I looked into the depo provera lawsuit the other day and found some pretty shocking stuff about it. Ladies who used depo, did your provider warn you about any of this?
They talk about studies linking long-term use to a type of meningioma brain tumour. There’s also a different drug with a similar risk, cyproterone acetate that got pulled from the market entirely. Meanwhile, Depo’s still prescribed in the US, and the label here doesn’t even mention meningiomas.
In the Depo lawsuit, people are claiming that the manufacturers knew about this risk for decades and didn’t warn doctors or patients (read this article https://www.drugwatch.com/depo-provera/ and another one I can’t find rn).
Now I’m digging around, I really want to know more. Any insights about this topic are appreciated!
Comments
I learned about how Depo Provera was used to sterilize indigenous and black women in North America and that was enough for me to believe it should never be used as a contraceptive.
Never been told about it, I took 3 doses of it (3 months apart)after giving birth to my child. I noticed that I had dimples on my legs on the injection sites, as if it was killing the muscle. Now, 4 years later, those holes are still visible. Health care professional completely ignored me when I mentioned it as if it wasn’t important or if I made it up.
Youre not supposed to use depo-provera long term, 2+ years of depo provera significantly harms the bones. Its used to chemically castrate pedophiles. Idk why it’s prescribed to anyone other than women that need to hide that they’re on birth control from family/abusive partners
I’ve been on it now for about 1.5 years, so it’s not just a little terrifying no one thought to tell me any of this. I think I’m going to be making an appointment to switch to something else to keep my periods in check.
It isn’t banned everywhere. It’s still used in the UK as a contraceptive injection, every 3 months. I know a few people who’ve struggled to get pregnant after using it.
I have endo and always had very bad periods. I was on different BC pills since I was 18 and had bad side effects with all of them. I stupidly let a doctor inject me with depo when I was 21 without researching it first. It was the worst medical decision I ever made. I gained weight, had severe headaches, so much of my hair fell out, I was genuinely so depressed and suicidal on it. I felt like such an angry person and I just didn’t recognise my own personality anymore. It took a very long time for my body to go back to normal. Every doctor I brought this up to dismissed me.
I stopped all contraception when I was 22 and it was the best decision for me. I had a longterm boyfriend (now husband) and accepted the risk if we got pregnant. Thankfully we didn’t have a baby until we were fully ready a year ago.
Even after having my baby two nurses and a doctor tried to pressure me to go back on contraception and I will never turn down the opportunity to chastise them for trying to pressure me in to it knowing how bad my side effects were and after repeatedly telling them no. So many girls are pressured in to these decisions and then dismissed when they seek medical advice when they have adverse effects.
Nope, only warned about osteoporosis was possible if on too long.
I had one injection as a teen and had my period non-stop for months. That was enough for me to never get it again.
I took it for about a year when I was young, and that one school year (approx 8 months) I gained about 60 lbs. quit after that.
I did not know it was banned! I took it for a couple of years back in the day I was fed up with the pill but didn’t know about IUDs yet. I don’t even remember when. I didn’t understand it or hormones. I hated it a lot. But it was offered to me as a stylish modern new thing for women who struggle to remember the Pill or afford it regularly. I think the cost of it was even subsidized, I never had medical insurance and relied on free clinics/state help a lot so I’m sure it was subsidized.
Now I really need a bone density scan. I’ve already been denied one because i’m not “menopausal” but i’m DEFINITELY in perimenopause, on HRT and starting some strength training but i wish i knew how bad my bone density was to start with to compare. Idk when i’ll be allowed to have a scan.
I was on it for two years for endometriosis. My doctor told me to stay on it for only two years due to a risk of osteoporosis? There was never any warning about brain tumours though. This was back in 2005.
because it is horrible for people, too many side effects.
You’re on the right track.
Here’s what else you need to know about it:
A 2024 BMJ study found that using Depo-Provera for a year or longer was linked to a more than fivefold increase in the risk of developing intracranial meningiomas (brain tumors).
The risk appears to rise with longer use, especially after ≥ one year.
Regulators in countries such as France, the United Kingdom and Canada have since updated product labels to include warnings about this risk. The United States’ label, however, was last revised in July 2024 and still does not mention meningiomas.
The first lawsuit in the United States alleging that Pfizer failed to warn about this risk was filed in October 2024. Hundreds of related cases have since been consolidated in federal court. Plaintiffs argue that the manufacturer was aware of the risk for decades but failed to inform physicians or patients. Pfizer has claimed that its actions followed FDA guidance.
If you have used depo provera and were not warned of these risks, it’s a good idea to document your usage history and what your provider told you and keep medical records organized. Some of the legal cases are still active in the U.S and that’s important for joining cases.
If you experience symptoms like frequent headaches, vision problems or seizures, speak to your health provider immediately.
Loss of bone density was one of the reasons. I’d been on it for at least a decade when my family doctor referred me for a bone density test. My test showed no loss of bone density, doctor didn’t advise about class action suits/additional side effects and continued to prescribe to me. I was on Depo from 1998-2013, don’t think it damaged me but only time will tell.
I was on it for almost 20 years. I was only warned of osteoporosis, which I do have some reduced density, and I should be getting another density scan soon to see how it’s progressing. I’ve been off of it for 5 years.
I actually liked being on depo. I didn’t have any negative side effects during my usage and nothing was amiss coming off of it. I’m not sure why my experience was different from so many others, but it was a breeze for me so I stayed on it.
I am worried about the brain tumor, that was certainly not a concern when I was on it. I don’t have any symptoms to warrant a brain scan. Maybe I’ll talk to my doctor about it though. The tumors are also reported to be in the spine, if I remember correctly.
Scary stuff.
My daughter dr like 3 weeks ago said it’s link to osteoporosis its linked to weak bones.
I used it when I was the ages 17-19/20? I gained 75 lbs and it forever changed my cycle. I’m glad I didn’t have any other problems. I went on to have 3 kids.
But I was never told any of the possible side effects, nor was I told weight gain was possible. When my gynecologist went to administer my next injections (every 3 months the) she laughed at my weight gain and said “yea weight gain happens)
I also have a permanent dent in my asscheek from the shots. So yay
I was on it for a decade in my 20s but have been off for at least 12 years. I switched to an IUD a few years later and HATED it. Never wanted kids so got my tubes tied shortly after that.
I was on it for about 3 years. The only warning I received was bone density loss. My doctor recommended coming off it at 3 years.
This type of shit is why people are rabidly anti-vax and try to rely on natural rememdies. The pharmaceutical companies are so corrupt and in the US are allowed to profiteer at the expense of human health without any sort of government regulation.
I tried it for about a year and hated it. My skin broke out and I felt sweaty and grumpy and gross all the time. It’s not like you can remove the injection from your body, so I just had to wait it out until it wore off. Nobody warned me about brain tumors – how awful.
I currently have a hormonal IUD, a bilateral salpingectomy, and still have to take continuous birth control pills because of endometriosis…so it’s possible my hormones are just weird
I was on it for several years in both the US and the UK and was only warned about osteoporosis. It was honestly my favourite BC because I only had to think about it once every 3 months AND my very painful periods stopped. I only came off it because my doc said I’d been on it too long (I think I used it for 7 years total). Nobody ever mentioned brain tumours.
I had a one time injection.
And I was warned about it.
But I was bleeding for 90 days straight and my hemoglobin was so low. I was going to need a blood transfusion
I desperately needed to stop the bleeding.
The first two days I got gushers. And I thought it was a huge mistake.
But then.
Finally the tap turned off.
Relief.
A few weeks later, I got a uterine ablation.
If men menstruated we’d be in a different world.
Tried it once and bled for 3 months straight. They said “that happens to some women, it shouldn’t happen again. But it might.” Fuck that. Plus it gives you Cancer.
Ugh I hate when my anti-medicine friends are right about things. Maybe I should be more of a skeptic.
I don’t know if it’s directly because of the depo, but I started it right after I got married because I absolutely did not want to get pregnant and ended up with a migraine that didn’t go away for 19 months. I still have chronic migraine, 27 years later.
I was on it from age 16 to age 19. I stopped being skinny after that, it made me feel less libido, and every time I managed to have an orgasm, I would then gush blood. It was horrible. I’ve never been the same since taking it.
I was on it for a scant 18 months and developed a benign tumor on my pituitary. Which sucks for a couple of reasons: it happened so long ago none of the lawsuits will use me in the class action, and I have to be super careful about HRT, as not to awake the brain beast.
If it makes anyone feel better, I was on it for about 3 years in the early 2000s. I’ve had 2 fantastic children since then (one has a chronic medical condition but I have no reason to believe it’s related to my birth control).
No health issues for me and once my periods came back they were regular like clockwork, just as before.
That’s not data but it’s my anecdote.
My gyno had told me about osteoporosis, nothing else.
I didn’t have that as far as an issue BUT I did have it cause vaginal atrophy. It took me a while to figure it out, but I guess it has happened to others. And it makes sense it would throw off my harmones because it is such a high dosage at once. Took a year and me using an estrogen cream for there to be zero pain during sex.
I did one shot way back when it was still fairly new. No real warnings of anything serious. I’ve always joked it worked to prevent pregnancy by giving me non-stop spotting and killing my sex drive.
I was on depo for a year or two in my early 20’s, no meningioma yet though. Thankfully those tumors are usually benign, but still a huge issue obviously.
Interesting! It looks like it’s been known for decades that female hormones in general, including those that occur naturally, seem to increase this risk, so depo was suspected to. I wonder if other methods show this trend though the injections seem to be the biggest problem. Even back a few decades when I was looking at HBC options depo was known to be riskier and recommended for short term use, and my friends who did use it were warned of that. I couldn’t find particularly solid numbers but keep in mind even things with higher relative risk can still have low absolute risk. If you already have 0.0001% chance of getting a tumor then a five fold increase (0.0005%) still means few people will be affected.
I was on it from 16-18, I was only told about the issues with bone density and to only be on it for 2 years but this was mid 2000s. I also wasn’t really part of the conversation I was basically told I was being put on it by my step mom who ironically is worried about the effects of the “untested” Covid vaccine and possible long terms effects it might have on people. Excited to pull this out the next time she brings that up.
Oof. I was on it for over a decade. I had a great time…mostly. No weight gain. No period all those years. No ups and downs of a pretty gnarly cycle, mentally.
But something went wonky. I got my period for two months. Eventually stopped to see if things would normalize. I was lethargic and had no sex drive. 9+ months later my doc finally tested my hormones.
I mean, actually, what hormones? I had no free testosterone (important!), my estrogen was down. Other things like ACTH were up.
I got sent to an endocrinologist who, for a time, was indeed concerned about a brain tumor. Sadly I didn’t pass (well, fail) secondary testing so insurance wouldn’t pay for a scan. I left the endo without answers.
That was in 2023. I still don’t know. And my regular doc won’t put in to check in on those hormones.
Wheeeeeeeee.
stares in UK what??? WHAT???
Welp, guess I’m getting my tubes tied cause the coil terrifies me
i think other comments have covered your initial questions (plus the immoral history of the drug), but to add on another anecdote, i have been on Depo since i was about 21 (32 now) with a few periods of time off it when i was moving or changing providers. initially i was only using it to manage really painful menstrual cycles and it worked best for me among the options (no periods, no symptoms) hence why i have stayed on it so long (in an ideal world i would just get sterilized and be off contraceptives for good). i’m repeatedly counseled when i go in for my next shot about the bone density issue, keeping up with vitamin D, etc. but i haven’t had a bone density scan specifically, so no way to tell at the moment what the actual loss is. everyone’s biology is different, hence why some people take to Depo well when others don’t; same for many other drugs.
as far as the study you linked to: they are relatively new (and the older data mentioned sounded somewhat inconclusive) so i’m not surprised the product labeling in the US hasn’t been updated, though i think the fact that Canada has updated their labeling is a good sign for the US to follow suit. i say this as someone who works in health care information (on an editorial team) where i look at and update drug monographs all day for health care providers, so i literally see every day all of the revised labels that roll in. but given the newness of the verified studies plus the fact that the FDA is widely understaffed it’s not surprising to me i haven’t seen a new warning added yet. i will be curious to see (if and when it’s added) what the % reads for adverse reactions; as another commenter noted the risk is probably only going to be substantial if you are already susceptible to this type of tumor/sensitive to hormonal birth control. in which case nonhormonal options are probably already the better option.
as for those trying to fear monger around drugs/medication in general; it’s important to read the product labeling and do your research. yes, your doctor should be informing you of risks, but as a patient you also need to be diligent in staying informed and asking questions if you do have concerns (this is also something i have had to teach myself to be better about); there’s a reason they include the product labeling with your prescriptions or provide it at the doctor’s office, because it’s intended to be read! i realize that puts responsibility on the patient, just an unfortunate fact that most doctors won’t have time to read through the entire label, and not all doctors are created equal and have the same level of attentiveness for their patients. there’s always going to be some inherent risk when putting something into your body, it’s about weighing the risk vs benefit with the information you have so you can make an informed decision for yourself and at least ask your provider about concerns you have.