i started out on actavis and got really good results. then i switched to mylan when i started using cvs/walgreens. my skin got horrible on the mylan. i've been back on actavis for 3 mths and things aren't as good as the first time around, they have vastly improved.

also, i started a thread awhile back called spiro resistance where i talk about this same topic.

Hi-

Just wanted to let you know my experience in case it helps you. When I was first prescribed Spiro I was given Amneal. Honestly it took a while to kick in but after two months, I could tell it was making a difference. I use to really really be strict with what I ate beforehand banning anything fun in my diet. Although I was mega-healthy, it was starting to be a real drainer and I it was causing me to have an unhealthy relationship with food. Anyways, point is that when the Spiro Amneal starting really working I would notice that the "food break outs" were a thing of the past and that I could indulge every once in a while with friends and family without going crazy pyscho that I would wake up with a pizza face. Then I did a really stupid thing and I ordered my prescription through a mail in order prescription service. They sent me this HUGE bottle of "Spiro" but it didnt look like anything I had been taking. Nervous over my new found freedom and realizing that I was more sensitive to changes than I had ever thought, little pimples and bumps started showing up again along my cheeks and on my forehead immediately after the change ( I never broke out on my forehead so it was strange) I did a little research and realized that the pills are manufactured by Qualitest. Although Qualitest has less inactive ingredients than Amneal it has to be that the Qualitest's active ingredient Spironolactone isn't supported or as effective with the shorter list. Also, who knows if one of their inactive ingredients is known to trigger acne. I'm sure Qualitest produced their drug without really testing it for people who are acne-prone in mind.

hmmm yeah it does sound like qualitest spiro isn't all that great. i had a derm appt on the 3rd month of being on spiro and my derm was disappointed cause my skin hadn't cleared up. im on the 5th month now and there's still no improvement. so i think i really should try switching manufacturers..i was thinking either amneal or actavis. none of the pharmacies around here carry actavis though, but they have amneal. i just really hope my derm doesn't stop the refills of spiro when i see him in november cause he said if he doesn't see improvement, then he's gonna take me off the spiro.

just thought of something..would it be best if i tried the brand name of spiro, Aldactone? i've always thought that brand name medications worked the best. but if i do switch to the brand name, is there a chance that i would get an initial breakout or other side effects? when i first started spiro, the generic, back in May..i never got an initial breakout.

aldactone also has a much shorter list of inactive ingredients:

calcium sulfate, corn starch, hypromelloses, magnesium stearate,polyethylene glycol, povidone, titanium dioxide.

I know this is an older thread but I wanted to bump this topic. I didn't see this tread til right now and I created a similar topic a cpl wks ago due to problems I was having with Qualitest Generic Spiro.

I just started Amneal brand and I'm hoping I get good results.

see my thread here..... http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/topic/321724-what-is-the-manufacturer-of-your-generic-spironolactone/

Qualitest is the WORST! I had great success for 1.5 years with spiro manufactured by Greenstone, my pharmacy switched suppliers which I thought nothing of, until I realized all my symptoms were coming back. I researched and found out that gereric drugs are definitely NOT created equally and Qualitest is complete crap. I'm so annoyed that I had to go through all the stress and nonsense because of the greed and cutting corners of this subpar company. BEWARE.

This is tough. I've read in a lot of places that brand name Aldactone is the best. I've been on it for almost 6 months and wanted to switch to generic because it's costing me $125 a month. But I definitely don't want to do that if it will be a giant mistake. My pharmacy does qualitest too.

Wanted to update...

I switched to Amneal manufacturer of Spiro backin October and almost immediatly my skin cleared up. I even dropped down to only 50mg a day and my skin is still clear. Not as clear as 100mg but I deal with it becuase at 100mg I get side effects.

Walgreens sells Amneal.

My sister also switched from Qualitest to Amneal with the same amazing results.

Qualitest sucks! lol

I'm on Qualitest with no problems. If I did have problems though, I would just switch to Aldactone.

I've been on Aldactone for 7 months and with my insurance it costs me over $100 a month. I want to switch to amneal once I know Spiro is working for me..at this point Iddon't think it is.

I take the brand name Aldactone. I think its best to go with that so that your certain your skin is reacting well or not to the med because some people don't know it but their body could respond differently to the generic kinds.

I have been on Spiro (Qualitest manufactor) and it worked amazingly for years. Now for the past two months ive been breaking out with cystic painful pimples AGAIN. Its so discouraging because I went through this for years and tried everything including laser of two different kinds- and accutane and everything in between. Spiro worked after i started taking 150 mg a day. At 100 mg it didnt. My issue is now its not working so i started doing some research and came across this topic. Now my question is should I do the generic (spiro) with Walgreens that uses Amneal OR do the brand name Aldactone? Putting aside the cost issue/difference

not sure what i should go with- so calling DR tomorrow. any advice id like to hear

thanks in advance

frustrated again

I have been on Spiro (Qualitest manufactor) and it worked amazingly for years. Now for the past two months ive been breaking out with cystic painful pimples AGAIN. Its so discouraging because I went through this for years and tried everything including laser of two different kinds- and accutane and everything in between. Spiro worked after i started taking 150 mg a day. At 100 mg it didnt. My issue is now its not working so i started doing some research and came across this topic. Now my question is should I do the generic (spiro) with Walgreens that uses Amneal OR do the brand name Aldactone? Putting aside the cost issue/difference

not sure what i should go with- so calling DR tomorrow. any advice id like to hear

thanks in advance

frustrated again

It depends on whether you have more time or money. If you have more money, go for Aldactone. If you have more time and patience to go with another generic (Amneal) that may not be any better than Qualitest...well, try Amneal.

What do the different brands look like, in other words, do the pills vary in colour, shape or size? Or do they look the same? So I can watch out for a switch in brands.

Mine is sort of peach coloured and has an NN on one side and a 100 on the other. Anyone know which this is?

for the UK users, just curious which manufacturer are you using? which manufacturer is good?

MYLAN brand is a flat circle shape, white, with a indented line going across it down the middle on one side.

Is mylan better than anmeal? CVS can special order mylan, but they can't special order anmeal (due to contract things in their company or something)