Like Rachel, Depo-Provera was a god-send for me. I was diagnosed with endometriosis a year ago and, after the treatments to get it under control, my doctor told me that, although they are still not sure what causes it, the best way they have found to prevent the lesions from reforming is to go on birth control continuously to prevent a period. OK, seemed like no big deal since I'd been on bcp's for a while with no problem.
After several different bcp's had no effect, we tried one and not only did it *not* stop my periods, but I started bleeding and could not stop. I bled (sometimes as a period, sometimes just bleeding) for over 2 months, CONTINUOUSLY. It was terrible. I ruined my favorite pair of pyjama pants because I woke up one morning and they were soaked in blood to the knees (I was wearing an overnight pad). We tried estrogen. We tried progesterone. We tried a different pill. Finally, he tried depo-provera. About 2 or 3 weeks after, I finally stopped bleeding. Greatest feeling ever. I'll deal with the osteoporosis other ways. Not having to go through the treatment for endometriosis (a laparoscopy to burn off the lesions and Lupron, which also contributes to ostioporosis) is worth it.
Also, you had some very strong things to say about Prozac. In many cases (mine included), Prozac can be a good thing. I suffer from mild depression/social anxiety. After a combination of Prozac and counseling for 6 months, I'm not afraid of people to the extent that it hinders my activities. The Prozac allowed me to step back from the fear and depression long enough to figure out how to deal with it. Another great feeling.
I'm not saying that it didn't cause problems - a second doctor I saw in reference to the continuous bleeding said that some people (and I'm most likely included in this group) cannot take bcp's continuously. Their bodies just won't do it. I would suspect that the same is true for depo-provera or anything else. But it did wonders for me, and it shouldn't just be discounted out of hand as a possibility just because some fraction of the population can't take it.
After several different bcp's had no effect, we tried one and not only did it *not* stop my periods, but I started bleeding and could not stop. I bled (sometimes as a period, sometimes just bleeding) for over 2 months, CONTINUOUSLY. It was terrible. I ruined my favorite pair of pyjama pants because I woke up one morning and they were soaked in blood to the knees (I was wearing an overnight pad). We tried estrogen. We tried progesterone. We tried a different pill. Finally, he tried depo-provera. About 2 or 3 weeks after, I finally stopped bleeding. Greatest feeling ever. I'll deal with the osteoporosis other ways. Not having to go through the treatment for endometriosis (a laparoscopy to burn off the lesions and Lupron, which also contributes to ostioporosis) is worth it.
Also, you had some very strong things to say about Prozac. In many cases (mine included), Prozac can be a good thing. I suffer from mild depression/social anxiety. After a combination of Prozac and counseling for 6 months, I'm not afraid of people to the extent that it hinders my activities. The Prozac allowed me to step back from the fear and depression long enough to figure out how to deal with it. Another great feeling.
I'm not saying that it didn't cause problems - a second doctor I saw in reference to the continuous bleeding said that some people (and I'm most likely included in this group) cannot take bcp's continuously. Their bodies just won't do it. I would suspect that the same is true for depo-provera or anything else. But it did wonders for me, and it shouldn't just be discounted out of hand as a possibility just because some fraction of the population can't take it.
