31 yo female who has suffered from all types of acne since I can remember. Visited the dermatologist in April and he prescribed Spiro. This is the first I had heard of it so I have done nothing but read reviews since. So far, I have noticed a reduction in oil production but not much in the way of acne reduction. I am still holding onto faith that another month or so and I will see improvement in that regards. However, I have extreme discoloration all over my face now. Has anyone else experienced this? Will it even out? I'm fair skinned but always have a red tint which I associate with the inflammation of my acne. is this part of the healing process? Please....I need answers as not much info on discoloration is available in these threads. Thanks :))

I started breaking out about 2 years ago when I was 22. - i have never had acne before that besides the odd spot. I had moderate cystic acne mostly on the bottom half of my face. Anti-biotics would kinda help but the acne always came back. I tried to fix it with diet, that didn't work and it was honestly no way to live, I was becoming obsessed with food and constricting myself to too much! I went to the dermatologist and he put me on spironolactone. I started on 50 mg a day for 30 days. It helped, but it did not clear it up' (I hear it takes a few months for most people though). After 30 days my doctor bumped me to 100mg and added a birth control. In my case it is diane-35. My doctor told me that spiro works best to it's full potential when paired with a birth control. This combo did WONDERS for me. I was acne free within 2 weeks. I still get tiny break outs when I am on my period but they are totally manageable and small, I wouldn't have even noticed them back when I had big cysts. Side effects? Yup one major one, but I am not complaining about it. Weight loss! I was 130lbs when I went on this med and I now weigh in at 117lbs! I feel better about my face AND my body. I sometimes feel my heart beating faster than normal, that is just an indicator that I need to down some H2o and I'm all good. If you are a woman and you think your acne is hormonal ask your doctor about spironolactone and if it's right for you. Most GP's don't really recommend it because I think they are just not knowledgeable on it? That's only my assumption. I was going to the GP for my acne to get antibiotics and they did not recommend sprio to me. Once I went to a skin specialist they recommended spiro right away! Wish I knew about it earlier to save myself 2 years of agony on my face haha. Thanks guys!

Spiro gave me awful breakouts until I hit 100mg which took 4 months. It spread to my cheeks and really took a toll on me. But after 100mg within a week I noticed i stopped breaking out. HOWEVER at the same time, side effects hit me. I told myself in the beginning I would handle the side effects but it was too much. I felt weak, I couldnt exercise, I couldnt hold a conversation. I felt so awful, my heart was beating so fast that I thought maybe my birth control (yaz, which im off now too) was giving me a blood clot. I went to the hospital and all they could find was that I was peeing out all my phosphates (spiro is a diruetic). They gave me an attivan and it turned out it was also really bad anxiety. So dumb. I got off my bc and still had the issues and it was getting worse, I couldnt do anything without crying. I finally made the choice to get off it and feel like myself again. Im still breaking out but I never want to feel like that again

I always had really oily skin with hormonal breakouts which in turn made my skin completely unattractive - with often zits, scars, rash-like bumps, and painful cysts. I've only been on it for 2 month. I started to see results in about 2 weeks. I really love this stuff. I have no side effects what so ever and my skin looks amazing and is completely clear.

I've battled with oiliness and mild acne since I was eleven years old. In my 20s and now 30s this turned into oiliness and having one to two large deep cystic pimples nearly every month. It would always start as a sensitive spot on my chin that would turn into a painful deep inflamed area. I've gotten more cortisone shots in the last 5 years than I could have ever imagined. Every trip, big event, work meeting was preceded with worrying about whether a cyst would appear and ruin the event. I can honestly say that spironolactone has completely changed my life. Since starting on 50 mg nightly I have not had a single cyst. It's been a miracle drug to me. No longer do I have to bring toiletries to work and wash my face half way through the day to control oil. I can go the whole day and look normal. Having a drier mouth and needing to go to the bathroom a little more is a small price to pay. I'd recommend to anyone suffering from hormonal acne! Good luck

I love spiro. I have had moderate hormonal acne since middle school. I took spiro for about 2 years, stopped for a year and just recently started taking it again. I take 100 mgs a day. I think it's great for helping cystic hormonal acne. And when I do get them every once in a blue moon they go away much faster than usual. The only side effect I got from spiro were head aches at the beginning, but those went away after a few weeks. It also helped so much with oiliness which is a life saver. I would recommend spiro to anyone suffering from hormonal acne.

Having just completed my fourth month on Spironolactone I could not be more thrilled with the outcome. My acne has only been a recent struggle which started with a sudden onslaught of pimples in my early twenties after having a pretty good run with my skin throughout my teenage years. I had hormonal acne so it being an internal imbalance, no amount of fancy serums or radical diet changes were going to help clear it up. I was prescribed Sprio at my local GP's office and placed on a dosage of 100mg per day, I've maintained this dosage since. The main side effect in which I personally experienced was the frequent urination and dehydration as a consequence. These have since subsided though and now I currently have no issues with the drug nor my potassium levels (having got them routinely checked). In terms of how long the medication took to have an effect on my skin, it sure as hell wasn't a quick fix solution, nonetheless after three months of patiently waiting my skin cleared up miraculously and I haven't had a single pimple since, hurrah! I did experience the dreaded initial breakout but it only lasted a couple of months and was well worth enduring in order to achieve the long term results which thankfully have today. So at this stage I will happily continue to remain on the drug alongside till partaking in the occasional blood test at the GP's office tom monitor potassium levels. For just $25 for a three month prescription of Spiro here in Australia, this medication was an extremely cost effective solution to treating acne as well. I would highly recommend Spiro for any females experiencing hormonal acne only but encourage you all to take into account that it isn't a cure as such but a masking solution to the problem, it will only work as long as you remain on the medication, so with that in mind if you're skin isn't that bad to start with, maybe don't commit to such a drastic measure. If you do decide to start taking Spiro be sure to listen to your body and pay attention to any changes if you're concerned as at the end of the day, clear skin is great sure but it's not worth compromising your internal health when nothing was essentially wrong with you in the first place. Hope this helps anyone who's unsure about giving Spiro a go and are also struggling with hormonal acne.

This stuff works so well. I'm on 100 mg a day and combined with the pill, I've seen major improvement. My skin still breaks out, but it's 80% better than it was! I will agree with other posters that you will feel the need to go to the bathroom ALL the time. To me, it's worth it to have better skin. Drink lots of water!!

Let me preface by noting that I have had cystic acne all of my adult life. I am middle aged and have tried everything from Accutane (ugh) to topical prescriptions. Because I am also hypersensitive to most oral and topical medications, typically I have unusual and/or severe reactions. With that being said, I feel like I am the poster child for what symptoms an individual could possibly experience on the "negative side effects" end of the spectrum. It should also be noted that about two months prior to beginning treatment with Spironolactone, I began using a topical solution of vitamin B3 (niacinamide 5%) by Gia Naturals in place of my very expensive Dr. Dennis Gross moisturizer. The results were noticeably positive but not spectacular. Additionally, I use Bare Minerals liquid foundation, GloMinerals compressed powder, and Lancôme blush to avoid makeup based flare ups. Regardless, I was still having trouble with slow healing and (mostly) hormone related cysts. At my wit's end, I went back to my dermatologist. He prescribed an initial dose of 50mg of Spironolactone to start my treatment. I took the first pill around 7pm and within hours developed a severe dehydration-type headache that lasted all night and part of the next day. I called my dermatologist and after explaining my symptoms, he instructed me to cut the 50mg pill in half and try the lower dose before deciding to give up on the Spironolactone. I did and, thankfully, had no more headaches. I continued to take the reduced 25mg dosage for a couple of weeks (along with the above-mentioned products) and was seeing signs of improvement! About five days ago, with my menstrual cycle looming, I got brave and began taking the entire 50mg Spironolactone pill. I am happy to report that the headaches did not reappear and I made it through the worst of my period with no new cysts. The only side effect I have experienced over the past five days on the increased dosage is a notable tiredness. Bear in mind though, I am a 7th grade English teacher and my tiredness could be symptomatic of dealing with 85 twelve to thirteen year olds with spring fever while I am on my period!! Overall, I am cautiously optimistic about Spironolactone. My side effects have been manageable, the results thus far have been notable, and most importantly, the long term use of Spironolactone poses no significant physiological or psychological threat to users according to long term research findings. If you are considering Spironolactone, it is probably a safe bet to at least give it a try. As the poster child for side effects, however, I suggest starting with a low dosage and working up to higher dosages as your body becomes accustomed to the drug. WISHING YOU THE BEST! Sharron Z-W Post Script: I failed to mention that during this time I also began taking 500mg of vitamin B3 (niacinamide) orally every day along with my Spironolactone. My dermatologist said there are no contraindications and the vitamin is better absorbed when taken orally. (Please see research on vitamin B3 use for problem and/or aging skin)

I had horrible deep cyst like bumps. Mostly around my chin area. my doctor put me on this medicine. I started out with 50mg a day. That was working a little bit, but I was still getting a few deep cysts and it wasn't getting rid of the old ones. After being on that for about 2-3 months. He increased it to 100mg a day. after being on the 100mg a day for about 2-3 weeks my face felt great and the cysts were finally going away. Then I started having horrible stomach pains. This was like 10 times worse then regular period cramps. I felt nauseous and like I would be sick. Then I started having bloody bowls. Obviously I did not want to take it anymore, so I stopped. After about a week of being off of it I am still having horrible stomach pains, hopefully they go away soon. I also gained 10lbs just form being on the drug for about 4 months, which I was not a fan of! The symptoms were just not worth the clear skin.