Hi you guys.

I'm frustrated. I've been on 100mg Spiro for 11 months. YES...ELEVEN months. I had a bad initial outbreak for the first 2.5 months and so the doctor put me on minocycline and then a pill called oracea, which is a slow release doxycycline....just to help get over the IB. After about 6 months my skin really started to clear up. my oil stopped (and still is MUCH better than it used to be). I am on orthocycline as well and use benzaclin at night. well, i didn't post immediately because i thought i was just having a flare up, but i have had a month long nightmare of a breakout...and i'm afraid there is no end in sight. I don't know what went wrong. i am developing acne everywhere again. the good news is my oil production is still low but the bad news is my forehead HURTS, as it is filled with 100s of small bumps, and i got 2 cysts on my cheeks.

I feel hopeless. I have tried everything. I really thought this was the answer but my skin looks so horrible right not I don't know what to do. ....so I came back to acne.org for some support. Have any of you been on spiro as long as i have and experienced the same thing? Any other suggestions?

Sorry for the bad news.......worked great for a while but didn't prove a miracle in the long-haul.....seems like NOTHING ever does. darn it, i was really hopeful this time, which makes it not working hurt so much more!

Hi you guys.

I'm frustrated. I've been on 100mg Spiro for 11 months. YES...ELEVEN months. I had a bad initial outbreak for the first 2.5 months and so the doctor put me on minocycline and then a pill called oracea, which is a slow release doxycycline....just to help get over the IB. After about 6 months my skin really started to clear up. my oil stopped (and still is MUCH better than it used to be). I am on orthocycline as well and use benzaclin at night. well, i didn't post immediately because i thought i was just having a flare up, but i have had a month long nightmare of a breakout...and i'm afraid there is no end in sight. I don't know what went wrong. i am developing acne everywhere again. the good news is my oil production is still low but the bad news is my forehead HURTS, as it is filled with 100s of small bumps, and i got 2 cysts on my cheeks.

I feel hopeless. I have tried everything. I really thought this was the answer but my skin looks so horrible right not I don't know what to do. ....so I came back to acne.org for some support. Have any of you been on spiro as long as i have and experienced the same thing? Any other suggestions?

Sorry for the bad news.......worked great for a while but didn't prove a miracle in the long-haul.....seems like NOTHING ever does. darn it, i was really hopeful this time, which makes it not working hurt so much more!

100 mgs is not enough to make a difference in most acne problems. I bet you would see a huge difference at 200mgs. That is what works and I've been on it for 7 months and my skin is flawless. My New York doctor wrot books about why 200 is the dosage need. I would try it and see it completely clear up

You know...I just may up my dosage to 200mg for a month or two and just see what kind of effect it has.

I have been doing pretty well on the 100mg but still breakout here and there. It's significantly less though, I will say that...the pimples I do get are smaller and go away much quicker.

You know...I just may up my dosage to 200mg for a month or two and just see what kind of effect it has.

I have been doing pretty well on the 100mg but still breakout here and there. It's significantly less though, I will say that...the pimples I do get are smaller and go away much quicker.

Since you've only been on it for a bit over 2 months, I would recommend staying on your current dose for at least another 2-3 months. You really don't want to take more if it's not necessary. Personally, I didn't start seeing consistently clear skin until about 5-6 months on Spiro.

hey everybody:)

i used to have severe cystic acne & i tried EVERYTHING to clear my skin. i've been to 4 different dermatologists trying to find someone that could help me. i tried just about all the topicals out there, i tried doxycycline, minocycline, levulan/blue light treatments, microdermabrasion etc.

doxycycline didn't do much for me.

minocycline was awesome..it took a little while for it to start working but with the benzaclin & retin-a together my skin looked great. but you can only take antibiotics for so long, & eventually they had to take me off. i was really upset because that was the only thing that worked! i went to another dermatologist that thought i was the perfect candidate for accutane. i was afraid of the effects, & it's so expensive, so i asked if i had another alernative. he suggested blue light treatments with levulan. this was a very painful process, for 4 days after i stayed home from school because my face was hurting so much. for 2 weeks my face broke out, but then my face was flawless for 3 months. my pores were a lot smaller, my skin was very soft. you couldn't see a single scar.

i didn't want to have to go in for a painful blue light treatment that often, so i tried birth control. ortho tricyclen lo. my skin got so bad i went to my 4th dermatologist for help. she put me on spironolactone to take with the bc. my face got so ridiculously bad i was crying every day. i didn't want to go out in public because there was no way i could cover it. i went back to my 3rd dermatologist, and he put me on solodyn to get me over the hump until the spiro started to work.

finally my skin cleared!

i'm still taking the spiro, bc, and solodyn together & my skin is almost perfect. i still have scarring, so i just got a perscription for ziana. i'll keep you all updated!

My derm prescribed me Spiro about a week ago. I am taking 50 mg in the morning and night. So far all i have noticed is that I am peeling really bad around my mouth and chin. Before i was prescribed Spiro i was on Solodyn, but I never refilled my prescription. My derm said to continue taking everything i have been with the addition of Spiro. But i'm scared to be on both oral medications especially since i only weigh about 95 pounds, and when i was on Solodyn alone i had terrible headaches. Has anybody ever been on both at the same time? Is there any risks to it?

Hi

I am a spiro veteran!!!!! I have been taking spiro for almost 2 years (firstly 100mg, then 75mg and then 50mg-when I tried 25mg It did not work at all) becouse my cystic acne. It is a great alternative for roaccutane for sure but..

1. After 2 years of taking it -when I tried to stop- everything came back!

So I would say that It is a cure only while taking It

2. After some time I had a problems with my heart and pulse and was very sleepy sometimes-

that is why I decided to stop taking spiro. After first year I did not feel any side effects really but my doctor said that every medicine stops working someday

3. Spiro helped me to loose weight -I think It was connected to water retention in my body and now I have got a little problem with loosing weight (after I stopped spiro)...But I am not really sure what is the source of this problem

Now I am trying to find an alternative for spiro and I think It can be saw palmetto or other plant extract with similar action

hey ! i read a post earlier on spironolactone and the post said that the medication could develop cancer or tumors. I'm not sure if it is true ... but i am very scared of taking it. I'll do some more research on the side effects. And by the way, I'm 13. Do you think it is safe for me to take it also?

Hi everyone, I just started up Sprio again after taking a break from it, and have been on it for about a month and a half. A few days ago I missed two doses. I recently started to have spotting, which is really irregular for me (especially since I'm in the middle of my cycle). Has anyone else experienced this?

hey ! i read a post earlier on spironolactone and the post said that the medication could develop cancer or tumors. I'm not sure if it is true ... but i am very scared of taking it. I'll do some more research on the side effects. And by the way, I'm 13. Do you think it is safe for me to take it also?

The FDA recommends spiro only for those over 15 years of age if used for acne ( http://www.upmc.com/healthatoz/pages/healthlibrary.aspx?chunkiid=209363 ).

As far as cancer, spironolactone has been shown to possibly cause an increased risk of cancer in lab rats, but there have been no studies showing concrete links between spiro and increased cancer risk in humans. Here are a couple of examples from medical journals:

-"After 200 person-years of exposure to spironolactone and 506 person-years of followup over 8 years, no serious illnesses thought to be attributed to spironolactone were reported. The long-term use of spironolactone in the treatment of acne in women appears to be safe. Side effects, however, are common, although not usually a cause for stopping the drug."

Source: www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol24/spironolactone.html

-"Epidemiological studies have not confirmed the suspicion raised by case reports that spironolactone may cause breast cancer in humans."

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12219252

My derm prescribed me Spiro about a week ago. I am taking 50 mg in the morning and night. So far all i have noticed is that I am peeling really bad around my mouth and chin. Before i was prescribed Spiro i was on Solodyn, but I never refilled my prescription. My derm said to continue taking everything i have been with the addition of Spiro. But i'm scared to be on both oral medications especially since i only weigh about 95 pounds, and when i was on Solodyn alone i had terrible headaches. Has anybody ever been on both at the same time? Is there any risks to it?

My daughter used to take Doryx along with her bc pills and Spiro. No problems. It's best to be off of antibiotics as soon as you can though. They were never meant to be used long-term.

Hi, I'm going to be 46 & have been on Accutane (the only med that worked for me) more times than I can remember but do not want to use it any longer so pretty much begged for Spiro. It's been 2 weeks, 100mg (50mg 2x's a day). Drink lots of water, the restroom use hasn't increased in my opinion. I'm not prone to headaches but after I take it in the AM I will have a slight throb for less than 15 minutes. My chin is full of small whiteheads, unusual for me & I feel it hasn't begun to help with my body acne. I'm still using BP & Aveeno in the AM. Retin-A at night. I'm hoping it will clear my body acne before summer comes because I'd like to be able to wear a bathing suit without being embarrassed. Hasn't effected my cycle at all yet. Blood tests came back fine after one week & I eat potassium foods daily. Just thought I'd share my experience.

Hi Everyone. I have been taking Spironalactone now for over 4 years. It was the only thing that worked for my new hormonal breakouts that started when I was 22 yrs old (had been on Accutane 3 times prior to that starting when I was 14). This medicine has been terrific for me, it certainly helped to clear up my chin spots as well as keep my oily skin (and hair) at bay. I as well was started at 100mg a day which I did for about a year then decreased my self to anywhere from 50-75-100mg a day. Just depends on how my skin is looking, time of the month, etc.

I never had any serious side effects with this, in fact sometimes I think I can just stop taking it because it must not be doing anything because I don't feel any symptoms, but when I do stop....after a week or two without my skin is oily, new spots appear, etc. So, yes you must stay on this to receive its benefits!!

I think considering some of the alternatives, this is pretty safe to take. The only things I noticed when I first started taking them was peeing alot, lost a few pounds (water weight only) and sometimes If I was dehydrated I would get light headed if I stood up to fast, etc.

I LOVE this stuff! Go for it!

I've been on spiro for a little over a month now and I'm already definitely noticing a difference in my skin. Others have commented on it as well. The only major side effect that I'm running into is fatigue---I am exhausted all the time, but I think that is probably made worse because I have an autoimmune disorder that makes me kind of tired all the time anyway. One positive side effect so far was during my period: I have endometriosis that is so bad I spend my entire period trying not to throw up all the time. I can't lay on my side or I immediately get sick, can barely eat anything, in insane amounts of pain, it's absolutely miserable. This month was the first time EVER that I was not in a ton of pain and nauseous during my period. Hopefully that's not just a coincidence and maybe the spiro will keep me from having to get another laparoscopy any time soon...

Has anyone on spironolactone noticed a substantial reduction in stress?

Definitely not me, although that would have been nice!

I have never had an acne problem untill I turned 25 and my husband went to iraq. I think it started as a stress thing and has never stopped. I went to my derm and he perscribed me spironolactone, I have been taking 100mg a day for about 5 months now and i cant believe how clear my face is. I dont even break out around my period anymore. The only downfall to this pill is that it makes me really dizzy. Other than that its worked great. Hope you have the same results!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been on Spironolactone for 2 years now, it has had wonderful results for my skin. I've suffered from moderate cystic acne for 13 years now, into my adult life. I've been through 4 antibiotics, countless topical treatments...spironolactone has been the only thing that has worked for me...until now.

Don't want to be a downer, and maybe this wouldn't be the case for everyone...but in the past week I went to the doctor due to stomach pains, and it turns out that I have a stomach ulcer that she believes was caused by years of taking the Spiro Now I'm at a loss of what to do....I can't very well keep taking it if it's giving me MORE serious problems than acne.

Just wanted to let everyone know that ulcers are a possible side effect..but I'm sure not EVERYONE is effected this way. And yes, you do have to stay on the drug for it to work.

I have been on Spironolactone for 2 years now, it has had wonderful results for my skin. I've suffered from moderate cystic acne for 13 years now, into my adult life. I've been through 4 antibiotics, countless topical treatments...spironolactone has been the only thing that has worked for me...until now.

 

Don't want to be a downer, and maybe this wouldn't be the case for everyone...but in the past week I went to the doctor due to stomach pains, and it turns out that I have a stomach ulcer that she believes was caused by years of taking the Spiro Now I'm at a loss of what to do....I can't very well keep taking it if it's giving me MORE serious problems than acne.

 

Just wanted to let everyone know that ulcers are a possible side effect..but I'm sure not EVERYONE is effected this way. And yes, you do have to stay on the drug for it to work.

I would start taking an antiulcer medicine like Tagamet, Pepcid, Zantac, Prilosec. Ask your doctor which one is best for you. This should do the trick in preventing future ulcers from developing. Good luck.

Sorry to hear that. What dose were you on?

I was on 50mg twice per day for about a year and a half, then knocked it back to 25mg twice per day about 6 months ago just to see if it would still work at that dosage, which it did for me.

I would start taking an antiulcer medicine like Tagamet, Pepcid, Zantac, Prilosec. Ask your doctor which one is best for you. This should do the trick in preventing future ulcers from developing. Good luck.

I went to the doctor and she prescribed me Prilosec, which I am taking now and already feeling better (sigh of relief! the ulcer was not comfortable). I would just stay on the Prilosec...but I'm hesitant to add more prescriptions into my life...I'm already on 2 for acne (Yasmin & spiro). The Prilosec, over time, could cause me some other side effect & then I'd have to treat that one too... Has anyone tried natural remedies like saw palmetto and/or chromium for pcos/hormone related acne?

To fellow: Well, this is not happy news. So sorry to hear that and hope you find answers soon. I wonder if those taking spiro should be taking precautions before an ulcer develops. My daughter has been complaining about her tummy for so long now. She just got her dosage bumped up and it working. How does an ulcer get diagnosed?

To fellow: Well, this is not happy news. So sorry to hear that and hope you find answers soon. I wonder if those taking spiro should be taking precautions before an ulcer develops. My daughter has been complaining about her tummy for so long now. She just got her dosage bumped up and it working. How does an ulcer get diagnosed?

Thank you for the kind words--I hope I figure out what to do soon too!

How long has your daughter been on spiro? what's her dosage, just out of curiousity? I can tell you how I was diagnosed with the ulcer--I just had symptoms like heartburn that wouldn't go away, mild stomach pain, lots of burping and it would hurt when I burped, feeling like there was a "lump" of food trying to come up, and also feeling a hunger pang constantly. I went to the doctor, and she knew I had an ulcer just by my symptoms--no test was needed or anything invasive. But I'd say if your daughter is having BAD stomach pains over a long period of time, she probably should see a doctor and they'll be able to assess what testing, if any, would be needed...if it's an ulcer, they'd probably just put her on Prilosec like they did me..and I'm feeling a LOT better!! Hope she feels better and you guys get everything worked out!

I will have to ask her just how bad her pain is. She is a nurse so she probably would recognize the symptoms. She has been taking spiro for two years. It has been at 50 mgs and just recently got bumped up to 100 mgs. after she took 4 months off and broke out. I am glad you are better. Oh and I wouldn't give up on finding natural solutions. I still believe there's one out there. If it were me, I would be consulting a naturopath and do a combo for a while and then wean off the hard stuff