up and had me stay at her house and all I did was lay on the couch and cried. I was having hot flashes, (I’m was only 32) I was suffering morning sickness (not pregnant) and I was suffering from a form of depression, sorda like post pardon depression (never had a baby) Well 2 hospitals and another 3 doctors later (all in one week) My primary doctor, not my Gynecologist, said I was suffering from a severe hormone in balance. She put me on Prozac and the estrogen patch (form of birth control) to help level out my hormones. I pretty much had no estrogen left in my body to keep me balanced. I went on Depo in 2000 because I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Like I said, the first year of being on it was great, not one side effect occurred. After one year to the date is when I had the hormone imbalance and since then my life has been a living hell. I was the happiest go lucky person you would ever meet. I was always on the go, nothing held me back. I was never sick. I'm now 33 and have been off depo for one year now and nothing seems to get better. I have had my share of health problems, ranging from cervical problems, more cyst on my ovaries, depression, mood swings, anxiety, no sex drive what so ever, fear of living the house to be in public sometimes, fatigue, lightheaded, blurred vision on and off, dizzy and god the list goes on. My doctor sent me for a MRI to make sure I wasn't suffering from MS, results came back good, blood work was perfect, but yet no one can explain all the effects I’m having, or should I say the side effects I’m still having from DEPO. I have good days and I have bad days. I'm in sales, so I need to stay on top of things and sometimes it is so hard to get out of bed in the morning and go and try to sell advertising to 20 or more people a day. I'm always tired now and have no energy. I often wonder if I will ever be normal again, happy go lucky with out a care in the world. Everyone is posting all there problems here, but now it's time to do something about it and get this damn drug off the shelf. I read a post someone left about a Lawyer in NY, I'm going to make it a point to contact her on Monday. I hope some of you will do the same. I know what you are going through and I'm here if someone needs to talk. Good luck to everyone

-- posted by vividsky