How To Take Spironolactone

Green Gables · 2013-06-21T19:15:17Z

This is written specifically for women on spironolactone, though it can also apply to women on high doses of herbal DHT inhibitors such as saw palmetto. This covers how to take it most effectively, what side effects to expect, and what side effects should worry you. This assumes you have already read and understand <iframe src="/topic/330164-the-big-hormone-post-for-both-men-and-women/.?do=embed" frameborder="0" data-embedcontent=""> Split your Spiro in two doses each day. Your body can only utilize so much at one time. Most doctors prescribe it so you have to anyway. I take a 50mg pill morning and a 50mg pill in the afternoon. Take the Spiro with a full meal and plenty of water. You're going to have digestive issues if you take them with just a granola bar, or just a fruit smoothie, or an an empty stomach. Full meal. Something with a mix of protein, fat, and carb. And a full glass of water. Take your second Spiro dose no later than 3pm. Your androgen and thyroid levels are the highest earlier in the day. Taking it later in the day won't do as much good for your hormones, and it is more likely to cause headaches, sleep disturbances, and other side effects later in the day. Drink water like it's going out of style. Spironolactone is a diuretic. You are going to get headaches unless you are consciously drinking water, even when you don't "feel" thirsty. It also helps to eat whole fruits with a lot of water content. (I don't recommend straight up fruit juices or gatorade-style drinks because it's too much fruit sugar in one sitting and wreaks havoc on your insulin. It's also a lot of potassium, which isn't good on spiro. Keep reading...) Watch your potassium and salt like a hawk. Spironolactone affects your potassium and electrolyte levels. It is a potassium-sparing diuretic, which means it makes you pee a lot but you don't get rid of the potassium in your pee like you would normally. This means you cannot consume too much potassium. Too much salt can also pose a problem. • Cut out dairy. Besides the bad hormonal effects it has, dairy is fortified with potassium. • Watch potassium-rich foods, such as: Tomatoes Too many salted foods Beets Most beans Soy, soybeans, soybean oil (found in most vegetable oils, sauces, salad dressings, mayonnaise...) DAIRY Frozen or prepared foods (many have added potassium but aren't required to put it on the label) Fruit juices (many have added potassium but aren't required to put it on the label) Gatorade-style drinks (many have added potassium but aren't required to put it on the label) I'm having irregular periods, spotting, longer cycles, shorter cycles--in general I'm having period trouble? This is normal and may go on for months on spiro. If it doesn't stop at about the 6 month mark, you will need to do one of the following: Add birth control pills to regulate your menses OR Reduce your spironolactone dosage to 50-75mg daily OR Use spironolactone for 21 days each month and then cycle off for 7 days. The 7 days off should be the same week as your period. <iframe src="/topic/330166-good-bad-birth-control-pills-and-implants-for-acne/?do=embed" frameborder="0" data-embedcontent=""> Okay, at what point SHOULD I be worried about side effects? In general, what I see over and over again, is that we try too hard to analyze the results during the treatment process. If we get a new pimple, "it's not working." If our periods are irregular, "it's not working." If we gain a few pounds, "it's not working." If we shed more hair in the shower, "it's not working." Do you get the picture? You need to expect ALL of these side effects, and expect that your body is going to experience a lot of ups and downs for about a year before they level out. But there are some people who don't succeed on this treatment and you may be one of them. How do you know? Here i have split up "reasonable" side effects with "unreasonable" side effects. This assumes you are already doing EVERYTHING in the steps above as well as all the diet changes I list in <iframe src="/topic/330164-the-big-hormone-post-for-both-men-and-women/.?do=embed" frameborder="0" data-embedcontent=""> REASONABLE side effects: New pimples for up to 6 months New pimples coming up at different depths and different locations An "initial breakout" Oily skin and hair for up to 8 months Increased bloating and water retention (more than you normally get from your menstrual cycle) for up to 4 months Irregular periods, some skipped periods, or spotting up to the first 8 months Temporary increased head hair shedding A permanent state of minor to moderate thinner head hair. Many women with acne have thicker than normal head hair. This thins out to medium or fine texture as the acne goes away. Less facial hair and body hair. Up to 10 pounds of weight gain on the scale Change in fat distribution (bigger breasts, softening of facial edges, fat deposits in hips) Minor to moderate increased bruising, temporary and/or permanent Headaches...

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freshair 86

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(@freshair86)

Posted : 11/02/2014 12:47 pm

Spironolactone works if you have hormonal imbalances or pcos.

If you don't have symptoms like irregular periods,absent periods, irsutism, Clear tendency to gain weight or obesity, high dhea and testosterone You'd better think twice before starting it.

I got my periods every two weeks, my mild acne was almost unaffected, even if after 10 months it got better but the improvement lasted just for 6 months and I think it had nothing to do with this drug.

What is more, your skin will dry up if you are on 100 mg.

I developed scars I've never had before in 12 years of mild acne and the reasons is that dry skin isn't able to repair itself as normal or oily skin. Even the smallest pimples leave scars and some scars appeared where I had no Acne at all.

Moreover this is no real cure for acne because as soon as you stop it, even if it works, you will get your acne back.

It won't do anything to comedones aka clogged pores, so you'll need to exfoliate anyway, but then you will have dry skin and any kind of exfoliators would be took harsh.

Personally I was diagnosed with pcos but later discovered that the doctor was wrong and I don't have pcos at all, so be careful if you don't have any evident symptoms. Acne alone is not to be related to hormonal imbalances/ pcos.

Taking this drug and listening to that doctor was one of the worst mistake I've ever made.

I'M considering visiting a lawyer since the damages on my skin cause me psicological issues, my acne problem wasn't fixed and the diagnose was totally wrong

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lifelong confusion

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(@lifelong-confusion)

Posted : 11/19/2014 3:40 am

Has anyone experienced sore throat on Spiro? I haven't found a lot of results online. I've been on Yaz for 11 months now and tried spiro only to get weird numbness/soreness in my throat. It says I'm supposed to stop it if that happens, but I don't know what else to do. Today I broke out again and got desperate and took the pill anyway. I'm wondering if the side effect is just dryness due to the fact that spiro is a duretic, though i did feel like it was numb as well, so i'm not sure. I still break out and I'm seriously sick and tired of it to the point i don't even care if i'm putting myself in danger, i just want this to be over.

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smichelle

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(@smichelle)

Posted : 07/30/2015 12:00 pm

I'm from Canada too and was on the Teva-Spironolactone for a year and never noticed any reduction in oil. Did it ever work for you?!

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smichelle

MemberMember

(@smichelle)

Posted : 08/03/2015 12:03 pm

I'm really curious what my brand is but all I see on my bottle is Teva-Spironolactone. I googled "Teva" but couldn't determine if it was brand name or generic. Perhaps labelling is different in Canada. Anyone know?

I'm from Canada too and took " Teva-Spironolactone" for a year without any improvement in my oil.. I recent just switched to Aldactone the brand name to see if it would make any difference. Did u have any luck with yours?

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How To Take Spironolactone

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