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.

 

Okay, thank you! My current BC isn't clearing up my skin completely, so I am looking into taking Spiro along with it since it seems to be working well for other people.

I just started Sprio 50 mgs last week upped to 100 mg this week. No change so far. Not better nor worse however I have just started my cycle and usually I'm worse at this time of the month..so maybe it is working????? I'm supposed to add Yasmin but I'm terrified of a breakout. Im getting married next month and dont want to take the risk.

It's working for me even at my low dose at 25 mgs. See my log if you want more info.

Could you tell me how long it took for the 25mg doses to start working? I just began. Thanks!

To anyone who is currently taking spiro, do you plan on staying on it for a certain period of time (1 year, etc) or how long are you going to stay on it? Is this something that you need to take forever? Or something like accutane that you take for a certain period of time?

To anyone who is currently taking spiro, do you plan on staying on it for a certain period of time (1 year, etc) or how long are you going to stay on it? Is this something that you need to take forever? Or something like accutane that you take for a certain period of time?

It only works as long as you take it so yeah, I'll probably be on it a while. I'll stop when I'm trying to conceive, if I ever try to.

I just got a prescription of 100mg's of spironolactone and I can increse to 200 the second week to help my stubborn peach fuzz, from my derm because my family physician says she's not allowed to give it to me, so she said she had a derm friend who would give it to me and she did. I've been on Yasmin for a good couple years or so, I had a really bad initial breakout from this, and it took 8 months for this to go away and then my skin was clear for a while and I was pretty happy, I also use differin 0.3% gel and finacea, been on those for 3 years, and just recently my cystic acne has been getting worse, definitely and mostly just on my chin, I have three there right now and just a stray cyst near my hairline, and I've been INCREDIBLY oily all over, whereas I used to just have combination skin.I am wondering if there is anyone out there who has been on yasmin for a while and did not just START yasmin with spiro? (I also use yasmin as a contraceptive too, not just for my skin, so I don't plan on getting off it) How did spiro react with your body after you have been on yasmin for a while? (I would like to say I am a yasmin vet) Being on it for a while did you get an initial break out or no? And girls who are thinking of taking yasmin and spiro at the same time, I can guarantee that yasmin will break you out, so I'd suggest one at a time or you'll look like a meat lovers pizza if you're JUST starting with BC.

I am wondering if the other treatments you are using with the spiro are producing your oil. Sometimes my skin gets oil of harsh chemicals or overdrying or over moisturizing which I recently discovered. Anyway you need to find a balance. and try to wean yourself off all of the harsh chemicals. I use BP for spot treatment rarely thats it. and then a simple cleanser. exfoliant a few times a weak really moiturise at night and then barely moisturize during the day and Valla GReAT skin! oh and 100mg of Spiro lol

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!

You said you work in a pharmacy. Any idea of the max length of time one can be on this? I want to take it til I die. I know that sounds extreme but I am never going back =) I would totally find a way to get me some Spiro under the table lol kidding. But seriously I am curious about how long my dr. will prescribe this for me now. But do I come out and say to her umm yea by the way I dont want you to ever take this miracle away from me. Cause if you do I pretty much wouldnt know how to live again =/

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!

Hiya girls

Iv been taking this for just over a month now iv seen a little improvement in spots im not getting as much as i would normally just a few random ones really, but iv seen no improvement in the greasyness of my skin at all!! I want the results all you are getting!!

I was taking 150mg for the first couple of weeks, the last week iv upped it to 200MG.

Do you think if im not seeing any improvement in the oil levels now i wont ever see any improvement in the future?

Thanks xx

I am wondering if the other treatments you are using with the spiro are producing your oil. Sometimes my skin gets oil of harsh chemicals or overdrying or over moisturizing which I recently discovered. Anyway you need to find a balance. and try to wean yourself off all of the harsh chemicals. I use BP for spot treatment rarely thats it. and then a simple cleanser. exfoliant a few times a weak really moiturise at night and then barely moisturize during the day and Valla GReAT skin! oh and 100mg of Spiro lol

they don't dry out my skin at all actually and I just use light moisturizers, and like I've said I've been on these topicals for three years and never had a problem with incresed oiliness. I tried going off them but broke out really bad not an option. And sorry, I can't use SA or BP I'm allergic, those aren't so great for my skin, but glad if that's working for yours. But I was kind of hoping on getting an answer about the ocella not the topicals... but thanks for the input, i'll get off my topicals when I am 30 and about to have kids

Hiya girls

Iv been taking this for just over a month now iv seen a little improvement in spots im not getting as much as i would normally just a few random ones really, but iv seen no improvement in the greasyness of my skin at all!! I want the results all you are getting!!

I was taking 150mg for the first couple of weeks, the last week iv upped it to 200MG.

Do you think if im not seeing any improvement in the oil levels now i wont ever see any improvement in the future?

Thanks xx

oh well spiro doesn't fully kick in until 3 or 4 months, if you're not getting the improvement you wanted by then, then I wouldn't even waste my time

i didnt see results until 2 monts exactly...& I was only on 50mg a day...I just upped it to 75mg as i noticed my chin clogging again...its a long hard wait but worth it

Give it three months at minimum. I dont think my oil production really decreased until 2 months or so

Hiya girls

Iv been taking this for just over a month now iv seen a little improvement in spots im not getting as much as i would normally just a few random ones really, but iv seen no improvement in the greasyness of my skin at all!! I want the results all you are getting!!

I was taking 150mg for the first couple of weeks, the last week iv upped it to 200MG.

Do you think if im not seeing any improvement in the oil levels now i wont ever see any improvement in the future?

Thanks xx

Thanks girls il wait it out just need to be patient eh xx

I finally started spiro today!! I live in Japan where accutane is illegal and dianette doesn't exist (tried the former and it worked temporarily, took a break from the latter and broke out horribly after 6 months.) Took me three different dermatologists before I found one who'd prescribe spiro to me, and he's started me on 100mg/day. I'm starting back on what's left of my dianette, and will switch to a japanese brand of BC once I run out.

Feeling horribly self-conscious of my skin so really hope this works... but my acne's definitely hormonal (been dealing with it since I was 14, now 24) so fingers crossed...

One thing - is it normal to take a break from it? I haven't read that anywhere, but my derm's instructed me to take spiro for 3 weeks, have a week break, then take it for another 3 weeks etc... like the pill. Anyone else?

I finally started spiro today!! I live in Japan where accutane is illegal and dianette doesn't exist (tried the former and it worked temporarily, took a break from the latter and broke out horribly after 6 months.) Took me three different dermatologists before I found one who'd prescribe spiro to me, and he's started me on 100mg/day. I'm starting back on what's left of my dianette, and will switch to a japanese brand of BC once I run out.

 

Feeling horribly self-conscious of my skin so really hope this works... but my acne's definitely hormonal (been dealing with it since I was 14, now 24) so fingers crossed...

 

One thing - is it normal to take a break from it? I haven't read that anywhere, but my derm's instructed me to take spiro for 3 weeks, have a week break, then take it for another 3 weeks etc... like the pill. Anyone else?

Nope, I've never heard of taking a break and I don't see the point of doing so.

Hi Guys!!

Im going on holiday on Friday to Turkey for a week

Do you think il still be safe to take Spiro while im there? Im a little worried about whether taking it will interfere with the heat its going to be very hot 47 degrees some days

Will it ruin what iv started by taking a weeks break?

Thanks

Hi Guys!!

Im going on holiday on Friday to Turkey for a week

Do you think il still be safe to take Spiro while im there? Im a little worried about whether taking it will interfere with the heat its going to be very hot 47 degrees some days

Will it ruin what iv started by taking a weeks break?

Thanks

Hi,

I used spironolactone for a few months. I never had any problems with it. But I also never saw a huge improvement either. I started off with 25mg and kept going up to 100mg and still never saw much. The only thing is i really didn't break out as much during my periods. But I still did a little bit. They told me that it would make you have to pee more when you first starting using it, but I never felt that way. I stopped using it recently when I started using the regime and I haven't noticed a difference!

Hi,

I used spironolactone for a few months. I never had any problems with it. But I also never saw a huge improvement either. I started off with 25mg and kept going up to 100mg and still never saw much. The only thing is i really didn't break out as much during my periods. But I still did a little bit. They told me that it would make you have to pee more when you first starting using it, but I never felt that way. I stopped using it recently when I started using the regime and I haven't noticed a difference!

Hi Everyone,

Here's my story. I started 100 mg of Spiro on July 19 and am taking a course of antibiotics to help resolve my acne while I wait for the Spiro to kick in. I was told it would take about 2 months.

I started getting really bad acne when I went through puberty and it has followed me throughout my life, with varying degrees of severity. I've tried so many different prescriptions and the only thing that really helped clear my skin was Accutane (which I took 3 courses of) and Yasmin. The last time I was on Accutane was about 10 years ago or so, when I was 21, and at that time my dermatologist told me he thought I'd have really good results switching to Yasmin from Ortho Tri Cyclen because Yasmin contains drospirenone which is a cousin to Spiro. He was right--my skin stayed pretty clear from the Yasmin but I was still having a few breakouts so I started Tazorac and Clindamycin gel and that gave me perfectly clear skin--the first time in my life! It was incredible! That lasted for about 5 years, and then, after a very stressful string of events 2 years ago my skin started breaking out again with small papules and pustules. (It's interesting to note that I also switched to the generic form of Yasmin around the same time, and I swear that didn't keep my face as clears as the brand name.) I stopped the Taz and Clindamycin and cleared up my skin with acupuncture and Chinese herbs, which was amazing.

This past January I decided I'd been on the BCP for far too long (15 years) and wanted to allow my body to normalize. Big mistake that seems to be because my face turned into an oil slick and my acne has come back with a vengeance. It is AWFUL. It began by breaking out with cysts on my scalp and back and I initially didn't make the connection that it was related to going off birth control. Then as months went by I started getting nodules on my face, although there weren't many. In May I suffered from a terrible case of contact dermatitis on my face which seemed to trigger my face exploding with cystic and nodular acne. I've also been experiencing maximum stress because of various issues in my life and I'm sure that isn't helping. It seems right now that my acne is worse than it was when I was a teenager. I have had cysts in places I never used to get them, including my forehead, back, scalp, and neck. The cysts on my back went away thanks to numerous cupping sessions (another Chinese medicine method), but my face is a wreck. I'm so embarrassed and devastated, and I'm dwelling on the fact that I seem to have destroyed my skin. Basically I've spiraled into a dark mental space and I'm really fighting to see the light right now. It's hard to stay positive when your acne is so bad, as I'm sure many of you can relate. Every time I look at myself in the mirror without makeup I have a nervous breakdown. This seems like a cruel joke and is completely traumatic.

I had my hormones measured a couple months ago and everything was normal except my testosterone, which was slightly elevated.

I'll keep everybody posted as time goes by. I'm praying that I see results. So far I haven't noticed anything except side effects which seem to be subsiding. In fact, I think that many of my side effects may have been self-inflicted paranoia about high potassium levels, etc. I was freaking out about eating too much potassium (I'm a vegetarian, so it's really hard to avoid), but my doctor told me to chill out about it and now I'm feeling MUCH better. I drink a lot of water every day and eat what I normally eat, although I'm avoiding sweets and dairy. My skin is continuing to break out like it was before the Spiro and my period has already been thrown off.

Also, as an aside, there's one more thing that I think you might find interesting. My dermatologist said that I should absolutely not get my prescription filled at CVS Pharmacy because based on his experiences in treating acne their generics are not nearly as effective as generics elsewhere.

Everyone who is on the Spiro journey with me please keep me posted. I would love to hear updates. Reading the success stories on the message boards is what is really giving me hope at this point.

xo

spiro update!!

I am SO happy with it so far 2 months in and my skin is almost completely clear! I'm down to getting maybe one or two spots a month, and they're tiny. I've also been doing other stuff to try and help my skin, like cutting dairy and drinking huge amounts of green tea, not sure if that's contributed (but probably not significantly)

My main problem now is the red marks/scars left behind, as my skin heals ridiculously slowly. But at my most recent appointment the derm prescribed me differin 0.1 gel to try and fade the red marks. So we'll see what happens.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the 3rd month goes!

I have been on Spiro for 3 months now with a significant improvement ...I was on Yaz but was having really bad side effects and so I went off the pill. I felt 100 times better but my face went crazy to the point of not really being able to leave the house (huge cysts and scarring because I keep trying to pop them). So my derm gave me once a day 150mg doryx (delay release doxycycline) antibiotic to take for 2 weeks to clear up the initial break out, Acanya gel as a topical (clindamycin 1.2% and benzoyl peroxide 2.5%) and 25 mg of Spiro. I am very happy to report that I am almost completely cleared. The Spiro has helped with the oilness & hairyness and I really don't need much foundation anymore, my derm is bumping me to 50mg Spiro a day (25mg am and pm) to finish off the few pimples left. While there is no major side effects from Spiro it does lower your blood pressure so before upping your dosage suddenly I would work up to your ideal dose in increments. It does take about 60-90 days to see results, I was panicking early on when it seemed like it wasn't initially working. Apparently 25 mg Spiro is the similar dosage in Yaz without the estrogen which was making me a hormonal crazy girl. I've also gotten my libido back or grove back which was an unexpected bonus. For any of those on the fence, Spiro was a miracle worker for me.....

Hi Everyone,

Here's my story. I started 100 mg of Spiro on July 19 and am taking a course of antibiotics to help resolve my acne while I wait for the Spiro to kick in. I was told it would take about 2 months.

 

I started getting really bad acne when I went through puberty and it has followed me throughout my life, with varying degrees of severity. I've tried so many different prescriptions and the only thing that really helped clear my skin was Accutane (which I took 3 courses of) and Yasmin. The last time I was on Accutane was about 10 years ago or so, when I was 21, and at that time my dermatologist told me he thought I'd have really good results switching to Yasmin from Ortho Tri Cyclen because Yasmin contains drospirenone which is a cousin to Spiro. He was right--my skin stayed pretty clear from the Yasmin but I was still having a few breakouts so I started Tazorac and Clindamycin gel and that gave me perfectly clear skin--the first time in my life! It was incredible! That lasted for about 5 years, and then, after a very stressful string of events 2 years ago my skin started breaking out again with small papules and pustules. (It's interesting to note that I also switched to the generic form of Yasmin around the same time, and I swear that didn't keep my face as clears as the brand name.) I stopped the Taz and Clindamycin and cleared up my skin with acupuncture and Chinese herbs, which was amazing.

 

This past January I decided I'd been on the BCP for far too long (15 years) and wanted to allow my body to normalize. Big mistake that seems to be because my face turned into an oil slick and my acne has come back with a vengeance. It is AWFUL. It began by breaking out with cysts on my scalp and back and I initially didn't make the connection that it was related to going off birth control. Then as months went by I started getting nodules on my face, although there weren't many. In May I suffered from a terrible case of contact dermatitis on my face which seemed to trigger my face exploding with cystic and nodular acne. I've also been experiencing maximum stress because of various issues in my life and I'm sure that isn't helping. It seems right now that my acne is worse than it was when I was a teenager. I have had cysts in places I never used to get them, including my forehead, back, scalp, and neck. The cysts on my back went away thanks to numerous cupping sessions (another Chinese medicine method), but my face is a wreck. I'm so embarrassed and devastated, and I'm dwelling on the fact that I seem to have destroyed my skin. Basically I've spiraled into a dark mental space and I'm really fighting to see the light right now. It's hard to stay positive when your acne is so bad, as I'm sure many of you can relate. Every time I look at myself in the mirror without makeup I have a nervous breakdown. This seems like a cruel joke and is completely traumatic.

 

I had my hormones measured a couple months ago and everything was normal except my testosterone, which was slightly elevated.

 

I'll keep everybody posted as time goes by. I'm praying that I see results. So far I haven't noticed anything except side effects which seem to be subsiding. In fact, I think that many of my side effects may have been self-inflicted paranoia about high potassium levels, etc. I was freaking out about eating too much potassium (I'm a vegetarian, so it's really hard to avoid), but my doctor told me to chill out about it and now I'm feeling MUCH better. I drink a lot of water every day and eat what I normally eat, although I'm avoiding sweets and dairy. My skin is continuing to break out like it was before the Spiro and my period has already been thrown off.

 

Also, as an aside, there's one more thing that I think you might find interesting. My dermatologist said that I should absolutely not get my prescription filled at CVS Pharmacy because based on his experiences in treating acne their generics are not nearly as effective as generics elsewhere.

 

Everyone who is on the Spiro journey with me please keep me posted. I would love to hear updates. Reading the success stories on the message boards is what is really giving me hope at this point.

 

xo

I can totally relate. I have suffered from acne for years as well. I just started the spiro a week and a half ago and had a pretty bad initial breakout that I am still recovering from. I got my generic spiro from CVS and just read what your derm said about that. I think I will try to switch my prescription to another pharmacy. I am so embarrassed about how horrible my face looks I stay in the house a lot and hate going out. I am REALLY hoping this spiro will work a miracle for me as I have tried everything else at this point with little success. Hopefully it will help both of us.

Hey guys and girls

I took Spiro for about 3 months at about 100mg- 150 every day sometimes bit less bit more different days

I mainly took it to stop or help my oil production as i have the most disgusting greasiest skin ever and have had for years

It didnt help at all with this not one iota

So iv stopped taking it ....... think i have about a half a bottle left but i dont see the point in continuing to take it if its not helping me dry out whatsoever??

Thing is it completely killed my S*X drive I did read that a LOT of people had exactly the same side affect and it killed theirs also but i didnt really belive it, but a wee while into it i definately noticed i just didnt feel like that so much which my BF definately didnt appreciate!!!

Anyway iv been off Spiro for a couple of weeks now and i still feel the same

Hopeing to feel like myself again soon ( dont know how long it takes to leave your body) xxxxxxx

Hi ladies

I found this forum while I was looking up Spironolactone info.

I have had acne since I was 27,and I'm now 33.After trying a lot of other things that only worked for

a little while,I finally convinced a doctor to prescribe Spiro.

I started on 25mg about 3 months ago.

At first my skin dried up a lot and it was great since I have super oily skin.

I had a mild initial breakout,but my face was already kinda bad when I started it.

After two weeks I was pretty clear with the occasional micro zit that went away in a day.

Recently my face has broken out again though and started to become oily again,

so I asked my dr. to prescribe me 100mg.

Thankfully she is pretty good with letting me try stuff and she knows how much my acne bothers me

so she agreed.

I took 75 instead of the full 100,I figured I do it gradually.

Anyways,my face is breaking out from the dosage change,but my skin

is drying out again which is very good.One of the main reasons I'm on this is to

help me with the oil.

My face used to be so awful with oil,I went through Tons of those Oil absorbing sheets everyday.

I also have chin hair,and somewhat thinning hair on my head.

With spiro I have noticed the hair on my chin grows back much,much slower and

also lighter.

I'm hoping maybe it will help my hair become thicker too on my scalp...

I've had a few side effects,but none too terrible.I pee Constantly,but I'm

also forcing myself to drink more water.

When I first started I had some insomnia,but that went away after a month or two.

I also noticed some grouchiness when I started the 25mg.Kinda feeling more

PMS-ish,except my period has been late while being on Spiro.

Now that I'm on 75,my mood feels a bit better.

Anyways,I really hope Spiro works cuz I'm pretty discouraged.

I have been on SO MANY ACNE TREATMENTS.Some worked,but only for a short while

and my acne ALWAYS comes back.

Proactiv,Salicylic acid,Clindamycin,Ziana,Differin,Retin-A micro,Tazorac,

neostrata,minocycline,Doxy,bactrim,renova,murad,everything over the counter,

using nothing,eating better,cutting out dairy,soy,drinking 500 glasses of water a day,

tanning,not tanning,wearing no make up,zeno,BP...

If Spiro doesn't work then I think my derm is out of ideas and wants me to do

Accutane.I'm terrified to try Accutane,and knowing me it probably wouldn't even work.

My sister took it and couldn't even finish it because she said it made her feel crazy and

did nothing for her acne.

It's important for me to add I'm not on any birth control pills either.

One final thing,

Which is an amazing thing about Spiro,is that my boobs are HUGE since I have been on it.

I feel like I have gained at least a cup size,yet have lost weight because it makes

me have no appetite 😉