Depo Provera and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Tay...
• August 26, 2016

For Birth Control "I'm 18, and I've had 4 Depo shots. So many things in my body and personality have changed, and I have just today realized that it's all because of this shot. I have had horrible stomach pains almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day, sometimes coming with diarrhea. Also, I've had no sex drive, mood swings, terrible anxiety, and depression. I am never getting this shot again, any other form of birth control would be better than this one. Do NOT try the Depo shot."

• Lil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 19, 2021

For Birth Control "This is one of the worst things I have ever experienced in my life. I had one injection. Fatigue so strong I felt like I was dying, bedridden many days during the peak. Brain fog had me apathetic and extremely dissociated, unable to converse and could not feel in touch with the world around me. Mood swings very intense, at the peak, I cried at anything and felt extreme irritability. Libido completely gone, aside from debilitating psychological symptoms interrupting sexual desire, I was physically unable to become aroused. My vagina was dry generally, and mentally it was impossible to have contact with what may usually influence arousal. So I was suffering and also had no ability to do what could help improve my state of wellbeing. There was a similar sensation to the loss of libido and external factors being 'far away' in not being able to 'feel' or be moved by music. Absolutely terrifying. THIS SHOULD NOT BE LEGAL."

• Thi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 6, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on the shot since Jan of 2018, and at the beginning, I did get irregular bleeding. I would bleed for weeks at a time. Now I barely bleed at all. However, I am always angry and moody. Before the shot, my boyfriend and I were very happy and got along well. Since I’ve been on the shot, all we have done is fight because I always have an attitude and I get upset about everything. I’ve also gained weight. My first time going in, I weighed 117 lbs. I check my weight when I get my shot, and each time it goes up. I am at 150 lbs now, and no matter what I do, I can’t lose the weight. Another issue is my sex drive. I never want to have sex anymore and have issues getting wet and aroused with my partner, who is very sexy and I’m very attracted to, he isn’t the problem. I also bleed after we have sex sometimes. And I get these very sharp pains in my vagina all the time. I want to get off this method, but all other reviews for the other forms are just as bad, if not worse."

• Cor...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 31, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been on Depo for over a year now. My positives would be no period, easy, and that's about it. However, I will no longer be receiving this birth control. Did you know that this same drug is used as a 'chemical castration' for male sex offenders? They give it to them to drastically decrease their sex drive. Makes you wonder what it does to women. For me, it has done just that. I started receiving the shot right before my husband and I got married, and I didn't even want to have sex on our honeymoon. It has seriously affected our relationship, and that is why I do not want to continue the shot."

• Lin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 24, 2018

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I went on DP to stop the excruciating pain I am in every month due to adenomyosis. While I was on it, I loved it! My periods stopped, and the pain went away with it. I came off it a few weeks ago, and I have realized what a mistake it was to have started this. I was always in a bad/angry mood, I had no sex drive whatsoever, I did not feel happy or sad, just numb... and my weight went up and was not moving (even on a diet). I thought all this was due to the other medicine I was on, but when I stopped them, nothing changed. Now that I have stopped Depo Provera, my mood swings are so much better, I even feel happy and sad. Best of all, my weight is dropping... I have started a diet, and it works at long last. I will not be going back onto it."

• Nik...
• February 2, 2016

For Birth Control "My experience with the shot was horrible. It only took one shot for me to turn down the rest. I got the shot 5 months after having my first baby. No sex drive, it was gone. I had mood swings, missed my period. I like my period (I never missed a period aside from being pregnant). I suffered depression that felt like a very bad case of postpartum depression. It caused ovarian cysts to develop and rupture (ending up in abdominal bleeding). Energy was very low. It caused bad headaches. Vision problems. Only good thing that came from it was that I gained some much-needed weight. Overall, this isn't something I would personally recommend. I also was angry that my doctor didn't do her job and tell me what the positive and negative side effects were."

• Bar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 22, 2018

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I received the shot to 'regulate' my very heavy and painful periods. The side effects of this drug are not worth it!! After having the shot, I became extremely depressed, lost all sex drive, lost all my emotions, and I am experiencing such vaginal dryness I can't even use a tampon to help with the last side effect, the bleeding!! Five weeks into the shot, I started bleeding and passing clots. It doesn't stop. Also, this drug turns off your body's ability to make its own hormones, so this isn't even a real period. This drug doesn't help regulate periods because you won't be able to ovulate, so you can't have a period... This bleeding is just your body screaming to get this horrible, horrible drug out!!! Never again!!!"

• lax...
• October 12, 2015

For Birth Control "Oh man. First shot was great, only minimal bleeding. The second shot, however, increased my acne, caused mood swings, caused lots of breakthrough bleeding (especially after sex and during intense exercise) and worst of all, made sex painful! That's definitely not a side effect you see listed. I have a sex drive, but no matter how wet I get, when he puts it in, it's like a burning sensation, and it burns afterward too. Wish it worked out because I love that it is no effort, only every three months."

• bek...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 22, 2021

For Endometriosis "I got my first injection in January this year for extreme periods (lasting months at a time) and cramping (so bad that I used to faint). Doctors didn’t want to do endometriosis discovery surgery, so they put me on the Depo-Provera instead. Within 2 weeks of the first injection, my personality completely changed; severe depression, zero sex drive, anxious, irritable, gained 35 pounds, extreme fatigue - the list goes on. I stayed on the injection because there was nothing else the doctor would do. I can’t leave the house without putting in an “emergency tampon” in case I start gushing blood in the grocery store. I still have severe cramps and crazy random bleeding, and the depression is getting worse. I finally switched doctors and have started transitioning off the injection and onto 5 mg progesterone instead. Do not get this injection unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Totally ruined a year of my life."

• Pja...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I started the Depo-Provera shot in March, and I can honestly say it’s the worst contraceptive I’ve ever used. The pros were no period at all, no spotting, nothing, but the cons are loss of sex drive. I mean gone completely, made my skin crawl when my husband would lean in for a kiss or cuddle. Also, the mood swings. I’ve always been moody around my time of the month, but this was constant moods and anger. So much so that after spending a morning angry and shouting at my poor 6-year-old just for doing the normal kids' stuff they do, I ended up crying down the phone to a doctor because of it. My mental health has suffered. This is not me! I am a ‘mostly’ patient parent. Docs couldn’t help and told me I have to just let the Depo go out of my system. I would never recommend the Depo shot to anybody. Worse decision I’ve ever made. Don’t do it."

• yay...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 18, 2020

For Birth Control "I started Depo because of its high effectiveness in birth control. After getting pregnant twice in one year, I thought something more effective would be smarter. I've been on it 8 years, and I absolutely love it. Shortly after starting Depo, my periods went away. I'd say after the second shot they were completely gone. I had spotting very rarely, maybe once or twice a year. It's hard to blame Depo for my weight gain. When I first started it, I was 97 lb (I'm 5'2), and I stayed around 105-110 the first 3-4 years on it. I'm now at 120 lb and have been around 120-125 the past several years. Since bone density loss is a possible side effect, I had to get scans every 3 years. The scans showed that I had zero changes in my bone density. My only complaint and reason why I'm getting off of it is my decreased sex drive. I completely lost all motivation and drive, and being married, that's become an issue. Otherwise, I adore Depo and wish I could stay on it forever."

• Gab...
• January 22, 2012

For Birth Control "I had a very bad experience with Depo. I was on it for 6 months and bled for 6 months straight! What a nightmare! It also caused painful sex. I had terrible mood swings and also gained weight. The only good thing about Depo is you don't have to worry about taking it every day or month!"

• Bay...
• November 12, 2016

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "So I took the shot in August of 2015, and it was all good for a while. Then, by the next year in August, I got my shot. It had been a year since I was on it. Then, for pretty much the next three months, all I did was bleed. And it was very heavy. I talked to my nurse, and she said if it hadn't gone down, then something wasn't right. Well, when I went back to get my next shot, and at this point, I still had been bleeding and I was considering switching to something else. There was a different nurse there, and we talked about switching me. So I got on the Ortho Cyclen 28s, and I only bled for the first, like, maybe three days, and it was very light, and the color was brown. And I haven't bled since. The Depo not only mucked me up, but also decreased my sex with my man."

• Gli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 30, 2021

For Birth Control "Had this when I was younger with no issues. Now I'm 36, it made me crazy, acne, facial hair, mood swings, periods non-existent. No sex drive, depression, anger, extreme fatigue. It seemed like my body couldn't cope with anything as well as it did before. After having two injections and no reprieve from the side effects, I've stopped taking it. It's been over a month since the last Depo-Provera injection was due, and my periods still haven't returned, and I still don't feel like myself. I don't recommend this, as I feel like it's been changed since I got it when I was younger, it seems very strong now. Before I went on Depo, I had a copper IUD, which was far better. Beware of this, it's awful and can't be reversed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 10, 2012

For Birth Control "I was on the shot for almost 2 years since my doctor didn't want me on the pill because I have high blood pressure due to my first pregnancy. Well, it backfired, I gained 30 pounds after starting the shot, became extremely depressed, had mood swings, and my sex drive was completely gone. Also, I am blonde, and my leg hair turned brown. I have been on the shot for almost 4 months and have started spotting very little, and I have acne on my back, migraines, and wicked cramps."

• kt ...
• December 8, 2016

For Birth Control "19 y/o, been on Depo for a little over a year, it's great. I haven't noticed any extreme side effects. I've been really sluggish and lethargic, but I was already depressed before the Depo shot, so I can't say if it's related or not. Also, I started smoking around the same time, so it could just be that. I've had acne since I was 11, and since taking Depo, it's cleared up a bit, but I don't know if it's from the Depo. The only thing that sucks is I'm pretty sure my sex drive has been affected by the shot, but it's not a big deal. I missed my last shot because I moved, so I'm thinking of switching to the implant because I hate driving 45 mins to the closest PP, but Depo has worked so well for me, I don't know if it's worth switching at this point."

• Let...
• March 30, 2017

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "OK, so if you don't listen to these horrible reviews and you get the shot anyway, you're a new kind of silly. I got my first Depo shot in April 2016. I started to notice a slight loss of sex drive after a few weeks. I then started bleeding moderately about 4 weeks in, and I never stopped bleeding (I'd go for a maximum of 2 days without bleeding). Some days were light and only required a panty liner, some were heavy and required a super-plus tampon change every hour. I went back for a second shot in July 2016 because my doctor said it was just my body getting used to the shot. Guess what? That was rubbish. I now go a maximum of one week between bleeding, and it's been almost 9 months since my last shot. Haha, I want to sue the creators of this drug."

• S M...
• December 14, 2015

For Birth Control "Good method of birth control, as you only get a shot once every three months, and I didn't experience any birth control failures, acne, weight gain, or periods/spotting whatsoever in the four and a half years I used this method. Huge cons for me included zero sex drive and out-of-control mood swings, along with suicidal thoughts because of my postpartum depression, which I think the shots unnecessarily prolonged for years."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 27, 2016

For Birth Control "After recently getting into a serious relationship, I decided to get on birth control just to be safe. After realizing I wouldn't have to take a pill every day and there would be a possibility I wouldn't have a period with the shot, I instantly fell for it. (Terrible periods) for the first 3 months I have no side effects except I had a period every 2 weeks for 2 weeks at a time. The second shot (next 3 months) I bled the entire 3 months, started to gain weight, and started to get mood swings. The next shot instantly stopped my bleeding, at this point, I am up 20 pounds and have no sex drive at all. Shot 4 still no period or bleeding, no sex drive still. Not to mention I'm up 35 pounds at this point. I do not recommend the shot at all!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 4, 2016

For Birth Control "Definitely research before you start this. I didn't because my doctor prescribed it, and I thought they wouldn't give me something this awful. I've gotten four shots and am just now realizing all the issues I've had are because of it. I have no sex drive, extremely moody, and have had weight gain and eat right and work out daily. I'm a happy person and have been irritable and short-tempered since I've been getting the shot. I highly recommend researching anything but especially shots because once you get that shot, it's in your system and you have to wait for it to get out."

• IZz...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 25, 2018

For Endometriosis "I have endometriosis diagnosed 6 years ago via laparoscopy, but used Depo for birth control at a young age, at age 18 years old. I used it for 2 years (no periods), gained 30 lbs, depression, then had a hard time getting pregnant. I’m not sure if Depo had anything to do with getting endometriosis later in life. Now, I’m 40 years old, and I’m taking it again for endometriosis. It helped the pain, no periods, some spotting, but no sex drive. I have mood swings and am hungry all the time. I decided to have a hysterectomy soon, tired of endometriosis and periods. Good luck, people."

• not...
• May 21, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been on the Depo shot since April 2010. I actually got it the day after giving birth to my daughter. I've been spotting for a year now (and still am). I've gained at least 30 lbs, I have no sex drive, and I have lost about 3 inches of my hair. The only good thing is it does prevent pregnancy, but that's about it. Definitely switching to something else."

• giv...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 31, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on the Depo for about a year, and I was told by my gyno that my bleeding should end by my 3rd or 4th shot. She didn't even tell me I would bleed in the first place. I have been bleeding nonstop since I started, with the occasional day in between or even an hour. I have RUINED all my period underwear. I have ruined nice underwear because it picks and chooses when to bleed. My 3rd shot was the worst, as it went from spots to always having a tampon/pad. I plan on discontinuing by the time my full year is up. This was one of the worst mistakes of my life. Killed my sex drive because who wants to have sex when they're constantly bleeding. TL;DR: (Too long; didn't read) This is garbage. Don't take it. You'll regret it."

• Jay...
• December 8, 2015

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I've had 2 shots and go for my 3rd one the 14th of this month. I never bled when I got my first shot. I didn't bleed at all until August, I bled for an hour one day, and that was it. It happened again in September, and not again until now. I started after I had sex with my boyfriend one night and bled the next day, but it quit that night, and it wasn't bad. I went the next day without bleeding until that night, I bled but not much at all. I didn't bleed for 2 days, and then it came back, but it was brownish. This has happened the past 2 weeks. I know I get my shot in a few days, but it's never been this irregular. But it hasn't made me lose my sex drive at all, and I haven't gained any weight on it."

• Anonymous
• August 27, 2010

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I gained a few pounds on the Depo shot, but that wasn't too bad. Was on it for 2 years. The first 1 1/2 years were great, although I had a decreased sex drive, and the shots left my arm sore for days. Had about a 1-week long period just before getting the next shot, so about every 3 months. Bled almost constantly the last 6 months."