I'll try to answer your questions, though I've only been on Spiro for 4 weeks, but I had been taking other anti-androgen since June, so maybe it's a bit helpful anyway

1. No weight gain in my case (though I was keeping my thumbs crossed to get bigger breasts, teehehe). Though I noticed my jeans are bit tight on the hips area lately, but that might depend on little exercise and eating too much crap...

2. My mood is incredibly good!!! Ever since I stopped Diane35 and switched to Yasmin it improved significantly, but when I added Spiro it got even better - no teary moods during pms etc. Boyfriend noticed and appreciated

3. This I can't answer... My gynecologist just gives me whatever I ask for. Tell her - why wouldn't she prescribe you Spiro? )

Hi!

1) I had some weight gain the first time but it had nothing to do with spiro, just my bf eating pizza and stuff like that that i couldn't resist . This time my weight is the same.

2) My mood was the same if not better.

3) I would say that i want to be absolutely clear especially since foundation and anything that could cover what's left of your acne aren't allowed.

Hi guys!

I'm looking for some advice on Spironolactone.

I have been off of the Mirena IUD (which was giving me severe cystic acne after 3 years of having it in) for about 4 months now and am on my fourth pack of Beyaz birth control.

I am finally seeing a drastic change in my skin. No more cysts at all! It's great. However, I am not 100% clear. I'm thinking about taking Spironolactone, but I have some questions about it first. If this is all super redundant, and you've seen a post where all my questions have been asked before, please tell me! I'll remove my post and refer to those posts.

Questions:

1. Spironolactone is an anti-androgen/slight pro-estrogen (right?). Have the people that are taking it noticed any significant weight gain? Are you "softer" than you were before? I'm asking because I'll be going to basic training in February and I need to be able to maintain my muscle gains and not increase in body fat. My Beyaz has already caused me to hold onto more arm, breast and belly fat and I'm nervous that if I go on MORE androgen blockers, I'll have a harder time getting results from my workouts.

2. Does it affect your mood?

3. This one's gonna sound really dumb. I'm sorry in advance.... what should I ask my doctor? How do I convince him/her to give me Spiro?

Thanks for any advice! I'd love to be 100% clear! I have a good feeling about Spiro as I now know that my acne is almost entirely because of my hormonal imbalances.

Hey! I have been taking spiro now for 10 months and I love it. I have not noticed any weight increase from taking spiro at all. I'm not softer of anything like that. My mood is not affected by the medication either. Honestly the only side effect I had from spiro was more frequent urinating. It only lasted a couple of weeks though, I don't feel like I'm taking medication at all. No side effects which is more than I can say for bc pills and accutane and whatnot.

I personally get my spiro from my obgyn. My dermatologist isn't a huge believer in hormonal acne. Or atleast she never believed my acne was hormonal. Boy was she wrong. Anyway I asked my obgyn and just layed out what medications I took in the past. Said I wanted to try treating my acne hormonally and see if it works, since everything else has failed. She agreed that was a smart choice, and since spiro is a safe medication she had no objections to prescribing it. All she needed to check out first was my potassium level first. If you cleared up a bit once you changed over to the bc pill, that would tell me that your acne is indeed hormonally related. Which would only make sense to try spiro. I would approach it like that and tell her or him you are not happy with your acne and you noticed a big change once you started bc pills. Tell them you have a friend or something and spiro was a success for her and you would like to give it a shot since you can correlate your ance with your hormones. If for some reason your derm will not prescribe it try your obgyn or you can see an endocronigist, they also prescribe it. Some GP will actually prescribe it too. So you have a few choices of doctors to try anyways. Also a lot of doctors don't even realize that spiro is used for acne. So it maybe good to be prepared and maybe bring a study or something along those lines to show its success! That's what I would do!

Fantastic!! Thanks for the replies!

I want to clear up what I said about the weight gain thing-- I haven't actually gained weight in numbers since starting Beyaz and I'm very active. I run almost everyday and lift a bit of weights, but I seem to be softer. lol My skin is even softer...

These responses are exactly what I wanted to hear. Pianina, I'm just nervous about talking to doctors because I've had bad experiences with them in the past. As in, usually they don't listen to me and just sort of tell me I'm making stuff up. lol I'll be sure just to be upfront with them. Also, my breasts have been growing so much since I started Beyaz! haha. They've finally slowed and shrank a little bit, but geez! I couldn't believe it...I'm up a full cup size in three months but I'm the same weight.

I'll go with what maria199 and Like Moonlight said-- just tell my gynecologist what the deal is and how I've improved from switching birth control. I'm definitely going to start out at my gynecologist-- I feel like she would probably be into hormone treatments and understand that hormones really affect the body a lot.

I'm going to try to get on Spiro ASAP. I'm so excited especially because being on Beyaz may have "primed" my hormones-- I may be able to avoid an IB!

Since being on Beyaz, my mood has improved so much and I think that I'll be like you ladies and either stay the same or get even happier! Also, I'm glad that all three of you didn't experience significant weight gain. That's relieving.

I just made an appointment with a dermatologist for Thursday! Omg. I'm so nervous...haha, doctors make me very anxious.

I asked the receptionist if he prescribes Spiro and she said, "Yes as long as he sees it fit...." Oh my goodness, I hope so much that he sees it fit. lol

I'm going to tell him that my acne has been clearing up a lot since going on Beyaz and that I think Spiro will be the icing on the cake. I can't believe how nervous I am.

Hi guys!

I'm looking for some advice on Spironolactone.

I have been off of the Mirena IUD (which was giving me severe cystic acne after 3 years of having it in) for about 4 months now and am on my fourth pack of Beyaz birth control.

I am finally seeing a drastic change in my skin. No more cysts at all! It's great. However, I am not 100% clear. I'm thinking about taking Spironolactone, but I have some questions about it first. If this is all super redundant, and you've seen a post where all my questions have been asked before, please tell me! I'll remove my post and refer to those posts.

Questions:

1. Spironolactone is an anti-androgen/slight pro-estrogen (right?). Have the people that are taking it noticed any significant weight gain? Are you "softer" than you were before? I'm asking because I'll be going to basic training in February and I need to be able to maintain my muscle gains and not increase in body fat. My Beyaz has already caused me to hold onto more arm, breast and belly fat and I'm nervous that if I go on MORE androgen blockers, I'll have a harder time getting results from my workouts.

2. Does it affect your mood?

3. This one's gonna sound really dumb. I'm sorry in advance.... what should I ask my doctor? How do I convince him/her to give me Spiro?

Thanks for any advice! I'd love to be 100% clear! I have a good feeling about Spiro as I now know that my acne is almost entirely because of my hormonal imbalances.

1. I did not personally gain weight on spironolactone alone (also note I am not on a hormonal birth control). Others have gained weight, usually in the 5 pound range, with a few rare cases reporting weight gains of 10 pounds or more. BeYaz contains drospirenone, which is a progestin that has some of the same properties of spironolactone. My dermatologist said that Yaz / BeYaz is roughly equivalent to a 25mg dose of spironolactone, so if you do add spiro, take that into account for your total dosage.

The short answer to your question is: yes, it's possible. I am physically active 5-6 hours a day (without going into too many personal details, I have a second part-time job that requires intense physical activity). I have not gained weight, but I also exercise far more than the average person. If you're going into basic training, I doubt that you will experience weight gain or any significant plateaus than you already are from the BeYaz.

Also it does well to remember that something like BeYaz contains estrogen and progestin as well as its version of spiro. I find that adding estrogen (and ironically, sometimes progesterone, progesterone can go both ways with weight loss/gain) causes weight gain a lot faster than blocking androgens. Spiro is somewhat estrogenic in addition, but its estrogenic power is far less than a birth control pill.

My advice in this situation, is add a small dose of spiro (25-50mg) to your BeYaz. If you really find it negatively affecting you, then stop.

2. After years on 100mg of spiro, my mood is slightly more "feminine." And by that mean, slightly less aggressive or confrontational. Testosterone is the aggression and libido hormone, after all. Any tendencies toward a confrontational nature have diminished slightly. However, my libido level is the same.

3. It depends on the doctor. The way I originally got spironolactone was going to the same dermatologist as my friend who was already on spiro. I basically told them straight out that I had seen her clear up on the stuff, listed what I had tried, and said I wanted to give this one last shot to spiro before they put me on Accutane.

I would recommend printing out this website (which cites 5 medical journals) and bringing it into your appointment. That will give you more credence than "well I read on an internet forum somewhere..."

1. I did not personally gain weight on spironolactone alone (also note I am not on a hormonal birth control). Others have gained weight, usually in the 5 pound range, with a few rare cases reporting weight gains of 10 pounds or more. BeYaz contains drospirenone, which is a progestin that has some of the same properties of spironolactone. My dermatologist said that Yaz / BeYaz is roughly equivalent to a 25mg dose of spironolactone, so if you do add spiro, take that into account for your total dosage.

The short answer to your question is: yes, it's possible. I am physically active 5-6 hours a day (without going into too many personal details, I have a second part-time job that requires intense physical activity). I have not gained weight, but I also exercise far more than the average person. If you're going into basic training, I doubt that you will experience weight gain or any significant plateaus than you already are from the BeYaz.

Also it does well to remember that something like BeYaz contains estrogen and progestin as well as its version of spiro. I find that adding estrogen (and ironically, sometimes progesterone, progesterone can go both ways with weight loss/gain) causes weight gain a lot faster than blocking androgens. Spiro is somewhat estrogenic in addition, but its estrogenic power is far less than a birth control pill.

My advice in this situation, is add a small dose of spiro (25-50mg) to your BeYaz. If you really find it negatively affecting you, then stop.

2. After years on 100mg of spiro, my mood is slightly more "feminine." And by that mean, slightly less aggressive or confrontational. Testosterone is the aggression and libido hormone, after all. Any tendencies toward a confrontational nature have diminished slightly. However, my libido level is the same.

3. It depends on the doctor. The way I originally got spironolactone was going to the same dermatologist as my friend who was already on spiro. I basically told them straight out that I had seen her clear up on the stuff, listed what I had tried, and said I wanted to give this one last shot to spiro before they put me on Accutane.

I would recommend printing out this website (which cites 5 medical journals) and bringing it into your appointment. That will give you more credence than "well I read on an internet forum somewhere..."

Thank you for responding, GreenGables! I was secretly hoping that you would. haha

I'm glad that you mentioned that the estrogen is probably what's causing me to retain a little bit of fat. I'm not worried about how it looks, I just didn't want it to affect my athletic performance. That's also a great point about getting a smaller dose of Spiro because Beyaz already has a version of it. The fact that my acne is improved with this birth control and it contains drospirenone (its version of Spiro) makes me really think Spiro is going to help me stay almost 100% clear.

I don't mind having a more "feminine" mood/mentality. haha, I'm kind of intense sometimes, so that's okay. Beyaz has definitely already decreased my aggression.

I'll definitely print that out and give it to him, although the receptionist already assured me that the doctor knows that Spiro can work! I'll mention I know someone who has had success with it.

**ALSO** Thank you GreenGables for your detailed posts about Spiro, birth control and hormonal acne. They are so helpful to people wondering why their birth controls are causing them acne. Most people think that all birth controls are created equal.

Thanks everybody and I'll let you all know how it goes!!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3315877/

This is a great overview of the studies that have been done on Spironolactone for females past their teenage years. I'm sure some of you have seen it because it's the first thing that pops up when Googling "Spironolactone acne" -- but what an informative piece!

Have a lovely day!

Just for an FYI:

Went to the dermatologist today! He was a really friendly, quirky guy. He was caring and knowledgeable, as well. If you're in the Chattanooga area, I'd recommend him!

Dr. Clay Pickard

744 McCallie Rd

Chattanooga TN

First, he listened to me about what I've tried, what my skin type is, and what types of acne I get.

He ruled out antibiotics because I've been known to flare up from doxycycline. He talked about how women are usually less responsive than men to antibiotic treatment, and women should go the hormonal route if they can. That made me so happy to hear.

He talked about how my Beyaz would only continue to help me and I would only see more and more improvement as time goes on. He said that's also how Spiro works. That's when he was all "well, you COULD just stay on Beyaz and forget about our appointment today..." and i was like "nah, just put me on 50mg of Spiro" and he was like "okay, can't hurt!" He also gave me a prescription for Differin (a retinoid), which I'm reluctant to try but I will, I guess...

But he was also concerned that I'd be going into the military soon (basic training) and he was worried about staying hydrated and electrolytes and such. So, he's gonna check my blood levels in 2 months rather than 6 months (which is what he normally does).

He says he has his daughter on Spiro right now! Good sign!

You could try with only 25mg. That was my starting dose, and, it cleared me up almost completely in just two weeks. I was fully expecting to have to go up to 50mg at least, because I was on 100mg per day ten years ago, and that was barely effective, but several accutane courses later, 25mg is doing a magical job!!

Just a thought, if hydration, etc. is a concern.

Differin might help too, it's worth a try. I have better luck with a combo of topical BP (benzoyl peroxide) and clindamycin, but you kind of have to try a bunch of things and see what works for you.

You could try with only 25mg. That was my starting dose, and, it cleared me up almost completely in just two weeks. I was fully expecting to have to go up to 50mg at least, because I was on 100mg per day ten years ago, and that was barely effective, but several accutane courses later, 25mg is doing a magical job!!

Just a thought, if hydration, etc. is a concern.

Differin might help too, it's worth a try. I have better luck with a combo of topical BP (benzoyl peroxide) and clindamycin, but you kind of have to try a bunch of things and see what works for you.

I think that's a great point about just doing 25 mg. I think I may actually start taking just 25mg now because I'm not sure I'll be able to find time to take another dose during the day during basic training. Plus, my skin was showing great improvement on just my Beyaz (which has an ingredient that is similar to 25mg of Spiro). The Differin doesn't seem to be doing really anything for my skin yet, but I'm supposed to give it a few months.

Hi guys!

I'm looking for some advice on Spironolactone.

I have been off of the Mirena IUD (which was giving me severe cystic acne after 3 years of having it in) for about 4 months now and am on my fourth pack of Beyaz birth control.

I am finally seeing a drastic change in my skin. No more cysts at all! It's great. However, I am not 100% clear. I'm thinking about taking Spironolactone, but I have some questions about it first. If this is all super redundant, and you've seen a post where all my questions have been asked before, please tell me! I'll remove my post and refer to those posts.

Questions:

1. Spironolactone is an anti-androgen/slight pro-estrogen (right?). Have the people that are taking it noticed any significant weight gain? Are you "softer" than you were before? I'm asking because I'll be going to basic training in February and I need to be able to maintain my muscle gains and not increase in body fat. My Beyaz has already caused me to hold onto more arm, breast and belly fat and I'm nervous that if I go on MORE androgen blockers, I'll have a harder time getting results from my workouts.

2. Does it affect your mood?

3. This one's gonna sound really dumb. I'm sorry in advance.... what should I ask my doctor? How do I convince him/her to give me Spiro?

Thanks for any advice! I'd love to be 100% clear! I have a good feeling about Spiro as I now know that my acne is almost entirely because of my hormonal imbalances.

Hey there! I've been on spironolactone for 4 months at 100mg. I have not gained weight. In fact, I have lost a little bit. Since its a diuretic, I lost water weight I believe. I had to even get my wedding ring re-sized. I don't feel it has affected my mood. I actually feel a little bit calmer. I've read that small amounts of blood pressure meds help with anxiety. I don't feel as anxious as I was before. In fact, I almost want to increase my dosage to 150mg to see if that amount will show more improvements with my mood and acne. You should print about studies regarding Spironolactone to show your Derm if you think he/she will be reluctant to prescribe it to you. I didn't have that issue because the Derm office I go to commonly gives spironolactone to women. I started off on 50mg for the first month to get my body adjusted. Then I bumped up to 100mg.

Just a quick update on my dosage: I broke out big time along my jawline and above eyebrows during my period and ended up taking 50mg of spiro plus 100mg of Doxy for three days (two days during and one after my period ended). That brought me back under control and I hope I can go back to just 25mg of spiro as of today (but if i see any bubbling, I might take another doxy).

This is my second time on Spiro. I used to take Spiro, Metaformin and my BCP (don't remember which one) prior to trying to conceive. I have PCOS and have had mild to moderate acne since elementary school. Honestly, I don't think I have ever been completely clear but with the meds I really only had a few here and there if I slept in my makeup or was getting period. Honestly I hardly thought about my skin.

Fast forward to having a baby in getting in shape. I work out, why isn't that enough to control my symptoms? So back on Spiro I go annnnnnnd then I ran the Turkey Trot. I drank my usual pre workout (pretty benign but has caffeine) and drank water but I felt like I was going to pass out about an hour later waiting to eat Thanksgiving Dinner. I thought oh my blood sugar is low, let me eat a snack. Nope, I was dehydrated and I barely broke a sweat running (it was 22 degrees) AND I drank what should have been enough water. So yes, it can affect your workouts. No weight gain even though I am not following my plan right now. Too busy with the end of the semester. Lost a little water weight and I am a bit softer however I have not lifted in two weeks which probably has more to do with it.

You could try with only 25mg. That was my starting dose, and, it cleared me up almost completely in just two weeks. I was fully expecting to have to go up to 50mg at least, because I was on 100mg per day ten years ago, and that was barely effective, but several accutane courses later, 25mg is doing a magical job!!

Just a thought, if hydration, etc. is a concern.

Differin might help too, it's worth a try. I have better luck with a combo of topical BP (benzoyl peroxide) and clindamycin, but you kind of have to try a bunch of things and see what works for you.

Spiro is actually a hypertensive medication. It lowers blood pressure by antagonizing aldosterone. The anti-androgen effects are a side effect.

Aldosterone is the primary mineral corticoid and is responsible for keeping you properly hydrated. Since you will be starting intensive pt at boot camp, it really is very important to ensure that you are getting enough water, salt and other electrolytes.

Good luck in your training. We are all thankful for your patriotism and willingness to serve and defend us.

Ensuring that you get 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight for females will help with maintaining lean mass. Remember that meat is only about 22% protein. So if you eat 100 grams of lean meat, you are getting about 20-22 grams of protein.

Hey there! I've been on spironolactone for 4 months at 100mg. I have not gained weight. In fact, I have lost a little bit. Since its a diuretic, I lost water weight I believe. I had to even get my wedding ring re-sized. I don't feel it has affected my mood. I actually feel a little bit calmer. I've read that small amounts of blood pressure meds help with anxiety. I don't feel as anxious as I was before. In fact, I almost want to increase my dosage to 150mg to see if that amount will show more improvements with my mood and acne. You should print about studies regarding Spironolactone to show your Derm if you think he/she will be reluctant to prescribe it to you. I didn't have that issue because the Derm office I go to commonly gives spironolactone to women. I started off on 50mg for the first month to get my body adjusted. Then I bumped up to 100mg.

Hi! Thanks for your response! Right now, I'm only on 25 mg and then my usual Beyaz (which has the equivalent of 25 mg of Spiro in it). I may up the dosage soon, though. My derm actually very readily prescribed it to me I'm glad you're having nice results!

Just a quick update on my dosage: I broke out big time along my jawline and above eyebrows during my period and ended up taking 50mg of spiro plus 100mg of Doxy for three days (two days during and one after my period ended). That brought me back under control and I hope I can go back to just 25mg of spiro as of today (but if i see any bubbling, I might take another doxy).

I may up my dosage, as well! I think I need a litte extra! I broke out on my jawline, but I think it was because I'm on my sugar pills on my Beyaz, which means I'm JUST taking Spiro to help my hormones. Maybe I'll just take extra Spiro on the days that I don't take my hormone birth control pills.

This is my second time on Spiro. I used to take Spiro, Metaformin and my BCP (don't remember which one) prior to trying to conceive. I have PCOS and have had mild to moderate acne since elementary school. Honestly, I don't think I have ever been completely clear but with the meds I really only had a few here and there if I slept in my makeup or was getting period. Honestly I hardly thought about my skin.

Fast forward to having a baby in getting in shape. I work out, why isn't that enough to control my symptoms? So back on Spiro I go annnnnnnd then I ran the Turkey Trot. I drank my usual pre workout (pretty benign but has caffeine) and drank water but I felt like I was going to pass out about an hour later waiting to eat Thanksgiving Dinner. I thought oh my blood sugar is low, let me eat a snack. Nope, I was dehydrated and I barely broke a sweat running (it was 22 degrees) AND I drank what should have been enough water. So yes, it can affect your workouts. No weight gain even though I am not following my plan right now. Too busy with the end of the semester. Lost a little water weight and I am a bit softer however I have not lifted in two weeks which probably has more to do with it.

Great to know! It's definitely important to drink water, and I've been drinking a couple liters everyday now. I feel pretty good! My runs haven't been too affected-- I run at least 2 miles a day, usually more. I think I've also lost water weight since starting Spiro...it's been about 3 weeks, and I've lost about 3 pounds. But it has to be because of the water...not fat loss. I'm 5'6" and now weigh about 123 lbs-- starting Spiro at around 126-127. But I haven't been dieting at all, so I contribute this weight loss to water.

Sorry about your Turkey Trot experience! I hope your next race is better!

Another update in case it's relevant: three days after my period ended, I can safely and happily say I'm back down on 25mg and it's working again. Nothing new to report as of this morning, just the period scabs healing slowly. Next month, I will up the spiro to 50mg and add 100 mg of doxy per day a bit earlier and taper off a bit later; I anticipate needing the "extra" meds for five to seven days in total.

Based on my experience, your plan to only increase the spiro dose during the sugar pill days sounds like a good one!

Another update in case it's relevant: three days after my period ended, I can safely and happily say I'm back down on 25mg and it's working again. Nothing new to report as of this morning, just the period scabs healing slowly. Next month, I will up the spiro to 50mg and add 100 mg of doxy per day a bit earlier and taper off a bit later; I anticipate needing the "extra" meds for five to seven days in total.

Based on my experience, your plan to only increase the spiro dose during the sugar pill days sounds like a good one!

Thanks for the update! I'll definitely increase the dosage during the sugar pill days... I don't want another setback like this last breakout!