Hi, I was just glancing through this thread because it seemed interesting..

 

I don't mean to be so negative, but after reading a few posts on this thread..

 

I just wanted to say.. Medical doctors (and veterinarians for that matter) receive *at least* 4yrs undergraduate education, 4yrs professional school education.. then there are residencies and internships afterwards. I feel like it needs to be said that although not every person that graduates will be perhaps as fantastic to deal with as they should be, that all have gone through a pretty rigorous educational process.

 

I read a little more on Spironolactone.. it's a steroid.. and if you don't get your potassium levels checked from time to time, they may become too high due to retention by your kidneys.. it's usually prescribed to patients with congestive heart failure and liver cirrhosis.

 

Doctors I would assume are taught that, "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses. Not Zebras!" At least, that's what they teach us in veterinary school.. it basically means that you should try all that you can at the least invasive level first (topicals and such in our case), especially if the situation is not life threatening (though I do agree that acne can be life destroying at times, it isn't necessarily killing us?)...

 

Bottom line- No wonder there is some reservation among some doctors to prescribe it for off-label acne usage? If an adverse effect happened to you, they could wind up in trouble if prescribing spironolactone was not a normal prescription given to most who have your type of acne problems. Perhaps it is and I just don't know though. Also, some of you might be experiencing 'different generations' of doctors. Some who came out of school more recently may have more experience with or exposure to this drug and its usage with patients who have acne.

 

Though I don't know if it's always possible in everyone's case, you could always ask for a second honest opinion on your conditions and the best treatments.

 

Sorry for rambling on..

 

EDIT: I'm not trying to say that your doctors are always right, I just felt compelled to play devil's advocate and give a few reasons why they may feel the way they do about prescribing Spironolactone. Please don't get too upset with me!

Hi, I just want to say, I agree with you with the part where doctors do have more education and experience than most of us. And some of them did get in trouble for prescribing off-label. So i understand their hesitation on prescribing Spiro.

Yet i have read on this board, some doctors would rather prescribing accutane than spiro just because accutane is by the book. This really bothers me.

I like most of my doctors. They are really nice people, caring and knowledgeable. Yet, when they are prescribing me spiro, none of them told me about avoiding bananas. (I got this info from this board) They just said "you need to do regular blood tests and watch your Electrolytes." One even went back to the office to look up the drug after I talked to her.I mean, they do ask you what your visit is for before making the appointment. It really bothers me that they wouldn't even do the homework on this drug before they see me.

I do agree with second opinions. If you are not sure, ask another doctor (yet it is costly for some people due to their insurance and financial status) . I am a very lucky one. Thank you, doctor who first agreed to prescribe me Spiro.

In the end, we need to remember that doctors are still human. We need to be understanding and forgiving, and we NEED to do our homework and research.

Do respect your doctors, they are life savers. Good luck everybody.

Hi chanelwy,

 

Thanks for your feedback. I've taken two doses - both each night with dinner. This morning I woke up with a headache. I read headaches can be a side effect. And the past two nights, my sleep has been more "light" and when I wake up feel I didn't sleep good. On the flip side, no increase breakouts or skin issues, so that's cool. Yes, I will watch my banana intake - I usually have one every morning so I will cut that out. I see my Derm. tomorrow and will ask about the difference in YAZ vs. Spiro. Obviously, I know YAZ is BCP too, but it also has a similar ingredient in it like Spiro. I don't want "wierd" or heavy periods taking Spiro. by itself - would rather go on YAZ and try it again.

 

Many thanks again. Please keep in touch with your progress as well.

 

Yvette

Hi Yvette, you are very welcome. It's good to share. However, there is something I forgot to mention. Do you drink tea or coffee? Whenever I drink tea or coffee, I always feel hungry not long after, and being hungry can cause dizziness for me.

Just a note.

Good Luck.

Hi, I just want to say, I agree with you with the part where doctors do have more education and experience than most of us. And some of them did get in trouble for prescribing off-label. So i understand their hesitation on prescribing Spiro.

 

Yet i have read on this board, some doctors would rather prescribing accutane than spiro just because accutane is by the book. This really bothers me.

 

I like most of my doctors. They are really nice people, caring and knowledgeable. Yet, when they are prescribing me spiro, none of them told me about avoiding bananas. (I got this info from this board) They just said "you need to do regular blood tests and watch your Electrolytes." One even went back to the office to look up the drug after I talked to her.I mean, they do ask you what your visit is for before making the appointment. It really bothers me that they wouldn't even do the homework on this drug before they see me.

 

I do agree with second opinions. If you are not sure, ask another doctor (yet it is costly for some people due to their insurance and financial status) . I am a very lucky one. Thank you, doctor who first agreed to prescribe me Spiro.

 

In the end, we need to remember that doctors are still human. We need to be understanding and forgiving, and we NEED to do our homework and research.

 

Do respect your doctors, they are life savers. Good luck everybody.

It's a shame they are prescribing Accutane prior to Spironolactone- at least it seems to me that Accutane is a bit more severe for your body to deal with than Spironolactone. I don't know much though when it comes to those, other than I would never take Accutane because a childhood friend passed away while on it (it essentially messed up her liver, she was the one in a million/billion/whatever that this happens to. even so, I said I wouldn't take it.)

I also can't believe they didn't tell you to watch out how much potassium you have in your diet. To me, it would have been better to explain things completely to the patient. Even to the point of overdoing it, for sake of at least getting across the key points.

As far as doing their homework beforehand- I tend to agree with you. It's unfortunate that the groups a lot of these doctors work for feel the need to overbook them to such a point they can't even look up a particular drug either beforehand or during your appointment, instead of afterwards. There's only so much time in a day, and seeing a new patient every 15 minutes (or is it less?) is so common.

I am thinking of going back onto birth control, but I will have to be on something like Ortho Tri Cyclen.. the monophasic pills (same dose daily) made me really anxious among other things. I am still struggling about whether or not the Spironolactone is a good idea.. I might have to make like a nerd and go look for actual research papers on it. I'm so paranoid about taking anything unless I absolutely need it!

And thanks for the kind response and understanding what I intended, I wish all of you good luck- just stay on top of things and definitely ask questions if the Dr. says something you don't understand or isn't clear about anything. They may overbook them like crazy, but you have the right to ask them as many questions as you need- it's your body after all, not theirs!

Hi whimsicality. Sorry to hear about your friend.

accutane is certainly serious. I totally agree that you need to take caution when taking them. (Not only liver, psyche as well. I have heard many suicidal incidents caused by Accutane). I did weeks of research on the internet before asking for Spiro. I do a blood test every three months. So far, everything's fine.

If you have questions about spiro or BCP, do explore this board. Great forum. And I would love to share my experience if you have any questions.

Good luck to you.

Question:

 

Has anybody found a way to get this Spironolactone w/o an RX? I went to the Nurse Pract. and her and the doctor talked it over, and wanted me to stick it out with the BS antibiotics I'm on. They don't seem to give a crap that my face is awful, I'm immune to all antibiotics now, and the fact that my hair is falling out. They think I'm just stressed. I got home kicked the walls, slammed my door, and cried my eyes out. They are trying to ruin my life.

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, if you know how I can get this stuff w/o an RX, LET ME KNOW.

I was looking for a way to buy it too.. and this is what I found: http://www.easy.md/690/ personally I'm still thinking about it..

Question:

 

Has anybody found a way to get this Spironolactone w/o an RX? I went to the Nurse Pract. and her and the doctor talked it over, and wanted me to stick it out with the BS antibiotics I'm on. They don't seem to give a crap that my face is awful, I'm immune to all antibiotics now, and the fact that my hair is falling out. They think I'm just stressed. I got home kicked the walls, slammed my door, and cried my eyes out. They are trying to ruin my life.

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, if you know how I can get this stuff w/o an RX, LET ME KNOW.

 

I was looking for a way to buy it too.. and this is what I found: http://www.easy.md/690/ personally I'm still thinking about it..

 

I don't recommend this. High potassium level CAN BE FATAL. You need to get that checked regularly. Where do you live? If you don't have insurance and don't have high income, you could choose a county clinic. Sure you'll wait a while longer, but its safer.

Good luck.

Question:

 

Has anybody found a way to get this Spironolactone w/o an RX? I went to the Nurse Pract. and her and the doctor talked it over, and wanted me to stick it out with the BS antibiotics I'm on. They don't seem to give a crap that my face is awful, I'm immune to all antibiotics now, and the fact that my hair is falling out. They think I'm just stressed. I got home kicked the walls, slammed my door, and cried my eyes out. They are trying to ruin my life.

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, if you know how I can get this stuff w/o an RX, LET ME KNOW.

 

I was looking for a way to buy it too.. and this is what I found: http://www.easy.md/690/ personally I'm still thinking about it..

 

There was a sticky somewhere here about buying prescription drugs without a prescription. You can also google that topic online..

Depending on where the drugs are coming from, they can have too little of the active ingredient, too much, or not even have the active ingredient at all. Other countries don't necessarily have the same standards the U.S. (UK, Australia, Canada I assume have pretty good standards as well) does when manufacturing their pharmaceuticals. Even if they do, and you *think* you're purchasing from a country with a good reputation, you don't know WHERE your particular drug is coming from originally! If something goes wrong while taking the medication, you also have no way to go after anyone since you were doing something illegal to begin with and the people who made the 'medication' and/or sold it to you know this.

Seems if you get a prescription that requires an RX without having one you are taking your life into your own hands at that point..

Better safe than sorry, and having myself all in one piece in the end is worth the wait to me, anyway.

Nono, how long have you been on those antibiotics? That seems like a pretty standard attempt at treatment to begin- honestly, are you following everything they tell you to do? If so, for how long have you been on that treatment? Is it enough time where you should be seeing results by now?

If so, it's not exactly healthy for people to continue long term usage of antibiotics anyway. This *can* and *may* build resistance of bacteria to the drugs we have to combat them. You should look up more information on antibiotic resistance if you have indeed given these antibiotics an adequate amount of time to work. Maybe coming to another appointment prepared with this information can help you in your struggle.

Again, they're probably hesitant to prescribe you Spironolactone because it does have more side effects than your average round of antibiotics.. and now I'm off on a tangent. See my post above for more info as to why they may be hesitant to prescribe.

Hello all.

Here to update again. The bcp seem to work well. Doesn't cause me breakouts, and keeps my period normal. I do experience some side effects though. I just feel tired all day long. Fatigue has kicked in. I am not sure it's the bcp or spiro, or both. I plan to find out. I am going to skip spiro for a few days and see what happens. (Hopefully I won't break out due to this.) And I seem to be more temperamental, and I am pretty sure it's due to hormones.

God it's so unfair that we have to go through so much just to get clear skin.

Maybe I should really switch bcp.

Anyhoo. Good luck everybody, will update soon.

You should not 'skip' witnessing your prior tolerance level. Once one avoids a diuretic for some duration, they will need to adhere to a more superior dosage in averting water retention as body will go into remission and incarcerate more water.

Wow. Thanks for the tip. I'll not do that then. What do you suggest though? Fatigue is really hard to get over, because it's a constant struggle. Don't get me wrong, I am really grateful for spiro which is really a miracle for my acne battle.

Could you please provide some suggestions? Thanks.

You should not 'skip' witnessing your prior tolerance level. Once one avoids a diuretic for some duration, they will need to adhere to a more superior dosage in averting water retention as body will go into remission and incarcerate more water.

 

Wow. Thanks for the tip. I'll not do that then. What do you suggest though? Fatigue is really hard to get over, because it's a constant struggle. Don't get me wrong, I am really grateful for spiro which is really a miracle for my acne battle.

 

Could you please provide some suggestions? Thanks.

 

Having had severe side effects on spiro after being on it for 3 months at 100mg and thinking I was doing fine - I would tend to agree with whimsicality about being cautious and listening to doctor's advice re the drugs we take.

Fatigue and tiredness on sprio can be due to dehydration or the electrolytes becoming unbalanced and causing muscle fatigue. If you have just developed more intense side effects go back to your doctor and see what they say. You may need a blood test sooner than scheduled. Ifyou are drinking lots but the symptoms are persisting then go and see your doctor just to be on the safe side.

good luck

dizzybloned

Well, turns out the fatigue thing was because i was actually tired from moving (But i just jumped to the spiro conclusion right away, haha) . My doc said that my electrolytes level is fine. Now i am feeling fine. Still drinking lots of water, haven't had a banana for god knows how long. And the best news is, still 100% (or 99.9%) clear (blackheads and white heads sometimes).

For those who can't get spiro or still have IB, hang in there. I just read on the board that they are putting spiro in the 2008 Drug Reference Book, so it shouldn't be so hard getting the drug prescribed. Good luck to all.

hey

im on spiro too, 100mg morning and 100 mg at night. im so glad it worked for you it really gives me hope =), but i have a couple of questions if you dont mind.

how long did it take for u to se results??

its been 1 month for me and i see nothingggggg yet =( im starting to get so sad.

Also, what time did u take your pills????????

i take mine wenever i wake up around 1pm or sometimes 8am lol and b4 i go to sleep around 9 but always at diff times of the day. did u take yours at 2 exact times ??

thanx any help will be very much appriciated =)

Hi everyone! I just wanted to throw a point or two in the convo. and get some perspective as well. Firstly, if you're on spiro, remember that bananas are not the only food high in potassium. Tomatoes as well as milk are both higher end foods that you should watch. It's always helpful to do a search and print out a list of foods to remember to avoid or consume. Second, I absolutely hate taking pills, but just went back on ortho-tri-cyclen and haven't started my script yet for spiro. 25mg/day, because frankly, like everyone else, I'm at my wits end. Does anyone happen to know the potential results from taking 25mg of spiro & OTC combined? I'm trying to remain hopeful that the combo. will be enough so I don't end up upping my dosage of spiro. Also, should I still have my potassium levels checked on such a low dose?

Update - Im still taking OTC+Spiro 75. still going great...

I am really happy and I wish all the luck in the world to you guys. B/c the cure is out there, although it might not be perfect (a magical pill you only take once), but its out there. So hang on and keep hope alive...

I don't know, @inkydink81 whether you should have the K level tested if you are on a low dose, I would consult the doc. Best of luck.

Hi All! Haven't posted in awhile, so I figured I'd give an update. I went to a Family practice doctor I had never seen before back in feburary because I needed a physical for work and they were paying for it (I'd lost my insurance prior to that). Anyway, he prescribed my Spiro (25mg/day) and BC (Sprintec). My GYN didn't know, because I hadn't seen him due to the insurance issue. Well I got my insurance back again and had a GYN apt. on tuesday. I told him about everything and though he wasn't overly enthusiastic, he didn't offer to prescribe Spiro for me in the future, so I'm going to see the family doctor I saw before when I need refills. Anyway, I was afraid to start Spiro as silly as that sounds, so I didn't take it for pretty much a month and started about 2 weeks ago when I summoned the courage I can honestly say, I must have been lucky. I had no IB, and after about the 3rd day, I noticed my skin felt a lot softer. Still had a ton of zits, but my skin was softer. So here I am about two weeks in, and this is what I've found: the number of actual hard acne cysts along my jawline have decreased, and the stubborn cysts that remained there for literally almost a year have gone flat (on both sides of my jaw). I still have a ton of red marks, which looks like acne, but my actual active acne is lasting not nearly as long and heals very quickly. My skin is still oily, but not nearly as bad as it was, so I'm very hopeful. I still put a little zit cream on at night and that seems to help now, which it didn't even touch my acne b4 spiro. I'm gonna give it another month and see what happens. I may up the dose to 50mg/day, but I def. think it works best in conjunction w/ a BC pill. I haven't had any real side effects either, which is awesome. I'm gonna have my potassium checked in a couple weeks. My GYN had the audacity to say "Well, I think if you are seeing improvement, it's from the BC pill, not the spiro." I said, "Well, I was on the BC pill for over 10 years and NEVER saw this level of improvement. Unless I have some sort of bad reaction, I'm staying on it, whether you prescribe it or not, however I respect your opinion." He then told me "Well we did a blood test a year ago and all of your levels are fine, so I don't see how it's hormonal." I said, "Well if it isn't hormonal, how would the BC help then, even if it WAS helping?" He had no reply, just walked away. Interesting to say the least. Anyway, just figured I'd update!

I'm fairly convinced that the cause of my acne is hormonal. Taking herbs and supplements for hormonal related acne nearly completely cleared up my face. But my chest and back are still breaking out! Last year I went on Yaz which cleared me up 100% ... but I was afraid of the health side effects so I don't take it anymore. Now I want the clear skin back! Does Spiro work in about the same way Yaz does, with the hormones? I'm trying to decide if it's worth a shot. And would I go to my regular doctor or my dermatologist to get this med?

So I came across this while searching for "Spironolactone/mood swings". I went on Spironolactone a little over a year ago and it cleared me up right away. I was on 50mg once a day. However, I stopped taking it for a while due to pure carelessness. I was clear while it stayed in my system for a few months, but then started breaking out again. I refilled my prescription and tried it out again for a few months with no results. I then quit taking it for a while and have just recently been prescribed 50mg twice a day. I have been a little bit light headed at times and have also started getting very emotional. I've been in a funk for the last week or so, and I began taking it 2 weeks ago. I have been on accutane TWICE, and 6 years later after getting of BC, I started breaking out with cystic acne again... hence the whole Spironolactone deal. I'm really nervous about this being unhealthy, seeing as I already more than likely did irreparable damage with the Accutane. Just how dangerous is Spironolactone?? Is anyone else experiencing depression spells?

So I came across this while searching for "Spironolactone/mood swings". I went on Spironolactone a little over a year ago and it cleared me up right away. I was on 50mg once a day. However, I stopped taking it for a while due to pure carelessness. I was clear while it stayed in my system for a few months, but then started breaking out again. I refilled my prescription and tried it out again for a few months with no results. I then quit taking it for a while and have just recently been prescribed 50mg twice a day. I have been a little bit light headed at times and have also started getting very emotional. I've been in a funk for the last week or so, and I began taking it 2 weeks ago. I have been on accutane TWICE, and 6 years later after getting of BC, I started breaking out with cystic acne again... hence the whole Spironolactone deal. I'm really nervous about this being unhealthy, seeing as I already more than likely did irreparable damage with the Accutane. Just how dangerous is Spironolactone?? Is anyone else experiencing depression spells?

when you went on spiro over a year ago on 50 mgs and u said u cleared up right away,was that within the span of like one or two months?

On 3/7/2009 at 9:56 PM, chanelwy said:

Wow, thanks guys. I'll definitely check out the website. There's a lot of discussion about Yaz or Yasmin, how are those?

 

I used Zovia to treat Acne for a year, It did NOT work at ALL!!!

 

And, for those who are on spiro, anyone has the dream issue as well? I'm very curious. haha

 

 

I™ve had the dream issue as well.