42 replies to this topic

[chanelwy]

Hello to all.

I just went to my doctor, asked for spiro. He prescribed two weeks of 75mg (50mg in the morning, and 25 at night) and then a blood test for potassium level. I also asked for anti-biotics to prevent IB and some topical cream, he then prescribed doxycycline and retin-a micro.

When I was leaving, he told me that i was reading too much stuff online..lol.

Anyhow...wish me luck.

Hope I can get rid of the horrible horrible bumps and all the oil on my face! (fingers crossed)
I would kill to use 0 blotting paper for a day.

And good luck to you all.

[plo]

Good Luck.

I'm noticing different people are getting rx'd different doses of Spiro.
My doctor wanted to start me off @ 25 mg of Spiro. I'm going to need a refill in a few days and I'm going to ask her if I can move up to 50 mg. I havn't seen results at all in my acne and oily skin - so I hope she will say yes to moving up to 50 mg.

[traciew]

its easy to dx yourself from reading everything on the internet. My cystic acne was so bad that when I started, my derm. put me on 100mg. When I moved, my new derm never heard of using spiro for acne, and I see my regular doctor for spiro.

[chanelwy]

Hi all.
It's been a month, and I should probably update.
My blood test was fine, the doctor then prescribed 3 more months (75mg).
No dramatic changes yet, no oil reduction.
And I got my period normally. I think I've still got "period breakouts" this time. Or maybe it could be the IB from spiro. Can't say anything more, caz not much has changed.
Still hopeful, fingers crossed..
Side effects: I think i've got a pretty bad case of nose congestion after 2 weeks, and then one week later, I got a cold, so i am confused whether the congestion is caused by spiro or the cold.
And that's pretty much it.

Oh , and I have to say, the pumpkin peel from Mychelle is very good for red marks. I've been dermarolling and peeling. I've tried two brands of pumpkin peels, only Mychelle works. The other one does nothing except it stings. I use dermaroller for scars, 1.5mm one, not much improvement yet. but hey, still hopeful...

[nonoyanonoes]

Question:

Has anybody found a way to get this Spironolactone w/o an RX? I went to the Nurse Pract. and her and the doctor talked it over, and wanted me to stick it out with the BS antibiotics I'm on. They don't seem to give a crap that my face is awful, I'm immune to all antibiotics now, and the fact that my hair is falling out. They think I'm just stressed. I got home kicked the walls, slammed my door, and cried my eyes out. They are trying to ruin my life.

PLEASE, PLEASE, if you know how I can get this stuff w/o an RX, LET ME KNOW.

[peachy_D225]

Question:

Has anybody found a way to get this Spironolactone w/o an RX? I went to the Nurse Pract. and her and the doctor talked it over, and wanted me to stick it out with the BS antibiotics I'm on. They don't seem to give a crap that my face is awful, I'm immune to all antibiotics now, and the fact that my hair is falling out. They think I'm just stressed. I got home kicked the walls, slammed my door, and cried my eyes out. They are trying to ruin my life.

PLEASE, PLEASE, if you know how I can get this stuff w/o an RX, LET ME KNOW.

ask to be referred to an endocrinolgist

[mylimage]

I hate doctors! They think they know everything and then they have some sort of control issue!

I went to my gyn last week for my checkup and informed her about my spiro. SHE LECTURED me that my derm should not be prescribing the spiro because it is not labeled for acne use. THEN she asks if I am taking potassium supplements because I need them. I told her to not tell me what I should be taking with that drug without knowing about it. Most Drs dont even know it is POTASSIUM SPARING! OMG she pissed me off. Look at my fucking face- its clear! Its working and I haven't had problems in the year and a half Ive been taking it.

This is the same dr that tried to talk me out of getting an IUD (a decision I made after 20 years of bcp use) and to try a different bcp. I would switch to a different dr, but they are all the same.

My derm told me he has been reading in a lot of derm publications lately that have articles about sprio success. If an endo won't help, try another derm. Call them first and make sure they are open to prescribing it.

And they frown on buying without a prescription. Well, sometimes you HAVE TO!

OK< done ranting

[dreamweaver66]

I hate doctors! They think they know everything and then they have some sort of control issue!

I went to my gyn last week for my checkup and informed her about my spiro. SHE LECTURED me that my derm should not be prescribing the spiro because it is not labeled for acne use. THEN she asks if I am taking potassium supplements because I need them. I told her to not tell me what I should be taking with that drug without knowing about it. Most Drs dont even know it is POTASSIUM SPARING! OMG she pissed me off. Look at my fucking face- its clear! Its working and I haven't had problems in the year and a half Ive been taking it.

This is the same dr that tried to talk me out of getting an IUD (a decision I made after 20 years of bcp use) and to try a different bcp. I would switch to a different dr, but they are all the same.

My derm told me he has been reading in a lot of derm publications lately that have articles about sprio success. If an endo won't help, try another derm. Call them first and make sure they are open to prescribing it.

And they frown on buying without a prescription. Well, sometimes you HAVE TO!

OK< done ranting

I just wanted to let you know that I so much enjoyed your rant and feel the same as you do. Very very frustating, isn't it!!! I just had my doc. tell me that you only have to take accutane one time and you are cured forever....well we all know that is not always the case, he wouldn't put me on spiro. (only for women with PCOS) and put me on Doxy. Read up Docs. and get a clue, that is what you are here for!!!

Sorry, I will end my little rant too.

[chanelwy]

Hey, its been 3 months. Here to update.
It's been working wonders. Most of the time I am 99% clear. I only have 1 or 2 spots occasionally. However, the oil is still there. I switched doctors because of insurance. I asked the doc to increase my dosage, caz I am still not 100% clear and I'm still oily as hell.
Anyhow, the doc said no, because its "legal" purpose is for high blood pressure. I showed the doc my bottles, she agreed to prescribe the same amount. 75mg/day.

However, she did prescribe more pills than I needed for the time period. I guess she wanted me to increase on my own without doing it on the books. Caz I told her about my struggle and my scarring issues, she was pretty sympathetic.
I am now taking 100mg/day. Hope it will be enough to take the oil away.
Anyhow, just wanna point out that it did work for me, well, so far (don't wanna jinx it) .

And good luck to everybody!!!

An emotional note:
I told my aunt to pick up the drugs. She's like, don't you know its poison. You should just eat less chocolate and have some herbal tea. She said after taking it for a while, you cannot pee on your own. And you will mess up your hormones. My mom said the same thing.

I was like, year sure, like I haven't tried everything else b4 I went on this treatment. And my hormones is messed up to begin with, otherwise i wouldn't have acne.

I was doing dermarolling, and if I was willing to go through such pain even with the anesthetics, that must mean that acne was eating me alive. I would give up sooooooo much just to have a clear face like everybody else. And people don't realize this. My mom was like" I am pretty sure she's strong enough." caz i acted like i didn't care just to put on a brave face. Sometimes, i just wanna tell her to shut up. I am sure they mean well, but at the same time, they are sooooo ignorant.

Anyhow, sorry to end on a sad note.

On the bright side, Spiro is really working well.......at least for me. I am very happy about that.

Again, good luck to you all! I will keep updating.

[lovelycrimsonred]

i just stared spironolactone 1 week ago. i'm taking 50mgs twice/day. i'm having a horrible breakout and so far that's the only result. i really hope it starts working soon. i have an appt in feb with my derm. he said after 2 months, if it's starting to work, we'll continue with it. if not, it's on to The Final Frontier: accutane. at this point, i have lost faith in anything working ever. the only thing that helped a LITTLE was when i was on bc pills (ortho tri cycline). it took about a year before i saw results and i had such bad mood swings that i quit after about 3 years. right now, though, the horrible mood swings and depression are looking good compared to having the face i've got right now.

[MimiR]

Question:

Has anybody found a way to get this Spironolactone w/o an RX? I went to the Nurse Pract. and her and the doctor talked it over, and wanted me to stick it out with the BS antibiotics I'm on. They don't seem to give a crap that my face is awful, I'm immune to all antibiotics now, and the fact that my hair is falling out. They think I'm just stressed. I got home kicked the walls, slammed my door, and cried my eyes out. They are trying to ruin my life.

PLEASE, PLEASE, if you know how I can get this stuff w/o an RX, LET ME KNOW.

Don't give up! And I say that, cause at 45 years of age, I haven't. You cannot get Spiro without an RX. Have you asked your derm? Or see an Endocrinologist. My derm actually suggested to me about taking it. I have only been on it for about 4 weeks. Haven't noticed that much difference, but I haven't given up. I am one of those people that pretty much has tried everything on the market, literally. No kidding. There is a new topical drug out now too. In fact very new. I have read good trial reviews about it. And I plan on asking my derm about it this week when I see her. It is called Aczone. Something you might want to check into. Hang in there. I so know where you are coming from!

[chanelwy]

Hi, here to update again.

It is The Cure for me. My skin has never looked better. I am taking 125, but I am thinking of reducing it to 100. I will say there's reduction in oil production, but I am still pretty oily.

However, I am starting to experience side effects. Now I have my period every 3 weeks instead of 4, which is pretty annoying. I am thinking of adding BCP for my next doctor's appointment. (I've heard this is a common side effect, and BCP can be used to regulate menstrual cycles). I am really afraid that adding anything will trigger breakouts. Does anybody have a recommendation for BCP?

In addition, I prefer taking most of the pills in the morning, because from my observation, taking them before sleep will make me have the most vivid dreams, and I tend to remember every detail after I wake up, which is pretty weird, and annoying. Has anyone else experienced this?

Overall, I am 100% clear. I am working on my scars (Dermarolling and super CP serum).

Hopefully this lasts, fingers crossed.

Good luck everyone.

[janie522]

Hi, here to update again.

It is The Cure for me. My skin has never looked better. I am taking 125, but I am thinking of reducing it to 100. I will say there's reduction in oil production, but I am still pretty oily.

However, I am starting to experience side effects. Now I have my period every 3 weeks instead of 4, which is pretty annoying. I am thinking of adding BCP for my next doctor's appointment. (I've heard this is a common side effect, and BCP can be used to regulate menstrual cycles). I am really afraid that adding anything will trigger breakouts. Does anybody have a recommendation for BCP?

In addition, I prefer taking most of the pills in the morning, because from my observation, taking them before sleep will make me have the most vivid dreams, and I tend to remember every detail after I wake up, which is pretty weird, and annoying. Has anyone else experienced this?

Overall, I am 100% clear. I am working on my scars (Dermarolling and super CP serum).

Hopefully this lasts, fingers crossed.

Good luck everyone.

Hi!

I'm really glad to hear Spiro is working for you. Keep us all updated week to week. Currently I'm on Trinessa BCP (generic of ortho tri cyclin). I rencently switched to it from a low dose since my cycle was screwed up and i wanted something to improve my skin. So far, no acne improvements from Trinesssa but it has only been just over a month and they say to give it 3 months to kick in. I dont think you should have problems with Trinessa. I am considering Spiro as well, the only thing is i'm worried the derm won't prescribe it... i was looking online at their treatments and meds and spiro wasn't listed we'll see i really hope it works for you... and ME It's so ridiculous to be almost 24 and still breaking out like a teen... sucks! Good luck!

[peachy_D225]

However, I am starting to experience side effects. Now I have my period every 3 weeks instead of 4, which is pretty annoying. I am thinking of adding BCP for my next doctor's appointment. (I've heard this is a common side effect, and BCP can be used to regulate menstrual cycles). I am really afraid that adding anything will trigger breakouts. Does anybody have a recommendation for BCP?

Whichever you choose, I would definitely pick a monophasic pill instead of a triphasic. Also, pick one that has a low androgenicity. This website helps: http://www.wdxcyber.com/ncontr13.htm

I've had good luck with Apri, which is generic Desogen. Keep us posted

[chanelwy]

Wow, thanks guys. I'll definitely check out the website. There's a lot of discussion about Yaz or Yasmin, how are those?

I used Zovia to treat Acne for a year, It did NOT work at ALL!!!

And, for those who are on spiro, anyone has the dream issue as well? I'm very curious. haha

[CanadianJane123]

Hi,

I have been having dreams every night since taking spironolactone. It's crazy how real these dreams are, and they are really scarey too. Do you have nightmares? or just normal dreams?

Oh well I will take nightmares any day over acne!!

Hi, here to update again.

It is The Cure for me. My skin has never looked better. I am taking 125, but I am thinking of reducing it to 100. I will say there's reduction in oil production, but I am still pretty oily.

However, I am starting to experience side effects. Now I have my period every 3 weeks instead of 4, which is pretty annoying. I am thinking of adding BCP for my next doctor's appointment. (I've heard this is a common side effect, and BCP can be used to regulate menstrual cycles). I am really afraid that adding anything will trigger breakouts. Does anybody have a recommendation for BCP?

In addition, I prefer taking most of the pills in the morning, because from my observation, taking them before sleep will make me have the most vivid dreams, and I tend to remember every detail after I wake up, which is pretty weird, and annoying. Has anyone else experienced this?

Overall, I am 100% clear. I am working on my scars (Dermarolling and super CP serum).

Hopefully this lasts, fingers crossed.

Good luck everyone.

[absolution]

This dream thing is very interesting to me! I have begun taking Spiro at night on purpose to see what you girls are talking about. I do believe that I have been dreaming more and having LONGER dreams too, its so weird! None of my dreams have been nightmares though, thankfully. Mostly nice or random dreams.

Also, I have noticed that usually I only dream on days where I get over 9 hours of sleep, but now I dream with less sleep as well.

Im very excited about this

[chanelwy]

Haha, you guys are so cute.

Glad I'm not alone. Personally, the dreams are pretty random(some good, some bad, some neutral.), but the fact that they are sooooo vivid is kinda scary, even after I wake up, the details are like it really happened. And they are longer and more frequent.

And I absolutely agree with you, CanadianJane123, acne is like a nightmare that never ends, so I'd take vivid dreams over acne.

For me, taking most of the pills in the morning seem to help a lot.

Thanks for the replies, and good luck to everyone.

By the way, I just started to take ortho tri-cyclen to regulate my period. Will update soon.

[Yvette2]

Hey All -

Saw the posts on Spiro....thought I'd inquire how much it's working for you all?

I'm 41, took Accutane 2 years ago for mild but persistent jawline/forehead acne (mostly hormonal). Seven months of stopping Tane, the mild acne came back. I'm using a few topicals which help, but not totally. I don't want to take BCP, but my Derm. said I could try Spiro. I do have lower blood pressure, but not severely low. Does Spiro really help reduce acne/oil even without BCP? Does it mess up your periods or cause spotting? Those will low blood pressure - has it made you dizzy or ? Any information or tips would be great.

Thanks much!

Yvette

[chanelwy]

Hey All -

Saw the posts on Spiro....thought I'd inquire how much it's working for you all?

I'm 41, took Accutane 2 years ago for mild but persistent jawline/forehead acne (mostly hormonal). Seven months of stopping Tane, the mild acne came back. I'm using a few topicals which help, but not totally. I don't want to take BCP, but my Derm. said I could try Spiro. I do have lower blood pressure, but not severely low. Does Spiro really help reduce acne/oil even without BCP? Does it mess up your periods or cause spotting? Those will low blood pressure - has it made you dizzy or ? Any information or tips would be great.

Thanks much!

Yvette

Hi Yvette,

For me, it really worked, almost right away. I did not have IB though i did take antibiotics for the first week.

Although my skin is like 99% clear almost everyday, there's no oil reduction. I do have lower blood pressure and go to the bathroom more frequently, other than that, spiro hasn't really made me dizzy.

When i was taking 100mg/day, i did suffer from really fast heartbeat every now and then (like more than 120/min), thus I reduced the dosage to 75, and that's how much I am taking now.

It did mess up with my period though. spotting, more frequent period...a total mess. That's why I just started taking BCP. Hopefully, this will put everything back to normal.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck.