Hello! I am new to this website but it has really helped knowing that others are going through the same issues with acne. I am a 27 y.o Female and I have suffered from acne since I was 13. I have tried everything, antibiotics, creams, Birth control, basically everything except accutane. About 8 months ago my skin got out of control breaking out everyday and some painful cysyts along my cheeks and jawline. This is the worst my skin has been in my whole life and it is very depressing. My derm told me it is likely hormonal acne or adult onset and started me on Spiro 100mg. I have been on it for 6 weeks and my skin is looking worse. Has anyone else had an iniitial break out when they started Spiro? Also does anyone have any success stories or how long did it take to see results? Going to give it another month or so then guess I will just have to try accutane. Any feedback would be appreciated!!!
Hi! I wish had actual advice for you, but I can give you my experience! I started spiro January 17th. I've been keeping a log actually. It hasn't been 3 months yet and I'm not clear yet, but I don't want to discourage you because as I'm sure you've read, spiro takes time and patience! I CAN tell you that I seemed to have an initial outbreak on spiro. My skin was definitely the worse it had been in my life. The first couple months I had the two worst outbreaks of my life. I am not clear yet, but I can tell you that my clearer days are more frequent than my breakout days, which was not the case a couple months ago! Keep us updated on your journey! I hope someone can answer the question for you better! There are so many people with success stories!
It took me 4-5 months to see results on Spiro, and from the endless research I've done on this medication as well talking to my dermatologist, it can take anywhere from 1 month to close to a year to work for someone. If your acne is caused by hormones (specifically, too much testosterone), you will more than likely get clear. Hang in there!
Im 24 yrs old, I've been on spironolactone for about 5 wks now and boy am I discouraged... I'm breaking out way worse!!! 
this is embarrassing and all I wanna do is curl up inside my bed covers and never leave my apt... :.( I've had acne before, I wanna say about 2-3 yrs ago I went to a dermatologist... She got me on an antibiotic menacycline for 5 months and it worked... Got me clear.. Then at the beginning of this year I had to stop taking bc pills and then I started to get acne again... These are huge pimples,
Like welts on my face, and I can't help but try and pop them because I can't stand the bumps... So face always hurts how much longer do I have to wait?? I hate myself sooo much...
On 4/10/2012 at 10:44 PM, Anabob said:Im 24 yrs old, I've been on spironolactone for about 5 wks now and boy am I discouraged... I'm breaking out way worse!!! [Edited image out]this is embarrassing and all I wanna do is curl up inside my bed covers and never leave my apt... :.( I've had acne before, I wanna say about 2-3 yrs ago I went to a dermatologist... She got me on an antibiotic menacycline for 5 months and it worked... Got me clear.. Then at the beginning of this year I had to stop taking bc pills and then I started to get acne again... These are huge pimples,
Like welts on my face, and I can't help but try and pop them because I can't stand the bumps... So face always hurts [Edited image out]how much longer do I have to wait?? I hate myself sooo much...
Don't be discouraged! I know EXACTLY how you feel! I have felt like that way a lot the last couple months! At 5 weeks of spiro my face was a disaster! I had the two worst outbreaks of my life that month. BUT I am finally breaking out less and less. I have finally hit the 12 week mark today. I know that feeling of not wanting to leave your apartment. I have felt that on way too many occasions and after seeing how my skin looked about 1-2 months in on spiro I felt even more discouraged! But don't give up! I know people say you need to be patient, and it's true! Just know that it WILL get better!
I can't be patient like that, I asked my derm to please put me on antibiotics again... It worked last time and she insisted I stay on spiro for another month... She upped my dose to 150 and I'm taking them "religiously" everyday, but after this month is up and it hasn't worked I'm gonna ask to go on the antibiotics... I see a difference in the acne I have now then the one years ago... This time it's like cysts... And my period is soooo irregular... What can iiiii...do? I feel so defeated by this... I'm so weak i know..
It took me 6 months to see the results of spiro (with 100mg/day.) I was quite discouraged and wondered if it would even work. It was VERY worth the wait, though -- I had pretty severe cystic acne and now my skin is 100% clear. I'm now trying to wean down to a lower dose. Good luck!
Could I ask you a question? I have been on spiro for what will be 13 weeks tomorrow, so about three months. It's been within the last couple weeks that I have really noticed a decrease in acne. I am on 150 mg. But started on 50, then was on 100 for a few weeks too. I still get oily in my T-Zone though. It has definitely improved, but I have always heard about people who said they never got oily anymore after being on spiro. Do you still get a bit oily? Also, I am the kind of person that goes up to the mirror and stares at every little bump for long periods of time in many different lights. I noticed that up close I have little bumps on my chin which aren't noticeable unless I look REALLY closely, I believe they're clogged pores or something? So when you say you're 100% clear do you mean that everything even those little bumps are gone? Also did it just start to get better and better for you as the days went on? Sorry for all the questions! I just am afraid that since I still get a little oily that it isn't going to completely get rid of all my acne or something! Congrats on clear skin by the way! 
Im 24 yrs old, I've been on spironolactone for about 5 wks now and boy am I discouraged... I'm breaking out way worse!!!
Like welts on my face, and I can't help but try and pop them because I can't stand the bumps... So face always hurts
Can u not take birth control pills anymore? That would help regulate your period. Stopping them through your hormones off and that is why you started breaking out. When I was around 25 or 26 I stopped taking birth control for awhile and my face went crazy. I never realized that was what was keeping my skin clear. I had the worst acne I have ever had in my life. I mean cysts and knots that stayed forever. I finally went to a new gyno and he recommended I take ortho tri cyclen. It cleared up my face completely in a few months. But you have to take ortho tri cyclen not ortho tri cyclen lo. If you can take them again I recommend ortho tri cyclen. And you can take it with spiro.
If you can't take birth control again I have read where many people say spiro worked for them but it took about 6 months. So many people said this. That it was like at 6 months it was like one day that had acne and then almost overnight they didn't. So hang in there.
I also really like clindamycin lotion. It is a prescription antiobiotic lotion. Try asking your derm about it.
Good luck.
I would say it took a few weeks or up to a month for me. I was on 50 but doubled it myself. The derm said if 100 was working for me to keep at it. He called it "Accutane Light." I have still had break outs, of course, but I have discovered my acne has considerably calmed down since I got back on spiro and stopped drinking milk altogether.
Use Accutane, it works. I had to use it twice, once in my 40's and then again in my 50's, it worked. My son had to take it at age 16, stopped the acne in its tracks, his skin is beautiful, no scarring,and he is age 36. At the first sign of acne in him, I rushed him to the dermatologist and so grateful that I did. If you don't stop the overactive hormones from causing so much inflammation on your face, you will have scars. I am now going through laser and fillers to correct some damage on my face because so many Dermatologist refused to prescribe it forme even though I was in agreement. I got very dry and flaky for a while while on the prescription, but it is worth it. If you are still in your child bearing years, be sure to prevent pregnancies though! You don't want to get scars and pits on your face, so hard to get rid of and you can never get your face back to normal! Thank God I didn't get a lot of scars but I hate the ones that it did create which is why I am getting CO2 lasers, at the highest setting, it hurts really bad for a few days, but works! Also, it takes several treatments to get rid of them and it isn't cheap! Good luck!
It's encouraging to read these posts, and I send my empathy to those going through difficult breakouts. I'm a 38 year old woman who has been struggling with cystic acne since herteens years. Birth control and Accutane worked when I was in my early 20's; went off birth control due to side effects in my mid-twenties and my skin remained clear; when I turned 30 the cysts had returned and I was back on Accutane after two failed courses of antibiotics and varioustopicals; my skin was great (using the acne.org regimen) until the past 6 months. Over the summer I started getting closed comedones on my forehead and cheeks. I switched out my sunscreen and my dermatologist prescribed adapalene cream, which worked great. EXCEPT for the larger lumps (and occasional cysts) that are now appearing on my jaw line and chin. When it rains it pours! I've been on spiro 50mg once a day for just a week now. I was told we would titrate up to 150mg once a day (I believe its weight-based doing? I'm 135-140 pounds) over three months. I was also told that it would be at least three months to see results.
I assume that, at my age, my estrogen levels are dropping causing the effects of testosterone to be more pronounced. Guess thats a conversation to have with my GYN. I'm hoping that the spiro on its own will help because I'm not keen on starting birth control due to the potential side effects.
Thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences. For those of you who are younger and feeling despair, please talk to your dermatologists about Accutane (isotretinoin). It helped me so much, from taking away the physical pain of my cysts to enabling me to feel more confident and happy. And don't be afraid to ask for cortisone injections when you get a particularly painful cyst! They are life savers! Last week I developed a cyst so large my face was deformed. Within 2 hours of having it injected it was noticeable smaller; after 24 hours it was about 75% GONE. Injections are reasonable affordable, possibly covered by insurance, and take literal seconds.