Depo-Provera: asking the FDA to investigate

http://www.abcinternetmarketing.com/depo...

Top 49. Feb 21, 2003 12:48 PM

» LLhdstrong - I have been reseaching and found what we need......

You might also go to the home page to read the story.

Good luck to us all,

-- posted by LLhdstrong

Top 50. Feb 22, 2003 8:14 AM

» stempleton - Depo

I got the Depo shot of Feb 12. Since then my hair falls out in the shower and my face is breaking out. I felt great until yesterday. I have a mild case of asthma. I use my inhaler one every month or two. Yesterday I could not breath and it sounded like I had emphysema. I used my inhaler 4 times and still was having difficulty breathing. My heart rate was 95 at a rest state and my blood pressure was 148/95. This cause me to have head and neck pain. I also felt anxious. This went on from morning till night. This morning I jumped on-line to find some answers. Thank God I found this site.

-- posted by stempleton

Top 51. Feb 26, 2003 6:00 PM

» Slicklane - Hair Loss????

Okay Ladies, can you tell me more about hairloss...
Daughter has huge gapping baldspots, started as hairloss in Mid December and today she looks like a Chemotherapy patient. Dr's cannot find anything that is causing it. She has stopped Depo to rule that out of the equation.
I need your help...Anyone have anything similar?

-- posted by Slicklane

Top 52. Feb 26, 2003 6:02 PM

» Slicklane - Class Action Suit

Anyone know of any Class Action Suits out there active against Depro? I have seen a few referenced but......

-- posted by Slicklane

Top 53. Feb 26, 2003 6:06 PM

» Slicklane - Re: Depo

In response to message posted by stempleton:

Get off Depro now...My daughter has huge bald spots that she has to cover up with a scarf. Her hair started to fall out mid december and by Jan 15th she could no longer cover the spots. She HAD long thick beautiful hair one day and almost the next day this......

-- posted by Slicklane

Top 54. Mar 9, 2003 11:57 AM

» CAT7312 - Depro Provera

In 1997, I was 16 years old when I gave birth to my daughter. I went to the Dr. for my 6-week checkup and was told that I should get on the shot. I asked about any side affects and the Dr. said it was fine to take, so I took the shot. While I was on the Depro Provera I had NO periods or spotting for 5 years. I am now 22 and have been off the shot for about 1 year. I did gain weight while I was on the shot; I went from 135lbs to 165lbs and I cannot lose the weight.

When I stopped the shot in February 2002, I started OrthoTriCyclin. I was on this from February 2002 through September 2002. I went off the pill becuase I was planning to get pregnant again. Since February 2002 I have only had 3 periods lasting only 4-5 days. I get pains in my left side and it is sometimes sensitive during intercourse. I have kept in touch with my doctor and she now has recommended that I have blood work done for hormone levels and thyroid. I hope that this shot has not ruined my chance for me to become pregnant.

-- posted by CAT7312

Top 55. Mar 10, 2003 1:34 PM

» Raquel78 - Re: Hair Loss????

It is very possible that Depo Provera caused your daughter's hair loss.

I began Depo in 1996. Early 1997, I noticed that my hair had thinned dramatically, all over my scalp. I received Depo injections for four years before connecting this, and other, symptoms to Depo usage.

Last year, I had a full series of medical tests to rule out thyroid conditions, dietary and iron deficencies, etc. the tests confirmed the hair loss was not the result of a medical condition. (I would suggest your daughter get the same medical screening).

My hair loss has been gradual, yet drastic. My hairline has receded quite a bite and my now healthy hair is fine and thin.

Can anyone tell me if this hair loss will be permanent? My doctor and dermatologist are unsure if this condition is temporary. I have been off the injection for 3 years now!

Does anyone have any suggestions for treatment of this type of hair loss?

-- posted by Raquel78

Top 56. Mar 16, 2003 6:55 PM

» digitalrex26 - Re: depo provera

In response to message posted by LLhdstrong:

I went on Depo about two and a half years ago.
I had just gone through a painful divorce, but life was looking up. I had a full time job and worked hard to lose my excess weight. I was 131 pounds and fit rather nicely in a size 6. It was the first time in years I could fit in a small pair of pants again and I was very proud of myself. I spent my afternoons training my horse and my evenings at work.
I met my future husband at this time and was happy, and content. Little did I know that within just one year I would gain 45 pounds - approximately 5 pounds per shot. Did I change my diet? No. Did I do anything differently? No. No matter how many laps I ran, no matter how much I denied myself sugars and sweets, the dial on the scale kept going farther and farther. The methods that had worked so well for me before seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
It was also about this time that I started feeling severe anxiety. I became paranoid, something completely new to me, and saw my new husband looking at girls everywhere. He was a sweet, quiet, devoted man who only saw me, and everyone saw that but me.
I used to deal cards, too, and was a cheerleader in my high school years, loving to laugh and talk to people. At work I began to suffer from horrific anxiety attacks and I remember not being able to breathe while dealing on the tables, feeling smothered by all of the people. Eventually, I went down to one day per week, and finally quit. I wasn't really able to provide a solid reason to my employers, only that I was sick.
I went to doctor after doctor. I had blood tests run in the beginning of my treatment that showed unusual blood levels and was treated for anemia, low blood pressure, and a plethora of other problems. One time when I had my blood drawn my blood pressure was so low that the nurse had to call in a doctor to find the veins in my arm - and that was before most of my weight gain.
Towards the end of last year it reached a very sad climax for me. In the middle of another one of my anxiety attacks, I swallowed some sleeping pills and my distraught husband carried me to the hospital. After drinking charcoal and spending the night crying, I was taken home. I was too embarassed to admit to anyone, even my husband who has been there with me this whole time with his complete support, that I really did want to take my own life. I told him that I just didn't want to argue that night when he got home so I'd taken some pills to help me sleep. Even today he doesn't know.
Even now, after having been off Depo for almost six months, I have the build of a linebacker and no waist. Two nights ago I had another dizzy spell, which were common while I was on the drug but slowly seem to be going away. It was the first I'd had in at least a month. It was followed by a mind numbing headache which no amount of tylenol would touch. I spent my evening on the couch cursing my once healthy body and hating the people who didn't tell me what this drug would do to me.
I still have the anxiety and panic attacks, and the dizzy spells are usually followed by severe, deep depression. I'm happy to report that I'm slowly getting my energy and motivation back, but after spending almost two years feeling like I'm living underwater, it's going to be a long uphill climb.
I've had every test anybody could think of run on me, and absolutely nothing else was ever found. After reading letters from other users of Depo, I was absolutely floored. I remember reading about dizzy spells, weight gain, depression, headaches, and a lack of energy. Let's not forget the hair loss where you want it, and the hair growth where you don't. I remember another night crying when my own beautiful, long, curly hair was the reason my bathroom tub was clogged.
All this time I believed something was terribly wrong with me, mentally. I no longer believe that. I read some of the letters I found from other users to my husband, and he was astonished to find that those exact words had been coming from my own mouth for almost two years.
How dare they do this to me! Why didn't the doctors know what to look for? Why wasn't that the first thing they reacted to? Had my doctors been properly informed about this drug and it's severe side effects, I could have been spared two long, agonizing years that nearly cost me my life. It would have been so easy to remove it two years ago and give me some other hormone.
Someone needs to tell the young ladies, women, and mothers all over the world who use this drug, about what it does to you. I'm certain that we are in the minority, since it's widely used and appraised, but is one life worth it? How many others have been suicidally depressed while taking this drug? They need to know and I want my body back. If you are gathering people for a lawsuit, I want to be one of the voices heard.

Sherece Nix
digitalrexx@charter.net

-- posted by digitalrex26

Top 57. Mar 18, 2003 11:48 AM

» creativechild - My heart just Broke

It is March 2003, I am 21 and had my 1st child in August 2002. The pregnancy was great except a little but of morning sickness in the beginning. I went to a doctor I had worked for from age 16-18. She always saw me at last notice and was a good friend. However when it came to delivery time, it wasn't so great. It turned out she didn't see things my way... I was not allowed to get up and walk around even though my contractions told me to... when it came down a delivered a healthy baby girl (6lbs 9 ozs). Because of our delivery problem I switched doctors and went to one that aunt works next to. She too had taken a depo shot but discontinued use after the 1st one because she bled constantly. I took my 1st shot last month and am devastated but what I am hearing now. My doctor too said that there would be a little weight gain and some spotting. My husband and I are young and want to space out our children, but that is not possible if I become sterile. The one unfortunate part of this is I have been diagnosed with a distended ovary. It does not produce eggs, so they were saying if I do not take hormones I won't get pregnant in the 1st place. So now what do I do? The thing is tell my aunt and change doctors again. I can promise that I won't be getting another shot of this stuff again.

-- posted by creativechild