31 replies to this topic

[loki]

[font=Georgia]


Just wanted to share my success with spironolactone since not many posts are uplifting. I am so happy to say that my skin is looking good finally!! I was clear for about a year after taking accutane, but this past year the acne started coming back. I am so thankful I was put on spiro. and I wish I knew about it sooner. If you are a woman and have acne I really think you should ask your doctor about this if they haven't prescribed it for you.

Sincerely,

Lauren

[Christina ~]

whats your dose? i'm 5'4 and 115lbs and take 50mg daily along with diane 35 and minocycline. I think its a low dose tho, or is it okay for my body weight?

what dose worked best for you?

[mickey67]

I'm happy it is working for you! My dr recommended it to me, when I was reluctant to try accutane.

I chose not to take it though. From what I could find out when I researched it, it is not recommended for women who have a risk of female cancers (breast, uterine, cervical).

I have a strong family history of breast cancer (mom had it at age 32, and died from it). Since spiro raises estrogen levels, I felt it was just too great a risk for me. (I also don't use hormonal birth control for that reason.)

[luvsun24]

whats your dose? i'm 5'4 and 115lbs and take 50mg daily along with diane 35 and minocycline. I think its a low dose tho, or is it okay for my body weight?

what dose worked best for you?

I am 5'3 and 115 and that dose was too low for me. 100 mg a day seemed to really work. I was only supposed to take 50mg/daily but it wasn't working so I upped it on my own and I cleared up. After I ran out of spiro I waited a week for the derm appt and guess what? My skin started to look like a disaster zone again. My derm was happy to change it to 100mg/daily and I am so glad. Ask your dr to up the dosage and see it if helps you too.

[Kirstin]

did any of you have oily skin before? Has the spiro reduced or gotten rid of it?

[sourpunch]

was there any thing you said / tips to help the doc prescribe it to you? at my last derm visit he clearly said my acne was hormonal but then prescribed me doxy. i asked him about spiro, but he just sort of shook it off....he said doxy was better. ::sighs::

[S2000]

only for women ?

[scuuba]

did any of you have oily skin before? Has the spiro reduced or gotten rid of it?

I am new here. I started on sprio a month ago and WOW, does it help with OIL. I am so happy with it. I take 100mg in AM and 50 in PM. My main problem has always been OIL, OIL and OIL! It has allowed the other RX's, topical, to start really doing their job now that the oil is kept at a "normal" level.

did any of you have oily skin before? Has the spiro reduced or gotten rid of it?

Totally helped me with oil, after like 2 weeks!

[Christina ~]

whats your dose? i'm 5'4 and 115lbs and take 50mg daily along with diane 35 and minocycline. I think its a low dose tho, or is it okay for my body weight?

what dose worked best for you?

I am 5'3 and 115 and that dose was too low for me. 100 mg a day seemed to really work. I was only supposed to take 50mg/daily but it wasn't working so I upped it on my own and I cleared up. After I ran out of spiro I waited a week for the derm appt and guess what? My skin started to look like a disaster zone again. My derm was happy to change it to 100mg/daily and I am so glad. Ask your dr to up the dosage and see it if helps you too.

i'll just up it on my own. he doesn't like that i take mino with it but seriously. my skin is freaking clear and i would love to lose the topicals.

all my gallery photos have zero makeup including concealer. i don't use it anymore. at all.

i tried upping to 75 mg and i threw up so i'm waiting for the neurologist to clear me before i up it again (i take 14 pills a day for various conditions)

i like your results tho so i'm going to try to slowly up it again.

[thedamagedone]

I started taking Sprio (50mg/day) almost a month ago (after INSISTING that this medication be prescribed by my derm because I have heard so many wonderful things about it) and I now have THE WORST skin in as long as I can remember. I'm not sure what to do. I know that it takes a few months to actually start working, but maybe my body is reacting poorly to the hormone changes. I am so incredibly depressed about my face as I have been battling acne forever and this literally was my last hope. Do you guys think I am giving up too hastily or is it normal to get crazy breakouts when first starting this medication? Any suggestions are much appreciated...

[JR86]

only for women ?

yes

[scuuba]

I started taking Sprio (50mg/day) almost a month ago (after INSISTING that this medication be prescribed by my derm because I have heard so many wonderful things about it) and I now have THE WORST skin in as long as I can remember. I'm not sure what to do. I know that it takes a few months to actually start working, but maybe my body is reacting poorly to the hormone changes. I am so incredibly depressed about my face as I have been battling acne forever and this literally was my last hope. Do you guys think I am giving up too hastily or is it normal to get crazy breakouts when first starting this medication? Any suggestions are much appreciated...

I started like 5 weeks ago. I broke out a little at first, but the main thing that kept me going was that within 2 weeks the oil was reduced. Continues to be great compared to my natural state. If it doesnt make you sick, stick with it for a month and see. I take 100mg in AM and 50 in PM. I started with 50 once a day to let my body get used to it, especially the low blodd presuure effect. No problems with the higher dose now, just take with food.

[luvsun24]

i'll just up it on my own. he doesn't like that i take mino with it but seriously. my skin is freaking clear and i would love to lose the topicals.

all my gallery photos have zero makeup including concealer. i don't use it anymore. at all.

i tried upping to 75 mg and i threw up so i'm waiting for the neurologist to clear me before i up it again (i take 14 pills a day for various conditions)

i like your results tho so i'm going to try to slowly up it again.
[/quote]


My personal opinion is that antibiotics work at clearing your skin for a while and then they don't work. If the combo of the spiro, Diane 35 and mino are too much for your system and you take other pills for other reasons, then I would still consult your dr. I only take bc and spiro, plus some supplements. It does not make me sick because I make sure to eat before. However, if I added any more medicine to the mix, I can guarantee I would be puking. You need to make sure these meds are not a dangerous combo. I would drop the mino if it were me and go with the higher dose of spiro. Be sure to eat bread or yogurt before you take the medication. Good luck.

[Christina ~]

[quote name='luvsun24' date='Aug 24 2006, 02:59 PM' post='1309079']
i'll just up it on my own. he doesn't like that i take mino with it but seriously. my skin is freaking clear and i would love to lose the topicals.

all my gallery photos have zero makeup including concealer. i don't use it anymore. at all.

i tried upping to 75 mg and i threw up so i'm waiting for the neurologist to clear me before i up it again (i take 14 pills a day for various conditions)

i like your results tho so i'm going to try to slowly up it again.
[/quote]


My personal opinion is that antibiotics work at clearing your skin for a while and then they don't work. If the combo of the spiro, Diane 35 and mino are too much for your system and you take other pills for other reasons, then I would still consult your dr. I only take bc and spiro, plus some supplements. It does not make me sick because I make sure to eat before. However, if I added any more medicine to the mix, I can guarantee I would be puking. You need to make sure these meds are not a dangerous combo. I would drop the mino if it were me and go with the higher dose of spiro. Be sure to eat bread or yogurt before you take the medication. Good luck.
[/quote]


i'm lactose intollerant so no risk of yoghurt.

i take the meds due to epilepsy and various neurological conditions. but its the spiro that makes me sick to my stomach.

I've talked to my doctor and none of the meds are culprits so i'm being tested for an isolated form of epilepsy that causes stomach spasms as well as body tremors.

i'll drop the mino soon enough, i was on it for the summer and to regulate things with the spiro. I'll probably stop in a while. or swtich. either or.

[Hopeful_once_Again]

I started taking Sprio (50mg/day) almost a month ago (after INSISTING that this medication be prescribed by my derm because I have heard so many wonderful things about it) and I now have THE WORST skin in as long as I can remember. I'm not sure what to do. I know that it takes a few months to actually start working, but maybe my body is reacting poorly to the hormone changes. I am so incredibly depressed about my face as I have been battling acne forever and this literally was my last hope. Do you guys think I am giving up too hastily or is it normal to get crazy breakouts when first starting this medication? Any suggestions are much appreciated...

I started taking Spiro a few weeks ago. My skin was the worst it had been in a long while when I started. I had been trying lots of things to clear it up -- a new face wash, back on the doxy, mandelic acid. My skin still looks terrible. Thankfully, it hasn't gotten any worse than it was.

I'm so frustrated! I don't know what to do. I teach and school starts in a few more weeks. I hate standing in front of the kids with an acne-filled face. It's so humiliating. I'm 34. Grrrrr.

Sorry about the venting. My point is that I'd like to hear more about people's experiences with Spiro. How long should I give it to work? Three months?

[scuuba]

I started taking Sprio (50mg/day) almost a month ago (after INSISTING that this medication be prescribed by my derm because I have heard so many wonderful things about it) and I now have THE WORST skin in as long as I can remember. I'm not sure what to do. I know that it takes a few months to actually start working, but maybe my body is reacting poorly to the hormone changes. I am so incredibly depressed about my face as I have been battling acne forever and this literally was my last hope. Do you guys think I am giving up too hastily or is it normal to get crazy breakouts when first starting this medication? Any suggestions are much appreciated...

I started taking Spiro a few weeks ago. My skin was the worst it had been in a long while when I started. I had been trying lots of things to clear it up -- a new face wash, back on the doxy, mandelic acid. My skin still looks terrible. Thankfully, it hasn't gotten any worse than it was.

I'm so frustrated! I don't know what to do. I teach and school starts in a few more weeks. I hate standing in front of the kids with an acne-filled face. It's so humiliating. I'm 34. Grrrrr.

Sorry about the venting. My point is that I'd like to hear more about people's experiences with Spiro. How long should I give it to work? Three months?

Hopeful Once Again:

I have been on for 5-6 weeks now. I noticed oil reduction first, like at wee 2, then clearing up some each week. It probably depends on how much of your acne is hormonally related. I would think that oil is one good way to know. I always had to powder my nose each hour and could never not wash my hari every day. Now I can go most of the day without powder on face and wash every other day if I need to. My pimples are much better each week, so I'd say give it a little longer. But have you noticed anything like a reduction in oil so far?

[luvsun24]

Hopeful - what dose are you taking? I truly feel that 50 mg/daily wasn't enough for me and I am a fairly small adult at 5'3". See if you can up it to at least 100 if it isn't there already. I totally sympathize with you about being in front of students w/ this problem. I am 43, my daughter is 14 and it embarrasses me when I have to still deal with this in front of her friends. After I upped to 100/daily, my skin has gotten a lot better. I definitely know that my acne is hormonal. If you are really serious about getting some clearage before school starts, then you might also want to change your diet (hormone spikes) and add some B-complex (for stress - which also causes hormone spikes). I don't know how you are eating now, but maybe cut out all sugar, stick w/ proteins, fruits and veggies, eliminate breads and grains, etc.. Drink lots of water, avoid any soda. Hope this helps.

[Hopeful_once_Again]

Thanks so much for the encouragement and advice!

I'm taking 100 once daily. I have noticed a reduction in oil. My face used to be slick with oil shortly after I washed it. I would swab the oil off about every 2 hours or so (basically, as often as I could). It takes much, much, much longer now for my face to get shiny. I too can almost go an entire day without swabbing my face. This was something I just realized a few days ago!

My gyno wants to see me in three months to see how things are going. I just started to panic that I might be doing something that will create more scars. I feel much less anxious now. I guess if my skin isn't showing more improvement, but the oil is still reduced, I'll ask my gyno to up me to 150 when I see her in October.

I am actually very stressed right now and have been trying to calm down with some exercise. I normally eat quite well, but lately I've been eating terribly. I'm a stress eater. I think this advice will help motivate me to get back to my healthy ways. It's a terrible cycle: go through a stressful event, acne flares up, eat junk because stressed and feeling ugly, acne flares up, get stressed about skin, eat junk . . . and on and on. Gotta break out of that! I'm going to pick up some good skin foods and B-complex vitamins tomorrow!

Thanks again!!

[thedamagedone]

I've noticed that some people in this thread have, like me, experienced some initial breakout on sprio, but it seems like everyone is also experiencing a significant reduction in oil. Personally, I didn't have oily skin to begin with (just lots of angry-looking chin acne) yet my face doesn't appear to be getting any drier - is this medication working at all for me? I'm thinking of upping my 50mg dose on my own to see if this will start clearing my face but then I will run out of pills before my next derm appointment and fear that my face will explode even worse than it already is. What do you guys think?

Oh and by the way, I'm really happy for those of you who are receiving positive results from sprio - it give me hope that it will eventually work for me too so keep those "good results" posts coming!!!!

[luvsun24]

damage - I upped mine on my own (went from 50 to 100/daily) and soon ran out of pills. While I waited a while for the derm appt, my skin did start breaking out. My derm was very supportive and said that if I could handle 50 with no problem, then 100 should be fine. She said that 50/day was the lowest dose prescribed and that's what they usually start with to make sure people are handling the drop in blood pressure ok, etc.. I told her the 50 was not enough for my raging hormones. I am seeing results with 100 and still no side effects. Call your derm before you run out and try to get a cancellation appt, so you don't have to wait so long. Unless you are on some other medications, your derm should be willing to up it. Good luck!