Depo And Lupus?

I signed up for a paid research study in Omaha, NE, back 2002. It paid 2000.00 and the study was geared to comparing depovera to someother birthcontrol, measuring the effects of the drugs on the calcium intake into your bones.
At 22 years old, 135 pounds lean(earned by 6 times a week gym/cardio, and a 1200 cal a day diet. I ballooned after my first injection to 156 pounds in a month. I didn`t notice right away until I was sitting in class and thought to myself, "boy, my pants feel tight on my waist" My periods, which were always very painful the first two days(ya know you spend a day in the bathroom or on the cold bathroom tile days), my mood was all over--I`m surprised my husband still loves me as much as he does.
It was horrible. I asked the nurses who were in the study what was happening--they said it would taper off and the weight would go away. So I took the next injection. No change, after six months `I`d had it. I wasn`t going to take my body through all the crap--weight gain, heart racing, mental anguish and mood swings.
2 years it took me to get that stuff out of my system to the point where my metabolism returned to normal, mood was back to normal and overall I was starting to look the like the girl I knew from before. Heathy, active and drug free.

Since then thngs have changed. I was recently diagnosed with Lupus. Strange, it`s cause is a damaged or defective gene--and I was wondering if anyone else is having this experience. I`m on predsolone which is in the family of Depovera--and Ij just wonder--if for us luck girls with the right chemistry and physiology if Depo didn`t just play a hand in our Lupus.

Most people have the defective gene anyway but some will never develop Lupus--is what I`m gathering inmy Lupus studies.

Anyway, great website---good luck with your weddings ladies!!!
-Trish