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Has Anyone Had Any Experiences With Spiro Not Working? Or Working?

MemberMember
90
(@misssac17)

Posted : 04/01/2013 5:51 am

 

Experiences would be much appreciated right now. I seem to be losing all hope at the moment and HATE my skin. My skin is so bad and a bit sore AND itchy.

 

I seem to have broken out around my mouth and my forehead at the eyebrows and my cheeks...to be honest there is not one bit of skin that is free of spots, wether that be bumps, cysts, papules..whatever..it truly is a fucking mess.

 

I just keep freaking out that maybe Spiro isn't working for me? Im on 25mg and have been on this for 7 weeks tomorrow (49 days)

My period is very irregularand actually I have not had one since being on it, right now my period is over 4 weeks late. I keep looking into estrogen dominance too and low progesterone, and I did alot of reading about how when you are estrogen dominant sometimes your period can become inrregular and progesterone needs to surpass the estrogen levels in order to have a period? I was looking into naturally increasing my progesterone levels therefore, however I have been reading conflicting views about things like Vitex (a herb which can boost progesterone) can infact disrupt or ihibit anti-androgens...awcht I don't know. Im just at a fucking loss right now and feel a bit down about it, I am trying to be patient with it but keep thinking that maybe it isn't for me you know.

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MemberMember
144
(@tracy521)

Posted : 04/01/2013 10:12 am

i have been on spiro for 15 weeks and i take 100mg a day. since you are only on 25mg that is why its not really doing much for you that dose is way too low. my derm said that all of spiro patients are on 100-200mg a day because she finds the lower doses dont do very much at all so talk to your derm about upping the dose. that will make all the difference i assure you. i get a few tiny pimples here and there but overall my skin has been pretty good but i am also on keflex too. the keflex calmed down my red irritated skin in 3 days and stopped all cystic acne so you could ask for that as well until the spiro kicks in for good. i might go up to 150mg of spiro since i am coming off the keflex. my derm recommended it but i might wait and see what happens. give it time though it takes at least 12 weeks to really kick in.

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MemberMember
7
(@a-p)

Posted : 04/01/2013 3:14 pm

Are you using any topical acne treatment?

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MemberMember
3
(@redredred)

Posted : 04/01/2013 7:48 pm

I've been on spiro for 4 months and it has been going pretty well. I'm not 100% clear all the time but it is much much more manageable.

My blogs:

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MemberMember
90
(@misssac17)

Posted : 04/01/2013 10:59 pm

Are you using any topical acne treatment?

No I stopped all prescription acne topical treatments in the hopes I could help it with supplements and a natural routine.

Currently I wash my face once per day with water and then apply acv, after about an hour or before bed I'll apply tea tree oil.

I have been thinking about maybe getting Bp or azelaic acid again though...I dunno. Im at a wee loss atm.

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MemberMember
7
(@a-p)

Posted : 04/02/2013 1:46 am

Are you using any topical acne treatment?

No I stopped all prescription acne topical treatments in the hopes I could help it with supplements and a natural routine.

Currently I wash my face once per day with water and then apply acv, after about an hour or before bed I'll apply tea tree oil.

I have been thinking about maybe getting Bp or azelaic acid again though...I dunno. Im at a wee loss atm.

How long have you had the regimen of the ACV and tea tree oil? Are you using raw acv and are you diluting the tea tree oil?

From what I've read p. acnes are pretty easy to kill but I would assume if you have an abundance of oil they would spawn like crazy. Is your face really oily?

If you'd like to keep your face products fairly natural I can suggest some things to try.

Thayers alcohol free witch hazel toner with rose water.This is soothing and has antiseptic properties.

Lavender essential oil really calms down the redness and also kinda numbs sore blemishes. Avalon organics makes a good lavender toner that I really like. It also has antiseptic properties like tea tree oil.

Aztec secret Indian healing clay is a great bentonite clay powder that you mix with acv or water. It's a very strong clay mask that does a good job at clearing and drawing out impurities.

If you need moisture safflower, sunflower or jojoba oil work very well and are all non comeogenic/non irritating.

Don't know if you have tried these or not but I like these as they all work pretty well for being more natural.

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MemberMember
144
(@tracy521)

Posted : 04/02/2013 9:15 am

i second the thayers witch hazel toner except i use the kind with aloe instead. this stuff is really great though and doesnt dry out the skin. i love it! one more thing my derm told me that just taking the spiro alone will not get me clear that i will always have to use a good topical so i use benzaclin morning and night with my olay cream over top of that once it dries. good luck to you and hang in there it will be ok but you gotta bump up that spiro dose.

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MemberMember
90
(@misssac17)

Posted : 04/02/2013 11:11 am

How long have you had the regimen of the ACV and tea tree oil? Are you using raw acv and are you diluting the tea tree oil?

From what I've read p. acnes are pretty easy to kill but I would assume if you have an abundance of oil they would spawn like crazy. Is your face really oily?

If you'd like to keep your face products fairly natural I can suggest some things to try.

Thayers alcohol free witch hazel toner with rose water.This is soothing and has antiseptic properties.

Lavender essential oil really calms down the redness and also kinda numbs sore blemishes. Avalon organics makes a good lavender toner that I really like. It also has antiseptic properties like tea tree oil.

Aztec secret Indian healing clay is a great bentonite clay powder that you mix with acv or water. It's a very strong clay mask that does a good job at clearing and drawing out impurities.

If you need moisture safflower, sunflower or jojoba oil work very well and are all non comeogenic/non irritating.

Don't know if you have tried these or not but I like these as they all work pretty well for being more natural.

Ive been doing my own regime for about a good 2-3 months, however I did take a few weeks off of using the ACV but I have encorporated that back in about a couple weeks ago. I went water-only 7 months ago, but for about 1 and a half weeks I have used african black soap once a day to cleanse, I defiantely think I am purging with this though, it seems my entire face feels rough and NOT smooth at all. I have not used this for 2 days as I felt I wanted a break from it.

I actually dilute the ACV but do not dilute the TTO. My skin is also not that oily, it tends to be pretty dry and I find that using the ACV helps to not make my skin feel as "tight" I do sometimes get a bit of an oily T-zone but that is all.

Thankyou very much for your recomendations :) I will look into the Thayers toner. I have used lavender oil before but got really really irritated by it, however I also did not dilute it. But I have gotten amazing results with undiluted TTO, when my skin is co-operating anyway.

I have not used safflower or sunflower to moisturise but have used jojoba oil and found that to really really clog my pores. This was the same with Argan oil.

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MemberMember
7
(@a-p)

Posted : 04/02/2013 12:37 pm

I thought I'd say this too. Diet and exercise can really screw you up initially. A sudden diet change whether it be from you eating extremely healthy or poorly can alter your period cycle. Sudden intense exercise can do this as well. You didn't say you changed your eating habits or started to exercise more so I thought I'd just mention this, in case you didn't already know.

 

It happened to me before and I totally freaked out! I was soo worried and google was not making me feel any better haha. I did finally figured out that my cycle change was do to a sudden change in diet.

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MemberMember
7
(@a-p)

Posted : 04/02/2013 7:53 pm

How long have you had the regimen of the ACV and tea tree oil? Are you using raw acv and are you diluting the tea tree oil?

From what I've read p. acnes are pretty easy to kill but I would assume if you have an abundance of oil they would spawn like crazy. Is your face really oily?

If you'd like to keep your face products fairly natural I can suggest some things to try.

Thayers alcohol free witch hazel toner with rose water.This is soothing and has antiseptic properties.

Lavender essential oil really calms down the redness and also kinda numbs sore blemishes. Avalon organics makes a good lavender toner that I really like. It also has antiseptic properties like tea tree oil.

Aztec secret Indian healing clay is a great bentonite clay powder that you mix with acv or water. It's a very strong clay mask that does a good job at clearing and drawing out impurities.

If you need moisture safflower, sunflower or jojoba oil work very well and are all non comeogenic/non irritating.

Don't know if you have tried these or not but I like these as they all work pretty well for being more natural.

Ive been doing my own regime for about a good 2-3 months, however I did take a few weeks off of using the ACV but I have encorporated that back in about a couple weeks ago. I went water-only 7 months ago, but for about 1 and a half weeks I have used african black soap once a day to cleanse, I defiantely think I am purging with this though, it seems my entire face feels rough and NOT smooth at all. I have not used this for 2 days as I felt I wanted a break from it.

I actually dilute the ACV but do not dilute the TTO. My skin is also not that oily, it tends to be pretty dry and I find that using the ACV helps to not make my skin feel as "tight" I do sometimes get a bit of an oily T-zone but that is all.

Thankyou very much for your recomendations :) I will look into the Thayers toner. I have used lavender oil before but got really really irritated by it, however I also did not dilute it. But I have gotten amazing results with undiluted TTO, when my skin is co-operating anyway.

I have not used safflower or sunflower to moisturise but have used jojoba oil and found that to really really clog my pores. This was the same with Argan oil.

You're welcome:) I didn't care for jojoba oil either because its actually a wax and not an oil. A lot of people like it though. I think sunflower and safflower oil are better. I don't really care for argan oil either.

I only use black soap on my body and its works pretty well. Never tried it on my face. I use the desert essence tea tree bar soap for my face. It works pretty well and never dries out my skin. I also use the de la Cruz sulfur ointment. That stuff is powerful and works great.

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MemberMember
90
(@misssac17)

Posted : 04/03/2013 10:20 am

I thought I'd say this too. Diet and exercise can really screw you up initially. A sudden diet change whether it be from you eating extremely healthy or poorly can alter your period cycle. Sudden intense exercise can do this as well. You didn't say you changed your eating habits or started to exercise more so I thought I'd just mention this, in case you didn't already know.

It happened to me before and I totally freaked out! I was soo worried and google was not making me feel any better haha. I did finally figured out that my cycle change was do to a sudden change in diet.

Thankyou for the information, I knew this kinda from experience since I was anorexic at one point in my life. My period ceased for 22 months and when it came back last April, my skin slowly deteriorated into an acne hell hole.

But right now Ive not had a period since Ive been on Spiro. Since they came back they have always been irregular though, for example usually 1-2 weeks late. I keep thinking the Spiro is causing my testosterone to drop, allowing my perhaps already HIGH estrogen levels to become MORE dominant. I have read that Estrogen Dominance (ED) can stop periods if there isn't enough Progesterone to balance it out.

You're welcome:) I didn't care for jojoba oil either because its actually a wax and not an oil. A lot of people like it though. I think sunflower and safflower oil are better. I don't really care for argan oil either.

I only use black soap on my body and its works pretty well. Never tried it on my face. I use the desert essence tea tree bar soap for my face. It works pretty well and never dries out my skin. I also use the de la Cruz sulfur ointment. That stuff is powerful and works great.

Yea jojoba ain't too geat. I will look into safflower and sunflower, I have Olive oil in my house currently, but too scared to experiment right now lol. I have actually heard SULFUR is brilliant for acne. I have been thinknig about going to see a Homeopath, I e-mailed her about my skin and stuff and she said she has helped many people with skin issues.

I keep considering the idea of just saying "fuck it all" though and just taking BCP's again or accutane, I hate how impatient you can get.

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MemberMember
7
(@a-p)

Posted : 04/03/2013 2:37 pm

I thought I'd say this too. Diet and exercise can really screw you up initially. A sudden diet change whether it be from you eating extremely healthy or poorly can alter your period cycle. Sudden intense exercise can do this as well. You didn't say you changed your eating habits or started to exercise more so I thought I'd just mention this, in case you didn't already know.

It happened to me before and I totally freaked out! I was soo worried and google was not making me feel any better haha. I did finally figured out that my cycle change was do to a sudden change in diet.

Thankyou for the information, I knew this kinda from experience since I was anorexic at one point in my life. My period ceased for 22 months and when it came back last April, my skin slowly deteriorated into an acne hell hole.

But right now Ive not had a period since Ive been on Spiro. Since they came back they have always been irregular though, for example usually 1-2 weeks late. I keep thinking the Spiro is causing my testosterone to drop, allowing my perhaps already HIGH estrogen levels to become MORE dominant. I have read that Estrogen Dominance (ED) can stop periods if there isn't enough Progesterone to balance it out.

You're welcome:) I didn't care for jojoba oil either because its actually a wax and not an oil. A lot of people like it though. I think sunflower and safflower oil are better. I don't really care for argan oil either.

I only use black soap on my body and its works pretty well. Never tried it on my face. I use the desert essence tea tree bar soap for my face. It works pretty well and never dries out my skin. I also use the de la Cruz sulfur ointment. That stuff is powerful and works great.

Yea jojoba ain't too geat. I will look into safflower and sunflower, I have Olive oil in my house currently, but too scared to experiment right now lol. I have actually heard SULFUR is brilliant for acne. I have been thinknig about going to see a Homeopath, I e-mailed her about my skin and stuff and she said she has helped many people with skin issues.

I keep considering the idea of just saying "fuck it all" though and just taking BCP's again or accutane, I hate how impatient you can get.

Yea you should see that homepath! I don't know much about spiro and BC. Was in BC once and I dunno, it just didn't seem right to me so I stopped taking it. I don't really like taking pills or any medication unless I really have too. I was manly on it because a doctor suggest it to clear my acne.

I had horrible cystic acne and there wasn't a clear spot on my skin. I found out about sulfur when I decided to try the Murad acne complex. Since I had so many cysts/boils I put that sulfur spot treatment all over my face. It totally cleared my skin in a month. I don't use Murad anymore because its too expensive for what it is.

The combination if sulfur and salicylic acid is amazing for clearing acne. It works for closed comedones, comedones, pustules, papules and cysts. It is the only thing that works for me.

I use this psoriasis lotion with 3% SA and the de la Cruz 10% sulfur ointment together and it works great. I don't have psoriasis but that lotion is amazing for acne. I also use this 5%mandelic acid toner by makeup artist choice a couple times a week. It's amazing if used in moderation.

I hope you find something that works for you! Don't give up because one day you will be clear :)

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MemberMember
36
(@user143021)

Posted : 04/03/2013 5:58 pm

 

Just my two cents...

25mg spiro did nothing for my skin. I had to take 100mg for it to keep me clear, lowering it at all made me break out again. My period was out of whack for YEARS even before spiro. BCP and Spiro made it even worse. I went months and months without one sometimes.

 

After reading and other information on estrogen dominance, it made sense for me to start natural progesterone. I was wary at first but it has been amazing, and it's completely natural and safe, unlike spiro. It brought back my period and made me feel so much better in so many ways. (:

P.S. Another option is taking DIM, which I am taking as well as NPC. DIM is a natural anti-androgen ...it helps the balance of estrogens and in turn helps boost progesterone.

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MemberMember
28
(@michi31)

Posted : 04/08/2013 9:50 am

Yes if you are committing to Spiro - which takes months upon months to work - you need to commit to 100mg at least. Spiro has something like 1/10th the binding power of testosterone to the androgen receptor so that's why higher doses are needed. Don't waste your time on less. You'll never know if it really works unless you take a higher dose.

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MemberMember
173
(@green-gables)

Posted : 06/13/2013 12:18 am

I have used both natural USP progesterone and spiro at the same time. The progesterone helped me sleep some which was a problem in addition to acne.

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MemberMember
0
(@lissbee)

Posted : 07/01/2013 12:50 am

Have you had any hormone tests done? I recently went to see a dermatologist because I'm having the worst breakout I've ever had right now and he recommended Spiro too but he also gave me a low dosage. It's 50mg a day. He brought up that I might have cysts in my ovaries and I need to get hormonal tests done. He gave me a list of about 7 tests he'd like me to do. I need to call and ask how much each test costs which I'll do soon. He didn't want to give me a high dosage of Spiro because he wants to see what my hormone tests reveal. From reading though Spiro can take up to 3-6 months to see progress and those are for people doing 100mg.

I'm not sure if you have had any hormonal tests done, but maybe you should ask your derm about that. I know that based on my test results, maybe I'll get put on something else or I'll ask if I can up my dosage to 100mg.

Also my derm recommended indian clay masks at least 5 times a week along with taking Spiro. So far it's too soon to tell whether it's helping me or not. Its only been a week, but if you look it up it gets super rave reviews.

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