about how long does it take spiro to start workng? any other changes peolple notice? (my hair used to be about twice as thick, i'm hoping it'll be that way again....)

I noticed a major difference after maybe 3-4 weeks. I'm on week 5 right now. I'm on my first real PMS week since starting spiro (I started it the Sunday of my PMS week during my last cycle so I don't really count that). I was breaking out with a bunch of big pimples starting around Monday the week before my period. I'm on the pill so it's predictable. Well it's Thursday and I only have a few tiny ones that you can't really see. And one bad one on my back. That's it! Yippee!

Changes...well I think my birth control started kicking in for my skin around the same time. But...less oily skin and hair is the biggest. Just recently, maybe in the last week, I've noticed a slow down in hair growth like on my legs or under my arms. The first month on spiro I really had trouble with it. Just felt tired and yucky, and got the shakes sometimes. I still get the shakes sometimes but I'm doing much better I think.

I noticed reduced oiliness very quickly, but didn't see "transformation" of my skin until 3 months. I still can't get over how smooth my skin is.

thanks guys!

Question for you Sweethart - I notice that you have also been on Septra for a couple of months. How much do you that that has helped you? I'm asking because my daughter is starting her 5th week of Spiro (She's been on OTC for about a year as well) and still breaking out. They are a lot smaller and go away a lot quicker, but every day she's still waking up with a couple of new spots on various parts of her face. And of course they leave lovely red marks that don't go away for awhile. I was thinking of asking the derm next week to put her on a quick course of Septra to tide her over until the Sprio really kicked in. What do you think?? And thanks, I've learned alot from all your posts!!

I am not Sweethart - but since my daughter took that I thought I would reply. Septra/Bactrim was the best antibiotic that she ever took. It worked very well for 2 years approx.

Well it sounds like the spiro is starting to kick in. I'm not sure an oral antibiotic would be beneficial at this point, sounds like the spiro is doing what it needs to. But maybe you could ask for a topical antibiotic to help in the interim if she is still getting fairly inflammed acne.

She would need to be on an oral antibiotic at least 8 weeks full strength and then weaned off of it. If it were me, I would wait at least to the 8 week mark and see the effect of the spiro. And I would definitely do a topical antibiotic before resorting to an oral one unless she is scarring (permanent pitted scars, not red marks). I don't know the dosage of spiro she is taking, but if she is still breaking out at 8 weeks then a higher dosage may be necessary. Septra is fantastic and has been great for me, but I still advocate avoiding antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. My acne was severe and cystic and starting to scar my face pretty badly, and was not going away. So I decided to take them short-term (8 weeks full dosage, 8 weeks half). If her acne is fairly mild and it not leaving permanent scars, just try to wait it out or get a topical antibiotic of some kind if you think it's that bad. That's my opinion anyway!:)

Thanks so much for the reply (and you too Boston!). She is currently using Klaron (started at the same time as Spiro) & Retin A Micro as a topicals. She was on 50 mg a day for a week and has now been on 100 mg for about 5 1/2 weeks. She was on Mino for about 2 years but I'm pretty sure it's not working anymore and could be why she is still breaking out. I really dislike oral antibiotics as well (one of the reasons she is trying Spiro), I've just heard from several people that Septra can work pretty quickly in some cases so I was thinking of asking the derm what she thought about a very short dosage term for it, just to get her through the worst so to speak. But your right, maybe it would be better to see if she just needs a higher dosage of Spiro. She doesn't have cystic acne and luckily isn't scarring at all (just red marks)...but right now I would rate her acne as moderate. It hasn't been this bad in awhile. Again, I really apprecite and the advice and hope you continue your success on Sprio. We have a derm appt. next week and I'll ask her about a higher dosage..

Good luck to you! My derm prescribes up to 200mg/day of spiro, but no higher than that. Some people need that much, some don't. Septra is great but really won't work much faster than any other antibiotic, for most people. My derm gave me the same timeline for that as when I was on minocycline.