I have recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis. I have used depo for over 10 years and was not aware of the risks associated with long term use until this week. I am only 36 and would like to hear from others who may have osteoporosis caused by depo use. My doctor has reccomended increasing my calcium but no other treatments. Does anyone have information about treatment options to share?

Hi,

I was on Depo for about a year and a few months and lucky for me it didn't do any damage. I also eat a lot of claium rich food and drink lots of milk. I'm sorry to hear what happened to you. The longer that you are on Depo the more damage it can do to your bones. I have read that it isn't reversable either. There should be some class action suit against the makers cause they didn't release any info regarding bone destiny with long time use. I hope that things turn around for you and good luck. :wave:

Hello
Thank you for your message. I am glad you didn't have any bone density loss. I didn't have any of the side effects many have with depo and thought it was the perfect birth control for me. Unfortunatly, my Dr. was not on top of things.

For anyone still taking depo... I was told today that taking calcium may not stop loss of bone density. I took a calcium supplement daily but unfortunatly it didn't seem to help. If you have been on depo for an extended period of time it might be worth it to request a bone density screener from your doctor.

like you, i thought depo was right for me. i've been on it for 3 yrs, and went off of it last week. i went to my dr to tell him i wanted to go off, and thats when he told me about the chance of osteoporosis. fortunately, he doesnt think it did any damage there, but i did get other side effects. depression, weight gain, and breast discharge. all of which only started in the last 3 or 4 months. even now, my breasts hurt so bad that it hurts to have a shirt on, and they grew a full cup in a month. im a small girl, and this change isnt sitting well with me. i used to always recommend depo, but now, i would never.

You should take Depo as a last resort, if no other bc method is right for you...and you shouldn't take Depo for more than 3 years. It states that on the health risks.

Unfortunatly for many of us the the risk of osteoporosis and the warning to not take depo for more than two years was not included in the health risk information until November of 2004 when the FDA included a black box warning. Before that women were told to take calcium to avoid the effects of progesterone on bone mass but the drug causes bone loss and calcium supplements may not be enough. So unless you were updated by your doctor you wouldn't have that information if you began using it before then. I also just found out that a class action lawsuit has been filed against the makers of depo for the very reason that these warnings were not being given to women and there are many women may now have osteoporosis at an early age because of it.

I just had another bone scan test because I was still taking depo and lost additional bone mass over the last year so I would strongly urge anyone who has been taking depo for longer than 2 years to pursue a test. Catching osteo early can help reverse bone loss and help you avoid fractures.

That's the thing with depo, it hasn't been in the market for too long so now the adverse effects are showing up. My doctor was telling me the other day she has two girls 23-24 years old with severe osteoporosis for using the depo for 7 years. And well there is no secret that progesterone causes bone loss. The pill with estrogen is better for that reason. Estrogen is what prevents bone loss. I think depo will be off the market eventually.

I agree I was only on it for six months, after a miscarriage, being sick everyday, becoming depressed, and almost passing out twicw for no explained reason, I finnally went off of it, and know about 4 months later I am finally starting to have normal cycles again. I really hope they take it off the market.