Getting off of Depo Provera after 11 years - need advice

[No Provera]

I have been on depo for 11 years. I would be due for my next shot on 9/27 but my Doctor has advised that I stop having it. She has been treating me for migraines and depression with Imitrex (when needed) and a daily dosage of Prozac of 10mg. The Imitrex thankfully, works, and the migraines have also been lessened by the Prozac. However, I continue to have nasty "low" days when I can barely function and have also experienced symptoms of hypoglycemia and panic attacks and or crying jags for no reason.

I have been reading a lot about the Depo side effects some women have had and they mirror mine. I've had a thyroid test and it was fine, so I don't think that I'm diabetic.

I have been trying to eat well and clense with milk thistle to try to hasten the exit of the Depo.  

At the beginning of this week,I developed a yeast infection and did the 1 day Monistat. It seemed to work after 3/4 of a day, but now the yeast infection is seeming like it's back. Ugh.

I'm wondering if there is more that I can do to get it out of me or something I should request of my Dr? I don't want to take more drugs for the panic/anxiety, but will if it's going to be a long haul to "detox" from this stuff. I'm assuming that the yeast infection may be due to the hormones trying to kick back in or the fact that I was working out in the hot sun all weekend and was definitely sweating (don't think I need to say more on that).

If anyone can shed some light, I'd appreciate it. I don't know why all of these nasty symptoms appeared over the last 2 years when I'd been on it so long.

TIA!

[Lizey]

I was off & on depo for approx 16 years. I didn’t put weight whilst on depo, in actual fact it assisted with my fibrocystic breasts – the lumps just went away.  I put this down to depo decreasing the amount of estrogen we produce in our bodies – which is the cause of fibrocystic breasts.  Anyway, every time I tried to come off depo I would go through revolting hormonal surge periods like I was going through menopause.  I had no idea what was happening to me, other than it was hell.  I finally resolved in going off depo for good 2 years ago & still feel like my body is finding its hormonal balance.  After researching symptoms I do believe since coming off depo I experience ‘Estrogen Dominance’ – look up Dr Lees book called ‘Hormone Hell to Hormone Well’.  No amount of exercise, healthy eating, water intake, vitamins actually fix this hormone imbalance.  I finally come across natural progesterone cream which has certainly taken the edge off my anxiety – feel a lot calmer.  My stomach has lost the pregnancy bloating feeling that happened immediately after I came off depo.  The last thing I’m trying to treat is my enlarged breasts….when ever I tried to come off depo my breasts would increase in size & really hurt…the progesterone cream has not addressed this, so I’m now taking: DIM supplements and have ordered Lugol’s Iodine.  Apparently Iodine fixes fibrocystic breasts and reduces swelling.  Some posts I’ve read have actually experienced breasts shrinking.  I do hope I can achieve this as well – as I’m very uncomfortable.  I expect to pick up the iodine liquid at the end of this week, so I will come back to this site after a week to let you know how I get on & if any improvement.  I do hope this post has helped.  Doctors have no idea what they are giving us…we need to research & share our stories & let each other know what natural alternatives have worked.  The reason why iodine is not widely known about is because it is natural & can’t be patented and therefore pharmaceutical giants can’t make millions.  The same goes for the bio-natural progesterone….which is made out of wild yam…DO YOUR RESEARCH AND DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING A DOCTOR TELLS YOU.
Eliza

[Indianagurl1121]

I AM SOO GLAD I FOUND THIS WEBSITE!!!! I am going on 18 i have been on depo since i was 14. when i first got on the shot like everone else i loved not having periods. I didnt have any weight gain (which i had hoped for because i was only 100 lbs) i was due for a shot in September but i didnt get it because i was thinking about getting off until i got those first couple of periods i also had yeast infections and extream breast pain(but they did grown when i got off). then i just got back on it last month now i am really considering getting off for good that i have seen all these things that you ladies hav go through...nex shot is due in feb but im not getting it so does anyone have any detox advice
thankx <3

[exdeposhooterof3yrs]

Ok, so I have been reading all of your depo experiences and FREAKIN A WOW! I started using the depo shot after my 3rd child who will be 4 in April of 2011. My last shot was exactly on May 5th, 2010, because I like to allow mother nature to take its course just once atleast every 3rd shot. I usually get a FULL BLOWN HEAVY period as I did before depo, but this time I spotted maybe 3 to 4 drops in late September and nothing since. I havent had any withdrawl issues, but I have noticed that I am waaaay more active in EVERY aspect of life. I have lost weight, the heart palps have stopped and I love my man again! So, we just recently (early October) decided to start trying for our 4th child(hopefully a girl cuz I have 3 boys). It is now November 7, 2010 and I have been experiencing some major nipple and ovarian soreness as if I have been working them out for the last 2 weeks. I have taken urine tests and they are all neg. Im thinking I should wait for my HCG's to accumilate or if Im not pregnant, should I still wait for a real period? I mean, is there any risk in recovering depo users of having still-borns or even mentally retarded children? I know I havent been on it as long as most of you on here, but everyone is different. Well I hope I am pregnant, but meanwhile, I wish you all the best in recovering. I have to call my sister now (depo user) and try to convince her to get off of it, because she just started taking prescription drugs for her depression...stupid doctors! God Bless you All!

[xlilangel2528x]

i was a 10 year depo user. i began taking the depo when i was 13 and for years thought it was the greatest thing. i loved not havng periods!! i never had any anxiety or depression luckily but the loss of boss density and being infertile for life made me re-evaluate my situation and quit getting the shot. have now been off of it for about 4 months and all was good so far including the fact i lost 34lbs. but for the last month and a half my boobs have hurt so bad that even to just look at them makes me want to cry (and i have went from a 34B to a full C since i stopped the shot and im sure the depo had something to do with that.) about two and a half weeks ago i started what i thought was my period, it was extremely heavy and painful but i figured it had been so long i just forgot what it was like. it lasted about a week and a half and quit for two days. i then began bleeding moderately again. this afternoon i had the worst cramping and vaginal pain of my life almost like someone was stabbing me with a knife, a few hours later when i stood up i began bleeding heavily all over myself (literially running down my legs and into my boots). i am a paramedic and yet i was shocked at the excessive amount of free flowing blood EVERYWHERE!! the bleeding has continued at an insanely heavy rate still 4 hours later. lucky for me i am at work and close by an ambulance in case something really bad happens. my blood pressure has seemed to maintain so far but who knows. i am scared to go to a doctor in fear they will try to coax me into adding another hormone or birth control POISON into my system. I am glad i found this post so i know that i am not alone!! i wouldnt recommend this TORTURE to my worst enemy!!

[tallpine1969]

I started Depo in Nov of 2004 after the birth of my son.  It's been almost six whole years and I'm now 41 years old.  I loved not having periods, too- no spotting and bleeding for me. I, too, raved about Depo as the greatest thing since sliced bread...BUT the bone density loss concerns over time definitely scares me..and the weight gain and bloating made me want to stop. I was due for a shot July 6, 2010 and didn't go... My husband hasn't made the appointment for a vasectomy (yet)- can't afford to miss work to recover, even for a week or a few days.  I'm glad I found this forum- learned a lot from all your posts.I, too had a bone scan two years ago- and it was normal.  
Mood swings?  If anything, I feel more moody this month since going off Depo- but I was almost suicidal in May this year...so maybe things are gradually better (just crying at the drop of a hat now- not wanting to die)It's August and still no period, but I have had a few cramps and I was hoping (sort of hoping) that it was my period- but no period, yet...reading your posts, it might be awhile I guess- or not!  No breast tenderness yet- but most of you say that starts in a month or so after going off it...so I'm dreading that starting.  I thought I might have gotten pregnant already, but the dollar store preg test was negative (phew!)
I've tried the IUD in the past, but the cramps and bleeding were so uncomfortable I wanted it out within the month I tried it.  Plus, sex was painful with it. I have tried the pill in the past (teens and 20's) but it made me so naseuos (sp sorry) I had to stop.  That's why I loved Depo- no pain, no cramps except right before I was due for a shot, and no feeling sick to my stomach.  (Just weight gain and mood swings)
Soooooo, I await my period, the big "V" for hubby, and relief of having this hormone gone from my body.  The other fear I had on Depo was, being a smoker, that it can increase your risk of a stroke.....I'm also trying to quit that, too. :o)

[NeonSally]

I was on Depo for 7 years or so. It was like a dream for the first 5, I loved not having a period! After 5 years, I noticed a huge drop in my libido. By the time I had been on Depo for 7 years, I had no sex drive at all whatsoever, to the point where I no longer felt like a woman, I didn't feel attractive, and I didn't want to go out at all. I made the choice to go off Depo, and onto birth control pills to get some estrogen into my body, and get a controlled period back.
Two years of flip flopping on many kinds of pills, I find out I am hypertensive, and my doc refuses to renew a prescription for the pill. As I do not intend to bear children, I was offered Depo once again as a viable method of birth control that would not affect my blood pressure. One shot was enough to drive me over the edge! I gained 25lbs in a little over a month, cravings through the roof, mood swings, hot sweats, you name it! I made the choice to not continue on Depo, and instead to try and get the money together for a Mirena IUD. I also decided to detox my body from hormones for the first time in 11years.

I was due to get another shot at the end of May. It's now end of July, and I have not had a period yet. I've lost 17lbs in the last 2 months (without changing my diet or daily habits). Not being on an effective form of birth control is affecting my sex life, as my partner and I have a strong aversion to condoms, and I haven't been able to get in to get the Mirena due to a string of unavoidable events. I really just want to get a period, more than anything, as not getting anything terrifies me into thinking maybe I'm pregnant! I also have been plagued with TERRIBLE yeast infections while coming off Depo... ugh

I would not recommend Depo Provera.