Depo provera shot symptoms and conditions

I got the Mirena inserted when I was 19, had no children, but had had awful experiences on the Pill... I had tried a number of Pills, including Yasmin (became depressed and moody), Loette (spotting), Levlen ED (Crazy moods and insanely tender breasts)... etc etc.
When I am not on the Pill I am a fun loving, easy going girl with my head-screwed on, but when on the Pill I become so unreasonable and emotional.
After having Mirena inserted (so painful as I hadn't had children), I had bleeding for 3 months, cramping and bloating etc... BUT - I felt WONDERFUL for the 4 years following. NO moods, no cramps, my periods stopped completely after about 6 months, no other side effects at all.
I had to have it removed recently as I developed an Ovarian Cyst the size of a lemon and got a UTI that developed into pelvic inflammation.
I had a month with no hormonal contraception, then tried the NuvaRing (Moody and incredibly sore breasts), had another month off contraception and now im trying Yaz. It is indicated for PMDD, but I feel crazy, emotional, irrational and unreasonable on it.
I have no idea where to go from here. Mirena really suited me, but I cant have another one inserted because iv had the Inflammation. I cant stay on the Pill... I hate myself, I am a different person on the Pill.

Im 22 yrs. old and have two little boys. My husband says he hopes to one day have a girl so i figured 5 years should be enough time to decide. I got the Mirena last year and the only side effect i had was hair loss,BUT i'm not quite sure if it was the mirena or from just having another baby. But other than that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I have been reading all these reviews and they were almost all negative I was wondering if something was wrong with me. Since I got the Mirena last year I lost weight, no more cramps, lightened periods, and a better sex drive(probably cause I don't have to worry if im going to get pregnant, I feel safe). So would I recommended the Mirena , YES but it clearly seems that every woman's body is different so it might be great for one person and not so great for the other.

I searched the web trying to find answers. I tried to access the Mirena website only to find it "under construction" for at least 2 months. I did more investigating to find out that in April 2009 the FDA issued Bayer a warning letter. It stated that Bayer neglected to list the risk factors in its literature. The Mirena website is up and running now, but it still doesn't have all the side effects listed.
I am 35 years old and never had a child. I was formerly on the Depo-Provera shot for 10 years. I was instructed by my doctor to change my birth control after several bone density tests revealed I was borderline osteopenia. I tried the patch, but I could never get it to stay on for an entire week. The Nuvaring was next and it simply wouldn't stay in place. I went thru a whole list of different birth control pills with no avail because of constant bacterial/yeast infections and vaginal dryness. I even tried estrogen cream. My doctor then suggested the Mirena.
The Mirena insertion process wasn't too bad with some cramping during the procedure. The cramping lasted for 1 1/2 days afterward. By the second day, my sex drive skyrocketed.
The 1st week on Mirena is what I call my "testosterone" madness. I was extremely antsy,edgey, and ready to fight. The 2nd week the hormones settled down and my mood was calmer. I noticed excessive hair loss and breast swelling/tenderness. Also, I had spotting for 2-3 months following insertion. It seemed that right before my cycle it would feel itchy like I was getting a yeast infection but the symptoms would disappear after my period.
It was fairly smooth sailing until the 5th-6th month. I started to develop constant low back pain, constipation, mild acne, cystic acne, eye twitches, heart flutters, severe cramping, constant bloating, itchy skin, and wrist tendinitis. Plus, every time I would sit down I could feel the pressure of the Mirena push against my bladder. I still was going to stick with it UNTIL I developed an itchy rash. The rash was small red bumps on my back and stomach with flesh-colored "goosebumps" on my arms and neck. The rash was present for 2 weeks. I went to the doctor and got medication for the rash. I felt like it was going away when the rash reappeared. I had a rash for a total of 4 weeks! This time the rash started at my neck and went to my ankles. I thought it was a coincidence the first time, but I knew the Mirena was the cause the second time it appeared. I tracked my cycles and the rash occurred at the same time during my cycle.
I went to my doctor and told him my thoughts. He politely gave me all my options before I chose to have the Mirena removed. The removal process was quick with a slight twinge cramp.
It has been 4-5 weeks since the removal of the Mirena. I am now free of cramping, excessive hair loss, eye twitches, heart flutters, breast swelling/tenderness, cystic acne, itchy skin, and rash. I still have some occasional low back pain, bloating, constipation, and mild acne. I had NO acne before the Mirena. Plus, the wrist tendinitis is getting better everyday.
Wish me luck ladies! I have to start from square one again. I hope that my experience with Mirena will help you.

I got the mirena removed today. It took about 10 seconds with only a slight pinching feeling with removal. It cost me $300.00 bucks though. That's about a $100.00 for each year that I was suffering. Anyway it was worth every penny at least that's what my husband thought when he seen me walk out of the office with a smile on my face. He whipped that credit card right on out!! I know that I will get better after this. The weight will start to come off, the hair will grow back, the cramps will stop, the sex drive will return, the mood swings will cease. How do I know ? I've been through this before with the depo provera shot and the birth control patch. I should have known better. I wish you all better health.

I was sexually active for two years using nothing but condoms about half the time, and the other half cycle planning and withdrawal, and never had so much as a scare. However, upon going to college I started Ortho Tri-Cyclen. I had lost about 15 lbs the summer prior and was down to 150, and in my first year of school I gained about 20... leaving me at 170, heavier than I had ever been. I know the 'freshman 15' is a real phenomenon, but my residence hall had really healthy food and I went to a school where we walked/rode bikes everywhere so the weight gain was really random. I also started experiencing intense mood swings, and a lot of lethargy... just a general unwillingness to get out of bed/off the couch and do things... for no real reason. About this time I noticed a drop in my sex drive. I switched to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo with no improvement, then I switched to the Depo Provera shot. On that I skyrocketed to 195 lbs, and my sex drive pretty much ceased to exist. Wanting to avoid hormones altogether I asked for an IUD, explaining my dislike of hormonal side-effects to my doctor. I got one, faced the frightening $1000 medical bill and luckily insurance covered all but like $30... but then I went home and looked up the name of what I had received... Mirena... only to find out that I was STILL getting hormones through this thing. I was really angry that my doctor heard IUD and instantly thought 'mirena' instead of actually listening to my explanation that I desired something without hormones. After three months of not taking off any weight despite lots of exercising (I have always been one to respond well to exercise) and not gaining any libido back whatsoever I removed the Mirena myself. I was just kind of feeling the strings and it tugged kind of a little loose... and that made me paranoid it wasn't in right so I just took it out entirely. I went for three months without any hormonal birth control and when my libido started to return and when I had taken off about 5 lbs my doc recommended nuvaring. I got a sample and tried it, but my weight loss plateaued and my desire for sex waned again, and my lethargy returned.... so I finally said that's it, took it out and swore off hormones once and for all, it sucks but I have a partner willing to use condoms so we just have to resign ourselves to that until we have kids and I get my tubes tied. Or he gets a vasectomy.. either one.

Also, last year I had some SERIOUS heartburn. I thought I was having a heart attack the first time because I have never had heartburn in my life. After taking Zantac150 (or whatever the max strength is) for a couple weeks and facing the fact that I may never be able to drink coffee again, it subsided and has not returned since. I can drink as much coffee as I want :) I only just now realized that happened the same month I had the Nuvaring in.... wow.

A year later I am back down to 173 lbs and the weight is coming off easily with running 2 miles once a week, that's about it. My libido is back 100% and as long as I eat healthy (fresh food) I have tons of energy. I don't restrict my food intake, I just try to switch out 'healthy' for 'unhealthy'. I've seen several friends gain 50lbs or more on Depo-Provera, and I had a friend almost attempt suicide on Yaz. I can't believe hormonal birth control is being touted as so normal. I have another friend, upon declining birth control, whose MD told her to get on prenatal vitamins! It is very possible to not get pregnant using just condoms, cycle planning and withdrawal... you just need willpower... and maybe lube.

I have been on NuvaRing for 4 months. I was previously on DepoProvera for 10 years, but due to bone loss, osteopenia, had to get off it. I had no side effects with Depo, no periods, no PMS, no problems.
I gained 12 pounds the first 2 months on NR. My weight continues to climb, even though I exercise and eat well. My breasts are swollen and sore constantly. I have excessive discharge, itchiness, and burning. I have also noticed I have gas more often.
I do not take the ring out for a week for a period, I just insert a new ring after 3 weeks and have experienced no bleeding. I have NOT experienced any of the other symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, headaches, which is surprising since I have been estrogen-deficient for 10years and am suddenly on it.
Overall, my symptoms seem minimal compared to others' experiences, so maybe everyone is different. But it does scare me that these symptoms are possible in the future.

PROS:
easy to use, convenient
only have to take it once/3 weeks
big boobs!
no period

CONS:
weight gain
breast soreness
yeast infections, itchiness
excessive discharge
gas
cost $35 every 3 weeks (my Depo was free)

I am 40 years old had been on the Depo-provera shot for almost one year for endometriosis and had NO side effects other than a significant (25 lbs.) weight gain. After complaining to my doctor about the weight gain he changed my prescription to Loestrin 24 Fe and told me that within approximately six weeks I should see that weight start to drop off. Well, I've only been taking this BC pill for not even a full month and I have significant side effects, such as: severe headaches every day, break-through bleeding, insomnia, fatigue, mood swings, bloating, extremely swollen and tender breasts which have increased a full cup size in just a month and am still continuing to gain weight by the week. I would NOT recommend this pill to anyone.

I've been on it now for about a year b/c it is a slow release in hormones and I get migraines from all the other pills. I've noticed a lot of what some of the other posts had noted such as:

- constant discharge (I always feel wet and dirty)
- a smell coming from the area all the time
- mood swings like crazy
- Absolutely NO SEX DRIVE
- fatigue (although this has been a new one I have come across in the past month, so maybe its not related)

none of this is really attractive at all, and I am seriously contemplating going off of it. Does anyone have an suggestions for people who get severe migraines from the pill???

WELL I HAVE TOOK THE DEPO PROVERA SHOT AS WELL. I HAVE ONLY BEEN ON IT FOR 3 MONTHS. HAVE NOT WENT BACK AND TOOK MY SECOND. MY DR. GAVE ME THE OVCON TO HELP GET MY CYCLES BACK TO NORMAL. WHICH IT WORKED THE LAST TIME I TOOK IT. I WAS CURIOUS IF IT WILL WORK AGAIN. SO THAT WAY I WILL BE REGULATED. I AM ALSO TRYING TO CONCEIVE AS WELL. I LOST WEIGHT WHEN I WAS ON THE PILL.

Well, I've only been on for a week, but my only problem is tummy problems, I cant keep anything in. But that was the same with Ortho Tri cycline. Doc says i need to keep trying for 3 months, so I will do that. He says by then I should feeel better.. Emotionally I do feel better than when I was on the depo provera shot. So I really dont have anything bad to say about it. All b/c pills make me a little sick to my stomach.