I really just want to speak to those of you who have suffered like me from acne. There is nothing I have wanted more than clear skin the past 5 years, and I've never gotten it. I wouldn't go out or just keep my face hidden or cover my acne with my hands always. I'm outgoing, but a hermit when I'm breaking out terribly, even though I almost always was. I have done it ALL ladies and gents! Accutane for a year'yes longer than usual, that worked but it came back 6 months later almost as bad. I went to UPenn and they told me my options were 1. Accutane again (huge hassle with government protection but still worth the clearer skin nonetheless) 2. Birth control targeted to reduce acne, which i was already on 3. Spiro, which was supposed to reduce my apparently high testosterone levels as a woman. I tried it and 2/3 months later it REALLY worked. IT WORKED! And it continues to!! Please, please if you are like me and your skin controls you and upsets you, TRY IT!! And good luck:)

I am amazed by my experience with spiro. I have tried so many topicals, antibiotics, levulan, blue light, etc., and my acne either always came back, or never went away to begin with. It was so frustrating. I never tried Accutane because I was sure I'd be one of the people who immediately starts breaking out again right after they get off the medication. I started spiro 2.5 months ago, and it was the best decision of my entire life. It decreases oil production, and gets rid of cystic acne. Be aware: I experienced a very severe initial breakout, and now suffer from hyperpigmentation from it. Like, 25 active zits on my face. Some cystic, some not. My face had never looked so bad. Full disclosure: I gave up on doxycycline around the same time, because it was doing nothing for me, so that could have contributed to the bad breakout as well. I haven't had any breakout at all in almost a month, and I haven't had cystic acne for six weeks or so. Please give this medicine time to work. I say this from tons of experience...I gave a lot of medicine "time to work," and it never did. But, for me, this was different. That is because I have hormonal acne. But I never noticed it getting worse around my period, so don't let that fool you by thinking if your acne doesn't get worse around your period, it's not a hormonal issue. I was diagnosed with PCOS, but my doctor said even those without diagnosed PCOS can benefit from spiro by regulating hormones because it's not so much about how elevated one hormone is, but about the ratio of one to the other. Give it time to work, and take 100 mgs or more. I started out on 50 mgs for the first three weeks or so and I felt like nothing was happening in terms of oil production or breakouts. Dr. upped it to 100 mgs and I saw all the difference in the world. I used to be so skeptical of reviews here and elsewhere because I just knew nothing had ever worked for me. I finally found what works for me, though, and I hope this will work for you too. Get a blood workup to see how your hormones are. That will tell you whether or not this medicine should be right for you or not. Good luck! Forgot to add: I also use Ziana at night. I believe this also plays a role in me not breaking out anymore. Drying, though. Use moisturizer!

I have been on Spiro for just under 4 months. Good luck prying this stuff out of my cold, dead hands. I am a 39 year old female and have had acne since the age of 12. My major problems areas have been my jawline, hairline, neck, chest, back, shoulders and arms. I have been able to keep it somewhat under control with topical treatments over the years having the most luck with BP. Last winter something changed though and I started experiencing new kinds of acne, most noticably constant breakouts at my hairline, horrible neck and chest breakouts, and miliary breakouts that I'd never had before. Also my acne was starting to get more cyst-like...definitely went from minor to relatively severe over this time. This also coincided with irregular and painful periods. Suspecting PCOS I was put on 100 mg Spiro a day. I experienced a severe breakout in week two. I won't lie, it sucked. Oh yeah, and my breasts were pretty sore for about a week or so. However I started noticing a few things during the first month: much less oil (I have never gone a single day without showering because my hair and skin were so oily....now I can go 2 days without washing my hair...and can skip a day of showering without feeling gross), skin is much smoother, pimples are becoming less severe (instead of cyst-like, they are more normal and quicker to resolve), chest, back, arms and hairline cleared within 1-2 months. I used to have combo skin with oily parts and dry parts...now my skin is totally even, and I can quickly apply powder foundation without flakes and oily marks. Third month I was bumped up to 150 mg per day and I would say this is when my neck and jaw made the most improvement. I have not had an active zit for several days (never had I had a day without something somewhere). But all of the sudden my whole life changed. I can wear whatever clothes I want. I had no clothing that didn't cover my shoulders, chest and back completely. I went shopping the other day and was able to try on any thing I saw. Not to sound superficial but for someone like me that is a huge, huge deal. I wore a bathing suit in public for the first time in 2 decades this last Friday. This is a diuretic so I was thirsty and peeing alot the first few weeks. This passed and I don't notice it now. I have irregular periods but some of this may be due to the PCOS and I will be starting BC soon to try to regulate. Seriously I don't care though....clear skin is soooo worth it. You have to give it time to work though...don't pussy out after the first breakout. UPDATE: 01/19/14 I just wanted to give an update since it's been a while since my review. After experiencing several months of bi-weekly periods, I went on the birth contol Yasmin. This has totally regulated my periods. I don't get pimples anymore....haven't for 3 months +. I backed down from 150mg per day to 100mg per day a couple weeks ago with no ill effects. The effect this medication has had on my life is nothing short of a miracle for me. Trust me, if you have hormonal acne and you don't give this medication a chance, then your acne must not be that bad. I would have been happy with 50% improvement, but the results have been nothing short of astounding.

After my dermatologist suggested trying Spiro, I remember reading these reviews on here and feeling SO hopeful. I was praying that I was one of the lucky few who saw immediate results. Well, unfortunately... I wasn't. The medication took a couple months to really kick in. It didn't really make my skin any worse, though, which I am grateful for. I've been on it for 5 months, and I've noticed the most difference in the past 2. I'm currently taking 150mg (1 pill in the morning, 2 at night). A couple months in, my dermatologist also prescribed doxycycline to help clear me up quicker. I'm also using aczone topical gel and birth control pills. Before I started spiro, I had just experienced my worst breakout in over 5 years. I wish I could attach pictures to this comment, because the difference between the before and after is unbelievable. I currently have one small pimple on my cheek that is healing, even though I'm due to get my period in just a few days. My face feels super smooth (best feeling ever). I'm dealing with a some post-acne pigmentation, but I will take that over painful zits any day. I plan to start incorporating some AHA products into my routine, and possibly some chemical peels. I am just so happy that my skin is finally clearing up, and I just pray that it lasts. I dread the day when I have to stop taking this stuff!

Proactiv, Retin a, malic acid, salicyclic acid, Acne Free, Differin, all Neutrogena products, etc. Those are literally just a partial list of all of the products I've used to try and clear up my acne since I was 16 years old. I am now 25 years old. A year ago, I was speaking with my girlfriend on whether or not I should make the jump to Accutane as it HIGHLY suggested by my dermatologist. My friend coaxed me into trying her prescribed sprionolactone before trying Accutane. I've read about sprio for a number of years and with all of the hormone changes, growth of unwanted hair, and some scary stories, I decided not to do it, but was ready to just give up. After taking my friends spiro at 75 mg/day for 1 month, I began to notice several differences with my skin: 1. Acne was healing much faster 2. My skin became less red 3. Less acne 4. Less shine!! All of this was purely amazing. I had cystic acne, oil skin that would turn into a nasty mess after only 30 MINUTES of washing my face, my skin was so red that people thought I went out for a 10k run. It was just horrible. With all of this, it is simply AMAZING how much my face got better in 1 month's time. Each month following has been more tremendous and now a year later, I can actually *touch* my face without having to worry that acne will pop up. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give this a try. I was once a frequent member of acne.org making vain attempts to clear my acne- I no longer need to be here because of this medication, but I wanted to come back and try to persuade you into at least trying this option. It's worth it. Trust me.

I tried every topical there is with no success. Just before spiro my skin was irritated, filled with red marks and was still breaking out. And then i found out spiro. Changed my skin COMPLETELY. Less oily,less facial hair and the best.. no more acne! My skin was healing and i was feeling great! I tried to get out of it but after a couple of months i started breaking out again. I started it again and will stop only when i decide to have a baby. UPDATE: I am on 7th week, now my problem is basically comedones that get inflamed and of course the red marks. I will take care of them after i am done with comedones.

LAST UPDATE FOR SPIRO over 2 months My daughter has been on 100 mg 1xd for 66 days. She is looking and feeling great. Her acne on her face has cleared and she is basically just dealing with discoloration. This is fading but like with everything related to acne it just takes time. She has experienced no side effects at all. Her chin, jawline and forehead are clear just the light discoloration on cheeks. Totally different girl than she was this summer. Back to confident, carefree, happy girl. She is even using her experience to encourage others. Just a fast side note.... When she first started taking spiro she had been on BCP's for two months. When she was on the pill acne got worse and she gained 12 lbs. she could not get the 12 lbs off and she exercises" big time" daily. For her the pill didn't work at all. She easily dropped the 12lbs after 3 weeks of being off the pill and is back to her incredible fit self. Spiro and the pill can work great together however listen to your body. You don't have to be on the pill for spiro to work. She also has some back acne. It was not clearing as fast as face. Back acne can be very stubborn. A month ago she started using BenzEFoam wash (no generic). She tried generic with no results. Her back is clearing faster now with only a few active spots left. Uses the BenzEFoam Ultra wash and OTC bp. She has to use moisturizer as skin is dry but not noticeable if she is on top of it. She washes with gently cleanser in morning and uses a toner that is homemade with witch hazel and omnicef. Omnicef is an antibiotic that was prescribed. She does not take them orally however we opened all the capsules into the witch hazel to make the toner. Her topical is aczone which she uses both in morning and evenings. She also takes her spiro in the morning with a full glass of water and drinks 2 liters of water through out the day. The constant having to use the bathroom has stopped. No more getting up in the middle of night to pee. At night she uses gentle cleanser along with an "oil of Olay" brush and gently cleanses her face and then applies Aczone. During this process she decided to cut out dairy and processed foods totally. Not sure if this helped acne but she feels a lot better and has no cravings for that stuff anymore. She has always been a pretty healthy eater. If she does one bite is plenty for her, again this is just her own conviction. I think her results luckly just happened early because it can take up to 4-6 months for spiro to kick in. Her pores also look small. I'm so glad that I was so anti accutane for her. Her acne wasn't bad enough for accutane in my opinion. Mentally for her it was and physically it wasn't pretty at all however it wasn't cystic severe all over her face acne. Accutane takes just as long to work as spiro does. As both have side effects with accutane the risk can be very high. I know that I sound anti accutane however I believe that there is a time and place for it. It was not meant for moderate acne. It should be used as a last resort and only after you have really given other things a fair shot. It a serious choice! A few months of trial and error isn't worth the possible side effects that can last a life time or putting your body through the process of completely drying up your insides of all oils to the point that your joints ache ( this is a common side effect of accutane). I am now giving 5 stars to Spiro as it has worked great for moderate to severe acne. She has NO SCARRING AT ALL. Stick with it and give it a chance to work! It's amazing to have my wonderful daughter back with her amazing smile and beautiful spirit. Thank God and hang in there!!! UPDATE 31 DAYS ON SPIRO So my daughter has been on Spiro for 31 days. She honestly looks sooo much better with each day. I would say her face is 90% clear and she really doesn't have new breakouts however the old acne is still clearing out. I switched derms ( she is seeing a very well known derm for acne). When she saw her she didn't try to push laser or blue light rather she kept her on the spiro and added a few things to her regimen (prescription washes ect). She took her off BCP as they were not working rather possible working against the Spiro ( the bCP works great for some but my daughter isn't one as she had side effects). Some people have great results with spiro and BCP. She is extremely happy to be off the pill. When I asked if she needed Accutane like the other 2 derms wanted to put her on, her response was " she will clear up without it so NO". The hardest part is that I think this forum is GREAT however everyone's acne is different so just remember that just because something didn't work for one person doesn't mean it won't work for you. I know how hard this is but waiting to let things work is the key. Yes we all want a quick fix and its not there especially if other things have not worked and you have to start at square one. Ugh it was killing me just watching my child go through it. I was just as distrought as she was. Now she isnt as worried b/c i am worried enough for the both of us. She actually sees that it is slowly but steadly working and is much more relaxed. I think her knowing that i am in there fighting this with her gives her great relief however her acne is rarely the topic of our conversations. When she gets ready for school and i tell her how pretty she looks she finally believes me. Plus going to a dermo that was so positive about her progress and future progress was like a 100 lb weight being lifted from her shoulders. Even her dad could tell that the positive and compassionate dermo played a huge role with her stress level. The new things that the new derm put in her regimen seem to be the key to working towards the goal of totally clear skin. The new derm seemed surprised that she was put on spiro without a regimen and I am as well. Again, I feel as thought the old derm just wanted to put her on accutane and be done with it. This new dermo had a completely different angle and was extremely positive regarding her heading to being completely clear.... Not cured but clear. My daughter has self confidence again! One thing I want to mention is that I immediately started to take action when I saw that her acne was getting out of control. This is so important b/c she does not have any scarring which is surprising b/c her breakouts were heavy & thick on chin and along lower cheeks & jaw line (breakout on top of breakout in this area). The derm was very pleased to see that scarring had not started. The sooner you seek treatment the better. Also it is so important not to pick off dry skin, scrub ur face or try to pop pimples. All of that leads to scarring! I will do an update after 60 days on spiro along with her new regimen. The reason for 4 stars and not 5 stars b/c she is not totally clear yet. All take care, have faith, and remember that you are beautiful inside. START OF SPIRO My 16 year old daughter has been stuggling with moderately severe acne for past 8 months. It just seemed to come out of no where. She is an elite athlete and her lack of confidence in the past 3 months has me very concerned. Took her to 1st dermo 6 months ago and she wanted to put her on Accutane before trying anything else. The side effect for an athlete are quite severe. I said "no way"! So they put her on antibiotics and Epiduo. Also during this time we were doing home remedies.... Tea tree oil, zinc, dry vitiman E ect. When she stopped the home remedies in June her acne exploded. I did let her start taking ortho tri cyclen BC. They did say that the BC takes 3 months to start working. After 2 months my beautiful 16 year old went from a confident young lady to someone that was retreating socially and couldn't even look you in the eyes. I made an appointment with a acne specialist ( pediatric dermo). When we went in she just wanted to put

I'm 35, and before I had children I was on the birth control pill for years and had never had any problems with acne. After my children were born, I decided to get a Paragard IUD because it had no hormones. I began getting painful nodular breakouts, which eventually lasted three weeks or so out of every month. My mom has battled terrible acne and cysts for years - even post-menopause. I figured I was doomed and just dealt with it for around eight years. I went to see a dermatologist for a mole check and decided to add my acne to the list. He prescribed me 50mg of Spironolactone once a day - this is an off-label use since this drug is for high blood pressure. After a month or so, my acne got worse and at my three month checkup it was terrible - I was so discouraged. My face hurt and I just wanted to stay home in bed. At that time he increased my dose to 100 mg (50 2xday) and also added Clindamycin gel. I was headed to Florida in a few days and looking forward to some sun to "fix" my face - yes, I know this is bad...Anyway, a couple of weeks later my face was clear and has been ever since - around four months now. It has been so wonderful to be without the pain and embarrassment. As an added bonus, I've dropped a size or two without any effort. It is just water weight, but I'll take it! I am not certain that I needed the increased dose - may have just been coincidence on timing. I don't always take the second pill and am fine. The Clindamycin gel is really great - keeps my face from getting oily and my pores are so much clearer and I rarely get any little surface whiteheads - if I do, they go away super fast.

All I can say is have patience. It took 4 months for Spiro to kick in for me. I started out with 50 MG and after a month went to 100 MG. In those 3 and half months, my chin and jawline never looked and felt so bad. It's finally GONE!! Thank the Lord in heaven :) Thanks for everyone that posted on here, it helped me out alot. My dermatologist was already giving up, she was ready to put me on Accutane but, thanks to this website, I still had hopes Spiro would work out for me, I dragged the process out a little. I'm happy to say, my skin is beautifully clear. I did get the horrible breakout everyone was talking about!! My current routine is simple, I drink a full glass of water with my Spiro every morning. During the 4 months of bad breakout, I did find one product to work descent on my face. It's called Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst Treatment. It's a little pricey, but I was happy to have something to put on those bumps. Most of the other products dry out that area and does nothing for the cyst deep down inside. Good luck to everyone out there!! If you're frustrated and reading this, most likely, Spiro will kick in for you too!! Don't give up on it. A closing thought, I am in my 40's and have been battling cystic acne ever since my 30's. I've been putting Tretinoin on my face for the past 10 years. The good news, no wrinkles!! I don't know if it's my genetic makeup but I'm thinking my continual use of Tretinoin is keeping the wrinkles away.

I have been suffering with acne since around 5th grade (currently 21). I have tried many topical treatments, every antibiotic under the sun, lasers, peels and even Accutane. Accutane terrified me and though it began to clear my skin, I had to stop due to a number of side effects. Antibiotics also make me a little weary due to supposed side effects as well as a few different allergies I have. I started taking 50mg of Spironolactone twice a day and started seeing results within a month after adding a mild topical prescription. [Note: I take with an oral contraceptive: Reclipsen] I had severe acne on my chest, arm and shoulders and that cleared up for good in less than a month. My face was virtually perfect and my doctor suggested to start gradually weaning off the dose. I did not want to give up my little miracle pills but it has been almost two weeks since I began lowering my dose and though I have had a few very small blemishes I am happy to see that my skin is still incredibly clear. I have also stopped using my topical prescription and have switched to a gentler over the counter facewash/ lotion system. I began taking this in the winter and thought my dry mouth had something to do with the dry air in my home but the more I read the more I realized that was probably due to the pills diuretic nature, so if you go this route be sure to drink tons of water! This pill has done nothing to reduce pore sizes for me but I am definitely not complaining. Truly the best regimen I have been on in my ten year struggle with acne!