Perimenopause and the depo shot

Hi Dawn

With depo its tricky.

I am not able to give doc advice but I do know that you have to weigh the benefits and if they outweigh the risks then you know to stay on it. If the risks outweigh the benefits then by all means discontinue it.

Havin said that, I personally could not manage strong anxiety such as you have. I have it, and I am doing what I can to relieve it, believe me.

I dont think I could manage the depo shot whilst in the throes of peri menopause. There is way too much going on with our endocrine system to have additional things added to it.

Listen to your body as well as you can. 

Keep me posted,

xx

 

Dawn

Do you think that the depo will make it worse if you discontinue it? 

What are your fears about not using it?

If you are taking the zoloft then maybe that in itself is enough.

I wouldnt worry about not doing the depo, it will only help your body deal with your changes more naturally.

I will write again when i return, have to go to work

hang i there, your not alone.

 

You are probably getting anxiety because you are not making enough Oestrogen anymore. I personally would come off of the depo Prevera if I was you.

Hi there. I have no knowledge about the depo shots - but have gained a lot of info on anxiety. Thus the reason why I joined this forum. I was able to handle all the nasty symptoms of peri but the anxiety is by far the worst to deal with. I have been on xanor sx 1mg for the past 2 months now, getting CBT (therapy) to deal with the anxiety. Our bodies releases less hormones and by adjusting these hormonal changes, some ladies do suffer with extreme anxiety during peri which leads to depression as well. This forum helped a lot as I am now taking calcium and magnesium supplement as well as Vit D. I am eating healthy foods, a lot of greens and full grain bread - if a feel like having a slice. I do not drink any coffee anymore and should I feel like having a cup I take de-caf, cut the sugar and starch, doing light exercise 3 times a week. I am on month 2 now since the anxiety hit me, and I take each day at a time. I am keeping an anxiety diary as well, writing down the symptoms and ways to get through it. If I am having bad attacks I take my diary read through it and tell myself it will pass and I will get through it and it is just a phase my body is going through. If I have good days i write that down too and will read this on my bad days to keep my mind positive.

I am sorry that I do not have any info on the shots but you are not alone and here are awesome ladies on the forum that I believe that will assist in sharing there opinions on the shots.

Anxiety is really the most nasty of peri - hang in there Dawn. 

I am on HRT and the Progesterone started giving me bad anxiety as well as awful headaches. I take it vaginally now which cuts down the side effects, I am on Utrogestan 200mg pessaries. I also take 4 pumps of Estrodial Oestrogen each day.  I feel good most of the time and no longer get anxiety.  Good luck, I hope you find a balance that works for you x

Hi Dawn. I am 46, in peri for 1.5years + approx & like you was on depo shot for years.  I really got on with depo - no periods, stable mood etc. until just over 2yrs ago started getting irreg, prolonged bleeding that got more & more painful as time went on. in agreement with my gp  we tried watching & waiting, decreasing the interval between shots, nothing helped with the bleeding & pain. i got a transvaginal ultrasound in november 2016 which showed my womb lining to b abnormally thick at 11+mm. my gp then referred me to gynae at hosp & in the meantime we decided to try stopping the depo shot to see if that made any difference - it didnt. it was unusual that my womb lining was thickened since depo should keep it thin. my gp said that the fact she diagnosed me in peri early 2016 could be the overriding factor here, so the depo was not having its usual effect of stopping periods/keeping womb lining thin.  this could well be the case with you that peri is overriding what depo should be effecting on your body.  also because you have had depo for years & then suddenly you are suffering great anxiety to me points towards peri symptom - anxiety is a prime symptom of peri.  i ended up on low dose bio identical hrt since last april (oestrogel applied nightly & utrogestan capsules for 12 days a month) & i this sorted out my peri symptoms of anxiety, dizzy spells, erratic mood, tearfulness within a couple of months. i still get flushes but i can cope with that now the "mental" symptoms are under control. i continued to get irregular & prolonged bleeding which progressively got more painful & about 6wks ago i eventually had a transcervical resection of the endometrium(a first generation ablation procedure) where they cut out all of the womb lining. i have now not bled since 2wks after op & pain is really just recovery twinges when i have over done physically a bit - soooooo much better than before op.  maybe talk to your gp about having a transvaginal ultrasound to start with & have a discussion about low dose hrt/stopping depo for a 3mth trial period - just a suggestion, its upto you. the low dose hrt may indeed help your anxiety like it did me - to level you out & remove the need for anti depressants/anxiety meds.  as i had the ablation it makes me far less likely to fall pregnant, i am not on any contraception now, my hubby & i are just "careful" now... .... hope this helps. xx

Update on my peri symptoms. Went to the ob gyn today and I am coming off the depo officially the end of September. Have to wait a month and have my bloodwork done again to confirm things and go from there with my options. My doctor informed me today after all these years and not saying anything that the depo shot can cause all of the same symptoms as menopause. I was like why wasn't I informed of this for so long. I was so upset. I coulda stopped this along time ago. Anyways, to anyone out there that may be on the shot, take note that it's not gonna help you once menopause hits. It's gonna make everything ten times worse like it did me.