First of all, I am so sorry you had to go through all of that. It sounds terrible.
But, as I've done before, I want to point out that Depo is actually good for some people, me included. I have endometriosis, which means if I have a period, tissue starts getting into my abdominal cavity and then gets inflamed every time I have a period. It is incredibly painful. I also get pretty miserably sick. After the initial treatment for endometriosis, the doctor proscribed continuous birth control to prevent future periods. We started with just taking a pill continuously (which I did without missing days) - not only did I have a period, but it didn't stop for over a month. Depo stopped it and I haven't had problems since (2.5 years later).
That said, my doctor and I take precautions. I take estrogen pills, which will prevent the bone density loss. I haven't had any of the drastic weight gain (apart from some significant injuries before I went on depo which prevented me from any significant physical activity).
I think, in your case, it was abused. Your mother clearly had no respect for you, and that's terrible. I'm also not sure it should be used as a general birth control method, especially when there are other excellent options (even pills - I never had a problem remembering to take them, and I don't now, when I'm taking 6 in the morning, 3 during the day, and 6 at night for those old injuries). But it shouldn't totally be tossed out, as it can be used for other purposes. It's just been abused as a form of birth control.
But, as I've done before, I want to point out that Depo is actually good for some people, me included. I have endometriosis, which means if I have a period, tissue starts getting into my abdominal cavity and then gets inflamed every time I have a period. It is incredibly painful. I also get pretty miserably sick. After the initial treatment for endometriosis, the doctor proscribed continuous birth control to prevent future periods. We started with just taking a pill continuously (which I did without missing days) - not only did I have a period, but it didn't stop for over a month. Depo stopped it and I haven't had problems since (2.5 years later).
That said, my doctor and I take precautions. I take estrogen pills, which will prevent the bone density loss. I haven't had any of the drastic weight gain (apart from some significant injuries before I went on depo which prevented me from any significant physical activity).
I think, in your case, it was abused. Your mother clearly had no respect for you, and that's terrible. I'm also not sure it should be used as a general birth control method, especially when there are other excellent options (even pills - I never had a problem remembering to take them, and I don't now, when I'm taking 6 in the morning, 3 during the day, and 6 at night for those old injuries). But it shouldn't totally be tossed out, as it can be used for other purposes. It's just been abused as a form of birth control.
