MY DEPO STORY - ASHLEY

After having a child in high school, my dad and stepmother made me start on Depo Provera, something my stepmother had already been taking for 5-10 years at that point. 
 
I was still a teenager and didn't know there were questions I probably should have asked. Very little information was given to me because my stepmother was in the room and, I guess, the doctor just assumed she'd told me all about it. 
 
I didn't struggle with depression until after I started taking it. I had been taking the Depo injections for 2 years when I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. This came with suicidal ideation and self harm, leading my doctor to prescribe me different SSRIs that made everything worse. 
 
I was never made aware that the birth control could be causing my depression. I stopped taking the birth control after I moved out of my parents house and stopped taking the SSRI shortly after that. My stepmother never stopped taking it. 
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About 7-8 years later, my stepmother is hospitalized for (what seemed at the time) to be seizure symptoms. Her doctor told her she had a tumor in her brain and they had to schedule surgery very shortly after that. She had the tumor removed. Full disclosure- I'm not sure if the fact that she had been on Depo was told to her doctor, but one would assume with this type of issue that a full medical history was required. 
 
When I saw the article about the class action lawsuit against Pfizer over the Depo injections, I reached out to her and she told me she was STILL taking Depo, even after having the tumor removed and was not told about this lawsuit or the risks associated with continuing to take the injections. I haven't been to a doctor to be checked out yet, but I took Depo for 4-5 years so I am definitely at risk. I hope that everyone that reads this gets off Depo or NEVER starts on it.