Depo-Provera : Contraceptive Injection

I'm a 28yr fml, I have had adult cystic acne for 2+ years, it randomly came out of no where! I literally tried every product out there, over the counter drugs/creams/face washes, prescription medication, tried to eat more healthy and nothing was working. It was so depressing going from a clear face to having 3 pimples appear daily! I WAS on the IUD when it all happened and my dermatologist advised me I should take it out and try the pill, I did but I kept forgetting to take it and it would make me nauseous so I just gave up on birth control and lived with the ance until about 3 wks ago I decided to give it another try, so I tried the depo and my face is completely clear. It has not been this clear since 2012! I am so happy, finally! I have found something that works!!! I have no mood swings whatsoever. I'm not eating all crazy and haven't gained weight! This is perfect for me.

So I had my first and only shot in January 2014. Its now October and I am still experiencing problems! First let me say that I was 22 years old, had never been on birth control because I always felt that my body didn't need it. Though my mom suggested I go on it to control my period pains... WORST mistake of my life! Started off with the odd spotting here and there, I thought it was great that I had no periods and never had to worry about carrying tampons or sanitary towels around with me. But after a month or 2 had passed, I started getting very edgy, feeling like life was getting me down for no reason at all... I would cry almost permanently, I felt very depressed and actually just wanted to be left alone. Going to work was like being hit by a bus, being in public was highly uncomfortable and seeing the sun made me wish for rain. It was the most unpleasant feeling and so difficult to explain. I battled on through this for months, trying to control my emotions for the sake of my relationship as I drove my boyfriend insane with all my outbursts. Lucky enough for me he was patient and understanding enough and eventually it wore off. BUT, it didn't end there.. I went from having no period, to spotting regularly, then to having a period every 2 weeks and now I have my period every week! It is the most horrid thing and really gets you down. I am suffering from severe acne on my forehead(might I add that i have never had a pimple in my life), I have tried everything to get rid of it. From natural skincare to Acne creams/gels and it is ruining my self esteem. Its hard to get up every morning and have to look in the mirror at what was once upon a time a beautiful/acne free skin! Breaks my heart, and worries me that it might effect my chances of having children in the future :( PLEASE young girls and women I urge you NOT to use this, it is poison being pumped into your body and you don't even realise it. I only wish that I had of trusted my body enough to know that it would have reacted the way it did!

i have been on the shot for over two years and while it is amazing with keeping you baby free, it also has created some of the worst self esteem issues i have ever dealt with. the acne is awful and the weight gain has become way too much. working out, eating right, and drinking tons of water have never helped with my acne. its always there and it never gets better. as for the sex, it doesn't happen and when it does, its never pleasurable. it has robbed me of my confidence and my sex drive and is not worth it. I'm coming to the end of my cycle and after that i am done and can only pray that i can get back to the way i was before.

BAD BAD BAD BAD! I'm writing this because I don't want anyone to go through what I did.This medication did exactly what it was supposed to in terms of birth control,I did not get pregnant. That should be good, but the struggle I had to go through for it was not worth it in any way shape or form. I am very dissatisfied with it and wish I had researched it before I took it. I took one shot on Jan 22 2014. It is Aug 18 and I'm just now seeing changes on going back to normal. I won't go into detail but here are some side effects I experiences: ABSOLUTELY NO SEX DRIVE/HURT DURING PENETRATION, ACNE, GAINED 30 LBS WHILE EXERCISING AND EATING HEALTHY, VERY MOODY,DIARRHEA, VOMITING,CLAY COLORED STOOL, SEVERELY DEPRESSED, BLOATED, AND SPOTTING. I took this as an easy way out of using regular contraceptives and it almost ruined my relationship with my boyfriend whom I live with. He said I wasn't myself and I didn't feel like it at all. I can't even explain what it feels like to think you are crazy. Finding out it was the hormones gave me a little ease but now that I'm returning to normal and actually feeling happy again I would never go back. Nurses say you should try it twice just to make sure it works, but there is no amount of money or persuasion that would make me do this again. If you take it and it does work well for you, please be careful and take care of yourself or use calcium pills because major loss in bone density is tied to long term users of depo provera.

I havent had any major problems with this. When my shot wears out, I get bad acne. You also will get your period symptoms but I'd rather just get the symptoms than to get the actual thing. If you don't get your shot, you'll bleed terribly bad. I also personally get very bad insomnia on the shot so I wont go to bed until like 4 a.m but i do recommend this or the Ortho-evra patch.

This stuff has caused the worst acne of my life. I have always had a pimple here and there but this erupted my entire face! My dr had me get a second shot to see if I would be able to get through an initial acne stage. Six months later I am still covered in acne with not much relief until this shot wears off. Don't get this if you struggle with hormonal acne.

A terrible, awful thing to do to a beautiful young woman.

Is this an acne treatment? Really? I'm not a doctor, but I'm going to say no. I've used this for birth control for over ten years, and for that it's awesome. No periods, no mood swings. It's not supposed to be used long term, but I would seriously freak out if it was taken from me.

If you don't do well on hormonal methods, this isn't for you. You're pretty much stuck with it for the entire time it's in your system. I don't remember breaking out on this method but just gained so much weight and it was hard to lose after I decided not to do it anymore. I started out at 115lbs. than shot up to 145-150lbs. within a year. It was god awful and I'd never go back to this method again.

As with anything, we all react differently to things. That being said, what I experienced on this synthetic form of birth control has changed my entire outlook on what I put in my body. The worst side effects from this shot was the chronic hives that consumed my body for over a month and the constant cystic acne that covered my face. It caused a major shift in my mood and self esteem. I lost control over my body and have only begun to take it back. It takes time for this to leave your body and working it out takes patience and the support of caring friends and family. I took two rounds and after my second decided to start researching. The BIGGEST thing I can suggest is that you research this shot on forums, read the medical trials, take time to really understand it. I know some women who the worst thing they experienced was the major weight gain and others who are far worse than I am. Please, research.....make informed decisions on what you decide to put into your body!