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Are these symptoms of depo withdrawal and when should I start my period?

I am 21 years old and was on the Depo shot for 3yrs. I stopped it in May 09. It is now Jan 2010- I have been to 2 neurologist, my fam doc, gynocologist, & 1 endocrinologist. I have had an MRI, CT, & EKG. Everything comes back normal. The doctors have told me to wait for blood work bc with this Depo shot still being in my system AND a steroid shot being in my system due to a cold- it would throw off the results. I have a chronic ha 24/7. I wake up & go to bed with headaches. If i do not control my chronic throbbing ha(which is 85% always just on my rt. side) with medicine it turns into a migraine. Some days I wake up with full blown migraines & end up @ the ER having to take pain shots bc nothing will rid the pain. I have aura'sw/ my migraines. I blackout bc my blood pressure is so low- i have tightness in my chest sometimes- my blood sugar runs about 70 so I have to watch my diet & sugars- and just do not feel good. If i eat too many sweets I faint (which has led docs to think I have hypoglycemia). I used to work out 7 days a week and now I can't even get out of bed on most days due to the fatigue & pain I am in. I still have not started my period and was wondering if anyone has suffered the same symptoms or knows how long it can take to get this "evil drug" out of my body or if anyone had information that would be beneficial to me. I am 97% sure all of my symptoms are correlated with the depo!!
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thank you for your help!
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

It sounds like you are suffering from headaches in addition to other symptoms. Hormonal therapy is beyond my area of expertise so I can not comment further the delay of your menses, but in general, headaches can certainly be worsened by certain hormones such as progresterone or estrogen. Headaches that are influenced by hormones are sometimes difficult to treat, but as you mention above, once the hormone that is the problem is addressed, the headaches typically improve.

If the worsening of a headache coincides with changes in hormones, two things that need to be kept in mind as causes of the worsening (besides just the hormone level changes) are venous sinus thrombosis, or clotting of the veins in the head (which can be tested for using a study called an MRV, a type of MRI) and idiopathic intracranial hypertension, also known as pseudotumor cerebri, which is due to elevated pressures of CSF (the fluid that bathes the brain and spine) and occurs in overweight people and/or those taking certain medications. This is tested for using a study called a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to measure the pressure of the fluid.

One important thing to keep in mind until your hormonal problems are sorted out is that over-medicating due to a bad headache can make the headache much worse. This is called a rebound headache or medication overuse headache. : medications as simple as tylenol or advil if used too much can cause rebound headaches that are even worse then the headaches for which the medications were started for. This is very common and is most likely to occur with use of any medication for your headache more than a few times a week. It can occur with all the commonly used headache medications such as ibuprofen, triptans (such as imitrex), fioricet, and commonly with any type of narcotic such as tylenol #3, dilaudid, percocet, etc. The treatment is difficult, but basically involves weaning off the offending agent and replacing it with another that is later weaned off, combined with a more long-term solution. This should be done under strict guidance by a specialist, preferably a headache specialist, or else the headache will not improve and withdrawal side effects can occur.

Continued follow-up with your neurologist and gynecologist is recommended.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.
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