[ShihtzuX2]

hi, chicks - for those of you who struggle with depression, have any of you used depo provera?

i have a SIGNIFICANT history - meaning, decades - of problems with depression and anxiety. a couple of months ago, I had a laparoscopy and (no surprise) learned i have a lot of endometriosis.

the ob/gyn told me that more surgery to remove the endo wasn't an option unless i had a total hysterectomy because my large intestine is fused to my uterus with lots of adhesions.

the option she recommended was depo provera to slow the progress of the endometriosis. i tried one shot a couple of months ago, and since then i've been feeling hyper-irritable and anxious most of the time, at other times just really depressed. i've been constantly binge-eating the past few weeks -- i think i've been trying to self-medicate myself with sugar to counteract the anxiety.

i'm supposed to go see the ob/gyn again soon -- and don't want to continue the depo shots. quite frankly, i don't think it should have been offered as a viable option to me anyway because of my history. in googling it, i find study after study and story after story of it causing depression and anxiety.

maybe it's partly end-of-winter seasonal affective disorder exacerbating things. maybe not. some drugs i seem to be hypersensitive to - while others I need massive doses of. i think the depo is one of the former.

has anyone else tried depo, and what was your experience? thanks, chicks.

[mom with issues]

Shihtzu,
I'm really sorry to hear about all you're going through. I was on several different birth control pills before I stopped in order to get pregnant with my oldest son. I have also had a lengthy history of depression. Although that was a really long time ago (15 years) I still remember that none of the pills I took played well with my hormones. Yes, they have changed a lot since then but I tend to think that if maybe the pills just don't play well with the hormones of us that have other issues. I never did go back on he pills after my son was born. I still had problems with depression and still do, but I don't have that to deal with too. Again, I'm sorry for what you're going through and hope that you can find a better alternative.

[ShihtzuX2]

thanks, mom!