Good luck to you Abby! I too completed three courses of accutane with no long term success and Spiro will be my last stop if my current regimen proves itself a failure in 3 months time. Here's wishing you the best!

Good luck to you Abby! I too completed three courses of accutane with no long term success and Spiro will be my last stop if my current regimen proves itself a failure in 3 months time. Here's wishing you the best!

Thanks so much! Yeah, i kind of decided after the third course that it wasn't going to work for me. I did discuss with my dermatologist going on a long term very low dose but he wouldn't let me.

I just saw all the things you have tried already, i feel your pain! I have tried so so many things too. You also seem to be very good with your diet, i was very good for a while with dairy/gluten/sugar free but it just made me miserable not being able to eat yummy things.

Good luck with the regimen! Let me know how it goes! xxxxxxxxx

Will do. I will be following your log.

Hi Abby!

I have been on Spiro for almost 3 weeks now. I started on 50 mg and bumped up to 100, as this is what most people take for clearing, but some do see results on 50mg for sure. I dont have any side effects so far. I also use Retin a micro topical and am on Doxycycline for a month to help with purging the Retin a was giving me. I think your acne really looks like classic female hormonal acne with the cysts in your lower face area - which is exactly what Spiro treats the best. I have comodonal acne, mostly lots and lots of clogged pores that turn into swollen pimples from time to time. My face produces wayy too much oil that gets clogged, so my derm is hoping the Spiro will decrease this and the retin a is supposed to clean out all the pores. Best of luck to you! I was told it does take at least 6 weeks to have a noticeable difference on the Spiro. You can see my log here -

Hi Abby!

I have been on Spiro for almost 3 weeks now. I started on 50 mg and bumped up to 100, as this is what most people take for clearing, but some do see results on 50mg for sure. I dont have any side effects so far. I also use Retin a micro topical and am on Doxycycline for a month to help with purging the Retin a was giving me. I think your acne really looks like classic female hormonal acne with the cysts in your lower face area - which is exactly what Spiro treats the best. I have comodonal acne, mostly lots and lots of clogged pores that turn into swollen pimples from time to time. My face produces wayy too much oil that gets clogged, so my derm is hoping the Spiro will decrease this and the retin a is supposed to clean out all the pores. Best of luck to you! I was told it does take at least 6 weeks to have a noticeable difference on the Spiro. You can see my log here - http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/328103-spironolactone-retin-a-micro-journey/

Thanks so much for replying! It's great to chat to people dealing with the same thing! I think i will end up bumping up to 100mg and then if i do clear up then take it down to a maintenance dose. I have also decided to apply some epiduo at night too, i really wanted retin-a but it has been discontinued in the uk! so will have to make do with the epiduo which is differin and benzoyl peroxide.

At my dermatologist appointment she decided to give me a blood test to check my hormones, so il be curious as to what they come back saying!

And il be following your log!

Okay, so i've done 3 weeks now. Just the last 2 days i haven't had any new spots which is really great and has me feeling positive. I also feel like my skin is less oily. Definitely a long way to go, but think we are heading in the right direction.

I have found i'm getting a lot of painful stomach cramps though, has anyone else experienced this when they started spiro? I'm hoping they will wear off once I get used to the tablet.

Abby xxx

I just saw your video and you are ADORABLE! Glad to hear that you are getting somewhat of a reprieve from your acne (we all deserve that once in a while. You are have used A LOT of things too! I have a bin full of OTC and Prescription meds that i could probably start my own mini pharmacy. I have been able to help others though by giving away unopened or unused products to people that have prescriptions but couldn't afford it (got rid of my ziana and differin a few months ago, bin is shrinking.....YAY!)

Keep positive and give yourself the 4-6 month timeline that many people suggest to see if it works. Are you going to add a topical?

I just saw your video and you are ADORABLE! Glad to hear that you are getting somewhat of a reprieve from your acne (we all deserve that once in a while. You are have used A LOT of things too! I have a bin full of OTC and Prescription meds that i could probably start my own mini pharmacy. I have been able to help others though by giving away unopened or unused products to people that have prescriptions but couldn't afford it (got rid of my ziana and differin a few months ago, bin is shrinking.....YAY!)

Keep positive and give yourself the 4-6 month timeline that many people suggest to see if it works. Are you going to add a topical?

Aww thank you And yes, for the past couple of days i've woken up without loads of new lumps to contend with, and it has been lovely! Still got tons of red marks and things though, so still look awful!!

I've got a massive drawer under my bed full of all the acne treatments iv used and failed, maybe we could open that mini pharmacy together?!

And yes, i've started using some of the epiduo again, i'm hoping the differin in it might do something for my red marks eventually. I would rather use retin-a but i went and asked for it at the doctors and it's been discontinued here!!

I just saw your video and you are ADORABLE! Glad to hear that you are getting somewhat of a reprieve from your acne (we all deserve that once in a while. You are have used A LOT of things too! I have a bin full of OTC and Prescription meds that i could probably start my own mini pharmacy. I have been able to help others though by giving away unopened or unused products to people that have prescriptions but couldn't afford it (got rid of my ziana and differin a few months ago, bin is shrinking.....YAY!)

Keep positive and give yourself the 4-6 month timeline that many people suggest to see if it works. Are you going to add a topical?

Aww thank you And yes, for the past couple of days i've woken up without loads of new lumps to contend with, and it has been lovely! Still got tons of red marks and things though, so still look awful!!

I've got a massive drawer under my bed full of all the acne treatments iv used and failed, maybe we could open that mini pharmacy together?!

And yes, i've started using some of the epiduo again, i'm hoping the differin in it might do something for my red marks eventually. I would rather use retin-a but i went and asked for it at the doctors and it's been discontinued here!!

I'd so go into business with you Dizzy - hmmm...what would we call it? It's a shame you're not closer as i have a ton of retin a micro samples.

I just saw your video and you are ADORABLE! Glad to hear that you are getting somewhat of a reprieve from your acne (we all deserve that once in a while. You are have used A LOT of things too! I have a bin full of OTC and Prescription meds that i could probably start my own mini pharmacy. I have been able to help others though by giving away unopened or unused products to people that have prescriptions but couldn't afford it (got rid of my ziana and differin a few months ago, bin is shrinking.....YAY!)

Keep positive and give yourself the 4-6 month timeline that many people suggest to see if it works. Are you going to add a topical?

Aww thank you And yes, for the past couple of days i've woken up without loads of new lumps to contend with, and it has been lovely! Still got tons of red marks and things though, so still look awful!!

I've got a massive drawer under my bed full of all the acne treatments iv used and failed, maybe we could open that mini pharmacy together?!

And yes, i've started using some of the epiduo again, i'm hoping the differin in it might do something for my red marks eventually. I would rather use retin-a but i went and asked for it at the doctors and it's been discontinued here!!

I'd so go into business with you Dizzy - hmmm...what would we call it? It's a shame you're not closer as i have a ton of retin a micro samples.

Hmm, how about "Products that probably won't work for you as we think they suck but are worth a go" haha!!! And yeah, i have no idea why they have stopped making it here! I would love to try things like retin-a micro or tazorac but you can't get them in the UK

ha ha, thats funny as hell but we probably wouldn't get a lot of customers that way. Well Epiduo can work if given time so try it out. I am using BP and it does help somewhat (to early to tell if this treatment is for me).

Good Luck and keep posting

Ah, spoke to soon, 3 new bump things to contend with today! All sore and tender under the skin. I did think it was too good to be true! I think there will be lots of highs and lows before i do properly clear up!

Okay, one month in, and my skin still sucks. Still get newing things popping up on a daily basis. I was also hoping my skin would be less oily and my hair, but no such luck. I'm seeing the dermatologist in about a week, so gonna ask for my dose to be upped to 100mg, then i might start seeing decent improvements

I started on 50 and when I bumped up to 100 I saw results, noticeably less oil, but my period totally stopped, so my Derm brought me back to 50 and my skin got oily again within 4 days... So now we are trying 75 to see if its the happy medium!

Okay, one month in, and my skin still sucks. Still get newing things popping up on a daily basis. I was also hoping my skin would be less oily and my hair, but no such luck. I'm seeing the dermatologist in about a week, so gonna ask for my dose to be upped to 100mg, then i might start seeing decent improvements

how is your skin looking on the 75mg?? xxxxxxxx

 

I started on 50 and when I bumped up to 100 I saw results, noticeably less oil, but my period totally stopped, so my Derm brought me back to 50 and my skin got oily again within 4 days... So now we are trying 75 to see if its the happy medium!

 

 

Okay, one month in, and my skin still sucks. Still get newing things popping up on a daily basis. I was also hoping my skin would be less oily and my hair, but no such luck. I'm seeing the dermatologist in about a week, so gonna ask for my dose to be upped to 100mg, then i might start seeing decent improvements

Well it has only been 2 days...so I will let you know in a little longer. I started spotting though so something is happening with the period now.

 

how is your skin looking on the 75mg?? xxxxxxxx

 

I started on 50 and when I bumped up to 100 I saw results, noticeably less oil, but my period totally stopped, so my Derm brought me back to 50 and my skin got oily again within 4 days... So now we are trying 75 to see if its the happy medium!

 

 

Okay, one month in, and my skin still sucks. Still get newing things popping up on a daily basis. I was also hoping my skin would be less oily and my hair, but no such luck. I'm seeing the dermatologist in about a week, so gonna ask for my dose to be upped to 100mg, then i might start seeing decent improvements

Hi!

So far on the 75 mg my skin seems to be less oily again...also I got a period finally but it was like the lightest period ever, basically just spotting. Some say the periods will go back to normal after a few months. Maybe the 100 was too much for me. How are you doing?

Hi!

So far on the 75 mg my skin seems to be less oily again...also I got a period finally but it was like the lightest period ever, basically just spotting. Some say the periods will go back to normal after a few months. Maybe the 100 was too much for me. How are you doing?

Hey! Well iv been taking 100mg for about a week and i'm still struggling with oiliness and my acne just seems to be getting worse and worse!!! Gonna keep at it though as i havnt got any other options. I am seeing my dermatologist in 2 days so will see what she suggests. She never wanted me to try the spiro tho, i practically begged her, so when she sees me looking like this i think she might be a bit "i told you so" blah blah. Everything takes time tho, when i took roaccutane it toook 2 and a half months for me to see really good improvements and thats stuffs mega strong, so im trying to stay positive!!!

I think most people say they see results with Spiro around 2-3 months..so definitely give it time. I think I am seeing a little earlier than the averagewhich I would guess to be due to that fact that my testosterone is already on the low side and I had mild acne (mostly closed comedones, only occasional swollen ones). Have you had your hormones checked? If you are having cystic breakouts I think it should really benefit you. You should look up SkinDeepStory on here and read her logs. She had pretty bad cystic hormonal acne and it took a good 4 months 5 months to get her clear but now she is like 100% better! She was taking 200 mg. Thats weird about your derm not wanting to give you Spiro, my doc raves about it and so does my friend who is a dermatologist. She even takes it herself. Especially since it has so much lower side effects than AccutaneI would think your doc would want to avid that route again. Also, Often when Accutane doesnt work for women, its because it is hormonal and Spiro ends up working better. Maybe it is not as accepted in the UK? Annoyingly, I think patience is key with these things but I bet you will improve! Tell us how your derm apt goes. Also, it has taken a good 4 months on a retinoid to really start seeing clearing. Those seem to take quite long, but do work in the end. I had to get on antibiotics for a bit (am currently tapering off) to control the swollen ones that the Retin a was bringing up during the purge but I havent had a swollen one in over a 1.5 months. Are you on an antibiotic?

I think most people say they see results with Spiro around 2-3 months..so definitely give it time. I think I am seeing a little earlier than the average¦which I would guess to be due to that fact that my testosterone is already on the low side and I had mild acne (mostly closed comedones, only occasional swollen ones). Have you had your hormones checked? If you are having cystic breakouts I think it should really benefit you. You should look up SkinDeepStory on here and read her logs. She had pretty bad cystic hormonal acne and it took a good 4 months “ 5 months to get her clear but now she is like 100% better! She was taking 200 mg. Thats weird about your derm not wanting to give you Spiro, my doc raves about it and so does my friend who is a dermatologist. She even takes it herself. Especially since it has so much lower side effects than Accutane¦I would think your doc would want to avid that route again. Also, Often when Accutane doesn™t work for women, it™s because it is hormonal and Spiro ends up working better. Maybe it is not as accepted in the UK? Annoyingly, I think patience is key with these things but I bet you will improve! Tell us how your derm apt goes. Also, it has taken a good 4 months on a retinoid to really start seeing clearing. Those seem to take quite long, but do work in the end. I had to get on antibiotics for a bit (am currently tapering off) to control the swollen ones that the Retin a was bringing up during the purge but I haven™t had a swollen one in over a 1.5 months. Are you on an antibiotic?

Ah yes iv seen her story, it's very inspiring!

So today i saw my derm. I had a hormone blood test last time I saw her and she said it all came back fine. I had to have another blood test this time to check my potassium levels. She wants me to take 75mg, i don't know why I can't have 100. In the Uk spiro is barely prescribed and is pretty much unheard of as an acne treatment. The first time I asked a doctor about it she looked at me completely gone out. So i went to a dermatologist who was very reluctant as she has never prescribed it before, that's why shes being very cautious with it and i'm having lots of blood tests and things.

Thing is, i had read all over the internet and in books about how effective it was so really badly wanted to try it and thought it sounded much better than going back on accutane or taking the pill (which gave my sis a blood clot).

I'm not taking an antibiotic, im quite wary of them as i took them for years when i was younger and they made me quite poorly and didn't help.

Today the derm gave me some differin gel to use, it should be a bit gentler than the epiduo i'm using, that was irritating my face too much.

Anyway, trying to stay positive!!!

I am going back up to 100 mg. I feel like my face was the least oily it's been in my life on that and now it has progressively gone back to being oily by mid morning since I lowered the dose to 75 mg. Hopefully my period issue will sort itself out. I have heard that for some it can after a few months. Some bcps cause your period to go away so not having a period can't be that bad.

My skin is still rubbish! Think I will push for 100mg next time i see my derm as my hair and skin are still really oily.

I'm still getting new spots but they aren't quite as big as before so that is positive. I am also really liking differin, its absorbs nicely, doesn't sting and smells okay! Have no idea if it's doing anything beneficial yet tho!

hi, how are you getting on? i am from the uk and just got a prescription from my gp for spiro. luckily he said he was aware of it being used for acne but it's his first time prescribing it to someone for this purpose lol. i am just glad i am getting to try this as I have previously done 2 courses of roaccutane and acne keeps coming back.

i was going to suggest as retin a is discontinued in the uk, u should ask for topical isotretinoin which is sold as Isotrex. it pretty much works the same way as retian and is as strong where as differin and other retionoids are said to be abit milder, so if you wanted something as strong as retin a, definately look into isotrex.

from what i have read the skin converts the isotretinoin into tretinoin once applied, so it should work the same as retin a which is tretinoin.

Hey, thanks so much for your message! Sorry it's taken me a few days to reply, my internets been down.

You are lucky, my GP looked at me like i was crazy for asking for a blood pressure medication so she referred me to a derm who took a lot of convincing!

And I have been on the Spiro for about 2 months now, and the differin for about 3 weeks or so, and I have to say, i think i am finally seeing improvements!! Not had a new spots for a few days so feeling positive! What dose did they start you on?? xxx

hi, how are you getting on? i am from the uk and just got a prescription from my gp for spiro. luckily he said he was aware of it being used for acne but it's his first time prescribing it to someone for this purpose lol. i am just glad i am getting to try this as I have previously done 2 courses of roaccutane and acne keeps coming back.

i was going to suggest as retin a is discontinued in the uk, u should ask for topical isotretinoin which is sold as Isotrex. it pretty much works the same way as retian and is as strong where as differin and other retionoids are said to be abit milder, so if you wanted something as strong as retin a, definately look into isotrex.

from what i have read the skin converts the isotretinoin into tretinoin once applied, so it should work the same as retin a which is tretinoin.