95 replies to this topic

[CherrySoda08]

No-no, please don't do it!!!

 

You are better off on very high dose (150-200) of Spiro than the lowest dose of Accutane!

 

I have taken it 2x and both times it cleared me for a while (2nd time lasted less than a year!) and last October it all came back with a revenge.

 

Now that I am at the end of month 3 on Spiro, and taking 200, well... I am not bragging I have flawless skin, but if you look at my gallery, you can see it brought results.

 

So I would really, really encourage you to stick it out with Spiro and increase dosage. Accutane is like a bomb - gets rid of acne but God knows what else... and it doesn't even last for hormonal acne like mine, and probably yours.

 

So just keep going with Spiro, you'll get there!

I know. It's the side effects of Accutane that really freak me out. But doesn't a high dose of spiro (100 mg or more) cause some people to lose their hair? I don't have the thickest hair in the world, so it's not like I have any extra to lose.  

If you don't mind my asking, how long did you take Accutane for each time?

My acne is definitely hormonal. Why doesn't Accutane take care of hormonal acne?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, and thanks so much for your encouragement!

Edited by CherrySoda08, 18 February 2013 - 10:28 PM.

[Julisss]

No, Spiro does not necessarily cause hair loss, in fact some women take it for hair loss! I think it can be a bit of a double edged sword when it comes to that problem, but in general, it rather helps.
I also read someone's story who thought she lost hair due to Spiro, whereas it was due to her low iron levels. And by the way - more people experience hair loss/thinning on Accutane, some even permanently.
 
Accutane doesn't help because it will do nothing for your persisting hormonal imbalance that leads to the overproduction of sebum (or "helps" sebum to get trapped in your pores).
It's like a band-aid on the problem because it indeed shrinks oil glands, slows cell prolification (sebum doesn't get trapped) and so on, but most of the time results are temporary with hormonal acne. Of course, the longer you take it, the longer the "band aid effect" lasts... first I took it for 10 months and was clear for 2 years, then 4 month and was clear for a half year.
I do believe you can obtain long-lasting results if you take some crazy dosage (80mg or so) but chances are it'll still come back at some point in your life. Not to mention the damage you are doing to yourself.
Accutane saved my life a few times but I know it's not the solution, and I hope I helped you see why

Edited by Julisss, 19 February 2013 - 12:36 PM.

[CherrySoda08]

No, Spiro does not necessarily cause hair loss, in fact some women take it for hair loss! I think it can be a bit of a double edged sword when it comes to that problem, but in general, it rather helps.
I also read someone's story who thought she lost hair due to Spiro, whereas it was due to her low iron levels. And by the way - more people experience hair loss/thinning on Accutane, some even permanently.
 
Accutane doesn't help because it will do nothing for your persisting hormonal imbalance that leads to the overproduction of sebum (or "helps" sebum to get trapped in your pores).
It's like a band-aid on the problem because it indeed shrinks oil glands, slows cell prolification (sebum doesn't get trapped) and so on, but most of the time results are temporary with hormonal acne. Of course, the longer you take it, the longer the "band aid effect" lasts... first I took it for 10 months and was clear for 2 years, then 4 month and was clear for a half year.
I do believe you can obtain long-lasting results if you take some crazy dosage (80mg or so) but chances are it'll still come back at some point in your life. Not to mention the damage you are doing to yourself.
Accutane saved my life a few times but I know it's not the solution, and I hope I helped you see why

Thanks so much for the explanation about Accutane. You absolutely helped me see why it's a Band-Aid.  

Since it doesn't do much to repair hormone imbalance, and only shrinks oil glands for a length of time, I understand why Accutane isn't a permanent solution.

Ugh. I'm so tired of these persistent breakouts on my chin, though. I've only been taking the 50 mgs of spiro for just a couple of weeks now, and this "wait and see game" is getting really old. Waiting to see if 50 mgs of spiro will be the solution to my problem, or if I'll eventually have to increase my dosage even further. No fun.

You said some women take spiro for hair loss. Did you mean that some women take it to reverse the effects of their existing hair loss?

Have you tried forms of birth control in the past for your acne? I've taken Yaz and Yazmin, and neither seemed to do much good. Yaz made me crazy, and Yazmin made me blow up like a pufferfish.

Just wondering if I should perhaps explore other types of birth control since I'm not totally happy with spiro thus far.

[Julisss]

Thanks so much for the explanation about Accutane. You absolutely helped me see why it's a Band-Aid.  

Since it doesn't do much to repair hormone imbalance, and only shrinks oil glands for a length of time, I understand why Accutane isn't a permanent solution.

Ugh. I'm so tired of these persistent breakouts on my chin, though. I've only been taking the 50 mgs of spiro for just a couple of weeks now, and this "wait and see game" is getting really old. Waiting to see if 50 mgs of spiro will be the solution to my problem, or if I'll eventually have to increase my dosage even further. No fun.

You said some women take spiro for hair loss. Did you mean that some women take it to reverse the effects of their existing hair loss?

Have you tried forms of birth control in the past for your acne? I've taken Yaz and Yazmin, and neither seemed to do much good. Yaz made me crazy, and Yazmin made me blow up like a pufferfish.

Just wondering if I should perhaps explore other types of birth control since I'm not totally happy with spiro thus far.

 

Exactly, that's what I mean - women take Spiro to reverse hair loss. Although, yes, I've heard of people who started shedding hair on Spiro. Hormones are quite unpredictable I guess. Maybe hair weakens as sebum production goes down, but to most women, the only effect is oily/greasy hair staying nice

 

I've taken Yadine (something similar to Yaz, but probably milder). Did nothing for acne, good or bad. I'm considering starting again as Spiro doesn't seem to stop messing with my cycle. Anyhow, I don't consider it a good long-term solution for anything.

I don't like these synthetic estrogen bombs. They only contributed to cellulite and growing enormous boobs (not that was that horrible, haha). They did really nothing for my acne back then, so, can't advise you, but if you take a look at Green Gables's signature, you can find what you definitely should NOT take.

 

I think it's too soon to tell with the 50mg-s, if I was in your place, I'd speed things up a bit and start 100mg. But of course, your doctor knows best, I can't wholeheartedly recommend it without knowing your medical profile... but if he agrees... definitely!!

PS - it's ridiculous how bad this forum is, can't distinguish my post from yours :S hope you can..

[CherrySoda08]

Thanks so much for the explanation about Accutane. You absolutely helped me see why it's a Band-Aid.  

Since it doesn't do much to repair hormone imbalance, and only shrinks oil glands for a length of time, I understand why Accutane isn't a permanent solution.

Ugh. I'm so tired of these persistent breakouts on my chin, though. I've only been taking the 50 mgs of spiro for just a couple of weeks now, and this "wait and see game" is getting really old. Waiting to see if 50 mgs of spiro will be the solution to my problem, or if I'll eventually have to increase my dosage even further. No fun.

You said some women take spiro for hair loss. Did you mean that some women take it to reverse the effects of their existing hair loss?

Have you tried forms of birth control in the past for your acne? I've taken Yaz and Yazmin, and neither seemed to do much good. Yaz made me crazy, and Yazmin made me blow up like a pufferfish.

Just wondering if I should perhaps explore other types of birth control since I'm not totally happy with spiro thus far.

 

Exactly, that's what I mean - women take Spiro to reverse hair loss. Although, yes, I've heard of people who started shedding hair on Spiro. Hormones are quite unpredictable I guess. Maybe hair weakens as sebum production goes down, but to most women, the only effect is oily/greasy hair staying nice

 

I've taken Yadine (something similar to Yaz, but probably milder). Did nothing for acne, good or bad. I'm considering starting again as Spiro doesn't seem to stop messing with my cycle. Anyhow, I don't consider it a good long-term solution for anything.

I don't like these synthetic estrogen bombs. They only contributed to cellulite and growing enormous boobs (not that was that horrible, haha). They did really nothing for my acne back then, so, can't advise you, but if you take a look at Green Gables's signature, you can find what you definitely should NOT take.

 

I think it's too soon to tell with the 50mg-s, if I was in your place, I'd speed things up a bit and start 100mg. But of course, your doctor knows best, I can't wholeheartedly recommend it without knowing your medical profile... but if he agrees... definitely!!

PS - it's ridiculous how bad this forum is, can't distinguish my post from yours :S hope you can..

Oh, wow. Hormones are some crazy things. Of course I already knew that (I'm living proof), but it's still amazing to me that a medicine that causes some people to lose their hair is taken by others to stop hair loss.

If you don't mind my asking something so personal, how exactly is spiro messing with your cycle? The reason I'm asking is because I have my suspicions that it's started to make my menstrual cramps intensify in the last couple of months.  

I have issues with starting birth control again because I hate the fact that it contributes to cervical cancer, among other things. I asked you about the types you've been on because I wanted to know what your opinions were about them, and how you liked or disliked the different one(s) you've tried. By the way, I think that spiro is making my boobs bigger, and I actually don't really want that. All of my tops were pretty fitted anyway, and I don't like the idea of my button-up blouses gapping now because my ta-tas are now a size larger. I can't afford new clothes, girl.

I have looked at Green Gables' signature in the past, and I'll have to take a look at it again. However, I have to proceed with caution in regard to birth control because I (like you) don't like the "estrogen bomb"-quality of so many of the types of B.C. available out there, nor am I a fan of the fact that they put you at higher risk for certain cancers and can bring on early menopause.

I am going to see my derm on Friday, so we'll see what she has to say about increasing my dosage, and my latest bout of boob-inflation. Haha.

Oh, and this forum is pretty glitchy, to say the least. Sometimes, I can't even tell when someone contributes to my threads, which isn't super-convenient. How long have you been posting on Acne.org?

Edited by CherrySoda08, 23 February 2013 - 02:53 AM.

[Julisss]

When I say it's messing with my cycle, I mean I have pretty constant spotting (sometimes more than spotting - sorry, gross, I know), rarely did I have a few completely dry weeks since I increased to 200mg. That is totally messed up - but clear skin is still worth it for me maybe even half of this dosage would work sufficiently for me, but I don't want to experiment with that any soon. Some say spotting resolves after a few months, so I still haven't given up, but will schedule an appointment about the birth control.

 

Trust me, I totally agree on everything you say about it, I hate the idea of having to take it. Besides the cancer risk, there is the risk of blood clotting (I had many small capillaries exploding on my legs - bad sign I think!), cellulite, weight gain, mood swings and God knows what else.
I say it's better to go without it as long as possible. This spotting is concerning but I'll live with it a bit longer. No cramps for me by the way, just some uncomfortable bloating.

I really envy you about the boob thing, wish I had this side effect, really - I miss my b/c boobs, but of course, that's not a reason enough to get back on the pill. If my cycle never sorts itself out, that is.

(Btw - it never was like clockwork, but rather too late than too frequent, so Spiro is defo the culprit.)

Edited by Julisss, 21 February 2013 - 01:05 PM.

[CherrySoda08]

When I say it's messing with my cycle, I mean I have pretty constant spotting (sometimes more than spotting - sorry, gross, I know), rarely did I have a few completely dry weeks since I increased to 200mg. That is totally messed up - but clear skin is still worth it for me maybe even half of this dosage would work sufficiently for me, but I don't want to experiment with that any soon. Some say spotting resolves after a few months, so I still haven't given up, but will schedule an appointment about the birth control.

 

Trust me, I totally agree on everything you say about it, I hate the idea of having to take it. Besides the cancer risk, there is the risk of blood clotting (I had many small capillaries exploding on my legs - bad sign I think!), cellulite, weight gain, mood swings and God knows what else.
I say it's better to go without it as long as possible. This spotting is concerning but I'll live with it a bit longer. No cramps for me by the way, just some uncomfortable bloating.

I really envy you about the boob thing, wish I had this side effect, really - I miss my b/c boobs, but of course, that's not a reason enough to get back on the pill. If my cycle never sorts itself out, that is.

(Btw - it never was like clockwork, but rather too late than too frequent, so Spiro is defo the culprit.)

Haha. Don't worry about sounding "gross" to me. I'm studying medical assisting, and have seen more graphic pictures of diseases and abnormal medical conditions than you can shake a stick at. After that, I plan on trying to get into nursing school and working for a dermatologist or gynecologist. Point is, it takes alot to gross me out.  

How long did you say you have been on spiro? You say you've been told the constant spotting sorts itself out after a few months. I'm just wondering how many months exactly it would take to resolve an issue like that.

Oh, man. I would gladly give you some of my boobs. And hips. And face-puff. LOL. I think spiro has filled me out a little bit. My body seems much more curvy these days, and I preferred having my petite frame.

Besides your issues with having an irregular cycle, though, do you like the overall effects of spiro?

[CherrySoda08]

Week 17 Update- Okay, thus far I am not super-happy with spiro. Now, I've only been on the 50 mg dosage since February, 5th. So, I know that's not really enough time to gauge whether or not it's done my skin any good yet.

However, I do know that 25 mg of spiro did literally nothing to resolve the persistent breakouts I've been having on my chin since late last summer. In fact, the breakouts intensified while on spiro. So much so that the giant bean-sized cyst on the lower right part of my chin that I'd been complaining about for months only shrank once, then refilled itself, and then finally shrank completely, leaving an indented purple scar.

My family and friends have told me that my new scar is "not bad", and that they hardly notice it. Not really the point, since I've been having cosmetic procedures for close to two years now to reduce the appearance of my already-existing scarring as much as I can. Getting new scars is pretty much the complete opposite reason that I got on spiro in the first place.

So, now I have a fresh, new, purple scar on my chin that I have to talk to my derm about tomorrow (fortunately, I have an appointment with her in the afternoon) and I also have to discuss the recent puffiness I've acquired in the last month or so in my boobs, hips, and face. Also, I don't know if this has happened to anyone else while on spiro, but I've noticed (particularly at the beginning of my last cycle) that my menstrual cramps have gotten really intense. So much to talk about with my cosmetic derm tomorrow.

I'm not sure if I should continue with the spiro, or what route I ought to take now. I feel like I've eliminated anything and everything from my diet that would cause me to have acne (no gluten, dairy, rarely ever any alcohol...and I quit smoking over a year ago), so my acne is definitely hormonal. I just have no idea how to control it.

I'll be honest, guys. I'm really discouraged.   I actually cried last weekend when I realized that I'm going to have another scar that will now have to be cosmetically treated. I'm in my late twenties, and it seems so ridiculous that I still have to struggle with acne.

Officially bummed out now.

Edited by CherrySoda08, 21 February 2013 - 10:27 PM.

[Julisss]

I've been on it for 3 months and 2 months on 200. And genuinely, I have no idea when it should resolve, but I don't plan to wait more than one more month!

Otherwise *knocks on wood* my skin is almost the same baby bum-quality it was after accutane, just waiting for 3-5 whiteheads to resolve (I had around 200 at any given time of those bastards!) and scars are fading nicely too. Whatever comes out now, goes away in a matter of 1-2 days. I am really happy SO FAR and really want to keep getting even better, not worse, so I don't wanna mess with the dosage.

 

I also find whitening creams with alpha arbutin help a lot with post-pigmentation, and that 20% salicylic acid gets rid of bumps quite quickly. Look into these or microdermabrasion is also a good technique to even out the skin surface, as long as it is not major scarring.

 

Well I'm a curvy girl who lost loads of weight (yay ) and a few cup sizes, so I'd be really glad about boob growth but this face puffiness is new to me? Never heard of anything like that. My face is actually skinnier, but I think that's because my weight loss happened simultaneously with starting Spiro.

 

Please don't lost hope yet. There is no one whingier and more impatient and horrible than I am, and I know how it feels to cry every single day for having to go out with a pizza face. But now it's over. And I believe it will be over for you too! Let us know what your derm says.

Edited by Julisss, 22 February 2013 - 06:05 AM.

[CherrySoda08]

I've been on it for 3 months and 2 months on 200. And genuinely, I have no idea when it should resolve, but I don't plan to wait more than one more month!

Otherwise *knocks on wood* my skin is almost the same baby bum-quality it was after accutane, just waiting for 3-5 whiteheads to resolve (I had around 200 at any given time of those bastards!) and scars are fading nicely too. Whatever comes out now, goes away in a matter of 1-2 days. I am really happy SO FAR and really want to keep getting even better, not worse, so I don't wanna mess with the dosage.

 

I also find whitening creams with alpha arbutin help a lot with post-pigmentation, and that 20% salicylic acid gets rid of bumps quite quickly. Look into these or microdermabrasion is also a good technique to even out the skin surface, as long as it is not major scarring.

 

Well I'm a curvy girl who lost loads of weight (yay ) and a few cup sizes, so I'd be really glad about boob growth but this face puffiness is new to me? Never heard of anything like that. My face is actually skinnier, but I think that's because my weight loss happened simultaneously with starting Spiro.

 

Please don't lost hope yet. There is no one whingier and more impatient and horrible than I am, and I know how it feels to cry every single day for having to go out with a pizza face. But now it's over. And I believe it will be over for you too! Let us know what your derm says.

Alrighty. I had my appointment with my cosmetic derm today, and we discussed my thoughts about being on 50 mg of spiro for the last 2 weeks. She encouraged me to give the 50 mgs a try for 3 months (so, until May 5th) to see if perhaps this new dosage will work for me.

My cosmetic derm also advised me to give the new scar on the lower right side of my chin a chance to fade out from its current lovely purple hue and heal. She advised that sometimes it takes around 6 months for the site in which a large lesion was previously located to smooth itself out and acquire a bit of collagen production. Eventually, she told me, I might have to get subcision on the area. However, right now I'll just have to continue to use my retin-A cream (Tazorac 0.1%) on it at night.

If the 50 mg of spiro doesn't pan out, then my derm said she and I can start discussing Accutane. She's very reluctant to ever increase my dosage of spiro to 100 mg, although I'm not quite sure why. That would have been a good question to ask her.  By now I'm realizing that my doc is very conservative in her approach to  treating my acne, but I'd still love to know why she isn't crazy about the idea of prescribing me 100 mg of spiro. 

As of now, though, I don't want to get to the point in which I might have to be on Accutane because I most likely will have to get on some form of birth control pill at the same time. In the U.S., it's pretty difficult to be allowed to have an Accutane prescription without also being on birth control. Apparently, the government screens patients who want to be on it, and usually a female patient isn't allowed to simply promise to use 2 other forms of pregnancy prevention (such as condoms and spermicide). That was the case when I was around 23, and a different dermatologist advised me to be on Accutane. All I had to do was say that I'd either be abstinent or use condoms, and forgo taking the Pill. It seems like the restrictions on taking Accutane have gotten much tighter in the last 5 years, which is both good and bad.

 

Ugh. I'm not a fan of hormonal birth control, but at least I'd only be on it for 6 months or so if I end up having to take Accutane as a last resort. So, at least it'd be temporary. 

Also, my derm confirmed that menstrual cramps can intensify while taking spiro (yay), and she offered to write a prescription for birth control for me to ease the pain of my cramps, but I declined. The cramps aren't that terrible, and I'll only take birth control pills if I absolutely have to. And she confirmed that breast enlargement is a side effect of spironolactone. So, it looks like I am just going to have to accept the boob-growth and deal with the fact that my fitted tops are just going to be a little bit more...fitted.  

The puffiness I'm experiencing right now in the face and hips is probably because I am still on the tail end of my cycle. My derm told me that swelling in other areas of the body besides the breasts is not a side effect of spiro.

Finally, I scheduled another appointment to have a few more punch floats and grafts re-done at the beginning of April. I'm sure by that time, I'll have a better idea of whether or not 50 mg of spiro will be the key to keeping my acne under control.

Whew. What an update! That's all I've got for now, but of course there will be more to follow. 

Edited by CherrySoda08, 23 February 2013 - 03:00 AM.

[CherrySoda08]

Week 18 Update- This is going to be a short update, since there isn't much to report since my derm appointment last week. Tomorrow or the next day I'll be able to go to the health department to have a metabolic panel done that will test my blood for any unusual changes since I've been on 50 mg of spiro a day for going on 3 weeks now.

The blood test only costs about $35.00, and fortunately I only have to have it done whenever my dosage is increased. Hopefully, this will be the last time I have to get the test done. Keeping my fingers crossed. 

Also, I have a 'script for a topical clindamycin that I still need to pick up for these acne lesions on my jaw that don't seem to want to go away with the toothpaste I've been applying on them.  I'll keep y'all updated on how effective I find the clindamycin to be on these individual lesions once I try the 'script out for a week or so. 

[CherrySoda08]

Week 19 Update- Nothing new to report this week, except that I still have to go get my labs done since being on the 50 mg dosage of spiro these four weeks (I know, I know). I've been crazy-busy, and my midterms + schoolwork have been my entire focus lately. I'll let y'all know how the labs turn out, since I have every intention of going this Friday morning. (I have to, or else I won't get my 'script refilled  ).

Oh, and my clindamycin 'script would have cost me $175.00. Gotta love having no insurance. Needless to say, I didn't purchase it.

Until then, everybody have a great week!

 

Cherry

Edited by CherrySoda08, 06 March 2013 - 11:48 PM.

[CherrySoda08]

Week 20 Update- Very, very short update today. I don't have a ton of time to write at this moment, but I figured I'd at least catch y'all up to speed on what's happening with my skin this week. So far, I am still breaking out. I realize that I've been on this new 'script for only a little over a month at this point, so maybe I am hoping for a bit too much when I say that I don't think I should be experiencing any more lesions along my jawline.

Nonetheless, I've got one. It's on the lower right side of my jaw. It's also red and swollen. Just gross. My cycle is supposed to start in just a couple of days, but still. It's as if I always have at least one acne lesion on my face for over a year now. So tired of this.

I have until May 5th to make a decision as to whether or not I'll continue taking the spiro, or if I'll begin using another means of treating my acne.

More updates coming soon.

Edited by CherrySoda08, 24 March 2013 - 04:52 PM.

[CherrySoda08]

Quick Update- Yesterday, I FINALLY went to my county health department to have my blood drawn for a metabolic panel. The cost was $35.00, and in a relatively short amount of time, I'll find out if spiro has affected my blood's potassium levels. My doctor tells me if the level of potassium in my blood is too high, then I have to stop taking spiro. I was supposed to have it done well over 2 weeks ago, but have been so busy with school and life. Midterms completely got in the way, and y'all know how it goes. Plus, it's not exactly great fun to schedule out time to sit in a waiting room, then get a syringe stuck in your vein.

I should be able to get the results of my panel my Monday, and will fill you guys in on the details next week. 

Edited by CherrySoda08, 16 March 2013 - 06:27 PM.

[CherrySoda08]

Week 21 Update- I realize that I was supposed to update this thread last week, but things have been pretty busy around here. I've decided to take a little break from spiro for awhile. In the time span that I had been taking the 50 mg spironolactone 'script (one month and 2 weeks or so), I realized that I've been breaking out more along my chin, lower jaw and even on my neck. I believe that the spiro has actually caused me to break out more, and even gain weight in my hips and face.

 

I think that my skin needs a break, and I believe that it's time to give my body a rest from taking pills at least until my next appointment with my dermatologist in May. In the meantime, I'll simply continue to eat a gluten-free, dairy free diet, drink water and exercise regularly.

I may try to start a log over Spring Break (starting April 1st) documenting the health of my skin. Now, I'm extremely busy with school, so I want to thank those who've followed my log, taken the time to contribute to it, and offered words of encouragement.

Thanks so much, y'all.

Cherry 

[CherrySoda08]

Post-Spiro Update- I haven't been off spiro a month yet, but I wanted to inform those who have been reading the thread or who search through the 'Org's spiro/birth control threads that the medicine produces some interesting after-effects once the patient stops taking it.

This medication (like many types of medications) remains in your system after ceasing to take it. Due to this fact, I experienced a moderate breakout along both sides of my jaw and chin about a week before my menstrual cycle, and also had the same painful cramps that I suffered from while on spiro. I thought it was important to let readers know that just because you've stopped a med like spiro, it doesn't mean you won't deal with some annoying consequences.

Since I'm not a doctor or medical professional, there's no way that I can say that every individual who's taken spiro and then stopped the drug will have the same after-effects that I did. Nonetheless, I believed it was worth noting that not only did this medication not help my acne, it also made me break out in a manner that I had not experienced in several years, gain weight around my hips and also continue to have bad pre-menstrual cramps a whole month after stopping the meds. Not fun.

If I were to be honest about my experience with spironolactone, I'd say that I'd much rather have continue to get the one cystic lesion a month that I experienced for the past 2 years instead of taking a hormonal medication that made me have more acne than before, gain weight, and have intense PMS and cramping.

 

This has been my experience with the drug, and I don't want to paint a broad brush and tell those reading this thread that spiro won't work for other patients taking it.

My plan is to continue to eat a Paleo-style diet, take my current topical medications and follow a weekly exercise plans. We'll see how that goes. 

Edited by CherrySoda08, 21 April 2013 - 09:55 PM.