When does Depo shot emotional effects go away?

Question

I got the Depo shot on Feburary 8th, 2017. The first two weeks afterwards I felt fine, surprisingly no side effects so I was happy about getting it. However, when the third week started, all hell started to break lose. Mood swings, severe depression, OCD, severe anxiety, loss of sex drive, constant spotting, loss of attraction to my BF, and more. I know the shot wears off in three months but that doesn't mean that the effects will be gone! Someone please tell me they returned to normal eventually and relatively fast. I wake up everyday in a panic attack, cry all the time for no specific reason, feel "weird" and just disconnected from everyone and everything.

One thing that happened two weeks ago that is causing me the most distress is how I went from happy with my life and super happy with my relationship, so in love with him, to constantly questioning life, my relationship, if he's the right one, and if I should be in this relationship or not. It's horrible because the thought of not being with him or just not feeling connected and completely happy with him just like in January (or before the shot) gives me tense panic attacks and I break down crying. I must say that I have been diagnosed with OCD and an eating disorder around this time last year but I went to therapy and was put on anti depressants (prozac) and got completely better. I went off the prozac in late November-decemberish 2017 and was completely fine until this stupid shot. What also makes me anxious is the thought of how what if the shot isn't causing this and this is really me just coming to my senses about everything? I had my problems with this relationship in the beginning (worry, slight anxiety, wanting to run away, picking apart things I didn't like about him, etc. but I came to the conclusion that nobody and no relationship is perfect, but all of a sudden two weeks ago everything came bashing back into my head). I feel like I'm going crazy. Will this go away is this caused by the shot or am I just going crazy?! I can't deal with this anymore when will I go back to normal? Everyday I wake up in fear of ruining my life or relationship that was once fun and enjoyable.

P.s. He does have his problems, like we all do. I'm a different version of myself around him, but it's still me. At least I think it is. What if I'm not enough or myself around him? I have always thought like this throughout our relationship (been about 4 months now) but before the shot I was able to shut these thoughts down and be in the moment. I saw a future in us and now I am scared of what will just happen today. I need some hope. I'm dying over here.

Answer

I&rsquo;m just wondering if you&rsquo;re better now you&rsquo;ve stopped having the depo shot? I&rsquo;m going through exactly the same thing now! Scary because it&rsquo;s literally the same as you&rsquo;ve wrote. If anyone could give me advice that would be great, everyday I feel like I&rsquo;m fighting a losing battle , I was so happy with my boyfriend before I got my second shot , then all of a sudden my feelings seemed to change over night and now I question weather I even want to be with him? I have panic attacks when I think about it all.  Any help would be appreciated

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I also recently had issues after getting the Depo shot. I got my second shot after the 3 months and about a month after I was suffering  severe anxiety , irritability and so quick to get angry. I also was offered a job but then it did not work out and I thought I was losing it and I cut my arm several times. I was severely depressed and not my normal self at all. My mom was also worried about me. I started thinking I had a mental illness until I listened to the Clue podcast called Hormonal where the doctor said if you have any depression, anxiety or mental illness the Depo can make it worse. It all clicked as to why I had been feeling so off. I would definitely not recommend the shot. I am 39 years old so this happens to women of all ages apparently. Hope you all are doing better.

Answer

I had to make an account just so I can respond to you because this happened to me with my girlfriend. I was on Depo for about 4 years. I stopped the shot in October of 2018. In April of this year I started having a lot of anxiety about my relationship. It got so bad that I had to break up with her. Mind you, we didn&rsquo;t have any issues, we were good. So I could only imagine how much of a shock this was for her. The anxiety was so strong that I had to end it even though I didn&rsquo;t want too. I also thought about getting on  medication for anxiety , started seeing a therapist and everything. I would wake up crying and go to bed crying. I felt out of it, I lost the desire to do anything. So reading this is such an experience for me because I thought something was wrong with me and even now I&rsquo;ve been off for two years but that anxiety creeps up every now and then which I was I decided to look it up to see if something was wrong with me. Wow! I, glad that my feelings are normalized.

Answer

Hey ladies! I am 17 years old now and i got the depo shot when I was 16. It has been almost a year since i got this shot, and I would never recommend it to anyone. It seriously ruined me, and at such a young age, still developing, and teen depression, oh my god... hardest thing ever. I had a boyfriend at the time and I acted out of anger 24/7. My mood swings were horrendous and I hate myself for it. I eventually had to end things because my mental health was so bad. I am still to this day struggling with my mental health. I feel crazy all the time, severe anxiety, lack of motivation, depressed, and so fatigued. I remember about a week after I got that godawful shot, was when my life changed forever. I truthfully have not been myself, or happy. I was thinking I could have BPD, but I put the pieces together and I think my hormones are out of wack. I seriously would never recommend this shot to anyone.

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It has ruined my highschool experience, I lost all my friends, my boyfriend, and relationships with my family. I have had suicidal thoughts before, and nothing has really changed. I thought it would all go away after I stopped the shot, but it hasnt. I am praying it will... I am not who I want to be. I remember on the shot I called the doctors at least once a week to tell them how depressed I was and how i never wanted to get the shot again. They insisted that I still do it. I refused. I will never get another type of birth control again, and at 17 thats very dangerous for me, but I am struggling still and i refuse to go through that again. I would never recommend this to anyone, and I never wish this on anyone. DO NOT GET THE SHOT!!!

Answer

Hi guys, I know this is an old thread and this is a little bit of a different response!

So I met this girl in Janaury of 2020. She suffers from Endometriosis and about 3 weeks ago she was put on this provera. She has a past of severe depression and she was recovering very well. She was very happy and was always happy within what we had as well in terms of connection.

Things slowly got worse and the other day, she said she needs space from us because she is feeling so depressed and numb to everything, including me. She said she needs less of a commitment and some space and that she still wants to talk and be friends.

Even that being said, I've barely heard from her and the only time she messaged me was to let me know that she had spent the previous day on the phone with Drs and nurses and they are going to take her off the provera (oral).

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I guess my question is.. apart from respecting her and giving her space, is there anything I can do for her to help? Like should I not contact her and wait for her to come to me and also, will her feelings come back once this provera starts to wear off?

I appreciate all of you for posting and sharing you experiences, thank you.

Answer

I have been having almost the exact same problems. I got my first Depo shot toward the end of January 2020, so I am not due for another shot until late April.
The first few weeks were great. I was so glad, feeling like I wasn’t going to experience any side effects, and then around week three or four my life completely changed. I am at an absolute low point with my depression and anxiety. I have become controlling over my boyfriend to the point where he isn’t sure if he can continue the relationship unless some serious changes are made. I constantly need him talking to me and reassuring me and sometimes it still isn’t enough. I know it’s due to overwhelming insecurity. I am constantly afraid that I’m not good enough for him, that he’s going to leave me, that he’s going to cheat on me, but he has NEVER done anything to make me feel like that. It’s just my brain freaking out.

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I wake up every day in a complete panic. I have severe panic attacks once or twice a week where I nearly stop breathing, and think I might pass out. At first I had blamed it on what had been going on in my life- I lost my brother in the middle of last September, I quit my job because it was a bad situation and I couldn’t find a new job (until I started training at my new job yesterday!), so I was sitting home all day, the relationship I am in is my first serious relationship. I just assumed I was handling everything terribly, that maybe the Depo was causing some added emotions, but nothing too terrible, and then it just continued getting worse.
I wake up crying, I cry randomly at least every hour. I can just be sitting there scrolling through social media and I start crying with no provocation. I’ve unintentionally disconnected myself from friends and family. I barely speak to my dad anymore, even though I have dinner with him once a week.
I have lost interest in everything I used to love with the exception of my boyfriend. I feel like he is all I have left and I am about to ruin that, too. The only reason I ever got the Depo was because I went in to get the Nexplanon and they told me it would be 3-4 weeks before they would have the implants in, so I decided to go ahead and get started on the Depo and have the two overlap. Now I’m afraid to get the Nexplanon because I feel like it will cause the same problems, but before when I was just using condoms I was constantly afraid I was pregnant.
I just don’t know what to do anymore, but it feels so great having this validation and knowing other people feel the same way.

Answer

First run on Depo...
I got my first shot November 4th of 2019 (Currently December 31). I absolutely hate this shot because of the severe mood swings I've had. I get triggered easily and it goes down hill from there. I'm mad and it feels like my blood is boiling, then it turns into a depression, and then afterwards I feel numb. It all happens within 30 minutes. I noticed it gets 10x worse when I'm on my period. I will NOT be taking it again. Like many other women say, it messes with relationships and it's not worth it. Luckily my man knows about it and we try to work through it when i have a breakdown. I haven't noticed any progression on the mood swings yet... but hopefully soon.

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Is there anyone that can give updates on how long it took for the side effects to start to get better? I got the shot September 5, 2019 and I&rsquo;ve had all of these similar side effects since September 16 when I had my first panic attack. I&rsquo;m due for another shot in a week and a half, and I can tell because I&rsquo;ve been very emotional and depressed for the past two days. I&rsquo;m not going to get the shot anymore, but can someone give me some info and reassurance about their journey coming off of depo with these side effects?? Please tell me it gets better, because these have been the worst few months of my life and I&rsquo;m in college, if that isn&rsquo;t bad enough!!

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Hey ,

I took the shot around a months ago now. I had it on my first day of my period so i was protected since i got it. My period is late (day 28 usually 26 at most) i’m constantly crying, feeling empty, argumentative, anxious, i can’t breathe when i’m in a panic, and mostly i feel numb. as well as physical such as headaches and nausea. however, i don’t unattached to my partner i feel clingy and close (which he dosent mind). I just hate the feeling but don’t want to get pregnant. what do i do?

Answer

Hi there Savvy26889.
I am actually from South Africa!

I saw this forum and now I do not feel so alone!
I had my Depo Provera injection on the 17th of August.

Before I got the injection I was on Jaz Plus mostly for anxiety I got before my period just to regulate the hormones.
Everything just got worse from there, went to the doctor(male) and he told me I have ppmd(very bad PMS) he told me to go on the Depo Provera injection as this wil take away the whole monthly process.
Haha, I started feeling soooo weird, it's a feeling I can't explain. I felt like I was in this bubble, I even told my boyfriend i dont know if I love him. We have been dating for almost 7 years.

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Obviously he was devistated, because how can someone just say something like this out of the blue. I just felt physically and emotionally numb.
Then came the crying, I cried for everything. Thinking about my boyfriend i cried, it felt like I already broke up with him.
I told him every step of the way how I am feeling and he's completely understanding.

Then my period started for more than n week I had my periods, with huge clots. Sorry for the TMI.
I am normally a very excited person, this changed me. I felt like a stranger in my own body.
It got so bad that I went to a psychologists and a dokter. I had to go in on medication. I felt like I had this cloud hovering over me.

Tomorrow a month ago I started doubting my relationship. Do I love him, is he the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I'm I ready to marry him. These thoughts made me Sick. I cried everytime, sometimes I would get this anxiety feeling just thinking about him. This made me so scared, then I started to think maybe this means something. Maybe we are not meant for each other.

Ladies, I cried I told him all of this and he said I do not believe anything you are saying because this is not you talking. He said 3 months hormones is more then enough to make one feel like this.
I am still doing research to why we all get these thoughts towards our loved ones. How does hormones work in the brain in that way.
As soon as this shit is out of my body and I feel myself again I am going to post a huge article on Facebook and every place I know warning ladies against this.

Apparently depo must not be given to any one who might have a slight chance to have depression or Anxiety.

Please let me know if you guys feel better. And please tell me this is just the shot making me feel like this.

Hang in there guys.

Answer

Ladies!!! I&rsquo;m so glad I came here, literally 1 week ago I got on the depo shot, took it right in the lower abdomen area. Worst choice I have made ever in my entire life was to go back on the depo however I was told it&rsquo;s a little different less hormones, etc. I have the worse feelings, emotionally, mentally, it has me all screwed up! Went into the ER had a CAT scan done w/some blood work & an EKG! The dr really scared me w/there could possibly be a blood clot do to the symptoms I&rsquo;ve been having, long story short everything as far as testing came back good! Thank you lord! Now daily, I feel like my heart is jumping out of my chest, feel like I&rsquo;m always needing to take deep breaths, I get little weird pains in my heart area, this is by far so bad, I have never dealt with anything like this in my LIFE! I&rsquo;m so sorry to all you other girls, I know exactly what your going through! This does put me as some ease but I can&rsquo;t get over the anxiety feelings, scary thoughts, you name it! For now I&rsquo;ll be checking in w/my Dr to see if there are any recommendations as to what may help these symptoms. BLESS YOU ALL

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i am on my third shot, i got it two weeks ago, and i am now going through the EXACT same thing. i now feel so relieved that it&rsquo;s my birth control causing me to feel this way towards my boyfriend (7 months next week). it hit like a train out oh nowhere saturday. your story has helped me, but i need to know if you getting off the shot helped with the feelings toward your s/o? bc i love my boyfriend and i want to be with him, i need to know if my feelings will go back to normal after i stop taking the shot.

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I've been on the shot for about 2 years and I honestly cant remember how it was at the beginning. One thing I have realized is the week before I need to get my next dose, I become extremely emotional and anxious. I've been a mess the last 7 days and I cant tell if its actual depression or the hormones getting wonky because I'm due for another dose. I'm seeing a therapist in a few weeks but I figured I would ask you all since we all seem to be going through the same feelings. Do you also feel overly emotional and sensitive, alone and undesirable right before going in for your next dose? My fiancee has been supportive through all this but my lack of libido and hormones scare me. I'd hate to lose this because of something as simple as a medication. Any and all support on here is so helpful. I felt so alone and ready all these comments made me feel a little less alone. Thank you ladies! Keep on keeping on cause you're all awesome and not alone!!

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I got the depo shot around January 2019. I've been extremely emotional... watching movies and when my fiance leaves to go in the AO (he's a marine, and he'll stay at work for 2 weeks and not come home). And when I get upset, I feel really alone. I don't feel like wanting to harm myself, but I just feel so down. I feel like I am just much more emotional than I was before... but I want to continue using the depo shot as a birth control... should I???

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I know this thread is kind of old, but I figured I would chime in because I found it two weeks ago. I decided to go on Depo after a bad run in with birth control pills. I got my first shot at the end of November. I should have done more research, but hey a shot every three months let’s try it. It’s the worst decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. It should be noted that I’ve been medicated for depression before two years ago. I am going to stay away from birth control from now on unless it’s a condom. I am 22 and in my first serious relationship. When I first got the shot there were warning signs, like painful sex and anxious thoughts like he’s going to leave me or cheat on me or break up with me, etc. But towards the end of the shot in my 11th week I had a thought one night, “what if I’m not really happy?” I got the second shot and my symptoms got worse.

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I now question everything, I’m nauseous, I have no appetite, my weight is up and down, im irrationally angry, I have no desire for sex, if I do have sex it hurts, I’m anxious 24/7, I’m depressed, I cry frequently, I feel hopeless, and worse I’m not attracted to my boyfriend. I am a completely different person than I was living in the moment before this shot. I question everything, my sexuality because of my lack of want of sex, and my relationship and just everything. I’m losing my mind. I went to my gyno and was prescribed antidepressants and a buspar those little anxiety pills. I made a psychiatrist appointment. I have 8 more weeks until my next shot. I want this out of my system immediately. My life has known no peace since. If I hadn’t have found this thread and others like it I would be worse now. This is the first time I’ve seen many women say word for word how I feel and I didn’t even write it. I was so scared it was just me and all me and I was just coming to terms with things. But it’s bogus. I just want my life back and want to know it gets better.

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When does Depo shot emotional effects go away?

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