I'm definitely still wearing foundation. I just can't help it! My cheeks are like a war-zone of scars and cysts that are STILL healing from like a month ago! School ends for me this week so I'll probably let up on the foundation since I won't be facing the same people everyday! I guess I do need to just use stick concealer. Don't worry, you're not being bossy! I appreciate the advise SO MUCH! And I agree, all makeup is bad. I really can't wait for the day when all I have to put on is loose powder....

UPDATE: the cysts that formed over the weekend, the inflammation is almost completely down. Now it's back to red marks...

hi all-

i thought i would write an update because i hadn't been online in a while---been busy with finals and the end of school. Things are actually going well for a change. My TERRIBLE initial breakout...which lasted a solid three weeks has subsided and I feel pretty clear. I am still getting the occassional pimple but they seem to be going down much quicker and are definitely not as deep as they used to be. I am saying this all with fingers crossed though because I start up my summer job on Monday and the stress *may* cause some nasty visitors to come out--i really hope not.

My skin is definitely not as oily as it used to be, but the initial dryness i had the first month on spiro has gone back to oil---even though it is much less than before.

I am taking 100mgs of spiro in the morning (splitting up the dose i kept forgetting to take it at night), one dose of minocycline like every two days and orthocyclen. I have been washing with the clearasil stayclear daily facial scrub (which i LOVE) and cetaphil. my back and chest are now completely clear.

I am at two months and two weeks since starting the spiro....i hope this clearing trend continues.......real results occur after four months, right? i am convinced i want to stick with it now.

Time for an update from me as well! I've upped my dose to 75 mg and I go back to the derm in about a week...yay! I feel like I need help from the derm! My skin is "clearing" but the redmarks are ridiculous!!! I'm still wearing foundation and everyday minerals loose powder. I've started using Preventin-AT Scar Therapy 2-3x's a day and I really think it's working! I've been using it for about 2 weeks. It'll take a lot longer tho until my actual skin color comes through! lol! I only have 2 active SMALL cysts right on top of each other almost, so I guess that's an improvement!! I should be starting my period soon so I hope my face doesn't freak out because it did last cycle. I've also changed moisturizers....I changed to Aveeno Ultra Calming moisturizer with SPF 15. I figured I needed the sunscreen since summer is just around the corner and I'm headed for the beach in 2 weeks. I'm SO excited about vacation but I absolutely dread being in front of my entire family and boyfriend for a week trying to hide my acne... ! Anyways, I hope everyone is seeing good results...it just takes time!!

By the way, I've completed my 9th week on Spiro today! I hope by 4 months I'm CLEARRRRR!

Here's an update for me:

I have been on Spiro for 5 weeks (100mg) once a day and Tazarac at night for 6 weeks now and I'm still struggling. The oil has definitely gone down but I'm still getting bumps.

I go through my ups and downs and luckily I can wear makeup and cover it but I have so many scars and red spots when I'm bare. I'm getting new pimples and bumps almost every day. Luckily i am able to squeeze them since they are not hard or painful but it's so frustrating. I cannot walk out with makeup. Again it's all in my upper lip and chin area. I hate it!!!

At the moment I have two bumps which isn't the end of the world. I recently started applying benzol perioxide over the bumps along with Tazarac. I just started doing this and I get to see my dermi tomorrow. This will be second visit with her and want to see what she tells me.

I hate going out these days. I have a wedding next week, my birthday is coming up and I'm worried about getting more bumps!

Where can I get these Everyday Minerals?

I started using Prescritive foundation (medium coverage) because I really need to cover the spots and the I too was using mineral makeup but it wasn't cutting it. I also put mineral over the foundation to set it. The stuff I have to do to cover my face is ridiculous at my age (30).

Dubb U--your situation sounds a lot like mine. Not a day goes by that I don't get a new zit, except mine aren't "popable"! Even though their cysts, at least their A LOT smaller than they used to be. My red marks are so ridiculously ugly without makeup...it's SO embarrassing. How is the Tazorac working for you? I'm currently using Klaron and it's not doing a thing! I go to the derm next week and I'm interested in a new topical. I'm also going to ask her if I can be put on birth control...maybe Yaz since that has an extra 25 mg of Spiro in it. I've only been on birth control one other time but I only used it for 2 months because it caused a mild depression and non-stop bleeding (sorry for the details).

Anyways, you can get the makeup @ [Removed] It's awesome!! If you go to the "custom kits" section, there is a free kit you can order to test out colors....all you have to pay is shipping. Make sure you get the intensive "formula choice" when getting foundation. Since you have a lot of redmarks, intensive is going to give you more choices. Don't get me wrong, I still have to use some liquid foundation over my "severe redmarks" and then use the mineral makeup on top of that. It gives a nice smooth finish. Hope this helps

Hey ktgrl130! I went to see my dermi today. She told me to stay on the Spiro and that she believes the next time I see her (4 weeks from today), I will feel different. She almost guarantees me that it will be better and if it's not, she will take another route. She did, however, prescribe me another topical,Benzaclin which i'm suppose to store in the fridge and use in the am. She said that will dry out the bumps even more along with Tazarac at night. Tazarac is pretty good. It definitely peels my skin and smooths my skin. I remember using Klaron about 5 years ago and loved it and then I don't know, it's like my face gets use to the products and blocks what it's supposed to do. I hope Tazarac doesn't stop working though. My boyfriend tells me "it's not bad" and you are "still beautiful" which does help because it puts me down. Makeup is my best friend and it sucks i will be wearing alot of it in the summer but at least I have something right. I'm going out tonight so I have to make sure to "cover" well because I can't photoshop the pictures on the other cameras! I have a big bump on my right cheek by my lip and I can't hide it. It's like 3 little pimple in one. do you get those too? I hate those soooo much. It looks alittle smaller but i will try to cover well.

Oh and I thought for a min, I would have to take birth control pills but my dermi didn't think I needed it. She really thinks the spiro will do it. She also said that when that is controlled she will prescribe me a topical to get ride of the dark spots and life will be good. I really hope she is right.

Thanks for mineral makeup info. i'm going to check it out right now.

have a great weekend!

Hi everyone.

I just started spiro last night, 25 mgs then and 25 this morning. I'm already noticing the diuretic effect - I was kept awake much later than usual last night because I needed to pee every 1/2 hour do you think that taking both doses in the morning might make that problem settle enough to help me sleep at night? I know I'm on a fairly low dose and I don't see any other bad effects so far.

My dermi told me to take my dose in the morning so that it didn't affect me during the night. Every doc is diff and luckily it wasn't a big deal during the day. Try it out for a week and if it is bad, call her doc and she what he/she says.

Also, make sure you take Spiro with a meal. Not only can this help with lightheadedness, it actually increases the absorption of Spiro. I take mine all at once (200 mg) with lunch. My endocrinologist said that there really isn't any reason to split your dose in half and take it at two different times a day, unless you feel that it is helping you minimize side effects. Good luck ladies!

Hi everyone.

 

I just started spiro last night, 25 mgs then and 25 this morning. I'm already noticing the diuretic effect - I was kept awake much later than usual last night because I needed to pee every 1/2 hour do you think that taking both doses in the morning might make that problem settle enough to help me sleep at night? I know I'm on a fairly low dose and I don't see any other bad effects so far.

Hey ktgrl130! I went to see my dermi today. She told me to stay on the Spiro and that she believes the next time I see her (4 weeks from today), I will feel different. She almost guarantees me that it will be better and if it's not, she will take another route. She did, however, prescribe me another topical,Benzaclin which i'm suppose to store in the fridge and use in the am. She said that will dry out the bumps even more along with Tazarac at night. Tazarac is pretty good. It definitely peels my skin and smooths my skin. I remember using Klaron about 5 years ago and loved it and then I don't know, it's like my face gets use to the products and blocks what it's supposed to do. I hope Tazarac doesn't stop working though. My boyfriend tells me "it's not bad" and you are "still beautiful" which does help because it puts me down. Makeup is my best friend and it sucks i will be wearing alot of it in the summer but at least I have something right. I'm going out tonight so I have to make sure to "cover" well because I can't photoshop the pictures on the other cameras! I have a big bump on my right cheek by my lip and I can't hide it. It's like 3 little pimple in one. do you get those too? I hate those soooo much. It looks alittle smaller but i will try to cover well.

 

Oh and I thought for a min, I would have to take birth control pills but my dermi didn't think I needed it. She really thinks the spiro will do it. She also said that when that is controlled she will prescribe me a topical to get ride of the dark spots and life will be good. I really hope she is right.

 

Thanks for mineral makeup info. i'm going to check it out right now.

 

have a great weekend!

Has anyone gotten double periods? I got my period twice in May. Then I stopped yesterday and then started up today but it may just be spotting. Has anyone experienced this?

Spiro can really mess with periods. I would recommend that anyone on Spiro take birth control pills so that your period will remain normal.

My period was a few days late my first time on Spiro and it's a few days late again...I should start anytime now. It remained normal the first month and I'm not on BC.

My period was normal the first month and now it's goofy but I'm going to wait another month and see. THANKS!

So i currently have 2 bumps and very little comodones (about 3-4) that are not super noticeable on my cheeks. If I can get these 2 bumps down, I will feel better. I have a wedding on Sunday and it's outdoors and I really don't want to worry about BUMPS! However, I am seeing a difference in my skin but I'm scare of another outbreak.

I was reading up on the Benzaclin and read it was good and you see result in about 2 weeks so I hope adding that in will really "boost" my treatment.

How is everyone else doing?

100mg of spiro and it will be 7 weeks tomorrow and my face looks somewhat better.

I was excited to only have 2 bumps and then today I got another 3 so total 5 all in the upper lip, under lip area! I also had two little pimples yesteday but they are gone now. Everything else looks ok except for that. I hate it! I just start using the Benzaclin in the am and will continue Tazarac at night so will see if this looks better by Sunday. I have a wedding that day and I want decent skin! My period or spotting is a nuisance. I'm definitely spotting now and not sure when it will end. Other than that, I have no other symptons.

I try to order the everyday minerals but when i try to checkout, it gives me an error and it doesn't go through.

I just tried the website and it worked so that's great! THANKS ktgrl130!

I just tried the website and it worked so that's great! THANKS ktgrl130!

Hi everyone

I'm starting on Spiro 50mg (to be increased later) and Yasmin BC pill today...I HAD managed to get my acne well under control using AHA's and I was on zero prescription meds, but then I took Adderall for 2 months. Everything was great for 6 weeks then my face suddenly exploded in boil like cysts . I'm angry that I was never told about this side effect; ugh, so wish I'd never taken it. Well I stopped the adderall and the acne eased some but did not go away and even bp stopped working. I've got 3 huuuuge painful cysts right now and I haven't touched Adderall since Feb. It seems as if once your pores are clogged it is so difficult to clean them out with topicals, I feel like I'm right back to square one. I sooooo hope this works, the derm gave me 2 options: Spiro or Accutane, and I'm chicken when it comes to accutane, and I don't want anymore super powerful drugs in my system after the Adderall Incident. The derm seemed like she was really trying to shove accutane onto me, which kinda pissed me off.

Has anyone managed to totally get rid of cystic acne using spiro? It looks promising from what I've read. Also does it have any bad side effects like mood swings ect? I know it can mess up your cycle so I'm taking BC at the same time.

I was on Spironolactone for 10 days, had a severe allergic reaction, and ended up in the ER. While I was thankful to be alive and OK, I was also really bummed because it was my last hope for a "cure" at the time. I have tried everything short of Accutane during the past 7 years. My doc told me a reaction to Spiro is very rare and we don't know what exactly I had the allergic reaction to.

Now I'm 3 weeks into the Regimen and I'm optimistic that it will work!

ehhh, face looking awful today. Two of my cysts popped, and now I've got oozing scabs that are impossible to cover with makeup. I don't know what's worse, oozing scabs or big sore bumps. Wow, choices.

That sounds so, scary, Tani Lucky the only thing I know I'm allergic to is aspirin...

18 months ago I was on this board and read about spiro, I started using 100mg. I haven't been back to this board in well over a year, because since spiro, my acne has totally cleared up. When I started spiro I also started yasmin, after being totally clear, I stopped spiro, acne came back, restarted after 2 months, acne gone. I had hormonal acne, around my chin, deep pimples, cyst, you name it, I had it, from age 19 until I was 33. I tied every other method from topical, oral medication, peels, acupuncture, diary free etc. Spiro is the only that has ever worked and continues to work. I only created a new account to share photos of my experience with the pixel laser which I started on today. I completely love Spiro and if youve got hormonal acne and are wondering if it will help, Id say try it, hang in there for those first nasty months and hopefully you will have the same results as I did.

Spiro has also saved me tons of money. Now all I do is was my face with a gentle non acne clenser, twice a day and wear a sunscreen. I have always eaten healthy foods, but no more avoiding diary, expensive vitamins, paying beauty therapists and natural threatpists for treatments that don't work.

I should add that I at no time experienced any side effects.

That's great to hear mspixel! It's wonderful to hear something positive since I'm at the dreaded initial breakout stage and feeling down. I know for a fact that I've got elevated androgen levels, so I've really got my fingers crossed about Spiro. Did you stay at 100mg or increase the dose?

I know what you mean about spending money. I must have spent thousands trying to get rid of acne! I've been battling acne since age 13 and I'm 24 now. I've just spent 3 months on an (expensive and time consuming) strict organic diet, only to have worse skin than ever.

There was a few months where I played around with the dose, I thought Id prefer to be at 50mg, I went to 75mg but things started to flair up.... so I went back up the 100mg. The first 3 months of spiro where awful, it was like every single pore grew a zit or a cyst. I got acne in places I hadn't had it before. I was about to give up on spiro, when another woman posted that she had started spiro in the previous year and to hang in there, because it totally fixed her, so I gritted my teeth and I did. Then it was like my skin just balanced itself, I also have noticed about a 90% reduction in blackheads and my skin is now never greasy. I seriously don't even think of acne anymore, its a thing of the past that I let rule my life. All I do is take my 100mg of spiro a day and that is that. Just hang in there, youll find a dose that suits you and hopefully with spiro, acne will be a thing of the past. Im sure there are so many women that have had great success with spiro, but you just dont hear from them, as you totally forget about this board when its gone. I only came back to post my pixel pics, because I found this community so supportive, that I felt I had to give something back, by publically humiliating myself with pixel pics, so people could work out if they thought the treatment was right for them. I no longer touch my face (there is no bumps to touch), check myself out in mirrors all the time or freak out... its just such a relief... hang in there. Like I said, Im sure there are thousands of spiro uses with great success who just haven't made it back here to tell others about it!

GOOD LUCK and in a years time, it would be great if you could log back in here and post about how you forgot you ever had acne. x

I'll add my praises: I have been on spiro since November, gradually going from 25-75 mg. I just saw my derm last week after 2 months at 75mg & my skin is as close to perfect as it's ever been. I am going to stay at this dose. I also use Ziana (a retin-A) every morning & plan to keep that up (it helps prevent wrinkles, right?). Anyway, if you're new to the drug just stick with it. Be patient. If you're increasing doses do it in small incriments & you'll find your magic number. I have experienced some tiredness, dizziness, & some period irregularities, but it is all sooooo worth it to not be ashamed to show my face in public! Good luck to all!