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Spiro Advise

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7
(@krissy990)

Posted : 06/06/2014 12:35 pm

Hey all I am coming back to you guys out of desperation again. So for anyone who hasn't read my other postings I never had acne up until going on Lutera last year in November. Anyway I switched from that to Microgestin and back and did this for two months. So in total I stood on birth control stupidly for two months and my skin just was becoming oily and gross. Came off of it thinking it would help and of course it didn't. So its been four months since being off of the pill and while my acne isn't horrible or cystic in nature its persistent. The only reason I went on this pill was to help regulate my periods as I have what my doc called "borderline pcos". Meaning I have irregular periods and mild hirsutism... but never had acne or insulin resistance, weight issues, cystic ovaries ect.

So anyway almost two months I went to the derm got on tazorac .05 gel and have been using this in conjunction with bp in the day time and minocyclen to try to rid myself of this. This has helped in some ways but really my pores just keep clogging and Im constantly broken out. I haven't had a day that I didn't have acne since last year. So anyway I decided to go to another derm (spend a lot of money bc im uninsured now :( ) and try Spiro since Im sure my acne is hormonal. Im mainly breaking out in my cheeks, cheek bones and having body acne. So anyway he prescribes it to me 25mg just to start off then after two weeks bump that to twice a day. Within 3 days of taking this I get a huge painful cyst right on my chin! Mind you I am not even breaking out on my chin and like I said my acne has NEVER been cystic. I stopped immediately and haven't had another cyst since just regular old stupid acne.

So now I am so frustrated wth is going on? Is it worth taking spiro and risk it causing me more severe acne then what I have? Should I ask about low dose Accutane with out birth control? Should I wait longer to see if my body will just regulate on its own? Im so frustrated and depressed I cant even begin to tell you. I am actually miserable and wake up everyday to this. Ive found myself literally weeping over this and becoming quite obsessive. Not to be dramatic but this has ruined any shred of self confidence I had and have become a shy homebody avoiding everything because I am so self conscious. Anyway sorry this was so long winded but I don't know what to do. Thank you all again.

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80
(@paigems)

Posted : 06/06/2014 12:42 pm

Spiro can cause an initial breakout. Just stick it out. It helps most people pretty well.

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22
(@cvd)

Posted : 06/06/2014 5:15 pm

Spiro blocks androgens so it should not cause acne. It takes months to kick in so the cyst you have now is not from the spiro. Cysts take a long time to develop deep within the skin (weeks)...unlike more surface acne. Spiro will help dry up your oily skin. Stick with your derm's advice...exactly. Don't play around with treatment but instead tell your derm what is happening and let him/her decide what to do next. I'd say that the one cyst you got was probably a fluke and due to starting and stopping the birth control, since you say it made your skin more oily and that could have started the cycle of a cyst (timing is right too for it to suddenly show up now...weeks later). Is your skin tolerating the topical treatments (BP, antibiotic, etc.)? If so then also keep doing them. BP takes a while to kick in too.

You may want to keep a log of your breakouts, especially if you've been breaking out for awhile and are on new treatments. This will help you see how your skin is dealing with things over time and will really help your derm figure out how your individual skin works. It takes some experimenting to get things just right.

You should also try avoiding all dairy, sugary foods, alcohol, and oils (dressings, margarines, etc.). This will help your skin to calm down and also help to balance hormone fluctuations. Avoiding oils will help your skin be less oily and unclog pores.

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(@krissy990)

Posted : 06/20/2014 1:35 pm

Hi ladies thanks so much for your responses. Its odd but Im 100% convinced it was the spiro. As I mentioned I have been off the bc pill for 4 months now and haven't gotten a cyst the whole time (not even when I was on it). My acne tends to be on the mild side and not on my chin area. Within three days of taking spiro I got that cyst. I haven't taken spiro for more than two weeks and haven't gotten another cyst either. So I am guess spiro isn't for me? I know its supposed to help but I don't think graduating from small pustules/papules to cysts is right. I have read some cases of women who didn't benefit from spiro and actually continued to breakout horribly well past the 6-9 month mark.

And actually I am on tazorac gel .05, bp 2.5% and mino 100mg a day and having success with that. I have been on this treatment for two months and officially past the initial break out phase I think. I still get pimples but very very small ones and the usual clogged pores. My biggest complain is that my face is still oily and always red. Like red to the point that I always have to have foundation on just to cover the redness. My face is just always irritated and itchy. Honestly that cyst really scared me away from spiro it was so painful and woke me out of my sleep at night lol! Thanks again for all of you input!

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22
(@cvd)

Posted : 06/20/2014 3:49 pm

Everyone's different so who knows? You know your body best. As for the red face...tazorac is a retinoid and that can cause skin irritation. They say that using it just as prescribed and with time the skin usually stops reacting so much. BP can also be irritating. You may want to speak with your derm about the redness. Personally I can't use any retinoids because they are way too irritating for my sensitive skin...I've tried several times but always have to stop. Just in case your redness doesn't go away or gets worse --- an alternate regime for sensitive skin is BP cleanser plus a topical antibiotic (see below). Also your derm might have you do either the gel or the BP every other day until you skin calms down. Key here is to not aggravate the skin too much for too long or the inflammation will keep the acne flaring up.

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(@emily54)

Posted : 06/22/2014 6:11 pm

I am on spiro 50mg. I have bad cystic back acne, but my face is mostly just a lot of clogged pores and the occasionally whitehead on my chin, jaw and cheekbones. I used to have cystic facial acne but not in the last few years. I had an initial breakout with spiro after taking it for a month - i got a huge awful cyst (like the size of a dime) on my cheek next to my nose where i never breakout, and three deep and really painful cysts on my chin. I used BP on them and they went down quickly. I still have the one on my cheek but it is just a raised, non-red nodule now (3 weeks later). My face overall looks really good - less clogged pores, smaller pores, less oily, now new pimples at all in several weeks. My back is still breaking out but no worse or better than before and still cystic.

All that to say, i think an IB with spiro is very common. I have no advice about whether you should stick it out, but I am seeing good results now (on my face anyway) and absolutely no other side effects from it.

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MemberMember
7
(@krissy990)

Posted : 06/24/2014 4:21 pm

Everyone's different so who knows? You know your body best. As for the red face...tazorac is a retinoid and that can cause skin irritation. They say that using it just as prescribed and with time the skin usually stops reacting so much. BP can also be irritating. You may want to speak with your derm about the redness. Personally I can't use any retinoids because they are way too irritating for my sensitive skin...I've tried several times but always have to stop. Just in case your redness doesn't go away or gets worse --- an alternate regime for sensitive skin is BP cleanser plus a topical antibiotic (see below). Also your derm might have you do either the gel or the BP every other day until you skin calms down. Key here is to not aggravate the skin too much for too long or the inflammation will keep the acne flaring up.

I am on spiro 50mg. I have bad cystic back acne, but my face is mostly just a lot of clogged pores and the occasionally whitehead on my chin, jaw and cheekbones. I used to have cystic facial acne but not in the last few years. I had an initial breakout with spiro after taking it for a month - i got a huge awful cyst (like the size of a dime) on my cheek next to my nose where i never breakout, and three deep and really painful cysts on my chin. I used BP on them and they went down quickly. I still have the one on my cheek but it is just a raised, non-red nodule now (3 weeks later). My face overall looks really good - less clogged pores, smaller pores, less oily, now new pimples at all in several weeks. My back is still breaking out but no worse or better than before and still cystic.

All that to say, i think an IB with spiro is very common. I have no advice about whether you should stick it out, but I am seeing good results now (on my face anyway) and absolutely no other side effects from it.

Thanks so much ladies. I'm gonna visit another derm soon to see what they suggest. This red face issue is really bothersome. I just wish I was insured but gosh derms out of pocket here are so darn expensive. I'm thinking maybe to give spiro another try and instead maybe starting at 50 or 100mgs instead of the 25 once a day. I'm worried about it because like I said my acne is not cystic in nature and never was until trying this out. I don't know if at this point I can bear cystic acne on top of it all...it's just so darn painful and is so hard to heal. I took about four days just for that thing to stop throbbing lol but it did magically go away. And I'm thankful to not have gotten another one since. Right now I'm dealing with clogged pores that get inflamed and oily skin. One thing I have noticed my forehead isn't oily anymore and I'm not getting milla under my eyes anymore. So I guess that's progress lol.

Btw I'm glad both of you are seeing progress on spiro! I really wish this med didn't come with that initial breakout. I don't think I have it in me for my face to go to the dumps possibly for months/weeks and keep faith that it'll get better. Thanks again!

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(@brenmc)

Posted : 06/25/2014 1:16 am

I agree with cvd about avoiding alcohol and sugar but I disagree that your cyst wouldn't be a result of starting the spiro. I've tried certain supplements and had breakouts within 24hours. It's best to observe your own body's reaction to things.

If you don't have cystic acne normally, I would try natural supplements before anything prescription: Vitamin D and Zinc can help.

I'd also quit the harsh topicals and wash your face with a non-irritating soap. And don't use any mineral makeup.

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MemberMember
7
(@krissy990)

Posted : 06/25/2014 11:41 pm

I agree with cvd about avoiding alcohol and sugar but I disagree that your cyst wouldn't be a result of starting the spiro. I've tried certain supplements and had breakouts within 24hours. It's best to observe your own body's reaction to things.

If you don't have cystic acne normally, I would try natural supplements before anything prescription: Vitamin D and Zinc can help.

I'd also quit the harsh topicals and wash your face with a non-irritating soap. And don't use any mineral makeup.

Thanks so much! Yes honestly I was fully prepared to withstand and ib from spiro had it been similar to the typical acne I get being comedonal (open & closed), papules & pustules. But I was kind of bummed when I started getting that sore feeling on my chin so soon and at such a low dose.I was more bummed because spiro has worked so well for others who already have cystic acne. I know my acne is hormonal but its not really displayed in the "typical" areas such as chin or jawline. Mine tends to hover around my cheek area.

Im trying a few supplements out now that Im hoping will get things into shape. Its just difficult right now for me to figure out where my exact hormone issue. Whats strange is that before taking the pill i had clear symptoms of estrogen dominance & elevated androgens (ie hirsutism) but was clear. Now I dont even know whats going on since ive stopped experiencing the hotflashes/night sweats/ facial flushing about a month off of the pill.

That was long winded lol. Anyway thank you so much I will be going back to another derm and see if he can offer me some REAL help.

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(@tracy521)

Posted : 06/26/2014 9:13 am

usually when people start spiro they are given a good antibiotic to take along with that to avoid any sort of initial breakout if possible. if you were on an antibiotic i am fairly certain it would have caught anything crazy before it popped up. so if you try spiro again go the antibiotic route then 3-6 months down the road wean from it and you should be fine.

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(@krissy990)

Posted : 06/26/2014 1:07 pm

usually when people start spiro they are given a good antibiotic to take along with that to avoid any sort of initial breakout if possible. if you were on an antibiotic i am fairly certain it would have caught anything crazy before it popped up. so if you try spiro again go the antibiotic route then 3-6 months down the road wean from it and you should be fine.

Im considering doing this. When I was on spiro those three days I had been off the mino for a few weeks. In that time I didnt see a difference in my acne. As in it didnt come back with a vengance or anything since I was on it for a month. After that cyst I immediatly stopped spiro any started mino again. Did you have a good experience with spiro aswell? Im finding so many videos on youtube and people on here raving about spiro..I might give it another shot with the new derm. Im still unsure.

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(@brenmc)

Posted : 06/26/2014 1:11 pm

Birth control can create a rebound effect when you go off of it, perhaps because it increases estrogen artificially and thereby decreases androgens, therefore the reverse happens when you are no longer regulated by the pill. ALWAYS wean off of hormonal medications. Look on this forum for info on herbal remedies to avoid dependence on pharmaceuticals (if you don't have cystic acne, which unfortunately often requires pharmaceuticals).

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144
(@tracy521)

Posted : 06/26/2014 1:12 pm

yes spiro is the only thing that has cleared my cystic acne completely i only wish i started taking it years ago as i would have no scarring. i have been on it since dec 2012 and while i broke out bad when i first started once i was given keflex with it i cleared right up and have been clear ever since.

yeah if you do it again definitely take it with mino or say doxy or keflex and you will be totally fine.

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MemberMember
7
(@krissy990)

Posted : 06/26/2014 5:09 pm

Birth control can create a rebound effect when you go off of it, perhaps because it increases estrogen artificially and thereby decreases androgens, therefore the reverse happens when you are no longer regulated by the pill. ALWAYS wean off of hormonal medications. Look on this forum for info on herbal remedies to avoid dependence on pharmaceuticals (if you don't have cystic acne, which unfortunately often requires pharmaceuticals).

Yeah I saw an increase in acne once I got off of it. The thing is bc never cleared me and it is the sole reason I have acne now. I started breaking out once on it. It def rebounded once I got off of it for me. I am keeping it under some control topically paired with mino but still breaking out with new ones every few days. Its just frustrating being spanish my pih turns into a nice dark spot on my already red face. Ugh. Anyway Ive lurked through here and saw you tried spiro aswell? Did it help some for you brenmc?

yes spiro is the only thing that has cleared my cystic acne completely i only wish i started taking it years ago as i would have no scarring. i have been on it since dec 2012 and while i broke out bad when i first started once i was given keflex with it i cleared right up and have been clear ever since.

yeah if you do it again definitely take it with mino or say doxy or keflex and you will be totally fine.

Thats awesome! Really motivating me to give it another shot. I think Im setting an apt for dermo next week so Ill see what he suggests bc topicals arent really working. Or at least not the combo I am using.

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144
(@tracy521)

Posted : 06/27/2014 8:35 am

yeah when my cystic acne was at its worst topicals did nothing for me the only thing that cleared me up right away was keflex and then spiro once it kicked in. i now use a glycolic acid toner daily but thats it for my regimen. let me know what the derm says.

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35
(@brenmc)

Posted : 06/27/2014 9:44 am

Spiro worked for me really well for between three and four years. Last year something changed in what I was taking, spiro or glucosmart, and I'm no longer clear.

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MemberMember
7
(@krissy990)

Posted : 06/29/2014 11:47 pm

yeah when my cystic acne was at its worst topicals did nothing for me the only thing that cleared me up right away was keflex and then spiro once it kicked in. i now use a glycolic acid toner daily but thats it for my regimen. let me know what the derm says.

Wow thats great! Ill keep you all posted as to what he says. For now mino is keeping inflamation down which is cool i guess.

Spiro worked for me really well for between three and four years. Last year something changed in what I was taking, spiro or glucosmart, and I'm no longer clear.

Wow thats frustrating Im sorry your going through that. Maybe hormones shifted. I just read some of your responses on the inositol thread. Im guessing glucosmart helps address ir similar to inositol. Is it common for spiro to loose effectiveness over time just curious? I hope you have success with your skin soon.

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(@brenmc)

Posted : 06/30/2014 11:56 am

Thanks Krissy990,

Glucosmart is just a brand, it contains 600mg of chiro-inositol.

I am still taking spiro for fear that my skin would be worse if I quit it, and I can only speculate which medicine lost effectiveness: glucosmart or spiro. My doctor said, "in theory it's possible [for spiro to lose effectiveness]", but I've also read about women taking it effectively for 10 years. Cross that bridge if/when you come to it. :)

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MemberMember
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(@krissy990)

Posted : 07/03/2014 10:20 pm

@Brenmc that's so frustrating if it truly is the spiro that lost effectiveness! Have you tried varying brands maybe switching to aldactone brand name? Ive spoken to another member who had good results on the name brand vs generic. Ive also read on soulcysters somewhere that the brand name was more effective and they saw results (for hirsutism) quicker. I know its way more expensive (at least in the us) but it might not hurt to try. I am actually thinking of requesting or at least inquiring about aldactone and possibly starting at a higher dose when I see my derm. Ive been putting this off as Im trying to use up my taz sample being cheap and all lol. Anyway I wish you the best of luck on your journey to clear skin! :)

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