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Hi all. I'm 37 years old and I went on spiro 100mg about 1 year ago. It was WONDERFUL! My acne cleared up completely...until last month. I've had 2 breakouts where several red cysts have shown up on my chin, just like I used to get. Has anyone else had this happen? The spiro quit working? I'm wondering if my dosage should be increased. I don't want to have to resort to accutane.
P.S.I'm also on Yasmin birth control.
i think i'm finally going to break out the sprio this week. i've been putting it off forever but i think its time i tried it as i'm breaking out again.
do i have to stop taking asprin?? i've been taking quite a bit.
Spiro has really been doing wonders for me so I would encourage you to try it.
MJS, I would go back to your derm and find out what is up. You may need a heavier dose now as your condition may have changed (entirely possible according to my endocrinologist). I don't think so much it is that spiro stops working i just think the conditions it has to fight can change when hormones are involved. Have you changed anything in your lifestyle these days?
A quick update (I posted more in my log in the personal regimen section): I have been on it now for 9 months and it has been great. I am sure that my healthier lifestyle and weight loss really helped with this too. I am very happy with how things are and I get compliments now and again for the improvments. I am definitely a happy camper 
Hi there ladies,
I've just started on spiro at 100 mg and things are looking good - about half as many spots and no cysts at all since starting. My skin is definitely less oily too which is great. The only thing is, I started my period after about a week and its gone on for almost 2 weeks now!! I should say that before spiro I had been off dianette (diane 35) for about six months and only had one period in that time. Because my skin got much much worse, even than when I was in my teens (I'm 30!!) I went for the spiro after hearing great stuff on this thread. My derm wanted to give me accutane and told me "we don't use hormonal treatment for acne" - what an idiot...when I'd been clear with dianette for years. I had to come off dianete because I'd been on it for 10 years and was getting wierd brown patches all over my face! Anyway, sorry for the rambling message - just wanted to know if any of you had a similar side effect -should be worried or will it go away - I really don't want to come off it - am hating having spots again after so many years
Thanks!
Mae30, I'm in a similar situatio as you. Was on the Diane for many yrs and when went off it, I broke out like I never did before. Became super oily and broke out with cysts all over. I went back on the Diane for about 1 month now, but am looking for alternatives. I would like to try spiro to help me wean off of the Diane once again, but have heard that it could potentially give birth defects. I plan to get pregnant in the next year or so, does anybody know of any spiro alternatives (other than topicals since I've tried them all) that doesn't have the risk of birth defects? Thanks.
Hello again girls!
Quick update on my progress - seem to have stopped the permanent period after about 2 and a half weeks!! Thank goodness... Have also noticed I've lost about 7 lbs which is quite nice! Spots down from about 15-20 to about 4 small ones and no cysts since starting spiro - hurray! It took me 6 months on Dianette to get this clear! On a downside have been diagnosed with PCOS, so although it explains my teenage skin at 30 (!) am feeling a bit worried about what this means - have any of you ladies had a diagnosis of PCOS?
Anyway, hope spiro is helping you guys too...Am always interested to hear peolple's progress on this thread - I would probably have given in to my derm and gone on accutane if it wasn't for this board!!
Mae xx
Hi everyone!
I have a question for anyone who can answer.
Okay, I was recently prescribed spiro, and my derm told me to start with 50mg and then bump up to 75mg after two weeks. I've been on spiro for a month, and only became clear for about a week after bumping up to 75mg. Then I just started breaking out again in the fourth week, all over my chin.
So I decided to take a fourth pill today (100mg), officially the fifth week, but should I be taking the 100 all at once? Or split it up like other people have said? Does it matter?
And also I didn't ask my derm if I could do this, though I do have extra pills--should I stop, since I haven't had my blood checked yet?
Oy...I hate these breakouts...
The doctor said it was routine. But everything was fine.
100mg a day is fine I think.
I had no blood checks and was prescribed 100mg a day.
I know some people are taking 150mg a day.
Are the blood checks routine or because of unusual starting blood pressure or potassium levels?
Hi Everyone,
I love this tread! Since it is 25 pages long, I wasn't able to read all of it but skimmed through. I have been suffering from acne since about age 16 and it has been with me since (I am now 26). I switched my BCP to Yasmin about a year ago and saw significant improvement not in the amount of acne but in the type I was getting. I went from the big cystic-like ones to smaller ones. But I still broke out about 4 times a week. After many years of trying everything on my skin, I started seeing a new, younger dermatologist in January who had some more open ideas. He prescribed Spiro (100mg a day). Of course, I was holding out for a miracle cure! But it didn't quite happen like that. I was going through a stressful couple of months at the same time, so that could have had something to do with it, but I was still breaking out pretty badly every few days. Now that I have been on it for a little over a month and a half, my face has cleared quite a bit (but the stress has left too, so there might be a correlation!) I still get a couple of little ones a week but the thing I do notice is that I am much less oily and I don't have all those bumps under my skin that I used to. When I rub my hand across my cheeks they are smoother than they have been in years, regardless that there are still a few active pimples on them.
My questions now are:
Since its been almost 2 months since I started, should I still be breaking out with little pimples every couple of days? Should I ask my doctor to put me on a higher dose (mind you, I have had no side effects at all from the 100mg.) or should I wait it out longer? I appreciate your advice everyone!
My questions now are:
Since its been almost 2 months since I started, should I still be breaking out with little pimples every couple of days? Should I ask my doctor to put me on a higher dose (mind you, I have had no side effects at all from the 100mg.) or should I wait it out longer? I appreciate your advice everyone!
I am approaching a year now on spiro- i was taking 100 mg for the first four months or so. I was still breaking out at month two, just not as regularly as before- my skin was doing pretty good. After four months though on it, I was still getting consistent break-outs. They upped my dose to 200 mg and about a month after that, i was very clear and have remained so until now. Spiro has been wonderful!!!
hey its so nice to finally find ppl who know about spiroaldactone.. I've been on it for about 2 and ahalf months(100mg).. and yes i have been noticing that my skin on my entire body has been gettin dry which never really happens.. How do i prevent this from happening?
I have made some improvement, but my derm says to give it at least 6 months to kick in.. so we'll see what happens.. nice to hear all the success everyone here has had with sprio:)
hey its so nice to finally find ppl who know about spiroaldactone.. I've been on it for about 2 and ahalf months(100mg).. and yes i have been noticing that my skin on my entire body has been gettin dry which never really happens.. How do i prevent this from happening?
I have made some improvement, but my derm says to give it at least 6 months to kick in.. so we'll see what happens.. nice to hear all the success everyone here has had with sprio:)
Well after 4 months on 100mg, myskin is much better. You know it is working when you go through a very stressful past 2 weeks at work and still have clear skin (NEVER would have happened to me before). I do have the dryness. I combat it by making sure I drink at least a couple bottles of water a day. Staying hydrated is key. That and some aveeno lotion after showering. Good luck!
For all you spiro users:
Congratulations on the success.
I had a couple of Qs:
How often do you need your blood checked while on spiro?
Was there an initial blood check?
Has your cystic/nodular cleared up with spiro?
Can your doc still prescribe spiro even if your blood pressure is low?
I know these are alot of questions, but if anyone can help it would be appreciated. I'll probably think of more. teehee
My BCP and Duac treatment isn't going well. I breakout bigtime before periods with a some in between. My acne is on the lower half of my face, so I think it's hormonal. Maybe spiro is my key to clear skin.
p.S. This thread is awesome!
i recently had my blood checked for other reasons and my potassium levels and everything else came back A-okay and i haven't been really careful with the potatoes or the orange juice (gave up the bananas tho)
i'm on 50mg but i'm taking it with minocycline and diane 35. also taking atarax (h1 antihistamine thats great for sensitive skin) things are going well but i still break out the week AFTER my period. what a pain in the ass. pisses me off. you'd THINK with all the hormone therapy i'd get some relief. oh well. thats when the BP comes in mighty useful
For all you spiro users:
Congratulations on the success.
I had a couple of Qs:
How often do you need your blood checked while on spiro?
Was there an initial blood check?
Has your cystic/nodular cleared up with spiro?
Can your doc still prescribe spiro even if your blood pressure is low?
answers
- (I am on Depo Provera the every 13 week birth control shot....so)
I am at my doctors for mini visits every 13 weeks...
...she checks my blood every 26 weeks...sometimes every 40.
All my tests have come back normal so far.
- there was no initial blood test...and when a derm prescribed it...
I just mentioned I had heard good things about it...and she scribbled
out a script without hesitation...not sure if my own GP would have
done that so fast without talking to me about my skin history...but hey...
my GP agrees it's working and sees how much it has helped me now.
- my face cleared up within a week!!! and I had the occasional cyst...
but now after a year .... maybe 1 every 5 months...but they last
maybe a day or two and are small.
- my blood pressure has always been a weee bit high - but maybe it's because
my doctor checks it right after she jabs that big ass needle into my arm (hate needles)
- so I would check with your own doctor on that one.
Good luck! 
REmember when I said I would think of more Qs...well here it goes:
What foods have you had to give up or eat in moderation b/c of spiro? I'm a big health freak and eat lots of fruits, veggies and juices...should I be concerned?
How much is sprio with med. insurance and without med. insurance?
Thanks for the replies
REmember when I said I would think of more Qs...well here it goes:
What foods have you had to give up or eat in moderation b/c of spiro? I'm a big health freak and eat lots of fruits, veggies and juices...should I be concerned?
How much is sprio with med. insurance and without med. insurance?
Thanks for the replies
Anyone with feedback? 
Hi Guys,
Just wanted to check if any of you has heard of or used topical spiro. It has been used successfully to treat hair loss. Topical spiro is an anti-androgen that stops Dht from binding to hair follicles and destroying them. Since it is topical, it has very few systemic side effects compared to the oral one. I was just wondering is its possible to use spiro in a similar manner for acne as well....don't know if it makes sense but the possible anti-androgenic effect of spiro might reduce oil production which is the prime culprit in acne formation....plssss let me know if any of you have some information on this...I dont want to take oral spiro as I have already messed up my body by taking too many medicines and am planning on getting pregnant in another 3-4 months,
Eagerly waiting for responses,
Am I the only whack job on 200 mg a day and is staying on it? I have PCOS and I had severe acne that responded to absolutely nothing and just got worse and worse over time. I was prescribed my Aldactone by a reproductive endocrinologist (because I am also on Yasmin and my gynecologist did not see the point of prescribing the two together, but I am on both now on the endocrinologist's orders) and I have to see him every 6 months and get my blood tested, but my potassium has never been high for the like 9 months I've been on it, which is nice. My face cleared very well and I get usually 1 pimple tops every few weeks and they aren't very deep now. It's a wonderful thing compared to like 4 new active whiteheads everyday. My problem now is Keratosis Pilaris on my arms.
I saw a reduction in oil in about 2 -3 weeks but it has been quite slow and I'm still fairly oily after 5 months - however it doesn't seem to have stopped me clearing - last week I had NO spots at all - I haven't had this since I was 13 (now 31... ) -so happy! 
I have two tiny ones righ now 'cos I have been up late all week and not eating properly - like some of the others on this thread I have PCOS too and diet seems to make a difference..
I have to say this has been the best treatment ever - I was on Dianette for years and it never cleared me as much as Spiro - I cleared up a lot on 100mg, to about 4-5 spots a time on 150mg and have been on 200 mg for about 6 weeks to see the final improvement. Before that I had about 20 spots at any one time and at least 1 or two really painful cysts that would just last and last 
. No cysts at all since starting...
I am a bit evangelical about this but please, for women reading this thread, do ask your doc about it - mine wanted to put me on Accutane and this is so much less scary!
Ps in reply to last few post - I do drink on Spiro but not a lot and side effects I've had have been a bit of dehydration and dizziness and my cycle has been messed up so I will probably go on the pill soon..
Mae