33 replies to this topic

[Xiomara]

Anyone here ever taken these?

It's suppose to regulate your PMS I think and reduce cysts from pms.

[~*T*~]

I am on it. It's supposed to stop the male hormones in your body. It makes your skin slow the production of oil or something like that. It was working really well for me, but I am starting to get oily again. But my doc has me on a super low dose.

Don't quote me though, I am not exactly sure how it works.

[RxMonkey]

I just started taking spiro 2 weeks ago. I'm on 100mg per day. Way too soon to tell if it's gonna work but I'm hopeful!

[~*T*~]

I started on 50mgs/day. the was moved to 75. Not much at all. I am going to tell my derm when I see him in May to up it, alot. Cause I got alot of shit to do this summer, and I don't want oily skin, or acne to do it in. I want to look good.

[Xiomara]

That, I think it has sulfa in it. I'm allergic to that.

But I have a messed up irregular period. Any suggestions for those ladies? I get cramps and a bad temper.

My flare ups come right before my period too.

[Carys]

That, I think it has sulfa in it. I'm allergic to that.

But I have a messed up irregular period. Any suggestions for those ladies? I get cramps and a bad temper.

My flare ups come right before my period too.

Well, sprio--as far as I know--won't help out in the irregular period department. In fact, a lot of times, women who are put on spiro are also put on birth control pills to help balance the periods out, which can become even MORE irregular on sprio.

So, my best advice for irregular periods is BC pills. I'm currently on Yasmin, and it's been treating me pretty well.

[Xiomara]

I can't get on the pill either.

[Eloise]

I can't get on the pill either.

Hey Xiomara,
JUst wondering...why can't you get on BC pills?

[Xiomara]

I've tried many and gotten all the bad side affects from them, plus i turn into a depressed b*tch. It's just aweful. No, I wouldn't want to be on it.

[Hopeful!]

Hi Xiomara,
That was me too. Finally I got a female gyno who told me about the Nuva ring. It's low dose because it isn't pill form. You might feel a little creeped out by having to insert it . . . I have to admit that I dread doing it. But the good part is you only have to worry about it once a month. You should look into it. I feel totally normal on it . . . and I even lost bit of belly weight from it. My acne is related to PCOS. My doctors want me on some form of BC to regulate my hormones. They're also thinking of adding spiro and some kind of medicine for diabetics. I'm still thinking about the latter. The nuva ring is working great though . . . although I do wonder if Yasmin might do more for me (like get rid of the spare hairs on my chinny chin chin!)

I've tried many and gotten all the bad side affects from them, plus i turn into a depressed b*tch. It's just aweful. No, I wouldn't want to be on it.

[~*T*~]

Yeah, Spiro will totally mess with your period. My doc said that you pretty much HAVE to go on a BCP with it, or you're screwed.

[Eloise]

hello ladies.
I spoke to my derm today and was put on spiro. He said to start of with 50mg for two weeks then up it to 100mg if I needed to. I just need some friendly advice from those who have been on it. My derm said that spiro doesn't really work for my age (25). Has anyone here tried spiro in their 20s with results? Also, what foods should I avoid?
Thanks.

[Carys]

hello ladies.
I spoke to my derm today and was put on spiro. He said to start of with 50mg for two weeks then up it to 100mg if I needed to. I just need some friendly advice from those who have been on it. My derm said that spiro doesn't really work for my age (25). Has anyone here tried spiro in their 20s with results? Also, what foods should I avoid?
Thanks.

WHAAAAAAAAAAT? I think your derm is smoking something. I've heard from others who were in their 20s that it worked great for.

[Christina ~]

Hello i'm 25 and on spirolactone since december, 50mg as its based on weight and i'm 5'3 and about 108 lbs. I use it with diane 35 and minocycline and i find it fine.

i was worried about it making my period irregular but that didnt' happen, hasn't seemed to alter the diane 35 cycle remotely. I also worried that i would have to use the washroom often as a side effect listed IS that it can serve as a dieuretic...but there have been no side effects.

when i first started it i took it AFTER my shower in the morning tho as i take alot of meds and when i took everything together i would feel rather ill under the hot water. now theres no problems but just ease into it.

while i've cut out bananas completely (i never liked them so it was just an excuse) i have NOT been watching my orange juice and potato intake (you have to be careful as its potassium sparing) but i had blood work done a few weeks back and everything is 100% normal.

I think that overall i feel good about taking it. i was terrified at first and put it off for months worried about an inital breakout, or horrible side effects but honestly everythying is fine.

i even had a tattoo done last weekend and its healing great!

while everyone has their sensitivities i thought i'd put in my two cents as a postive experience so new users can judge for themselves.

the only medication i personally HATE is something called neomedrol, a cream that is supposed to help stop pimples from forming but for me actually brings them out!! its nasty stuff. stinks and is all runny like water. definetley a big no no.

at first i was weird about all the pills but honesetly, it makes life easier and i take ALOT. in addition to whats in my regimen i take adderall and clonazepam for a psychiatric condition so thats ALOT of stuff and i'm still doing okay so thats gotta say something!

[ameliab]

Wow! Those are a lot of pills! Are you sure you really need them all? How would you know unless you come off them one by one to see which are necessary and which are not?

I'm on Accutane, but I'm also considering the hormonal treatment for acne after a reasonable time after my course--I'm hearing good stuff on Yasmin or BC's in general because aside from clearing your acne, it gives the skin a fresh healthy flush. My concern is that it won't stop the oil, but I would also need it to regulate my cycle since I may be a candidate for PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) as warned by my doctor.

My hair is shedding. PCOS has been known to cause alopecia in women (hairloss) because of an imbalance of the estrogen hormone or hypersensitivity to testorone. I'm wondering if any BC might help regulate those symptoms and stop hair shedding which for a long while I was blaming on bad diet and my first course of Accutane. Even years later after that first course, I thought the Accutane was still doing a number in the breaking of my hair and even if I ate more healthly, I would still get breakage. Even my lashes are falling! No doubt the Accutane weakened my hair, but the effects should no longer be active in my system. Although, I'm still suffering from an onset of hair shedding (stops and comes) and these symptoms all carry over to PCOS.

I'm wondering what type of possible hormonal treatment might be best for me to treat all of my symptoms: irregular cycle, oil/acne and my alopecia.


Thanks

[Christina ~]

well i have been off the mino AND the sprio and the allergy meds for that matter and the problem was that things just...kept..coming...back! since this regimen i seem to have things more balanced *knock on wood* so i'm pretty sure they are necessary, sort of like my psych meds. i may not be overly happy that i take meds but neither are diabetics but its just a part of life i've dealt with over time.

[kittenkaboodle]

I'm allergic to sulfa drugs and I took spiro just fine. My period is usually regular. For a long time I was on 100mg a day, and when I was upped to 200mg, I stopped having periods altogether. It was nice at first, but then I got freaked out after it had been like 3 months and still no period. Some people just tolerate it well, and others don't.

[Hopeful_once_Again]

My hair is shedding. PCOS has been known to cause alopecia in women (hairloss) because of an imbalance of the estrogen hormone or hypersensitivity to testorone. I'm wondering if any BC might help regulate those symptoms and stop hair shedding which for a long while I was blaming on bad diet and my first course of Accutane.

In my experience, the BC really did help with the hair shedding. It takes a long time to notice a difference, however -- 6 months or so. It was the hair shedding that led to my PCOS diagnosis.'

It was very hard to find the right pill. So many of them made me sick. I stopped taking mine after awhile (the Ortho-Evera) because I was so moody and nauseated all the time. But then my hair started shedding again. So it was back to the gyno and back to BC. Now I'm on the Nuva Ring. I feel totally normal. But my hair still seems to be shedding and its been about 6 months. The Nuva Ring is low dose, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

But I will say that the Nuva Ring helped with my acne (don't get as many cysts but still have lots of blackheads) and made my tummy slightly smaller. (Acne and tummy weight gain are two of the many unpleasant symptoms of PCOS.)

[Eloise]

Thanks you guys for your input!! I always get emotional with so much support. It's also that time of the month too. I am very excited taking spiro. I'm supposed to be taking two pills (25mg each) a day 12 hours apart? Can I just take both pills at the same time? This 12 hours apart thing is not working for me. Also did anyone experience an initial breakout with spiro?
Tired-of-waiting: a special thanks to you for your very detailed entry.

[mskitty]

Hey ladies,

How long did it take for your skin to dry out? I am super oily and I can only dream of that....