17 replies to this topic

[dreamcatcher88]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. I created an account in order to seek encouragements from spiro users. I'm getting more and more depressed

I've been on spiro for only a week, 100mg/ day (50mg AM and 50mg PM) for mild acne (and yeah it's getting to the severe level now) and extremely OILY skin. I have the worst oily skin in the world I can say. The oiliness started when I hit 19 (5 years ago), but it got better when I used mattifier cream (Mary Kay). However, the oily skin suddenly gotten worse and worse since February 2012. Before I only have an oily face, now my hair is covered with oil, my chest, back, and neck are extremely oily. I broke out really bad on my back (all cysts). I can't wear makeup because it will melt down 1 hour Iater after I put it on. If I accidentally touch my neck, my hand will be cover with shine from the oil. My hair gets greasy just 2 hours after I shower, and 4 hours after that, I look like I haven't washed my hair for months. I can even smell the oil from my face. I feel myself so nasty and even have suicidal thoughts recently.

I read so many spiro's users' posts that said they notice the oil goes away very quickly after starting the pill (like 3 days to a week at most). I'm not getting impatient, however I'm just basically losing hope. I haven't seen even a slight reduction of oil at all. In stead, I 've been getting a lot oilier since I started taking spiro. Also my period has not come yet, it's been 10 days late (dont know if i can attribute it to spiro).

So, please tell me your experience of oiliness with spiro. Replies would be greatly appreciated.

1/ What dosage are you taking?
2/. When did you start noticing the first sign of oil reduction?
3/. Did the oil reduction get better over time?

Thank you very much.

I cried myself to sleep last night. Everyday I wake up, I feel myself like a monster.

Edited by dreamcatcher88, 20 July 2012 - 09:07 AM.

[Green Gables]

My skin didn't make any changes until 3 months into spironolactone. I am also on 100mg. I had dramatic clearing from spiro (40-80 cysts/nodules on my face to ZERO), but I had to be patient. I did not see a single bit more of clear skin until month 3. I had a little bit of reduction by month 4. By month 5, the acne just dropped off.

Hormones take a loooong time to respond. Some people may see fast results, I would say they are the exception rather than the rule.

Not to be mean, but you are being impatient. I had to wait 13 years to find my cure to severe cystic acne. But here's a hug anyway

Edited by Green Gables, 21 July 2012 - 02:51 PM.

[dreamcatcher88]

Thank you for your helpful reply, Green Gable. May I ask you if you had oily skin before Spiro? And how long did it take Spiro to reduce the oil? It seems like thats what obsesses me the most. My job requires me to wear makeup, and since I had the problem, I have been unable to wear anything because the oil just basically melt everything off after just one hour.

And yes I'm being impatient (sorry about that). It's just that I'm so scared of having too much hope and then realize that the med does not help. Accutane did not help me at all. That's why I'm so scared.

It's so hard (and sad) to deal with all the sudden changes in your body and your appearance when it comes to hormone imbalance, don't you agree?

[dreamcatcher88]

DAY 8 OF 100MG SPIRONOLACTONE FOR EXTREMELY OILY SKIN AND ACNE:

Side effects: ALOT

• I can't sleep through the night. I've been waking up several times at night since taking spiro. This contributes a great portion into my depression.
• Huge headache yesterday. Feel extremely tired (maybe due to the lack of sleep).
• I wanna cry every minute of the day.
• Dehydrated. More frequent trips to the bath room.
• Period has not come, it's been 12 days. I used to have regular periods before.

Acne and Oil Wise:

• It's kinda weird but my skin has been getting more oily since I start Spiro. This worries me the most cuz ,due to my research , Spiro can actually act as an agonist to Androgen in some circumstance instead of an antiagonist. That means in some circumstance, Spiro can make skin more oily and worsen acne cuz it fortifies androgen. I woke up this morning smelling the smell of the oil running through my face and head. When I looked into the mirror, it was a thick of oil as if someone dipped my face into an olive container during last night
• I'm having 4 imflamming pimples. One painful cyst on my right cheek. And several little white heads on both side of my lower cheeks waiting to be imflamed and turn into aggressive cysts.
• My skin felt very irratating, like a volcano is going to explode under my skin into a huge breakout soon.

Other sides of my life:

I was diagnosed with Lupus a year ago. The disease gave me a total shock in my life. My health has become more and more damaged because of it. My Dr put me on Plaquenil 400mg/ day. It's a very common medicine used to treat Lupus. It did help with the symtomps. Howevever, after 3 months being on the medication, I broke out badly with all the oiliness and nastiness all over my body. I don't know if it's because of the medicine or it's just my body. I did not do anything weird to my body at all, except for taking Plaquenil. I was desperated to find out what the heck is going on inside me. My derm sucked. She just gave me some kinds of topical that did not help me at all. She even said the Aczone cream could help with the oil also. At that time I wondered how it was gonna help (?). And yes, it turned out a waste of money, time, and most importantly- HOPE.

The gyno I went to even sucked more. She did not listen to me. She laughed when I said I wanna check for PCOS cuz I have many symtomps of it. She did not do the test, instead she gave me BeYaz (kind of Yaz). I walked out of the clinic still don't know what is going on with my body. I haven't tried the bcp yet cuz my mom told me I will regret later on when I get off it.

I also tried Accutane, which did not help at all with either the OIL or the ACNE...

I miss how I could run my finger through my face feeling it so smooth and oil free. I miss how I could go days without washing my hair cuz it was so fine. I miss how people complimented my natural smell. I miss the old me. Now it all just turned into a mess.

Besides, I have the most wonderful boyfriend who has been holding my hand, telling me he would always be by my side since I was first diagnosed with Lupus. That's the only bright side of my life right now...

Edited by dreamcatcher88, 22 July 2012 - 07:52 AM.

[Green Gables]

I did a fair amount of research on spiro before taking it, and I have NEVER heard of it acting as an "agonist" to androgens. All it does is "mute" your androgen receptors so they don't respond as much and create acne. It doesn't even change the amount of androgens or other hormones in your body. That is why your acne will come back if you go off the spiro...spiro does not change anything permanently in your body.

Plaquenil has been known to cause acne. I would blame the Plaquenil before the spiro. Spiro is quite mild.

Possible side effects of Plaquenil (also known as Hydroxychloroquine):

Side effects are difficult to anticipate, and should be reported to a doctor immediately if new symptoms develop or old symptoms change in intensity. Generally side effects are not common, but can include (for short-term treatment of acute malaria) abdominal cramps, diarrhea, heart problems, reduced appetite, headache, nausea and vomiting. The symptoms for prolonged treatment of lupus or arthritis include the acute symptoms, plus altered eye pigmentation, acne, anemia, bleaching of hair, blisters in mouth and eyes, blood disorders, convulsions, significant vision difficulties, diminished reflexes, emotional changes, excessive coloring of the skin, hearing loss, hives, itching, liver problems or failure, loss of hair, muscle paralysis, weakness or atrophy, nightmares, psoriasis, reading difficulties, tinnitus, skin inflammation and scaling, skin rash, vertigo, and weight loss. Hydroxychloroquine can worsen existing cases of both psoriasis and porphyria.

Spiro may or may not help your acne if Plaquenil is causing it. I don't know if Plaquenil causes acne through androgens/hormones, or if it causes acne by the intense oiliness you're experiencing.

Also, dreamcatcher, do you eat dairy or sugar? Dairy and sugar are huge oil stimulants. See this article: http://www.huffingto...a_b_822163.html

Edited by Green Gables, 23 July 2012 - 04:41 PM.

[dreamcatcher88]

Hi Green Gables,

Thanks a lot for your contributive research. I stopped taking Plaquenil 2 months ago due to the possible side effects. However, acne and my oily skin have not gotten any better. Because Plaquenil has a really long half- life (2-3 months), it stays in the body in a very long time after stopping taking the drug. I'm hoping that my skin condition will get better as time goes by.

I read from kiwipedia that spiro can act as an agonist to androgen if one has a very low amount of androgen or if the dose of spiro is high enough. They explained that spironolactone (and cypro also) is not a pure anti-androgen, in stead it's a steroidal. Hence it can act in both ways. However I don't know if the information is reliable.

I have a very strict diet regarding sugar and dairy. I never touch anything that is sweet. I don't drink milk or eat cheese either. I'm aware of these oil stimulants.

I went to my gyno today for the ovary sonogram's explanation. The dr said I don't have PCOS. What a relief! She still urged me to go ahead and take birth control pills (Yaz). I told her I'm too nervous to take it. She said she would not be able to help if I did not want to take the bcp. I'm still debating though...

As of some updates on spiro: DAY 10- 100MG

Side effects:

• I'm not having any side effect right now except for frequent trips to the bath room. No more fast heartbeat. No more headache or any other irratations.
• Mood is a little bit better as I keep telling my self that the med will have to take time to work.
• My period has finally came 2 days ago, making the last cycle a 40-day one.

Acne and Oil Wise:

• Not yet seen any improvement in either acne or oil.

Edited by dreamcatcher88, 26 July 2012 - 07:06 PM.

[Green Gables]

Hi Green Gables,

Thanks a lot for your contributive research. I stopped taking Plaquenil 2 months ago due to the possible side effects. However, acne and my oily skin have not gotten any better. Because Plaquenil has a really long half- life (2-3 months), it stays in the body in a very long time after stopping taking the drug. I'm hoping that my skin condition will get better as time goes by.

I read from kiwipedia that spiro can act as an agonist to androgen if one has a very low amount of androgen or if the dose of spiro is high enough. They explained that spironolactone (and cypro also) is not a pure anti-androgen, in stead it's a steroidal. Hence it can act in both ways. However I don't know if the information is reliable.

I have a very strict diet regarding sugar and dairy. I never touch anything that is sweet. I don't drink milk or eat cheese either. I'm aware of these oil stimulants.

I went to my gyno today for the ovary sonogram's explanation. The dr said I don't have PCOS. What a relief! She still urged me to go ahead and take birth control pills (Yaz). I told her I'm too nervous to take it. She said she would not be able to help if I did not want to take the bcp. I'm still debating though...

As of some updates on spiro: DAY 10- 100MG

Side effects:

• I'm not having any side effect right now except for frequent trips to the bath room. No more fast heartbeat. No more headache or any other irratations.
• Mood is a little bit better as I keep telling my self that the med will have to take time to work.
• My period has finally came 2 days ago, making the last cycle a 40-day one.

Acne and Oil Wise:

• Not yet seen any improvement in either acne or oil.

*hug* I really encourage you to stick it out for at least 4 months, especially considering that Plaquenil is still in your system. I really did not see a single bit of clearance until month 4. Believe me it was HARD to stick with it not seeing any results.

[jaydeec]

@dreamcatcher88 hang in there. I know its hard being patient when you continue to break out but it will be worth it. I have also experienced oiliness with Spiro, It's weird though because I won't be as oily on some days but other days I seem to be as oily as before I went on Spiro, can't explain it. And for me the spiro started worked after the 3rd week or so. at least I think it was the Spiro. My face completely cleared , and as soon as I stopped taking it (due to stomach issues I was having with it) about a week later I started breaking out again. So as GreenGables has said it does not eliminate androgens it just mutes them. Good luck on your journey and i hope things turn around for you, just remember everyone responds differently

[dreamcatcher88]

@dreamcatcher88 hang in there. I know its hard being patient when you continue to break out but it will be worth it. I have also experienced oiliness with Spiro, It's weird though because I won't be as oily on some days but other days I seem to be as oily as before I went on Spiro, can't explain it. And for me the spiro started worked after the 3rd week or so. at least I think it was the Spiro. My face completely cleared , and as soon as I stopped taking it (due to stomach issues I was having with it) about a week later I started breaking out again. So as GreenGables has said it does not eliminate androgens it just mutes them. Good luck on your journey and i hope things turn around for you, just remember everyone responds differently

Thank you Green Gables and Jaydeec. Your replies are very encouraging!

Updates: Day 16 of 100mg Spironolactone

Actually there is nothing to update though. I'm still an oil slick with zero reduction in oil. No side effects lately. This makes me wonder if the spiro is working or not.

I notice that the day after my period ends, my skin will be a lot less oily. But it only lasts 4 days at max. Right after day 4 after my period, I would totally turn into an oil factory. It happens overnight! And this is definitely not because of Spiro because it's happened before I started taking Spiro.

My forehead is still breaking out like crazy

[feebedel]

I have taken Sprio for over a year now and I just upped my dose to 200mg from 150. My acne has gotten a lot better, but it's been a little worse lately, hence the mg increase. Anyway, I had really really oily skin and hair too. I don't know if it was as bad as yours, but my hair would look oily within 12 hours of washing it and I couldn't wear makeup because it would come off my face was so oily. I was expecting my acne to clear up (and it did after about 3 mos) but I was surprised to see how much less oil I seemed to produce. I would say after I week I notice a SLIGHT decrease in oil. After a month it was more noticeable. After two months it hit it's peak and my face is about the same. It gets more oily in summer months though.
Everyone is different. Give it time. It took time for mine to work, but it should.
My side effects were frequent urination, headache, dizziness (those went away). Now I just have to make sure I hydrate.
Good luck.

Oh and my period was really wonky and still is.
I would ask your doctor to up your dose to 125 or 150 mg... a lot of people don't see results if it's not the right dose.

Edited by feebedel, 01 August 2012 - 07:08 PM.

[hikingirl]

Hey, my doctor just put me on spiro, 100mg once a day. I'm only on my second day but my derm said to be veryyy patient. He said I would not get results for at least a few months!

[dreamcatcher88]

I have taken Sprio for over a year now and I just upped my dose to 200mg from 150. My acne has gotten a lot better, but it's been a little worse lately, hence the mg increase. Anyway, I had really really oily skin and hair too. I don't know if it was as bad as yours, but my hair would look oily within 12 hours of washing it and I couldn't wear makeup because it would come off my face was so oily. I was expecting my acne to clear up (and it did after about 3 mos) but I was surprised to see how much less oil I seemed to produce. I would say after I week I notice a SLIGHT decrease in oil. After a month it was more noticeable. After two months it hit it's peak and my face is about the same. It gets more oily in summer months though.
Everyone is different. Give it time. It took time for mine to work, but it should.
My side effects were frequent urination, headache, dizziness (those went away). Now I just have to make sure I hydrate.
Good luck.

Oh and my period was really wonky and still is.
I would ask your doctor to up your dose to 125 or 150 mg... a lot of people don't see results if it's not the right dose.

Thanks alot for your encouraging reply. I am expecting even the slightiest reduction in oil but have not had luck yet. Maybe it's too early to tell.
Can I ask you what is your level of oiliness now? Is it still oily but at the normal side or it's really completely matte?

Hey, my doctor just put me on spiro, 100mg once a day. I'm only on my second day but my derm said to be veryyy patient. He said I would not get results for at least a few months!

So we're on the same journey. Wish you luck. I'd love to hear any updates from you!

Update: DAY 20: (my derm has upped me to 150mg/day 5 days ago)

Side effects: No more side effects except for frequent trips to the bath room.

Oil and acne wise:

My period ended a week ago and I have been experiencing significantly less oily for the past seven days (to the point that I can wear makeup and my makeup last 7 hours). I do not think it's the Spiro working though because I also experienced this last month after my period (before I started taking Spiro). The "less oily state" lasted for 10 days last month (my face was totally dry on the first day after my period and got progessively oilier 9 days following. On day 10 it was back to the very oily state as normal).

So I'm expecting that happened again this month. Today was day 8 ater my period and I woke up this morning with a thin layer of oil on my face. I washed my face with gentle cleanser hoping it won't get greasy by the afternoon. Idk yet. We'll see.

I am having two big pimples on my forhead and they hurt so bad. I don't understand why I still get pimple while my skin has not been that oily lately.
I have another one forming on my left cheek and one big cyst on my right cheek. This cyst is there the whole time. I really really want it to go away. Ughhh
Also, I have ALOT of whiteheads, blackheads everywhere on my face. My skin always feel bumpy.

I'll update more in a couple days.
Good luck every one!

[Green Gables]

Androgens can create cysts without an oil clog.

Do you feel like you have digestion problems? If your stomach acid is TOO LOW, you can have a leaky gut issue which can contribute to skin problems.

[dreamcatcher88]

Androgens can create cysts without an oil clog.

Do you feel like you have digestion problems? If your stomach acid is TOO LOW, you can have a leaky gut issue which can contribute to skin problems.

Hi Green Gables,
I don't think I have any digestion problem.
So basically you mean that we can have hormonal acne without oily skin?

[Green Gables]

Androgens can create cysts without an oil clog.

Do you feel like you have digestion problems? If your stomach acid is TOO LOW, you can have a leaky gut issue which can contribute to skin problems.

Hi Green Gables,
I don't think I have any digestion problem.
So basically you mean that we can have hormonal acne without oily skin?

Totally, I have super dry skin and had tons of cystic hormonal acne before spiro. Think of it like this...androgens help out with muscle building and GROWTH. Well if you're already full grown...where does all that growth hormone go? GROWING bumps on your face.

[dreamcatcher88]

Day 38 of 150mg Spironolactone:

So it's been awhile I haven't updated my progress with Spironolactone. The first 27 days after my lastest update I enjoyed the much less oily state, to the point that I believed Spiro has kicked in and helped so much with the oil. However, I got my period on day 28 without any PMS symptoms. It was unusual because my regular cycle is 40 days, not 27 days like this month. Since day 1 of my period, my skin has gone right back to its oily state (even though still less oily than how it was before taking Spiro, but still very oily). I've been breaking out crazily all over my face regardless the 27 days of less oil as I said. The pimples are all inflammed, red, and hurt so much Today is day 7 of my period which is also the last day but my skin hasn't gone back to how it was before the period. I thought our skin is at its oiliest in the week before period and should get better in the menstrual week?

But anyway I'm hurting so bad now and feeling kinda discouraged. I was so happy because of the reduction of oil I saw last month. You won't believe it. Before Spiro, my skin would look super shiny after 4 hours of washing and I would always feel so nasty. 2 week after taking Spiro, on day 5 of my last period, I woke up with a matted face. ZERO oil. It happened overnight. It was like, the night before that morning I was still shiny and greasy and nasty, but the oil did the 180 turn in just one night. 15 days after that, my skin was so nice. If I gave the oil my skin produced before Spiro 10 points (oiliest), I would defitely gave the oil after 2 weeks of Spiro 0 to 1 point. That was how nice it was! After day 15, my skin gradually got oilier but at a very mild degree, which is understandable because I think I was ovulating on day 15 (your skin gets oilier in the last 2 weeks of the mens cycle).

So this is my update. I'm hoping to see my skin go back to the nice state as last month

[dreamcatcher88]

Hummm Day 9 after period started, skin is still pretty greasy. Hair is getting oily again. It's so weird. I thought Spiro had already kicked in??? Last month my skin got dried up on day 5 after period started.
I'm having 4 big pimples on forehead. 2 big on left cheek. And tons of whiteheads on right cheek waiting their turns to turn into big cysts.
Definitely my hormones don't have any repeating pattern every month. They were so nice and obidient last month

Edited by dreamcatcher88, 27 August 2012 - 10:51 AM.

[Ekr150]

Yeah, before going on spiro, my hormones definitely had a predictable cyclical pattern every month... then when I went on Spiro, everything was initially kind of whacky. Give it time! I know it's frustrating and hard to be patient.. The worst month for me was probably the 2nd. Just know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!