Get Informed: Depo-Provera
Active Ingredient(s)
Medroxyprogesterone
What does it do?
This product is primarily used as an injected contraceptive. It contains a derivative of progesterone.
- Last Text Update:
- 2009-Nov-20 12:21 AM
- Last Data Update:
- 2009-Nov-20 6:52 PM
Other Names
- Depo-Provera
- Provera
- Medroxyprogesterone
- Medroxyprogesterone Acetate
How Safe Is It?
- Your Risk Rating
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- Average Risk Rating
-
- Pregnancy Category:
- X
Black Box Warning
This product has a black box warning relating to its risk of bone density loss.
Facts & Figures
- Date Approved
- 18 Jun 1959
- Est US Patients*
- 428,300
- Generic Available
- Yes
- OTC Available
- No
User Age Distribution*
< 21
21-39
40-59
60+
Age (Years)
* Estimated number of US people currently taking Depo-Provera or its active ingredient based on population adjusted patient numbers registered with iGuard.org.
Depo-Provera Safety Report
Learn more about iGuard's risk ratings
- Please login or register (it's free) so iGuard can check how Depo-Provera interacts with other drugs and diseases in your profile.
What is Depo-Provera used for?
iGuard.org is currently tracking more than 2,500 patients that use Depo-Provera (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)). Use the table below to learn why iGuard users take this product; click on any underlined condition to get information on other medications used for treatment.
| Disease / Condition | % | Average Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Irregular / Painful Periods | 51% | 
|
| Birth Control | 31% |
|
| Menopausal Symptoms | 18% | 
|
| Endometriosis | 3% |
|
| Other | 5% |
|
How well does Depo-Provera work?
iGuard.org regularly polls our more than 2,500 users taking Depo-Provera (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM) . This feedback is continuously updated in tables below for the benefit of the iGuard community. To request scores for specific patient subgroups, please contact research@iguard.org.
Average Satisfaction Score
(out of 10)
Average Effectiveness Score
(out of 10)
- 76%
- of patients are confident that the good things about Depo-Provera outweigh the bad things.
- 10%
- of patients wish they were told more before they started taking Depo-Provera.
Common Side Effects of Depo-Provera
iGuard.org regularly polls our more than 2,500 users taking Depo-Provera (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) to monitor the development and frequency of side-effects. This feedback is continuously updated in tables and graphs below for the benefit of the iGuard community.
24% of patients experience side-effects on Depo-Provera
2% of patients experience signifcant side-effects on Depo-Provera
Most Common Side Effects...
-
Irregular Periods
-
Weight Gain
-
Mood/Behavior Problems
-
Headache
-
= 10%
Less than 1%: Dizziness, Nausea/Vomiting
Global Patient Feedback for Depo-Provera (Medroxyprogesterone) ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
I have no major problems with the depo shot. At first i gained weight, but then my body seemed to adjust to everything and i lot most of the weight without trying. I now maintain it. I was going to go of the depo shot because of the weight gain. Something i wasn't used to. I have been on depo for a few years and have no regrets. I guess everybodies body is different and responds differently to all things. I do recommend the depo shot.
39 year old Female
Posted: 2009-09-18 23:42:08
Question/Comment:
I've been on Depo since Sept. 2008. I have two kids (one which was conceived while I was on Ortho-Tricycline Low). I'm 32 years old. After reviewing all the birth control options I decided Depo sounded like the easiest and best choice for my husband and I. The first shot was great. I was on my period but just an hour after getting the shot all the bleeding stopped. I felt great and only had some slight bleeding just before the next shot was due.
My second Depo shot went well. My period stopped completely. Maybe spotting once in a while but it was nice to not have a period.
My third shot was very painful. About 10 minutes after the shot I had shortness of breath and felt like I couldn't breath. My arm felt numb. Still no period which was great but started having symptoms of pregnancy close to getting my fourth shot. I felt horrible.
I went ahead and got the fourth shot after a pregnancy test was negative. I regret getting that last shot!!
Since getting my 4th shot at the end of July 2009 I've had every side effect you can think of. I have severe headaches almost every day. I feel fuzzy headed and dizzy. I don't sleep well and when I do I still feel exhausted. Always tired. Sick to my stomach in the mornings and afternoons and horrible heartburn at night. Slight spotting with very bad low back ache and cramping in my stomach. Low abdomen feels funny. Gassy, bloated, diarrhea off and on. Sore breasts. My husband even commented that they have gotten bigger. I honestly feel pregnant but I've always had my shots on time. I've read depo can have pregnancy like symptoms so I have to remind myself not to worry but I feel how I felt when I was pregnant with my son. There are so many side-effects I'm sure a forgot to mention some!
I no longer recommend depo to friends. I feel as though I have been poisened with a overdose of Depo. I'm trying to exercise more, take herbal supplements and drink 1-2 gallons of water a day to get this out of my system. Will have to find another form of birth control becuase this is aweful. I hate to see anyone else go through this.
If you research it on the web you'll find more people hate it than love it and some people have had life altering effects from Depo that will never go away. I wish I had researched it on the web. I went off the literature my doctor gave me. When I asked about side effects she told me that the drug company has to report any symptom mentioned during a drug trial, even if it's not related to the shot and assured me that the only thing I'd experience is lack of a period. She right until I was 6 months into getting the shot. It's almost as if there was already so much in my system that getting that 3rd shot poisoned me. Please be careful if you chose Depo!!
32 year old Female
Posted: 2009-09-14 15:59:24
Answer/Reply:
I regret thinking that the side affects would not happen to me and not doing more research before getting the shot. I have been on the shot for less than a month now.I am experiencing the worst side effects. The evening time is the worst for me. Every night I have severe body aches and chills like I am coming down with the flu. I sometimes wake up freezing with night sweats and have a severe headache every day. I have major food cravings just as if i were pregnant and feel very depressed most all of the time. Im think that's all of them but even as I type this my head hurts so bad I cant think clearly. Please..if you are thinking about getting the depot shot..read the warnings and know that this can happen to you. I now have to wait another 3-4 months? for this to start getting better and I fear that it is going to get worse. Make sure you understand the risk before getting the depot shot before it is too late.
31 year old Female
Posted: 2009-10-30 22:40:15
Question/Comment:
i was getting every bad side affect i can think of. it took a whole year of me being off of it before i got my period back. i been off of it for like 5 years before i got pregnant. depr provera should not exist anymore and they should stop using it completely.
23 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-28 00:09:10
Question/Comment:
I recently received my first depo shot, post ovulation, pre-menstruation-- i haven't gotten my period yet-- I've been regular for over a year now. My periods were very heavy and painful. I am not sure what to expect on my upcoming cycle that is scheduled to arrive in the next few days (I hope). Any advice?
34 year old Female
Posted: 2009-07-22 15:34:30
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Typically the Depo-Provera injection is given during the first 5 days of the menstruation cycle. Frequent side effects include amenorrhea (missed period), breakthrough bleeding, nausea and vomiting.
If you are concerned about how you are responding to Depo-Provera, please follow up with the health care provider who gave you the shot.
Posted: 2009-07-28 02:01:02
Question/Comment:
I took the depo shot for 1 year and then had to stop because I lost my job and my insurance. During the first few months I had constant break-through bleeding and then I had a terrifying experience where I had a period and I bleed through the tampon and overnight pad, I ruined our car seat because we were traveling. I had a trail of blood from the car to the motel room. I finally got a job and insurance and started talking the depo - generic brand I had nothing but problems. I had pain in my neck, knee and arms - xrays were done and they found nothing wrong. My hair came out and I had swelling in my feet that last 2 months and the doctors still don't know what happened, I also had elevated blood pressure and my heart would beat as if it was a car racing. I had to go through several tests on my heart and no one found any problems. My MD ordered to stop taking the generic depo. Its been two years and my body is still recovering. I still suffer with swelling. I take blood pressure medicine and fluid tablets.
I wish i had never taken this shot.
49 year old Female
Posted: 2009-07-16 14:23:52
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Patient Comments about
Depo-Provera