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.
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.
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 
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. 
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.
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.
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.hairlosstalk.com/shop/s5-cream.html
http://www.cemproducts.com/ancillaries/dht-inhibitors/topical-spiro-5.html
http://www.ar-r.com/ancillaries/dht-inhibitors/topical-spiro-5.html
Spiro worked for me as well, cleared all cysts and marks within 6 months. Additionally it also had me lose 10 pounds which was incredible. Unfortunately, it took me a while to notice that my hair and nails had not only stopped growing, they were getting thinner. Lost so much hair every time I washed it, I was amazed there was any left to wash. I had no energy for anything, working out was not a possibility. After that the weight gain started and I couldn't gather enough strength to work out longer than 10 or 15 minutes. Due to those side effects, I discontinued.
For about 3 months my skin stayed clear and smooth. I take Vitamin D3 and Evening Primrose Oil gel caps. In the past two weeks my acne has risen from the dead and like a zombie invasion, is haunting my face again. Incredibly frustrating and annoying to deal with the insecurity.
Has anyone tried an alternative recently? I've seen several posts from years ago but I've tried most of the supplements suggested.
Glad to hear Spiro worked for you, though. There's nothing like finally finding the solution!
Spiro worked for me as well, cleared all cysts and marks within 6 months. Additionally it also had me lose 10 pounds which was incredible. Unfortunately, it took me a while to notice that my hair and nails had not only stopped growing, they were getting thinner. Lost so much hair every time I washed it, I was amazed there was any left to wash. I had no energy for anything, working out was not a possibility. After that the weight gain started and I couldn't gather enough strength to work out longer than 10 or 15 minutes. Due to those side effects, I discontinued.
For about 3 months my skin stayed clear and smooth. I take Vitamin D3 and Evening Primrose Oil gel caps. In the past two weeks my acne has risen from the dead and like a zombie invasion, is haunting my face again. Incredibly frustrating and annoying to deal with the insecurity.
Has anyone tried an alternative recently? I've seen several posts from years ago but I've tried most of the supplements suggested.
Glad to hear Spiro worked for you, though. There's nothing like finally finding the solution!
How much dosage were you taking? Have you considered taking a lower dose?
I was taking 50mg. Ironically, I just requested 25 I'm a risk to clear this up again but for the past week, my skin has dramatically cleared on evening primrose oil alone. I'm not sure what to make of all this especially since I read a thread from another board stating my side effects were due to estrogen dominance in addition to excess androgens. Usually that requires increasing your progesterone levels to regulate both hormones. Since I don't want to go back to the horrific side effects of spironolactone, I'm going to keep up with the EPO for another week to see if this method is sustainable. If not, I'll be looking into progesterone cream. There is no doubt in my mind that my acne is strictly a hormone controlled issue.
I was taking 50mg. Ironically, I just requested 25 I'm a risk to clear this up again but for the past week, my skin has dramatically cleared on evening primrose oil alone. I'm not sure what to make of all this especially since I read a thread from another board stating my side effects were due to estrogen dominance in addition to excess androgens. Usually that requires increasing your progesterone levels to regulate both hormones. Since I don't want to go back to the horrific side effects of spironolactone, I'm going to keep up with the EPO for another week to see if this method is sustainable. If not, I'll be looking into progesterone cream. There is no doubt in my mind that my acne is strictly a hormone controlled issue.