Depo birth control shot
#17508 - 08/15/03 11:12 PM
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Hi
I didn't see a previous posting for the depo birth control shot and was wondering if anyone with IBS-d takes it and if it aggrivates their symptoms? I have have been taking it for about 6 years now and wonder if it triggers an IBS attack.
When I first get my shot (every 3 months) I feel like I can't eat enough and think I am constantly hungry and feel sick for days but... the alternative is such incredibly painful periods!!! They have been unbearable since I was 15. I saw a specialist at the time and she told me to have sex. You should have seen my mom go mental. LOL!
The doctors over the years have tried everything and there was nothing that they could do that helped. Even though I started my period at 11 and didn't have problems till the time I was about 15 & that is when my IBS really started to get bad. The doctors tried major pain killers, back pain meds, mixing drugs, etc and nothing helps with my periods. The minute my period starts the pain gets worse. I get so sick with having d and crying i'm in such pain even with all the medications. I've scalded myself trying to get the water in the tub warm trying to ease the cramps. Tylenol 3's & birth control that the Dr. tried to help with the pain felt like I hadn't taken anything.
The depo shot is the only thing that has helped because I don't get a period on it. I'm sure my period and IBS go hand in hand but i'm afraid to stop the depo. Nothing is wrong physically inside. I had test done last year and only found a cyst but the specialis they are normal for women and they come and go all the time. It shouldn't cause my pain. And none of the meds I was given helped with the pain at all.
I was told that it wouldn't hurt as much after I had a baby. Duh??? Any pain after that will fill like a sliver I figure and i'm not willing to have children to stop my period pain!!! 
Does anyone else have any answers about the depo shot? Because I would like to stay on it but I don't want to aggrivate my IBS in any way.
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You are telling my life story, except for the IBS at 15. Mine didn't start until my late 20's after a parasitic infection. I have endometriosis. Do you? It sounds like you could. I did Depo for three years and I was miserable. I gained a ton of wait and was really moody! My appetite was all messed up. I went from eating all the time to hardly eating. I didn't have IBS at the time, so I'm not sure if Depo is a factor in your IBS. I do know that it causes problems with your appetite. Have you ever had a lapscope where they go in with a scope and see what is going on? If not, I would suggest this because you may be able to go off some of your meds if they can clean you out a bit. I have had two lapscopes and am having a third possibly in October. They aren't too bad and they ease my periods a lot afterward.
leah
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I gained 80 pounds!!!! The doctor said that it shouldn't have been that much that the usual is 10-20 pounds. Yet from the age of 13 to 21 I was always 123 pounds.
Anyways no I don't have endrometriosis. I had the lapascopy done and it only showed up the cyst. The specialist said that I was build small inside but that was all he could find. No disease, no scaring, etc. The surgery didn't go well and I now try to avoid our local hospital and gynocologist.
I now try to make a concentrated effort not to go crazy thinking i'm hungry the first week of my shot and wonder if I stop taking it beside the pain, will I actually lose the weight it made me put on. I am very afraid of the pain of a period more than I ever would be from a major IBS attack!!!!
Tell me more....
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Well, it's a good thing you don't have endometriosis. How did you do on a birth control pill? After being on Depo and gaining 35 pounds in 2 months, I took myself off of it after three years and tried to go hormone free. It was a mess! I was blacking out and fainting from the pain and bleeding. I went back on the pill and it's been 6 years of much better periods. (Some are worse than others.) Just this last month I blacked out again during my period and my periods are awful again, so back under the knife I go. One thing I did find to be helpful with the pain is massage. I went once a week to a woman who specialized in massage for pain relief. She worked wonders, but it got to be expensive. It was worth it though. I also have cysts like you. They can be very painful as well. How is your gyn? If he/she is not helpful and supportive, I would find a new one. I have gone through a few. I am very picky about who I go to. They have to be understanding of what we're going though. As far as the IBS, are you having periods on Depo? I had one for three monrths and then no more the whole time I was on it. If you are, I would follow the IBS diet strictly during you periods. This is when my IBS can get really ugly. What else would you like to know? I am so glad to know that someone else has similar problems. We are not alone!
Leah
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Have either of you considered trying yoga? I remember Heather saying her cramps disappeared after practicing yoga for awhile & IBS symptoms during this time also lessened. There are poses that help with both IBS & your period. I don't practice yoga myself, but I've read how it helped others.
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hi ,
I had the depo birth shot back in january this year - i had awful problems with it - sever back ache constand dioreah and a general feeling of being pregnant so in april when i was due a top up the doc recommended it did have it again - i am allergic to progesterone which causes different reactions - anyway i have just had my first period in 6 months after coming off the injection and believe this is fairly common - very annoying when your trying for another baby ;O) anyway hope u dont have too many problems with it xxxx
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Robyn,
I am sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. Your post made me think.....Considering I am a blonde
you should be proud LOL
Anyways - my sister had very painful periods since we were young. She had trouble with every birth control
pill. She tried everything and still suffered for about 5 years.
Last year she was diagnosed with endometriosis. It's very common amoung women, but very few doctors
know about it. What happens is there is a problem with your tubes, ovaries etc and instead of your blood
from your period coming out it wants to flow back inside causing severe pain.
She just got surgery for it and is so much better for it! Maybe you should speak with your doctor about that-
it really sounds like the same thing.
I don't know anything about the Depco birth Control. But it sounds to me that your problem started before the
taking of this Depco so I don't think these symptoms are from this.
I know I am not a doctor, but I remember my sister screaming in pain and she had been in and out of doctors
offices for 5 years and finally was diagnosed.
I hope you will start feeling better soon and that you will be able to find out what is wrong!
--------------------
Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Hi
Tjhanks for all the feed back but really nothing helps. No endometriosis, no cancer, no tipped uterus, etc. I was given a clean bill of health from the gynecologist.
I do yoga almost every day. I was always involved with sports and doing things and that never helped but my main concern is if the depo increase my attack of IBS-d. I find as I get older and how many years I have lived with IBS which started as a child as mostly IBS-c and then in my teens turned into IBS-d that I want to make sure that I do everything in my power to reduce my possible triggers.
I am very tired of this and the restrictions it has put on my life. Mostly on for 21 or my 27 years is too much. 
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Hand in there! I am sorry that nobody has the magic words you were hoping to hear. Is there any other option rather than Depo? I found to be so miserable ( as you can see from my story). Let us all know if there is any other way that we could be supportive and remember you are not alone!
leah
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