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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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Sarah Watson decided to stop using a contraceptive injection after learning it had been linked to benign brain tumors. Weeks later, she found herself unconscious on her bedroom floor and needing hospital treatment.
The 30-year-old mom-of-two says she began experiencing unusual symptoms shortly after coming off the Depo-Provera injection, which is usually given every 12 to 13 weeks to prevent pregnancy.
"I began suffering from headaches, dizziness and strange sensations, almost like a head rush," she told Newsweek. "I was sick three times and constantly felt tired."
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Misdiagnosed With Anxiety
She visited her doctor, who initially attributed the symptoms to anxiety and prescribed medication. However, Watson felt there was another explanation.
"I knew deep down it wasn't related to my mental health," she said.
She says her symptoms continued for several weeks before a frightening incident at home sent her to the hospital.
"I got out of bed to go to the toilet," she said. "I switched the light on and, as soon as it came on, I collapsed and hit my head on a set of drawers. I was unconscious for about a minute.
"When I came around, I was sick and felt a huge bump on my head. My head was bleeding and I was shaking. I'm a single mum, and I was terrified."
Watson from Scotland said an ambulance arrived several hours later. At the hospital, she underwent a CT scan and received butterfly stitches for a head wound. Doctors also diagnosed her with a concussion.
She said it was only after mentioning that she had recently stopped taking the contraceptive injection that she felt her symptoms began to make sense.
"As soon as I mentioned the injection, the doctor said you can get withdrawal symptoms and told me it all made sense," Watson claims.
She was relieved that her scans showed no signs of meningioma but said she would also like an MRI for further reassurance.
"Women can experience physical and emotional changes after stopping the Depo-Provera contraceptive injection, although medically speaking this is not formally recognized as a withdrawal syndrome," general practitioner, Dr. Julie Hammond, told Newsweek.
After stopping the Depo-Provera contraceptive injection, hormone levels gradually return to normal as the brain resumes signaling the ovaries to produce estrogen and release eggs, she said. Hormone levels can fluctuate during the transition period, which can be lengthy. Women may also experience irregular bleeding, spotting, heavier periods, or continued absence of periods. Ovulation typically returns within about 15 to 49 weeks, though it can take up to a year.
"The effects of your hormones are not limited to your reproductive cycle. It can also cause changes in your mood and energy levels around the time of discontinuation as the medication wears off," said Hammond, who is also founder of a U.K.-based digital health platform and service provider marketplace called MamAR Health
"[I]f a woman tells me in my clinic that she feels she has experienced ‘withdrawal’ symptoms after Depo, I would not dismiss that. The symptoms she is experiencing may very well be real and can be explained by the physiological changes occurring as the body and mind adjust to changing hormone levels as the effects of the injection gradually wear off," she added.
Why Watson Stopped the Injection
Watson, an activities coordinator, had been using the contraceptive injection for more than two years. She said she chose it after previously becoming pregnant with her now 3-year-old twins while taking the contraceptive pill.
"When I first went on the contraception injection over two years ago, I was told the main side effect was potentially gaining weight," she said, adding that she found out about the meningioma risk earlier this year.
That prompted her to stop taking the medication immediately, and she did not attend her April appointment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 24.5 percent of nearly 64,000 sexually active women aged 15 to 49 surveyed reported using the three-month injectable contraceptive.
Last year, warnings around Depo-Provera, which is manufactured by Pfizer, were updated following concerns about a link between prolonged use of medroxyprogesterone acetate and meningioma, a usually benign tumor of the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
The current Pfizer patient information leaflet in the U.K. states: "Use of medroxyprogesterone acetate has been linked to the development of a usually benign tumour of the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meningioma)."
It adds that the risk increases with longer-term use and advises patients to seek medical attention if they experience symptoms including vision changes, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, worsening headaches, memory loss, seizures or weakness in the arms or legs.
A Pfizer spokesperson told Newsweek: "Patient safety is our top priority. We conduct rigorous and continuous monitoring of all our medicines, including assessments of reported adverse events, in collaboration with health authorities around the globe. Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) has been approved in more than 60 countries over the last 30 years, has a well-established efficacy and safety profile and has been a treatment option for millions of patients during that time.
"People should talk to their doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if they have any concerns or experience any side effects."
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