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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Depo-Provera (Medroxyprogesterone) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 7 ratings/reviews, Depo-Provera has an overall score of 5. The effectiveness score is 9.71 and the side effect score is 5.43. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Depo-Provera review by 28 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |  |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Birth Control |
| Dosage & duration: | | 150mg/ml taken every 10-13 weeks for the period of for 9 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | OTC pain relievers | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I was taking this drug as birth control, and it has been extremely effective. (No children, yet!) The fact that you only need to take it four times a year is great, so it is difficult to miss a dose. (Unlike the pill, which you take everyday, and missing it even once alters it's effectiveness.) As an added bonus, I no longer have my period, which were extremely painful and disrupted my life for a whole week every month. I no longer suffer from PMS symptoms, either. I can not complain about this drug at all. |
| Side effects: | | I have not experienced any side effects from this medication. Losing my period was an anticipated side effect, and although many feel that this is too much for them and discontinue use of this drug, it is a good side effect for me. Also there are studies that show bone mineral density is affected by this drug, but I have undergone a bone density scan, with normal results. This is great, considering I have been on Depo for nine years now, since I turned nineteen and for most of my twenties. |
| Comments: | | This drug is administered into a muscle by injection four times a year, by a physician. The shot is given every ten to thirteen weeks. Besides being used as birth control, it is also used to treat other conditions. |
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| | Depo-Provera review by 29 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |  |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Birth Control |
| Dosage & duration: | | 150 mg taken (1) injection every 90 days for the period of Over 12 years total/break after 1st five |
| Other conditions: | | none when first starting depo |
| Other drugs taken: | | none when first starting depo | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The main benefits were absolutely no pregnancy and no menstrual cycles. |
| Side effects: | | The main side effects, which I noticed more predominately in the later stage of treatment was the contast hunger and weight gain as the result, moderate acne, and depression (I am still being treated for depression so this may not be due to depo, but it is actually one of the side effects). |
| Comments: | | I started depo-provera when I was 15 years old and continued treatment for five years and then stopped treatment at the suggestion of my doctor to take a break from it. During the first ive years on depo, I had no adverse effects I maintained a constant weight of 112-1/2 pounds throughout the entire five years. I started depo again at the age of 23 and was fine and maintained a constant weight until they switched me to the generic version at the age of 27 from that point on I struggled with constant hunger rapid weight gain and struggling to keep it under control, acne is another of the side effects I experienced after the switch to generic and depression. The depression could be the result of fluxuating weight and acne or heredity. I stopped depo treatment and switched to the copper IUD in November of 2007 and since then the constant hunger has stopped, I have already lost 10 pounds without really trying and the acne is beginning to decrease. I still am receiving treatment for depression at the moment. Hopefully, this will help you in your birth control decision. |
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| | Depo-Provera review by 42 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | contraception |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 shot every three months (dosage frequency: 8 times) for the period of 2 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | It was 100% effectiv as contraception, the mayor benefit is not having to rememeber to take the pill every day and that it has only one form of hormon, which is important for woman over 35, especially smokers. |
| Side effects: | | The side effects were like a prevision of menopause - huge weight gain (20 pounds), incredible mood swings and severe bloating. My overall feeling was quite depressed and it took me a while to figure out that it had to do with the drug, not with what was going on in my personal life. I also thought that the weight gain was partially retlated to quiting smking. |
| Comments: | | One shot in the upper arm every three months, that's it! |
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| | Depo-Provera review by 20 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Contraception |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 shot every 3 months (dosage frequency: 1 shot every 3 months) for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I did not get pregnant while on the depo shot... but then again my sex life was shot due to the constant bleeding. |
| Side effects: | | Side effects were horrific. I gained weight, developed horrible acne, and i was severely depressed the entire time. When choosing the depo shot i was excited to not have to worry about taking the pill, lightening or stopping my periods, and the guaruntee of contraception. Boy was i wrong. All of the previous side effects were bad enough, but after the first month on the shot, i continued to have my period for nearly 2 months straight. for some reason my period never stopped. The worst part about this contraceptive is that once you take the shot, there is no going back. I highly recommend a different birth control. I am now on the nuvaring and so far i am pleased with the results. Mild nausea at night the first week but that is my only complaint. Much better choice if you are looking to avoid pills. :) |
| Comments: | | I recieved the shot at family planning about 3 years ago. Please do yourself a favor and look to other options before choosing this drug. My experience was the hardest 3 months of my life both emotionally and physically. |
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| | Depo-Provera review by 21 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | birth control |
| Dosage & duration: | | shot once every 3 months (dosage frequency: 3 shots/ 9 months) for the period of 3 shots/ 9 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | did not get pregnant |
| Side effects: | | HUGE weight gain of 20 pounds, moody, loss of sexual desire, periods that lasted two weeks, tons of breakthrough bleeding. On top of all that I had tons of body issues due to the weight gain. 20 pounds is very noticeable on my 120 pound frame! I would not recommend this to anyone! |
| Comments: | | get the shot every 3 months |
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| | Depo-Provera review by 24 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Birth Control |
| Dosage & duration: | | One injection (dosage frequency: every 3 months) for the period of 6 months |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Birth Control |
| Side effects: | | Massive weight gain, 22kgs (?48pounds) in the first 3months. Massive mood changes, bacame very depressed (weight gain didnt help that one) Was emotional about the smallest things. Anxiety attacks. Angry over small things. Nightmares and sleep walking and talking ? if these are side effect of that drug but there was a definate increase in both (esp sleep talking) when i was on the drug. Increased appitite (the weight didnt come from nowhere) was warned about pos weight gain but was told that if you controlled your eating youd be fine but my hunger was crazy i would eat a main meal and 1/2 hour later be starving like i hadnt eaten all day. I found it really hard to control my intake due to my excessive hunger. I also had heavy spotting the whole time i was on it and for about 5 months after i stopped the injections. I guess it was a very effective birth control as i had become depressed, overweight, had my period the whole time and was more interested in food than sex. Over all was not worth taking it, i actually regret taking it, was devestating for a 18year old at the time to go through. I also found it very hard to loose the weight during or afterwards, continued to gain weight for 6months after the last injection before any changes occured despite exercise and diet changes. |
| Comments: | | Birth control, 2x doses over 6months before i decided to stop treatment. |
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| | Depo-Provera review by 49 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | pregnancy prevention |
| Dosage & duration: | | 150 ml IM injecton (dosage frequency: every 3 months) for the period of 18 yeas |
| Other conditions: | | smoker |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | No pregnancy,no periods for 18 years, no menopause, estrogen production stopped, convenience |
| Side effects: | | prolonged but very minimal menopausal symptoms....joint pain, headaches, vaginal dryness. no significant weight gain, no significant rise in cholesterol levels or blood pressure |
| Comments: | | IM injection once every 3 months. Prescribed at the age of 30 because of being a smoker and should not use the oral birth control. Zinged through menopause and didn't even know it. After 18 years, stopped injections and did not re-start menstrual flow at all. It's been over 1.5 years since last injection and no side effects or withdrawal symptoms. |
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