10 replies to this topic

[sugadoll918]

Hello,
I've been on spiro for 5 weeks now and I'm still breaking out pretty bad, but I know that that's pretty typical, so I'm def going to stick with it b/c i'm 100% positive my acne is hormonal. I want to stay on it as long as possible to get the full benefits, but I haven't seen anywhere how long patients can/should stay on it? The most i've seen is a year.

Also, when you stop, do you need to gradually wean off of it?

and for those that have been on it awhile and stopped, did your acne just come right back? or does it actually continue to work after treatment?

Thanks!!

[cvd]

I have been on Spiro for 10 years. It is one of those meds you can take forever. It is considered a very mild medication and works by blocking androgen receptors so it isn't even mucking up hormones...just blocking androgens from getting to the skin where they cause acne. It takes several months for Spiro to kick in.

[sugadoll918]

thank you for the response I had no idea you could stay on it long term, this makes me very happy!!.....i wonder if it depends on which dermatologist you see though, b/c mine made it sound like his patients are on it for only a year max . Maybe I can talk to my primary care physician and see if she can be the go to person for getting this prescription.

Edited by sugadoll918, 25 June 2012 - 09:45 AM.

[Green Gables]

thank you for the response I had no idea you could stay on it long term, this makes me very happy!!.....i wonder if it depends on which dermatologist you see though, b/c mine made it sound like his patients are on it for only a year max . Maybe I can talk to my primary care physician and see if she can be the go to person for getting this prescription.

Yeah if my derm tried to take me off of it I would get a new derm. If they are open-minded you could try to educate them a little bit about how spiro works...even with all that medical schooling some don't get that it's not accutane...it's not changing anything permanently so if you go off it, the acne comes back. Maybe you can say you had a friend who went off it and all her acne came back, went back on and it disappeared again. I can be that friend

Edited by Green Gables, 26 June 2012 - 01:16 PM.

[sugadoll918]

Thanks Green Gables! I'll see what he says at our next appt, he gave me the first month, and then I had to do blood work and go back in and he gave me two more months and then I have to do another follow up and then Im hoping I get atleast a year prescription....I'm really hate all of these follow ups, I feel like I have spent atleast $1000 on office visit co-pays just this year alone. I mean I like that he is thorough and and he wants to make sure I am reacting well with the medicine, but hopefully after this next appt I wont need to be in there so often

[Boston50]

On the flip side. My daughter was on it for 6 years and did develop problems. I would urge you to be monitored while on it. She never was. All meds have side effects without exception. I do wish you well with it though because it's a miracle drug for acne.

[sugadoll918]

Boston50 I'm sorry to hear that about your daughter, I hope she's doing well now and it wasn't anything too serious. Can I ask, was she ever monitored on it?,,,My doctor did blood work after being on it for 6 weeks and I'm not sure how much he's going to monitor me now. Would you recommend blood work once a year or even more frequently?

Edited by sugadoll918, 11 July 2012 - 02:38 PM.

[pocketfulofsunshine]

I just got a prescription for Spiro and was wondering all of the same things. My derm didn't mention blood work or anything, so I'm kind of concerned and will probably just have to have the pharmacist tell me what to look out for. I wish I'd gotten more information! Boston50, if you don't mind me asking, what were the problems that your daughter developed? I had a lot of stomach issues from antibiotics and I'd like to know if I'd just be walking into the same thing with this medicine!

[Green Gables]

I just got a prescription for Spiro and was wondering all of the same things. My derm didn't mention blood work or anything, so I'm kind of concerned and will probably just have to have the pharmacist tell me what to look out for. I wish I'd gotten more information! Boston50, if you don't mind me asking, what were the problems that your daughter developed? I had a lot of stomach issues from antibiotics and I'd like to know if I'd just be walking into the same thing with this medicine!

There are two things to worry about with spiro.

Spiro is a potassium-sparing diuretic that happens to reduce androgen activity (why it clears acne).

1) As it is a diuretic, you will find that you pee a lot more on it and you have to drink a lot more water to stay hydrated. Your body does adjust to this somewhat after the first few weeks, but get used to drinking more water and going to the bathroom more. Honestly I don't even notice it now. I would say on average I go to the bathroom every 3 hours and feel like drinking water every 2 hours. Before spiro I probably used the bathroom every 4 hours.
2) It is potassium sparing, meaning that you lose less potassium, so you need to make sure that you are not eating too much potassium. My derm said it is very hard for the average American diet to overconsume potassium...but if you're eating 5 bananas a day or you're on a raw vegan diet and consuming mass amounts of vegetables...then you need to be careful.

If you want to be on the ultra safe side, get your potassium levels checked every 3 months. It's a cheap test even without insurance.

Your derm probably didn't mention getting tested because serious side-effects are so very rare on low doses (under 200mg).

Edited by Green Gables, 28 July 2012 - 07:51 PM.

[pocketfulofsunshine]

I just got a prescription for Spiro and was wondering all of the same things. My derm didn't mention blood work or anything, so I'm kind of concerned and will probably just have to have the pharmacist tell me what to look out for. I wish I'd gotten more information! Boston50, if you don't mind me asking, what were the problems that your daughter developed? I had a lot of stomach issues from antibiotics and I'd like to know if I'd just be walking into the same thing with this medicine!

There are two things to worry about with spiro.

Spiro is a potassium-sparing diuretic that happens to reduce androgen activity (why it clears acne).

1) As it is a diuretic, you will find that you pee a lot more on it and you have to drink a lot more water to stay hydrated. Your body does adjust to this somewhat after the first few weeks, but get used to drinking more water and going to the bathroom more. Honestly I don't even notice it now. I would say on average I go to the bathroom every 3 hours and feel like drinking water every 2 hours. Before spiro I probably used the bathroom every 4 hours.
2) It is potassium sparing, meaning that you lose less potassium, so you need to make sure that you are not eating too much potassium. My derm said it is very hard for the average American diet to overconsume potassium...but if you're eating 5 bananas a day or you're on a raw vegan diet and consuming mass amounts of vegetables...then you need to be careful.

If you want to be on the ultra safe side, get your potassium levels checked every 3 months. It's a cheap test even without insurance.

Your derm probably didn't mention getting tested because serious side-effects are so very rare on low doses (under 200mg).

Good to know! I think my dose is just two 25mg pills a day, so hopefully I won't have to go much higher. I also don't really want to have to alter my diet too much either because my metabolism is ridiculous and I need my sugary foods to keep from losing weight. I see that you're eating low sugar, so have you had to keep that up even on the Spiro to keep your skin clear?

[Green Gables]

I just got a prescription for Spiro and was wondering all of the same things. My derm didn't mention blood work or anything, so I'm kind of concerned and will probably just have to have the pharmacist tell me what to look out for. I wish I'd gotten more information! Boston50, if you don't mind me asking, what were the problems that your daughter developed? I had a lot of stomach issues from antibiotics and I'd like to know if I'd just be walking into the same thing with this medicine!

There are two things to worry about with spiro.

Spiro is a potassium-sparing diuretic that happens to reduce androgen activity (why it clears acne).

1) As it is a diuretic, you will find that you pee a lot more on it and you have to drink a lot more water to stay hydrated. Your body does adjust to this somewhat after the first few weeks, but get used to drinking more water and going to the bathroom more. Honestly I don't even notice it now. I would say on average I go to the bathroom every 3 hours and feel like drinking water every 2 hours. Before spiro I probably used the bathroom every 4 hours.
2) It is potassium sparing, meaning that you lose less potassium, so you need to make sure that you are not eating too much potassium. My derm said it is very hard for the average American diet to overconsume potassium...but if you're eating 5 bananas a day or you're on a raw vegan diet and consuming mass amounts of vegetables...then you need to be careful.

If you want to be on the ultra safe side, get your potassium levels checked every 3 months. It's a cheap test even without insurance.

Your derm probably didn't mention getting tested because serious side-effects are so very rare on low doses (under 200mg).

Good to know! I think my dose is just two 25mg pills a day, so hopefully I won't have to go much higher. I also don't really want to have to alter my diet too much either because my metabolism is ridiculous and I need my sugary foods to keep from losing weight. I see that you're eating low sugar, so have you had to keep that up even on the Spiro to keep your skin clear?

I eat low sugar because sugar is about the worst thing you can do to your body, acne or not. I also have a fast metabolism. I am a professional dancer and eat tons of food to makeup for everything I'm burning off daily. I eat a lot of meat, eggs, vegetables, moderate fruit and grains. So, to answer your question, I wouldn't know if I started eating crap if I would break out, because I'm not going to eat crap. About 5 years ago I ate dairy. When I went off dairy completely I noticed a decrease in cysts but not 100% clearance. But hormonal acne can most DEFINITELY be caused by Dairy and Sugar intake. See this article on Huffington Post: http://www.huffingto...a_b_822163.html

Edited by Green Gables, 29 July 2012 - 05:27 PM.