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Hello all, so I am starting to think that birth control is causing me awful health problems ( I have been on Yaz since June)If I go on spironolactone and either switch BCP or wean off of it, will it help control my acne?
I am very confused and hopefully someone can give me any advice. my topic is here http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Yaz-causi...ms-t261068.html
I can defiantly relate, although I didn't take Yaz, I was on Yasmin. It gave me a bunch of health problems too. Mostly gastric type flu everyday. You can defiantly take Spiro to help w/the acne part, although it doesn't completely clear it , but it will defiantly help, at least for me it has. There is no such thing as weaning of a bcp, but you could also take another. I have no idea which though. Hope I helped a bit.
Can I ask how much Spiro you are on that helped clear up your acne? Your before and after pics are just amazing!!
Can I ask how much Spiro you are on that helped clear up your acne? Your before and after pics are just amazing!!
I take 100 mg/day. I didn't get the prescription from a dermatologist though, I got it from an endocrinologist, who determined that my skin was going crazy due to PCOS (which was why antibiotics and topical stuff like Retin-A weren't doing a darn thing to help).
Can I ask how much Spiro you are on that helped clear up your acne? Your before and after pics are just amazing!!
I take 100 mg/day. I didn't get the prescription from a dermatologist though, I got it from an endocrinologist, who determined that my skin was going crazy due to PCOS (which was why antibiotics and topical stuff like Retin-A weren't doing a darn thing to help).
1 more question...
Does it make a difference if you take two 50 mg pills a day versus taking one 100 mg pill a day?
1 more question...
Does it make a difference if you take two 50 mg pills a day versus taking one 100 mg pill a day?
I don't think so...I take one 100 mg pill once a day, but my doctor said that I could also split it in half and take it twice a day (morning and night) if any side effects were bothersome. It's really just a matter of keeping a constant amount in your bloodstream (therefore important to take it at the same time every day) since the pill is trying to regulate your hormone levels.
Hi everyone! I just started taking Spironolactone @ 100mg per day on 2/25/10 so it has been 10 days and I am still experiencing the initial break-out I have seen others post about. I was wondering how long this initial break-out lasted for others or if you experienced this at all? Thanks for your help!
oh another question: my derm also perscribed Ziana gel to apply at night. has anyone taken this? did u like it? i have always used cream's, i am not a big fan of the gel's because i always applied the creme's in the am, but the gel makes my face so shiny that i apply it at night. are there any creme's anyone would suggest? i have taken retin-a and benza-clin in the past but they are not working now. Thanks again for the help!
-mkpete4
I'll be on 50mg of spiro for a full month this Tuesday. I didn't really notice an IB, but I also didn't notice any clearing until the beginning of my 3rd week. And I got super stressed at the end of that week and got 3 more cysts...They do seem to be fading a bit faster than they used to.
As for topicals, my derm did prescribe a few, but I decided to stick with my Face Reality routine of Mandelic Acid and BP. The Mandelic Acid is helping to fade red marks and BP is killing the bacteria.
Just wanted to throw my two cents in. I have been on Spiro since Oct. 2009. I started out taking 100 mg/day, but now take 150 mg/day. I did have a pretty bad initial breakout, and it took about 5 or 6 weeks to really start noticing my face clearing (fortunately, I came on this site and found out that was normal...otherwise, I probably would have stopped taking it). Although I usually have a few pimples pop up around my period, my skin looks NOTHING like it did before. When I do get pimples, they are small and not the big cysts I used to get on my neck. I am so much happier with my skin now, and don't have to put on loads of coverstick to try to cover things up now. I'm really glad I finally found a dermatologist who led me to this treatment.
One thing I was concerned about when I started was that the info. they gave me at the pharmacy said that lab animals on this medication have gotten tumors. I brought this up with my dermatologist. He said if he was taking away virtually all the testosterone in my body, that probably would happen (e.g. hormone pills). He said we're not doing that, though--just getting it to the appropriate level.
I also read a post on here where a woman claimed that there is a black box warning on this medication because it is so dangerous. I work in a pharmacy, and that's not true. I'm not saying that there aren't side affects to be weighed when using this medication, but there is definitely not a black box warning on the label.
Good luck to all of you on finding something that works for you!
My derm actually told me that there is a black box warning. He said it was recently added and had all the derms scratching their heads. He doesn't think it's a big deal, but he wanted to warn me of it. I didn't care.
I think if you google spiro and black box warning you may come up with stuff.
My derm said it was recently added. He felt obligated to tell me about it but he also said he and most derms were talking about it and they all disagree. I guess it all comes down to how afraid you are of cancer. I'm not really afraid of it, but that said, I certainly don't want it.
Here is a link to information about spironolactone on the FDA website in case anyone wants to read the risk information from a reliable source:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyI...s/ucm121173.htm
Spironolactone is by no means a new drug, and has been used for decades to treat heart conditions and endocrine disorders. In all this time, there has been no compelling evidence of the drug causing a significant increase in cancer risk in humans, despite causing cancer in lab rats.
This paper describes a number of human and animal tests of spiro to demonstrate its safety, if anyone is interested in checking it out:
http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol79/mono79-13.pdf
Sorry about that... I guess I should have done a little more research before I posted that. I guess I thought that if there was a black box warning, it would appear on the label of the bottle. Last time I looked, there wasn't one...but that has been over a month ago. Thanks to those of you who cleared up my error.
I have used aldactone (spironolactone) for 1 year now and it WORKS!!!!!! I had tried everything out there and nothing at all even touched my acne. My acne cleared up in no time once I started taking aldactone. However, I recently ran out of the med and Rx was overdue so I could not get it refilled and within a week my acne started to return.
Hi Everyone! I am new to this forum and have been in search of a clear skin "cure" since I was 11! (I am now 28 and this has been a 17 year battle). Accutane was the only thing that kept my breakouts at bay and the oil production down. I loved it but the acne would always return. For the last year, to my surprise, I have been able to maintain clear skin while on DUAC in the morning, Retin-A micro at night, and spironolactone (25 mg). However, for some odd reason last month, I began breaking out (only on my chin) and my oil production is now simply out of control. What I thought was the perfect regiment is failing me 
. I asked my derm. to up my spironolactone prescription to 75 mg as my skin seems to have gotton so much oilier (only in the t-zone, but nevertheless VERY OILY!). 75 mg is doing nothing for my oil which is so much worse than the acne itself!
I am wondering if Spironolactone will decrease oil in all patients if taken at the right dose - or are there some people it does not help at all? Also, would it make sense to up the dose to 100mg in order for me to see a reduction in oil?
Thanks for your help!
Hi There! I am currently taking Spironolactone. I feel like I felt a difference in the very beginning, but I don't know if it's really helping anymore. I've been taking it for over a year. I don't want to stop taking it though, just in case it does help calm some of my acne. My fear is that I would breakout if I stopped taking it.
I just started it today! I'm hoping for positive results. I went on accutane 2 times... worked for 6 months after stopping the dosage the first time, then 6 years after the end of the second time! I got off the BC pill, and a year later I started getting acne all along my jaw line and even on my neck... cystic crap I thought was over with! I'm hoping this is the answer since I've heard is is affective on hormonal acne (which based on the BC pill issue and the jawline acne I think it is). Anyone else have any updates? been taking it long term?
I've been on it 9 months now and am 100% clear!I was on 50 mg for 5-6 months, 75 for 2 months, and I just started on 100 recently.
Now it's time to get rid of all this pesky hyperpigmentation.
Good for you! I just started taking Spiro last week (50mg/day), and my story is like so many of you.... hoping it is my "miracle drug" after taking just about everything. Your story gives me hope.
I have lots of red marks on my chin and cheeks - I figure (like you) I'll get clear and then worry about them. The strange thing is that I thought it was just hyper-pigmentation but my derm told me it was scarring "very red, very deep". I don't consider it deep at all, considering there is no change in texture there - just red spots all over so I'm not sure how to treat them - she said only time would help.
What are you going to try on the hyper-pigmentation?
Good for you! I just started taking Spiro last week (50mg/day), and my story is like so many of you.... hoping it is my "miracle drug" after taking just about everything. Your story gives me hope.
I have lots of red marks on my chin and cheeks - I figure (like you) I'll get clear and then worry about them. The strange thing is that I thought it was just hyper-pigmentation but my derm told me it was scarring "very red, very deep". I don't consider it deep at all, considering there is no change in texture there - just red spots all over so I'm not sure how to treat them - she said only time would help.
What are you going to try on the hyper-pigmentation?
I'm on Tazorac nightly. Might consider adding something else in a few months.
6 months on 100mg of spiro and I am 100% clear right now. Skin becomes a little unruly around my period, but compared to how it was before? It's a miracle! I had moderate severe acne before taking spiro, with at the very least 3 monster cysts at any given time, numerous whiteheads and clogged pores all over my face. My jawline was covered with small zits, and in general, my face was a mess. I was so self conscious and would not even go out at all. Now? I am so happy, much more confident, and living my life like I should have been doing before! 
It has always just kept working better and better through my journey: I hope it works for you, too!
Is Spiro and actual form of BC? Or do you take it paired with BC? I'm going to call my doctor about it soon, but I want to make sure I know what I'm talking about first lol. thank you!
Spiro is NOT BC. It may actually make you more fertile. And you don't need to take it with BC, unless you're worried about getting pregnant.