>>"I don't care what ANYONE says: Depo can cause weight gain even if your eating is impeccable."

Amen. That happened to me with the pill. I didn't gain too much weight on depo, but my glucose tolerance went down to about nothing. I've always had mild depression, but depo made me utterly out of control. I don't know how I held it together.

I know some women have no problems with it, but if you have any degree of insulin resistance, it will almost certainly get worse. The pamphlet and the medical community in general does not properly warn women about the risks. I wish I knew them ahead of time.

I also had the same experience. My eating habits did not change but I gained 25 lbs. in 6 months on Depo. I also suffered constant spotting, mood swings (read: "super bitch"), decreased libido. The medical professionals did not warn me about that. I did my own research too late after I was getting the side effects.

I quit the shots and got an IUD. NO problems, NO worries. My IUD is a copper type with no hormonal effects. Such a relief. No I am finally down the weight the Depo added and still losing.

I would highly recommend everyone avoid Depo, as well as the pill. They put me on Depo to begin with because the pill increased my blood pressure. I just don't think it is a good idea to alter our hormones this way. The IUD is such a good alternative and the birth control method of choice in Europe. Of course US pharmacutical companies wouldn't like that ...

I think that there is a pill out there for almost everyone. I started taking Ortho-tri-cyclene about three years ago. After about a year, and some weight gain, I started to become posessed by hormone demons in the third week of the cycle. These pills have a different dose each week, and the third was just a little too much for me. I called my Ob/gyn and said, "If you don't fix this I will kill myself and take many others with me!" Yes, I was so crazed I actually said that.

Since then I have tried 4 other pills/doses and have finally found one that works for me. I am in it for the long haul (no kids for a while), so I had to find something I could stick with.
I wish I could bring myself to IUD, but a friend of mine is one of the horror stories you hear about, and I'm just too chicken.