Doctor wants to try Depo-Lupron

Help!!!!!!! my gyno wants to put me on Depo-Lupron to simulate synthetic menopause!!!!! why on earth would i want to do that!!!!!!! she says she wants to see if my symptoms are really hormone related I just had surgery 3 weeks ago and still have 1 ovary just severe PMS symptoms that i hear may increase after an ablation so i am very confused!!!! Has anybody been on this stuff? what was it like? should i say no? if i wanted to experience menopause i would of just opted for a complete hysterectomy right?

I took Lupron for 6 months before my Complete hyster. It was tough. I had bad night sweats...hot flashes...migrains...mood swings etc. The whole nine yards. But for me it was worth it. It took away all the pain from endo and ovarian cysts. It also made me prepared for what I'm going through now. Most of the adjusting to the menopause was done before the surgery and I had one less thing to deal with. Remember that if you are going on this temporarily then you will go back to normal after coming off of it. For me it was great but there are a lot of women who hated it. The choice is up to you and your MD about what is best. Try doing some research. You can probably find lots on this site alone to make an informed decision.

Good luck,

I completely agree ! I too took the Lupron and I did just fine. I had all the symptoms as well but it was well worth it. I had a complete hyst oct 04 and I wouldnt trade it for the world. The lupron was a trial of what I feel now. I cant make a suggestion for you to take it or not, but I can tell you that Lupron is NO comparison to PMS. Its a whole other world but its worth the step if it means you are on the road to figure out what it is your body needs to feel better. Good luck!

My advice is: go for it. For four years I suffered from intense R. ovarian pain (cysts/rupturing) and heavy/irregular bleeding, then it became almost constant menses. For 3 1/2 years my (former) doc. told me that it was just constipation, stress, gas. I was put on anti-depressants and lortabs and Ativan... all of which I hated, and they weren't working. I continued to tell my doc. that I was sure it was female/hormonal and requested a referral to a female gyn. (required by my health ins.) I couldn't sleep due to pain, which quickly became "stress" full. In july 04 he switched my anti-depress. to Wellbutrin (aginst my pharmacists advice) and finally ordered an ultrasound ... and the "very large complex cysts" were found.
But it took two weeks and me constantly calling for my doc to order a CT. But by the time I got the CT my cysts had ruptured and I began having seizures! I didn't know they were seizures, I was just losing chunks of time and going numb-like on my L. side. Finally I went to the ER. They told me that Well butrin caused the seizures but if I quit taking the W.B I wouldn't have anymore. My doc told the hosp. that I was "just stressed", (cause for the Wellbutrin) and that I wasn't having sz. just 'psychoginec seizures' and that I needed psycho therapy. He said that there was nothing wrong with my ovaries etc. since the CT showed nothing. They refused to let me leave the hosp.
for 5 days until I agreed to the therapy. I continued to have sz.
(up to 20 a day) for six weeks. I finally got a Neuro. to give me anti-convulsants, (my EEG showed a low sz. threshold). I've since learned that Epilepsy runs in my maternal grandmothers side of the family. (lucky me) Then I found my new female gyn. she looked at my records and did some tests (which came back normal) My neuro. thought that if I got my ovary removed, my sz. may stop (may be Catamenial Epilepsy... sz. upon ovulation, due to too much Estrogen). My gyn. wanted to try the Lupron-Depot inj. to see if in fact shutting down my ovaries/Estrogen would stop the sz. completely, rather than just removing things. You see, every time the docs did tests on me to find cause of sz./mini strokes, when the i.v. was started I would have an 'aura' (see or smell something that wasn't there and no one else could see or smell it) and then I would have a Tonic CLonic (grand mal) sz. So the risk of 'complicatins' was too high to just remove my ovary. I, too was frustrated, I didn't want to have the inj. They were expensive. But, from what I could find out, I have the best gyn. around here, and I had no choice but agree with her plan. Two months after my 1st inj. my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had surgery/treatment.
I was keeping a daily journal of my symptoms and med. dosages, etc. For the first time in years I went 3 weeks w/out bleeding!
I still ovulated and had a period (10 days ea.) each month, but I was able to tell when I ovulated (OW!) and then w/in 24 hr. I would start having auras and sz. Although the inj. weren't able to shut down my ovaries, they were tremendously helpful and prepared me for true menopause ie. hot flashes, night sweats, migraines etc. Actually, since the sz. began and hormones were wacky, I'd been having migraines.
On April 19th I had a TAH and appendectomy. My doc didn't start me on any hormones... wanted to wait and see if the auras and sz would stop. Other than the hot flashes and sweats, I feel the best I've felt in years! No headaches, ovarian pain, severe nausea, mood sings, panic attacks. I felt so good that one night I forgot to take my sz med. and had a sz. I woke up covered in vomit and just cried. I guess the Epilepsy is here to stay, but thanks to my wonderful gyn and her wisdom to try the Lupron-Depot inj. I (almost) have my life back. Now if I can make it 3 months w/out another sz. I'll once again be able to drive. (fingers crossed)
Good luck to you. I know how frustrating it can be to be miserable and just want relief...now! Keep researching and check out everything you can on this site, it has helped me so much to read the other suggestions and to know that I'm not alone. I've felt so alone and isolated for so long. I don't know anyone else my age(36) who has had to go through any of this.

keep us posted on your progress etc.

(gyn found endo. of my uterus, cysts in both ovaries and endo. where my fallopian tube meets my R. ovary and it was twisted, cause for so much pain)

I was on Lupron in 1994 with 4 shots. I didn't remember the moodiness or wild PMSing, mostly b/c Dh was out to sea for 6 months the whole time I was on it.

Then again from 97-98 with 5 injections. At that time I had PMS really really bad. My mood swings were something to reckon with.

Both times I was on it, I had horrible hot flashes and night sweats.

I had my shots to kill off the Endo. I didn't want to do it again after the last time though. I was supposed to have 6 shots but pleaded with my DH not to make me go back in for another injection.

I do owe Lupron gratitude, b/c without it, I would never have my DD & DS. That is the only thing good it did for me.

The doc wanted me to go on the shots again in 2000, but after feeling like the Wicked Witch of the Midwest (where I lived at the time) I could not stand risking the Wicked person to return.

I have heard of other women that did better than I did.
BTW, I am notorious for giving

I hope you find the answers you need to make the right decision for you.

s
Kristi
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TAH/BSO on May 24th, 2005 due to Endo and now on the road to recovery and looking forward to a painfree life..

thanx ladies for all the info, I really appreciate it! my gyno consulted with another gyno in the building and for now they put me on natural progesterone to see if my moodiness, and anxiety and crying:cry: settle down!!! then they set up an appt. for me to have a CT scan to make sure my pelvic region is ok since surgery, (i am still having alot of cramping)

I loved my 5 months of pain free living on Lupron. In the 3rd month I did however, take a small amount of Estrogen to ward off small hot flashes. I felt I had nothing to lose. I had to at least try.