Spironolactone
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Spironolactone is a type of oral medication called an anti-androgen that is sometimes prescribed to females. Androgens are male hormones that are present...

Spironolactone is a type of oral medication called an anti-androgen that is sometimes prescribed to females. Androgens are male hormones that are present in both males and females that lead to more acne, and spironolactone helps reduce androgens.

It is usually taken once or twice a day, around the same time(s), preferably with a meal.

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May 12, 2010

Pros:

Reduced oil dramatically in a few days...by two weeks, oil during the day was consistently reduced by about 75%. I've never seen anything else do this before!

Cons:

Apparent allergic reaction gave me a spreading rash...

I was only taking 25mg, as I am very sensitive to medication. All was well until about 9 days in...I noticed a dry, red, blotchy rash around my underwear line after I worked out. After ignoring it at first, I soon couldn't deny that it was spreading out towards my stomach. I couldnt believe how well the spiro had reduced my oil and did not want to attribute it to the rash. Although it did not itch, I applied a steroid cream to the area, which was progressively getting redder. Finally, after about 2 weeks I showed my doctor who said it clearly appeared to be an allergic reaction. I stopped the spiro and the rash has begun to fade. The oil returned immediately!!! This seemed to be working quite the miracle until I discovered I couldn't tolerate it. I haven't read about this happening to anyone else, so it is absolutely worth trying if you have oily skin.
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May 7, 2010

Pros:

Clears hormonal acne almost 100%, lost a pound or two of water weight, results are seen fairly quickly - within 1-2 months

Cons:

None that I can see

Like many others on here - I have suffered with moderate acne since 14 and now at 32 I was still getting bad breakouts... I too had tried everything imaginable with only minimal results... I starting doing research and found spironolactone... I knew my acne was hormonal due to when & and where on my face I get it... I wanted to get to the root of the problem and not just address the symptoms... Now I wash 2 x a day with Cetaphil Cleanser (for normal/oily skin) Neutrogena Grapefruit Salycylic wash (3 times a week) Apply Cetaphil 50spf moisturizer (every morn) 75 mg of spiro (every morn) Flinstone Multivitamin (every morn) Differin gel .03% (every other night) Eye cream (every night) I am 90 - 95% acne free for the first time in my life!!!! Spiro is the REAL difference and the real deal....
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April 29, 2010

Pros:

decreased facial hair, clear skin!

Cons:

constipation, irregular periods

I did not see effects from this drug while on 25-100mg/day. I still got multiple huge painful cysts on my chin and mouth area...but after 4 months my doctor boosted me to 200mg/day (100mg twice a day) and about a month after that, I seriously have not had ANY cysts for a full month now! This is after having 1-6 at a time on my face constantly for the past 7 months...I am very happy with my skin, but also along with the 200mg dose I have had issues with constipation and have had irregular periods for the the first time in my life :( This is frustrating, but at this point I am willing to put up with that for the clear skin!
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April 23, 2010

Pros:

clear skin at about 4 months

Cons:

At 6 months, breaking out terribly.. whats going on??

At about 4 months as I previously posted, my skin was completely clear. But now at 6 months, I've had a breakout of 6-7 pimples.. I dont know whats going on. I dont know if this is normal to have another breakout before I'll be consistently clear or what. I have been taking 100mg twice a day consistently and don't feel as if I've changed anything. I feel hideous. I just hope that this is the last breakout like this I ever have. Just wanted to warn others in case they have the same outcome through the spiro process. Hopefully it is just temporary.. but is discouraging :(
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March 2, 2010

Pros:

Try it if you haven't. Jawline cysts have just about disappeared.

Cons:

Thirsty a lot and I have to pee all the time. Heart palpitations.

Unfortunately I didn't get the breast enlargement or body hair reduction like other women, but oh well. I've had acne since age 11 (when I had my first period), took every antibiotic, used every cream, ended up on accutane at age 15 which was effective for a few years. Do to liver problems I couldn't do accutane again, and went on spiro at age 20ish. This stuff really works, my jawline cysts have disappeared, I still get one or two pimples right before my period but they are superficial. I am also on the pill and use differin .3% every night as well as moisturizer day and night. I wish I had started using this in my teens, as now I have lots of scarring which dramatically affects my self esteem. Please try spironolactone if you haven't yet. I'd take being thirsty, peeing a lot, and heart palpitations any day over stupid acne.
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January 19, 2010

Pros:

dramatically reduced oil, less acne

Cons:

i still got an occasional cyst around that time of the month

it's worth a try.
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January 5, 2010

Pros:

Have been on the med about a month and two weeks, and have experienced interesting things. I suddenly have no underarm odor, my face seems to be less oily, my breakouts seem to be diminishing after what seemed like a flare up. Don't know about the body hair yet - although I would venture to say it is less course, and growing slower.

Cons:

I just got a yeast infection, and the only thing I can contribute it to is this med. Yeast infections can be caused by hormonal changes, which makes sense with the above changes I've experienced. Hopefully after my body adjusts to these hormonal changes - no more yeast beast.

So far, so good. Looking forward to even better results.
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January 3, 2010

Pros:

i don't get huge pimples anymore, and when some do pop up, they heal much quicker than when i was not taking it. it also helps with my oily skin

Cons:

i've been taking spironolactone for over a year and it has not completely cleared my skin. it does help a lot and that is why i still use it. i take 150mg/day

it didn't clear up my skin completely but it does help!
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December 10, 2009

Pros:

Significantly reduces hormonal acne; slightly lowers blood pressure (good for those who tend to have high BP), reduces water weight gain from too much sodium.

Cons:

Can raise your potassium levels; you must make sure you don't take supplements with potassium in it or eat too many foods loaded with potassium.

I've been on this for a couple years and noticed an immediate improvement in my acne. After getting off oral contraceptives, I had the worse breakouts I ever experienced. Spiro cleared my skin beautifully. I started by taking two a day, as my dermatologist recommended. Then once my face cleared up, I started taking only one pill a day and my face stayed clean. Now I'm taking one 25 mg pill every other day. My face has remained clear, and I have effectively minimized my exposure to the drug without compromising my results.
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December 7, 2009

Pros:

I LOVE IT!!!! I have suffered from acne all my life it seems. I used tetracycline, monocine, acutane and I still had breakouts. i am 35 and couldn't even stand to look at myself in the mirror.....

Cons:

urinate a lot

....I can now look in the mirror and be happy with what I see. I couldn't see "beautiful" for a long time. I didn't even know what smooth skin looked like....I do now....try it.
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