I am 38 y/o and have been suffering from acne since I was 14. I have literally tried just about everything over the years including dietary changes, etc. For the past two years my moderate acne, became severe. I would cry when I looked in the mirror. I visited the dermatologist at least every other month almost in tears begging for help. I had asked for spiro but the last two dermatologists I went to refused to prescribe it. I finally found a dermatologist who prescribed it. It has been a God send!!!! My oily, red, irritated, cystic skin is now clear, even, less oily and smooth. TRY IT but be patient. I suffered from some of the side effects the first few weeks but drinking more water helps. I no longer feel any side effects at all. I am on 100mg 1 x day. I seemed to break out more for the first couple weeks. I still broke out almost like usual until about the 2nd to 3rd month but now I am going on about four months and my skin is beautiful!!! I am confident again. The new man I am dating can't stop complimenting me on my skin. It's that good! I am also using a topical retinoid at night and Aczone twice a day along with a benzo wash in the AM and a glycolic acid wash in the PM. I also just feel better in general. I don't know if it's because of spiro's effects on my hormones or the confidence that comes with having clear skin but either way, I am not stopping this drug!!!!!

I have never had terrible acne, but it has been persistent since 7th grade. I have been on antibiotics, retin-A, differin, and multiple birth controls. Although never terrible at all, I was always self conscious about my skin. I would never go to the pool without concealer or even go to bed with my boyfriend without makeup on. It was a constant stress in my life and I spent hundreds of dollars on crazy products trying to finally have a clear face. Finally right before my 21st birthday I decided I would bite the bullet and go back to the dermatologist to see if they had any other solutions. I was given spiro and after 3 months my face was completely clear. I do have the occasional zit but they are manageable and go away much faster than before. Spiro gave me confidence I never had before. I could finally go to class without worrying about who was staring at my face. It may sound vain and I tried to rationalize with myself that it was just my skin, but when I finally had clear skin I felt so much better. I hope this is helpful to others who are having the same problems I did. My acne was never cystic and never terrible, but it was just always there. I think anyone should try it if nothing else has seemed to work for them.

My dermatologist put me on yaz and spiro (50mg) for acne about a year ago. It cleared my acne about 95%. I stopped taking the yaz and spiro 6 months ago and my acne has come back with a vengeance. I just started back on spiro (75mg) and ocella to get clear again. I hope I get the same results as before. Eventually I hope to try accutane because although spiro may clear your acne while your on it, it's not a cure.

I had only been on this drug for about a week and had started to see positive results for my skin, unfortunately I was getting very lightheaded later in the day (I was taking 100mg in the am) which ultimately led to me fainting in the middle of a restaurant at the end of dinner. If you are having the same lightheadedness after taking it for not that long you should stop, passing out and being taken away in an ambulance was sooo much more embarassing than having bad skin! If it works for you without the side effects its a great drug!

This has been a miracle drug for me (so far). I've been on this medicine (50mg/day) for about a month and my face is literally night and day. I was very skeptical as I've tried almost every product and medicine on the market. I've been on Accutane, Doryx, Solodyn, all topicals from Metrogel 1% to you name it... I've tried every cleanser, moisturizer, mask, facials....and NOTHING WORKED. It was miserable!!!! My face has not ONE zit on it right now, which is a miracle. The red marks are slowly fading and I'm astonished by how well my body/face has reacted to this medicine. I will be anxious to see if it continues to improve. I am also on Aczone, which has been fabulous. I will keep you all posted. For once, I can look in the mirror without wanting to pick at my face or CRY!!! Please give this medicine a try. It may not work for you, but I hope it gives you the same results it's given me. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been very effective for me so far

Hi everyone, I never thought I'd be writing on one of these but I understand the emotional and physical anxiety that comes with hormonal acne. I am about to turn 20 but have been on Spiro since I was 17. I've never had cystic acne, but I've had relentless hormonal acne that has taken a tole on my confidence. I started on 50 mg (17 years old) and it took 6 months to be clear. Yes, you initially break out and I broke out around my first prom (lots and lots of years). But it is worth it - I had amazing skin all my senior year. Last December (19 years old) I was incredibly stressed out with a new college and all the stresses that come with that and started to have mini break outs on my chin. I upped my dosage to 100 mg which immediately cleared me up in a month. My skin had never been better. This June, my pharmacy changed manufacturers without telling me (Amneal to some generic drug) and I broke out once again around my chin. I was devastated. I didn't know why or how this had happened so I upped my dosage once again to 150 mg. I have been on this new dosage for about a month and a week ago, I switched pharmacies so I'm back on the old manufacturer (Amneal). I'm incredibly impatient and dramatic so I know my problem is no where near as severe as people with cystic acne. However, I have been completely clear and there is nothing quite like it. The only issues I've noticed from the increased dosage is dry skin. I take 50 mg in the morning and 100 mg at night so I'm not tired during the day. The dry skin is a bitch but I'm trying to figure out a moisturizing routine and I'm sure it will fade in a couple months. So far, I have discoloration and maybe 1 - 2 whiteheads. I will keep everyone updated. To those who are starting out or struggling: I love you all and know that you are not alone. Love yourself with or without the acne, and I know that is so easy to say - but nothing is worth getting depressed over. Sending my love and good vibes to you all!

I'm 30 y.o. female, had adult acne for at least 10 years but it got much worse the past 4 (grad school and moving to Louisiana climate probably didn't help). My mother had terrible acne until menopause and I was almost resigned to the same fate after spending thousands of dollars on all sorts of stuff over the years, including dermatologists, with no long-term solution. I've been on BC the whole itme which has helped minimally. I tried spiro alone for a month and saw some, but not much change. What finally worked for me has been topical tretinoin cream (1%, the strongest Rx), WITH spironolactone 100mg in the morning AND a long cycle of minacycline to clear up the rest after the initial breakout/adjustment period was over. During the 3 days before and 4 days after my period starts, I increase to 100mg in AM and 50mg PM. It took about 3-4 months to get to a clean slate but for then for the past 3 months I've finally reached a good maintenance period where I can even miss a day or two of my normal routine / meds and not have a problem- now just waiting for the scars to disappear. It used to be disaster if I so much as used a different face wash. An important note though: For 6 weeks I was taking 100 am plus 100 pm. When I went for lab check, my potassium was on the borderline level. I had eaten a persimmon the day before, which is high in potassium (I didn't realize this until I researched it after the lab results) but still, I want to reiterate the importance of lab checks until you get everything sorted out if your doctor recommends. Heart health > complexion. Anyway, I did notice diuretic effects the first week but after that either my body adjusted or I just stopped noticing the frequency of having to pee. I gained 1lb since starting it but I don't think that is due to the spiro. My breasts were a little tender at first and my husband said they were a little bigger but I can't tell. Def better to take in the AM than evening if you have a choice though because you don't want to wake up in the middle of the night unnecessarily to go to the restroom. At first, my face was embarrassingly dry but this was primarily due to the tretinoin and I knew I just had to suffer through it. Now that my skin has adjusted, another (what I consider huge) benefit of spiro is my hair is much less oily (as is my face). Before I had to wash it every 3 days; now I wash it every 7-8 (unless I sweat a lot, in which case I'm washing on principle, not b/c it's oily). I dread having to give spiro up if/when I get pregnant. You def need to maintain dr's supervision on this med though. This is a long review but hope the info is helpful!

I hardly ever write reviews but had to share my success with this medication, I have had cystic acne since age 14, I am 46, been on every antibiotic, Accutane, prescription topical creams etc.. My Derm prescribed this about 7 months ago, I have never looked this good without the help of antibiotics, I now have drier skin and have not had 1 flair up since after the 3 month mark, this stuff is amazing, the key is to be patient, don't lose hope, I have been through this silly game of acne for way to long and am finally feeling some hope. I use Duac in the AM and Gly derm at night, take 100 MG of Spironolactone once daily. Good luck to you all.

I started taking Spironolactone almost exactly 3 months ago. I'm 26 years old and have had VERY mild sporadic acne, depending on the time of the month for most of my 20's. Nothing major and very easy to deal with and cover with light make-up. However, right around January I started breaking out more frequently and worse than I was used to. Although still not that bad,It really bothered me, as I am a perfectionist and work in a business where beauty is a must. ;) I went to see my dermatologist hoping he would put me on an antibiotic, since I had used that in my teens and it worked beautifully. However, he really only gave me two options: Accutane or Spironolactone. Not wanting to be on Accutane I started taking Spironolactone in late January with no other prescriptions. The first two weeks, I really saw no real dramatic change for better or worse. BUT, week two hit and I started getting the worst break out of my life. I knew that an initial breakout may happen based on what I read here, so I figured it would be short lived. Sadly, I was wrong. From week 2-8 I experience CONSTANT breakouts that were much worse than what I started with. I was devestated and almost stopped entirely. About my 7th week my dr. Put me on Bactrim in conjunction with Spiro. I was on Spiro for 2 full months before my skin started getting better at all. This last month, leading to my 12th week, the breakouts have gotten MUCH less severe and waaay better to manage. At this point, I really only have a few little bumps left. The moral of the story here is you MUST be patient. I'm still being patient. I read a couple posts below that some of you are breaking out worse....it will pass. You have to keep on. It takes ALOT of time and yes, the breakouts are bad, but I do think it works. I really recommend using it in conjunction with an antibiotic. The only bummer now is that I'm left with a bit of hyper pigments. I'm thinking of trying a che