110 replies to this topic

[Seeking2012]

from what ive read on these boards alot of people get tested and its a waste of money because an imbalance doesnt show up. alot of people with hormonal acne fall into the "normal" category when tested unfortunately...

Ah, then the range of "normal" needs to be re-evaluated and made more strict. Or perhaps we can interpret the results ourselves; if we are within the normal range but close to the low end or the high end then we can interpret that as not normal.

Edited by Seeking2012, 04 December 2012 - 05:55 PM.

[chelslaw]

i dont even know that there is anything medically they can do. ive spoken with my dr about a hormonal imbalance before and if acne is the only symptom you have (which is my case) then medicine cannot really help you if you are already taking birth control.

so i took matters into my own hands with saw palmetto, exercise, vitamins and gluten removal and am having great success finally.

[aurielle357]

How long does spironolactone take to start clearing up your skin...?

[chelslaw]

i believe some people said 3-4 months.

[JWaltersRN]

Yet another hopeful bubble burst when it's a women only cure...........

It is not a women only cure. Men can take Spiro. Just in lower doses.
Also, It is TOTALLY SAFE to take Spiro FOREVER as long as you don't have changes in potassium levels or you dont have some OTHER CONDITION that causes your kidney's to fail.
Spironolactone is a potassium sparing diuretic that is supposed to treat high blood pressure. People- EVEN MEN- take this medication for decades for blood pressure and fluid retention and don't die, or grow boobs or anything.
Makes me bananas. Spiro is not a hormone, it is not even an ACNE MEDICATION. It is an anti-hypertensive/diuretic that happens to have a side effect of androgen binding. "Binding" in medical jargon means that it attaches to EXTRA components not being used in normal body function. Therefore, if you are a male and you have EXTRA DHT it will bind to it. It will not take away the DHT you need to grow a beard, prevent breasts or maintain your manly baritone.

Sorry for my rant. Makes me crazy that people (not all, but many) take these forums as the word of the lord.

[Ellie93]

Hi,
Glad to see that spiro works for a lot of people! The only thing that has worked for me was 8 months of roaccutane but my acne came within 3 months of finishing it. Would love to go back on it but it's not possible for me due the monthly hospital commitments
Anyway, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and i'm going to request a prescription of spiro. Just wondering, if in a few months it gives me clear skin, does anyone know if a daily dose of saw palmetto would be enough maintenance to keep it away, along with a daily cleansing regime of course?
Thanks

[Green Gables]

Yet another hopeful bubble burst when it's a women only cure...........

It is not a women only cure. Men can take Spiro. Just in lower doses.
Also, It is TOTALLY SAFE to take Spiro FOREVER as long as you don't have changes in potassium levels or you dont have some OTHER CONDITION that causes your kidney's to fail.
Spironolactone is a potassium sparing diuretic that is supposed to treat high blood pressure. People- EVEN MEN- take this medication for decades for blood pressure and fluid retention and don't die, or grow boobs or anything.
Makes me bananas. Spiro is not a hormone, it is not even an ACNE MEDICATION. It is an anti-hypertensive/diuretic that happens to have a side effect of androgen binding. "Binding" in medical jargon means that it attaches to EXTRA components not being used in normal body function. Therefore, if you are a male and you have EXTRA DHT it will bind to it. It will not take away the DHT you need to grow a beard, prevent breasts or maintain your manly baritone.

Sorry for my rant. Makes me crazy that people (not all, but many) take these forums as the word of the lord.

I can't tell you how many times I've said this...only to have a guy tell me that saw palmetto is going to turn him into a woman.

Hi,
Glad to see that spiro works for a lot of people! The only thing that has worked for me was 8 months of roaccutane but my acne came within 3 months of finishing it. Would love to go back on it but it's not possible for me due the monthly hospital commitments
Anyway, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and i'm going to request a prescription of spiro. Just wondering, if in a few months it gives me clear skin, does anyone know if a daily dose of saw palmetto would be enough maintenance to keep it away, along with a daily cleansing regime of course?
Thanks

Spiro is a bajillion times stronger than saw palmetto. If you need spiro in the first place I doubt saw palmetto will be able to maintain for you.

I have combined cystic acne and rosacea. My skin is now 100% clear of zits! (The rosacea is still present.)

For those of you unfamiliar with spironolactone, it is an anti-androgen.

What I do daily:
-100mg of spiro.

When I read things like this I wonder about what caused the hormonal imbalance in the first place. Did you figure out what was causing your over production of androgens? Perhaps you should have a medical evaluation to find out why. Blood tests etc.

There is some speculation that simply having a rocky puberty or chronic stress or years of prolonged intense physical activity can sensitize your androgen receptors. Once your receptors are sensitized, they respond negatively regardless of your actual androgen levels. You can have acne with sensitized receptors and low androgen levels. Or so the theory goes.

There's not a way to change the sensitivity of your receptors as far as I know. I believe they're like fat cells...fat cells can enlarge but they can't shrink. (Which is why lipo doesn't attempt to shrink the fat cells, but remove them entirely.)

Can't knock people for being people.

Well excuse me while I join the cyborg revolution.

Edited by Green Gables, 04 January 2013 - 10:59 PM.

[scaborca]

Hi thanks for your story. I am very interested. I have severe adult acne and have tried all the products/regimes you listed. I do know that my hormones are out of balance, and I have slightly elevated testosterone. With Spironolactone, what were the initial side effects? Any increase in breakouts at first? Thanks, anything else you can share would be great.

[Green Gables]

Hi thanks for your story. I am very interested. I have severe adult acne and have tried all the products/regimes you listed. I do know that my hormones are out of balance, and I have slightly elevated testosterone. With Spironolactone, what were the initial side effects? Any increase in breakouts at first? Thanks, anything else you can share would be great.

I did not have an initial breakout really. My skin just stayed about the same for a number of months before it started improving.

 

Side effects were increased thirst, increased urination, and about 5 lbs of weight gain (that lasted about a...month? then it went away), and some breast tenderness before my period. I also get insomnia if I take spiro after 5pm. I take my first dose when I wake up and my second dose at 3pm to avoid this.

Edited by Green Gables, 23 January 2013 - 07:11 PM.

[heyybrighteyes]

if youre still having problems with indented scarring i recommend checking this article out

www.thelovevitamin.com/3586/rolling-acne-scars-msm-cream/

[Green Gables]

For those of you interested in TOPICAL spironolactone, hoping to get the benefits of spiro on acne without the systemic hormonal changes...

 

So after perusing some other health forums, I discovered that many people on the hairloss forums have been using TOPICAL spironolactone OVER THE COUNTER on the scalp to help with hair loss. From what I can tell, topical spiro is legally treated like low-strength minoxidil (Rogaine) and can still be bought over the counter!

 

If you are interested in trying it, you might want to pick up some now...since derms can now prescribe topical spiro for acne, some greedy big pharma company might try to regulate OTC spiro out of existence 

 

It comes in 2% and 5% formulations. As it used on the scalp skin, I would presume it is safe to use on facial skin. 

 

http://www.hairlosst...p/s5-cream.html

http://www.cemproduc...al-spiro-5.html

http://www.ar-r.com/...al-spiro-5.html

http://wholesalehair...ct=dark-kitchen

http://wholesalehair...=spironolactone