how do you take this spiro daily?one pill daily or two pills of 25mg to make a sum of 50 mg?Doctors heree only want to put me on Dianette,which can be a cause of thrombosis,that runs in my family.So Id rather have Spiro but docs have no idea how to dose it,because they dont use it.So i will be curing myself!
I take 1.5 pill every morning ( 75mg). I would not suggest u to 'cure urself'. Everybody's acne is different, so maybe u don't need Spiro. If ur acne is hormonal, then yeah, maybe it will help you, but u never know. BCps are not my fave either, I would keep myself away from them. There is only 25mg of Spiro in Yasmin BC. I don't know about Dianette tho. Good luck.
why are BC not your fave?
^^ Becoz BC pills may cause blood clots and other pretty scary things. Spiro is not the perfect medication either, since it can cause irregular menstruation, potassium levels may increase, low blood pressure and etc etc. Actually every prescribed medication has some sort of side effects, but BC pills and Accutane have more side effects than low dose Spironolactone.
January 6th
First update of 2012! Hopefully I'll report good news about my skin this year. This week my skin has been doing pretty good, but I got 1 little whitehead on my left cheek and it fell off by itself while I was washing my face ( gross). No pus, just a dried whitehead. It was kind of weird to get that little monster, but probably I ate something 'bad' during these holidays. Other than that my skin is nearly clear. Yesterday I exfoliated my skin with baking soda, and it felt awesome. My skin got smooth,red marks fade away. My face was lil bit red first 20 min, then the redness disappeared. I will try this exfoliation every week. I'm still taking 75mg Spiro along with healthy diet and lifestyle habbits. Yes, I believe that diet affects acne, but 75% of improvement comes from Spironolactone and topicals.
When you say that you exfoliate with baking soda, do you just rub it on your face and then wash it off?
I got this idea from Fran ( highonhealth.org). Take baking soda, add some water ( if your skin is sensitive, add more water), make a exfoliating texture. Then apply it to your face as a mask. Gently, don't rub! Wait 5 min or lil bit longer. It might be stingy or extra dry your skin afterwards. But baking soda really helps with whiteheads, red marks and it gives u a smooth skin. Don't use it every day, use it once a week, becoz your skin will get use to it and it will lose it effect. Good luck!
January 13th
Another skin update! My skin has been doing okay during this week, I got 1 weird spot on my forehead tho. And I'm kinda annoyed by those pesky red marks and scars left on my cheeks. I'm still taking Spiro 75mg, doing exfoliation with baking soda and trying to eliminate triggering foods from my diet ( mainly dairy, gluten, soy and sugar). I wash my face 3 times a day, I know it's a lot, but can't help myself. I love my skin being dry.
Emotionally it's been a tough week tho, I'm feeling down most of the time because of my skin ( its almost clear tho), maybe because I'm freaking about post Spiro breakouts. I've heard that 90% of the time acne comes back with vengeance as u stop taking it. So I want to clear my acne with diet ( Before I stop taking spiro),but I'm not sure if diet alone can cure acne completely. While this skin cycle is still going around, I'm trying to emphasize other parts of mine ( such as hair, eyes, body and etc), trying to find ways to pamper myself and feel strong and stay motivated.
Januar 19th
It's been almost 6 months with Spironolactone. My skin is overall clear, despite red marks and scars. The difference is noticeable for everyone. I'm still on 75mg, but I'd like to try 100mg for better results, but I'm afriad of side effects and IB, so I'll stick to this dosage for a while.
Other than Spiro, monhtly chemical peels and BP, I keep exfoliating my skin with baking soda ( works for me!), trying to eliminate:
Dairy
gluten
Sugar
High GL foods
I've been reading A LOT of stuff about diet and acne relation, and I believe that it's valid. I also want to take another food allergy test in the near future. Last time nothing came up, but it wasn't IgG or igE test. I also try to reduce stress and sleep well, because diet alone is not enough for good looking healthy skin.
I want to maintain clear skin even without Spiro ( or other oral meds.) and it seems like diet might be the right choice for me too. But as for now I won't quit Spiro, 'cuz it's been improving my skin during these 6 months. If I could manage cystic acne with healthy diet and topicals I'd be really happy,lol.
January 26th
It's been over 6 months with Spironolacone. My skin is clear and less oily. However I still have tiny whiteheads and red marks. Last week I picked this little whitehead and it got bigger, but thanks God it went away quickly. I hven't touched them for a long time...didn't know why did I squeezed it. However I got this cyst on my chin ( which is very weird, becoz I never breakout on my chin) and I connect it with some fermented foods I ate the other day or too much strawberries in my smoothie, either whole wheat bread....idk..and Spiro pills came yellowish this time, mayve that's the case.
Let's see what happens with spiro treatment,along with healthy diet.
February 4th
Last week I got 2 little spots. One on my chin and the other one on my left cheek. I thought I ate something, but this morning I found out that it was due to my period. Yes, my cycle is messed up again. I don't know what's up wit Spiro, maybe It's because I haven't taken it on the same time? Or maybe my body couldn't adjust to 75 mg yet? Whatever it is, it's very frustrating, not only because I get 2 periods a month, but also it gives me pimples ( they're small, but still pesky
).
I hope these spots will settle soon and my cycle will get back to normal.
P.S Other than that, my skin still looks waay better than 6 months ago.
February 4th
Last week I got 2 little spots. One on my chin and the other one on my left cheek. I thought I ate something, but this morning I found out that it was due to my period. Yes, my cycle is messed up again. I don't know what's up wit Spiro, maybe It's because I haven't taken it on the same time? Or maybe my body couldn't adjust to 75 mg yet?
Whatever it is, it's very frustrating, not only because I get 2 periods a month, but also it gives me pimples ( they're small, but still pesky
).
I hope these spots will settle soon and my cycle will get back to normal.
P.S Other than that, my skin still looks waay better than 6 months ago.
For the periods, have you considered taking birth control pills?
February 4th
Last week I got 2 little spots. One on my chin and the other one on my left cheek. I thought I ate something, but this morning I found out that it was due to my period. Yes, my cycle is messed up again. I don't know what's up wit Spiro, maybe It's because I haven't taken it on the same time? Or maybe my body couldn't adjust to 75 mg yet?
I hope these spots will settle soon and my cycle will get back to normal.
P.S Other than that, my skin still looks waay better than 6 months ago.
For the periods, have you considered taking birth control pills?
Spiro helped me a lot, but since I bought these new pack of pills ( those are yellowish) my cycle got messed up, so I get spots here and there. BCps don't sound safe to me, because they may cause blood clots, breast cancer and pobably mess with my cycle evem more. I'm not very happy wth Spiro either, 'cuz I know it's not safe for long term usage either, but I have no choice.
Feb. 9th
Update of the week! It's been a clear week for me. After those tiny yet pesky spots my skin is finally back to clear. Red marks are slowly fading away, so do scars. I burnt my skin with PanOxyl soap too much, so I got The Purpose gentle cleanser yesterday. My skin was flakey and super dry. It doesn't get very oily anymore and I'm still taking 1.5 pill of Spironolactone ( 75mg). No changes in my diet, no new eliminations too. Tryna get enough sleep and reduce stress. I hope Spiro won't mess with my period this month again and won't give me 2 periods along with new spots. Fingers crossed.
Feb 16th
Skin update of the week. 
Okay, so I got my new pack of Spiro 75mg today. I'm still taking the drug and satisfied with results so far. I hope I won't get any problems with my period this month due to pills. I'm still trying to eat as healthy as I can ( by reducing dairy, gluten and sugar). The only problem that really bothers me is my constant weight loss ( which may be caused by Spiro, but obviously it's because of my elimination diet). Seems like I'm going to keep a food log along with skin log,lol.
Feb. 23th
Skin update time!!! Ugh..I got a new spot on my left cheek. It's not big,it's not cystic, but still VERY annoying. It's because my period has started. And yes, my cycle is irregular again, like last month. I don't know what's wrong, but I guess it's Spiro's dosage, that my body couldn't adjust to. So I decided to decrease the dosage to 50mg a day and see what happens. I really hope that my period will get back to normal ( once a month). And that I'll stop getting unexpected spots twice a month ( even tho they're mild breakouts and heal faster). I'm little bit worried about taking 50mg tho, cause it's a very low dose and I don't know if it's strong enough to fight my acne. Fingers crossed.
P.S with all of these crazy periods and spots I figured out that diet doesn't really affect my acne ( unless eating crap everyday, in a large quantity). And I'm still aimlessly tryna gain some weight,lol.
March 2th
Skin update! I had an appointment with my dermotologist yesterday, got my chemical peel and another prescription for Spiro. I asked my derm how long should I take Spiro for my acne, and he said that as long as it helps me,lol. Basically I'm addicted to those pills. He offers me to keep taking spiro at least for 2 years, then he hopes that maybe my hormones will settle by themselves at the age of 25. But he wasn't sure about that either, because the climate in California doesn't do any favors for problematic skin type. Anyways, I asked also about side effects from long term usage of Spiro, He said that I shouldn't be concerned about those side effects with 50mg. However If I ever decide to take more than 100mg then yes, the side effects will appear.
So i've been taking 50mg since feb 23th ( because I got 2 periods a month) and it's been helping me so far. I'm washing my face 3 times a day ( i know its considered overwashing, but I can't help it lol i feel oily and greasy whenever I touch my face) with panyoyxl wash or the purpose soap bar. I also avoid gluten, dairy and sugar as much as I can ( even though I'm not allergic to them) while trying to gain weight in a safe way. I'm sort of satisfied with Spiro ( as long as I haven't developed some kind of a resistace to the pills) and my topicals, even though I'd like to maintain clear skin without pills and chemicals. But because I have a genetic predisposition to acne, I'll never be able to have a clear skin without doing any efforts ( like my mom) or without being super concsious about my diet and lifestyle.
March 11th
Skin update! I came with 2 news this week. One is that my skin is still clear and smooth. And the other one is that my menstrual cycle is still out of wack (even with 50mg I still get 2 periods a month). Other than that I gained 3.5 lbs (finally!) by adding back some dairy and wheat products ( they are not a big part of my diet anyways).
Overall my skin looks pretty good, especially when I don't overwash it. I exfoliate my skin with baking soda once a month. I'd like to try some new topicals in the near future, but still doin' my research about that.
P.S I'm happy with Spiro and my skin even though regulating hormones and maintaining clear skin is possible only with these pills.
March 15th
I got a refill on Spiro 50mg. Pills came white again. I got 2-3 minor spots on my cheeks before and during my period. I hope I won't get a new period this month. Now I have a diet plan that is safe and not dull like it used to be. I get more than 8 hours of sleep ( lucky me huh) and I try to not touch my face.
Sigh...If I only could outgrow acne and never ever need those pills....
March 21th
Up-date!!!
Nothin' exciting tho, my period is wacko again and I got 2 tiny spots before that. Same cycle all over again....Kinda tired of this fluctuating hormones already. I'm screwed! But I'm still taking Spiro becoz I desperately wanna "live" like a normal person. I don't give a sh** as long as it keeps my skin clear.
March 30th
Update time!!! My skin is doin' good with 50mg Spiro and topicals. I'm kinda off my diet now, I eat random treats such as dairy and wheat products, however no major breakouts have occurred as a result of their consumption and I don't want to lose more weight and developing eating disorder along with skin disorder. I still avoid sugar and too much gluten though ( for safety sake). The only thing that pisses me off with this drug is that I get 2 periods a month. Ever since I've receieved those yellow pills, I've been dealing with irregular menstruation. Before that ( with white pills) I didn't have this issue. Other than that I'm happy with Spiro, even tho I'm being paranoid sometimes regarding some scary long term-usage-side effects ( tumors, inrcease of potassium levels) but I try to keep sane.
P.S It looks like I'll be taking Spiro for undefined period of time, since my derm doesn't think I will ever outgrow acne, because I'm genetically predisposed to this skin disease and because of Cali's humid weather which doesn't contribute to natural skin healing.
April 5th
First update of the month! It's been a clear-skin week. No redness and new breakouts, EVEN THOUGH I ate a lot of crappy food recently( including gluten and dairy). I'm kinda waiting for flare ups,lol. Other than that I'm satisfied with Spiro and BP cream. I just hope that I won't get another period this month.
April 13th
I had an appointment yesterday with my dermatologist, got my monthly refill of Spiro and had another chemical peel. I've been eating too much gluten and dairy recently, but no major breakouts appeared ( thanks God). I also stopped getting 2 periods a month since I decreased the dosage to 50mg. I hope it will get back to normal next month as well. Oh..and I got a new face scrub from LUSH. It's ocean salt, all natural ingredients, no chemicals. I tried it once and atually I'm happy with the results. It doesn't overdry my skin, helps with red marks and I hope it will prevent whiteheads in the future.
April 20th
This week my skin went from dangerously oily-acne prone to dry and flakey. It lasted for a day tho. Now it has calmed down. I had my period therefore I got a little spot on my chin ( i never break out on that area tho), it's gone now. I got scared thinking that my acne comes back ( with oiliness) but then I figured that my period was on its way. However these spots are nothing compared to those cystic and nasty breakouts that would take months to go away then there were ugly scars left over. Anyways, I hope someday I'll be able to maintain clear skin without pills or BP creams, but for now I'm satisfied with Spiro's results.
P.S I keep eating crap,lol
April 29th
So it's been a clear week, with no pimples AT ALL. Yes, I know it's been my dream since 2009. However I feel guilty with each loaf of bread or piece of cake, still holing those fears inside about diet and acne relation. I should've figured it out by now though, because foods doesn't really cuase my acne, unlike hormones right before my period. I haven't changed anthing in my daily skin routin, i'm still on Spironolactone ( 50mg)). Now instead of enjoying my clear skin I'm being self-conscious of my ridiculously skiny body that makes shopping miserable. I still hope to gain those darn 10lbs by the end of the Spring.
May 17th
My skin has been clear during these 10 days. I still take Spiro 50mg and it's been almost 10 months with these pills. 10 clear months that brought my confidence back, now I feel like myself again, I don't shy away from new pple, I am not afraid of standing lil bit closer to the person who Im talkin to and much more little details that have disappeared as my skin got clear. I used to float around acne.org trying to find solutions or emotional support. I am very grateful to Spiro that allows me to enjoy life again. But I know this will not last forever, someday I'll have to stop taking these pills because long term usage of drugs is not safe. I hope by that time I'll have grown out of my acne. If not then back to square 1 I guess...round 2! But as for now, I feel like a normal person. Yay!