what i've noticed is that sex drive went up at first then slowly went down after i had been on spiro for a while. i used to get pms really bad but i had it before spiro but now after being on it for a few years that has gone away to the point that i have no idea when i am getting my period now. its also really light too which is a nice surprise. one thing i did notice all those years that i was on the pill is that my periods were so much worse while i was on it versus not being on it. most people have the opposite affect but not me. i am just glad i got off them years ago.

if you are clear i dont see a reason to increase spiro but go with whatever you feel comfortable doing but i do agree that 100mg is a very effective dose. that's what i've been on since 12/2013.

Thanks for replying! I'm not clear. I am still struggling the week after my period. It's like clockwork.

I'm very emotional, depressed, & anxious about my skin. I have let this take over me and I somehow have to get myself under control. I have two little ones who need a happy, focused mother.

Sorry for the rant.

I don't want to take more than I need I guess I'm just fearful of waiting another 3 months to realize I need more. I'm also afraid adding more will cause a flare. I didn't have an initial breakout when I started & I'm also on minocycline.

Hi! Spiro isn't really known to cause flare-ups, like say accutane or retinoids, and 50mg is actually quite a low dose of the drug. I have read, and my previous dermatologist agrees, that most see benefits from spiro at doses of 100mg or higher. Usually, you should work up to that dose and your doctor needs to check your potassium levels to make sure they aren't getting too high. As long as your potassium levels are normal and you are tolerating side effects, you can increase dosage.

Now for the bad news - spironolactone, if it works, takes a LONG time to work (in my case it never really did, but it does for many people). While I was taking spiro, I found that drinking plenty of water (like, always have a water bottle with you), really helped. Also, I was on the kind of BCP that has drospirenone, which is basically the same as spiro. My dermatologist told me that the amount of drospirenone in the BCP equated to 25mg of spiro, so I took an extra 25 mg of spiro during the inactive days of my pack when I wasn't getting that dose from the pill. I found this helped keep me on an even keel regarding my cycle. If you are on a BCP like yaz, you might ask your doc if it's ok for you to do this as it might help with the symptoms your experiencing during your first active week.

Strangely, I was on yasmin for 6 years and it was the only thing to clear my skin. I went off to get pregnant, back on after and it worked again. After my last child, it didn't work. I also started developing cysts on one of my ovaries and my gynocologist switched me to orthocyclen.

I've been on orthocyclen for 8 months. 14 weeks ago added spiro (50mg). Been on 75 mg the past 3 days. I'm trying to be patient and pray.

Thanks for the help and advice.