Spironolactone Reviews
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Prescription summary (320 votes) |
How well it works

     4.1/5 |
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Agreeability

     4.1/5 |
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Affordability

     4.6/5 |
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Additional ratings |
Consistency

     3.4/5 (814 votes) |
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Packaging

     3.6/5 (795 votes) |
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Fragrance

     4.0/5 (789 votes) |
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32 pages
1 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
Boozle, London, UK Jul 9th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | made skin less oily Cleared skin for a few weeks every now and then |
| Cons: | Not clear even after long-term use Duretic (lots of toilet trips) Stopped my periods (convenient but worrying!) |
| Bottom Line: | I have mild to moderate acne, only ever on my chin. I was on this drug for 18 months. From 50mg to 175mg. I can say for sure that it made my skin less oily, and there were periods of abuot 3 weeks where i'd have clear skin. But my monthly cyst never ceased, and I've just recently broken out in about 4 cysts in a row, plus lots of other junk all around my chin, non-stop for almost a month now. I feel at 18months i've given this drug a fair run, and am just so dissapointed at the long-term results. i really thought this was going to be the wonder drug I was waiting for (have tried dianette + many many creams) :-( Also, my periods stopped altogether, which (although convenient) obviously isn't good in the long-run. I'm now quitting this and trying anti-biotics. Fingers crossed! |
| Recommended: | No |
| Price Paid: | 20.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderate |
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1 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
Anonymous, Oklahoma Jul 9th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | none so far |
| Cons: | my skin has actually gotten a lot worse (initial breakout?) |
| Bottom Line: | I have had acne for six years and tried nine different pill medications (like antibiotics and such) and six different topical creams. Nothing has worked. I recently went to a new dermo who prescribed me this spironolactone. I have read that its supposed to make my skin worse before it gets better, so I'm hoping thats the reason I'm breaking out so much more than ever. I will try to hang in there until the two month mark when most people see all the results. |
| Usage: | Reviewer has used this item for a few weeks. |
| Price Paid: | 10.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderately severe |
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3 of 3 visitors found the following comment helpful.
EB, St. Louis, MO Jul 9th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Cost, ease of use, minimal side effects |
| Cons: | pills must be taken daily, in my case twice a day which can be difficult to adjust to. also is a diuretic so you must drink a ton of water daily. |
| Bottom Line: | I think it is important to mention the reason why most people are prescribed aldactone/spironolactone, which is due to the overproduction of aldosterone (male testosterone hormone) in females, and causes a variety of symptoms including oily skin, acne, and weight gain. The reason it is only for women is because it blocks the aldosterone production, which in men would lead to feminization. Most women who are on this medication also have PCOS. It would not be effective or recommended for someone who has non-hormone based acne problems. I also never had acne in my teens, only in my early 20's to now at 30.
I have been on spironolactone for about 3 weeks now and just a few days ago I noticed my skin was starting to become less oily and today I have not had to use any oil blotting sheets yet. My acne is starting to clear, although I am getting a few larger and more severe zits than I did before. It definitely worked for me, and I am so happy to have the possibility of clear ski |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | EB has used this item for a few weeks. |
| Price Paid: | 10.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderately severe |
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1 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
jody, Goshen. NY Jul 5th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | cleared up all monthly breakouts and almost all blackheads |
| Cons: | Sore breasts before period,cycle slightly shorter than before |
| Bottom Line: | I am 42 and started this over a year ago. It has been the most effective treatmnet I've used, and I've tried everything! The side effects are minimal, and the results are great. |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Price Paid: | 5.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderate |
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2 of 2 visitors found the following comment helpful.
Andrea J, Seattle Jul 5th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Cheap with insurance. Only $7. Probably cheap without insurance as it is generic. IT WORKS! It doesn't cause all the irritation of topical ointments I have tried such as: differen, erythromycin, proactive, retin a, ziana, duac... |
| Cons: | Has screwed up my menstrual cycle and has caused some intense spotting. Also takes about a month to work. Only works for women. Can cause some trouble with potassium. |
| Bottom Line: | IT WORKS! It doesn't cause irritation. It is cheap! I'm pretty upset no one prescribed this for me in the past 10+ years I have had acne |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | Andrea J has used this item for a few months. |
| Price Paid: | 7.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderately severe |
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1 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
leicagirl, New York, NY Jul 4th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | inexpensive, helped my acne, less oily |
| Cons: | took a long time to be effective, should be paired with birth control |
| Bottom Line: | My acne was always moderate and my sophomore year of college, it calmed down. During my junior year it suddenly flared up and I started on 50mg 2x a day and I'm not sure if it was the medication or just my body, but my face was totally covered in tiny pimples for several months. Now about 6 months later and after starting Femcon birth control, my skin is very smooth but still get a few pimples here and there. The only stress factor is that those little pimples have heavily scarred my skin so even though it's smooth, I have tons of dark spots which I'm now getting treated with PDT. I never experienced any of the side effects (ie: peeing frequently, getting lightheaded) so I would recommend this to friends. |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | leicagirl has used this item for a few months. |
| Price Paid: | 10.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderate |
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Natalia, Vancouver, CA Jul 2nd, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Made my hair and skin a little less oily. |
| Cons: | Didn't work! I was on 150 mg to 200mg/day for 16 months and all it did was give me worse acne. I was breaking out in places I never breakout and had two periods a month for over a year. |
| Bottom Line: | Even at 200mg/day for six months I was still breaking out really bad, and because I was getting two periods a month for over a year it made me extremely tired. I also craved salt like a crazy woman and had to pee every two hours.
I've finally stopped spiro three weeks ago and my skin is clearing up. I guess it works for some women, but not for all. |
| Recommended: | No |
| Price Paid: | 10.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderately severe |
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1 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
Ms Kitty, San Francisco Jun 30th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Cleared up cystic rosacea/acne; skin much less oily. |
| Cons: | One or two trips to bathroom at night. Have tested at high-end-of-normal potassium level. |
| Bottom Line: | This stuff is incredible!!! I'm a 57 year-old female (and you thought 46 was pathethic...hah!). I've been on every topical and oral med for zits since early teens. I recently developed cystic rosacea, of all things. It's a little different from regular cystic acne -- but I was walking around with a face full of cysts that would burst open on their own thoughout the day, and run down my face. (These cannot be "coaxed out" like regular acne.) It was so horrible that I left the house only for MD appointments. People thought I had some hideous, contageous disease.
My derm gave me this because monocycline was turning my skin grey (geez!). This is so much better than I ever dreamed, since I wasn't expecting the reduction of oilyness as well.
Now, with a little loose powder on my lower face to cover residual discoloration from the cysts, I look like a normal person. Wow!!! I never thought I'd live to see it. |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | Ms Kitty has used this item for a few months. |
| Price Paid: | 10.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderately severe |
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Lisa Ullom, Plainfield, IL Jun 27th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | I am 38. First time since i was 12 that I have clear skin. |
| Cons: | Don't take at night as it works as a diuretic! |
| Bottom Line: | Ashley from Naperville.... try Dr. Julianne Moore in Lombard. She is the dermatologist that I go to. She is in practice with Dr. Nancy Lichon. Hope that helps! |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Price Paid: | 5.00 |
| Acne severity: | moderately severe |
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Chickybeading, The OC Jun 26th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Love it, have used it for about 2 years on and off. You have to stay consistent, just upped my does to 200mg and its better already-I have ADULT cystic acne....related to hormones I am told...it minimizes any skin irritations |
| Cons: | just worry about long term side effects if any....had my potassium checked once....have to keep up with regular blood tests! |
| Bottom Line: | Use it, it works, it makes you feel confident! |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Acne severity: | moderately severe |
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32 pages
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