Hey guys, so Im going back on the pill after a year long hiatus away from it. I wanted to see if my old pill, Diane, had any reason why I was not losing weight.. And it apparently did NOT. hah! But I wanted to try something different as I am so bad at taking my pill every day on time.

Evra is the one where you stick it on you, like the nicotine patch and leave it for a week, replace, repeat for 3 weeks...When I talked to the doc, obviously the first things I asked were, 'will I gain weight?!" and the response was the usual, side effects MAY include blah blah..So, I want to know, from anyones experience out there, is this EVRA patch going to make me gain alot of weight?!? I have one week to decide, as my 'p's" is coming next week, when I start!

I was on the patch for 8 months. It did NOT make me gain any weight. In fact I was losing weight while on it. My doc said that the weight gain - pill connection is way over-played. Just stick with your program and you should be fine. I did have some minor skin reactions to the patch, but it really is very convenient.

Whew! *big sigh*...You should read some of the things I've read online, different girls saying how they were bloated, gained (albeit they are thin already!) from 115 to 121...I was getting actually a little annoyed at the fact that these girls were complaining about that, meanwhile, Im like 40 pounds over! One more pound just adds to the misery!

I will start my patch soon, thanks so much! If anyone has any other opinions, let me know but Im still going to try it anyway...

Sounds like water weight maybe, it is a hormonal change, so be prepared for some changes.
I was on the depo shot for a year and a half, and I feel that made me gain weight (30-40 lbs range). I think it was the amount of hormone in the shot, my personality changed as well. That did not work well with me.
The patch is just like the pill though, if you found no side effects on the pill, the patch should be just the same.
Good Luck, let us know how it works out.

I found that when I was on the pill (Ortho Tri-Cyclen) that it did not affect my weight at all.

I don't gain weight on the pill, but gained 70 lbs while on the shot!

You should be fine with the patch if it is similar to the pill.

I was told that the shot doesnt have ANY hormones in it. Thats why my doctor took me off of it. I was on it for about 5-6 years and studies are now showing that after 2 years most women have extreme bone density loss. Im on seasonal birthcontrol pills. I havent lost any weight as of yet. But on the shot I gained A LOT, though that may have just been my horrible diet and lack of exercise

Wow. I am so sorry your doctor misled you; but not a bit suprised, sadly. It is common for doctors to ignore questions and even condescend by lying, thinking that we as patients/women don't need to know the truth or wouldn't understand/couldn't handle it. Depo-Provera has *synthetic* hormones that have a very hormone-like effect n the body. (see below)

What is Depo-Provera?

Depo Provera is a hormone injection that lasts for 3 months to prevent pregnancy. The injection contains synthetic progesterone and no estrogen. It is usually given in the arm or rear, delivering a high level of progesterone into the body. Depo Provera stops the ovaries from releasing eggs. Depo Prover causes the cervical mucu to thicken and changes the uterine lining, making it harder for sperm to enter or survive in the uterus. These changes prevent fertilization.


When Depo-Provera first came out, I was a young teen and trusting and naive enough to give it a try without doing much research. All it took was *one* shot for me to know this wasn't right for me! I felt that anything that could alter my body's natural rhythm for that long, taken in just one little shot had to be *toxic* and potentially damaging to the body. In addition, I had mood changes (increase in anger and aggressiveness, mostly) that made it less than desireable.

The pill I was on (Levlin) screwed my periods up completely. I know whatever was in it was just no good for me because like Ktna and her Depo shot, my personality changed as well. Even when I stopped taking it and changed to another type (Yasmin) my period didnt come good, in fact it stopped entirely. It's never come back and it's been about 9 months since I stopped taking any form of the pill.

Yes, I have been to the doctor and he yes, he did listen to me, and yes, he did explain everything too me and answered every question and ran every test under the sun. (I have a great doctor, I love him lol, i'll go all the way from where I live now in Canberra back home to Bega (over 3 hours away) just to go to him).

I suppose one bonus was it didnt make me gain any weight lol.

Livi

When I was on the patch it didn't affect my weight. One time though, I had gone wake boareding and it fell off. I didn't notice untill the next day. I put a new one on and then had a period for 3 weeks!!!!!!!

I would suggest to anyone reading this and considering birth control to NOT try the shot. First, it KILLED my sex drive. Completely. Within 24 hours of the shot the LAST thing I wanted to do was have sex. Yet I kept it up for 2 1/2 years because I loved the freedom of not having period and I'd tried several brands and dosages of the pill and they all made me sick so I thought it was the only option.

I spent the next two years constantly in the doctor's office for various illnesses and never once connected my problems to the shot. Constant, painful nipple sensitivity, rapid weight gain, constant infections (repertory, sinus, ear, saliva glands, wounds) and worst of all, a horrible, unbearable pain in my lower abdomen which no doctor could find a reason for. I was told it was all in my head.

Then I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and was given medication to take for it. I wanted to check to see if depo and the medicine had a possibility of reaction. My searches brought me to a site about Depo Prevera side effects. Curious, I clicked on it....what I read made me cry. I was horrified, disgusted, terrified, and relieved. There were women, hundreds of women posting on a support forum who had lived in the same nightmare I'd lived in for the past 2 1/2 years. It was the "phantom" abdomen pain that really got to me. Several of the doctors who saw me for this pain recommended anti-depressants. I refused them, insistent that there was something physical wrong with me. Post after post, thread after thread of women who'd felt the pain, gone through the same struggle with their doctors....

It's been eight months since my last shot. I still don't have normal periods and I still have the pain, but every month that goes by it gets less severe, flare-ups less frequent. My new doctor tells me it could be a year or more before I am back to normal.

I was horrified that something which had caused so many to suffer was still available on the market with very little to warn the public of the dangers. My doctor gave me my shot. I never got a chance to read, or even SEE the black-box warning lable that was put on the box concerning bone loss. I was disgusted that my doctor had not warned me and terrified to realize how long I may have used that shot if I had not happened apon this site. I was very very relieved to find out that I wasn't crazy...that the pain wasn't all in my head.

So, if you are looking for a safe birth control, do NOT try depo. Many women try it and have no problems. Many suffer like I did. Considering the long term effects of this drug, is it worth the risk???

I've been on the patch now for 4 months and have actually been losing weight. I too was scared about gaining but that has not happened. I started my diet 3 months ago and have had no problem losing weight other than a plateau that I hit which is probably my fault for not eating enough and exercising so much!

ok here is my BC story...I started the shot when I was 18, and while I was on it the first time I stopped having periods and actually lost a BUNCH of weight...but then I got off of it after a year, I had no need for it anymore since I wasn't having sex...then later I met a new guy and after having been off BC for a year I decided to jump on the pill...they put me on Yasmin, and I didn't notice any weight differences (was on for 4 or 5 months) but it made my hormones RAGE! My moods were just YUCK and they would swing like night and day...it was bad...so i decided to get back on the shot...I think I was 150 or so when I got back on it last September...My last shot was in January, when I was at 185 or so...I didn't know if that had anything to do with the weight gain, I know there were other factors, but I had to eliminate this one...now I am about 205 or so, I still technically was "on the shot" till the end of April I guess, because that's when the next one was due...I don't think I have gained any since I have been off of it though. So right now I am just being very CAREFUL...I don't WANT to get pregnant yet (I'm 21, not married, live with BF/fiance). But if it happens I can deal with it. I have considered patch also, but as of right now I hate any form of BC...everything I have tried has given me some horrible side effect (except the first time I was on the shot) so I am kinda anti-BC for now. Maybe once I get my weight down to 160 or so I will try the patch.

My BC Story too: I was put on BC when I was 16 because my periods were like 9 days long and so bad I had to go to the bathroom between every class in high school to change pads. Also, they were only about 3 weeks apart, so it was that time of the month about half of every month. TMI, I know, but it was true. So my doc put me on the pill and it helped immensely. No weight gain, other than a couple pounds a year due to slightly less exercise and slightly more junk food. About the time I went to college, I switched brands, again, no problems, I gained a couple pounds a year, which I would expect, looking back at my lifestyle. Point to this story is I've been on BC for over 10 years now.

Now here's the really good news. About a year and a half ago, my doc switched me over to the Ortho-Evra patch. He put me on a 3 month cycle, so I only have to have my period 4 times a year (YAY!) and guess what...the migraine headaches I have suffered from my entire adult life are GONE!!! I went from having 3-4 a week, at least one a month making me physically sick, to having maybe 1 every 3 months, and not nearly as severe. I don't know if that is because of the cycle or the hormones, but I'm staying on the patch as long as I can possibly swing it. I haven't gained any weight, and have lost 3 pounds in the last 3 weeks, by adding some exercise and subtracting some calories every day, nothing drastic, so I don't think it is affecting my weight at all. Plus, I only have to have 4 periods a year and I have complete control over when they are. Can it possibly get any better than that?