I've tried every prescription for my skin in the 20+ years that i've dealt with hormonal acne which causes cysts and chronic break outs. Though I had always been told my skin would improve with age - it hasn't and has only gotten worse. Oilier, more prone to cystic acne. This drug is only for use in Women. In men it reduces the production of testosterone, which would cause them to become feminized (grow breasts, lose their sex drive) I also began experiencing severe hair loss 2 years ago. It was initially attributed to having just given birth to my daughter, but the shedding never stopped and finally, I went an saw my dermatologist. I had good success on Accutane many years ago, but unfortunately had to go off when I wanted to conceive. The dryness associated with Accutane was also a problem. I was forever flaking and my hair and nails became very brittle. This go-around, she recommended the Spirnolactone to help with the hairloss as well as with the acne. I started with 25mg 1x a day - and then after 1 week went up to 50mg 1x a day, up to 100mg 1x a day in the mornings. Within 3 days of being on the 50mg dose, my skin was no longer oily (I was having to wash my hair daily because it was so greasy) and my existing breakouts were clearing quickly. I am thirsty though. Very thirsty - which just forces me to drink more water- which is beneficial for my health anyway. I am also on Marvelon as a birthcontrol method which is helping my skin in conjunction. I've lost about 5lbs from all of the peeing i've been doing - my derm explained that the Spirnolactone's diuretic effect counteracts the water retention properties of hormonal birthcontrol - so you don't need to worry about weight gain. I am really happy I went on this med and if my daughter's ever have acne like this, I will not hesitate to have them take it.

I take a 25 mg a day of a generic of spiro along with using a facewash Panoxyl (10% benz peroxide) and a night cream Epiduo. I absolutely love my skin now. I tried everything for multiple years, proactive, murad, acne free, EVERYTHING, and finally tried this combination. For me, it cleared absolutely everything away, all combining together leaving nothing on my face after less than two weeks. My complexion has improved and I will get one little pimple right before my period and then its gone after I do my nightly routine. At the beginning, my skin became dry around my nose and mouth but an easy fix with cetaphil all skin types lotions. I definitely recommend everything I use!

I have had VERY oily skin since I was a teen (inherited from my mother). The only thing that has worked for me is Spironolactone as it works from the inside out. Topicals and antibiotics don't deal with the root of the issue. If your acne is more hormonal and due to overproduction of oil - this may be your ticket. It has been my miracle drug and acne is finally something I don't have to fight anymore!!!

Spironolactone is a breakthrough for acne treatment. It works even better if taken with birth control. I first began to take it in 2003 after seeing my sister's acne clear up, and I have had nearly flawless skin ever since. I will still get the (very) occasional breakout, but I am only taking 50mg/day instead of the recommended 100mg/day for severe acne. My breakouts are also probably stress-related. I believe in spironolactone so much that I will try to find any way to tell random people with acne about it. This medication will change your life even if you only have mild acne. Of course, everyone will respond differently, but I saw improvement within days of starting treatment. Please please please try it. And spread the word to all the ladies who suffer from acne. This is the solution!!!!

background: got acne since 2002 sebum secretion: severe my face just got worse during and after Accutane that I took for 4 months on 2005 got large pores and scars uneven skin tone from sun exposure i was diagnosed with PCOS on September 2009 and my gynecologist prescribed me Diane-35, then i took it for nearly 5-6 months but unfortunately it didn't work it had no effect with the sebum secretion. Again i lost my hopes on Diane-35. And On October 20,2010 i decided to take spironolactone after days of research. And i read on my sister's drug handbook that it is an off-label drug for acne. the recommended dosage for this is 100 mg per day. and it is already proven to reduce oil secretion along with accutane and SMT D002. So i gave it a try...after a week of taking this i can attest that i am seeing an improvement with the oil secretion, though my face is still breaking out. I am satisfied with this.

I can't even believe what spironolactone has done! I have suffered from acne since i was 11 and i am now 23. I went on accutane twice and tried every cream/gel available. This is the only product that has worked for me. I started using it about a month ago-50mg in the morning, 50mg at night. Almost instantly i saw a reduction in number of pimples. Now, after using it for almost a month, i have only a few tiny pimples that are only noticeable to me. I have had zero adverse side effects.

I am so so so happy with this medication! It is the only thing that has ever worked for me, and I have had acne for about 12 years (I am in my late 20s now). I had struggled with deeper, small-sized cysts on my chin and jawline for many years--not a ton, but always at least one-two big ones pretty much all the time. If you suspect your acne is hormonal--run to your doctor and ask for this! Seriously. It took me a few months to get to 100% clear, although it started approving within a month. My dose went from 100mg to currently 150mg , and that change led to completely clear, beautiful skin for the first time pretty much EVER for me. I would give it 10 stars if I could!

I've had terrible relentless acne since about 14 years old and I'm 24 now so..10 years. I've tried all the antibiotics, topicals, and OTC cleansers. Eventually my derm would just start putting me back on the antibiotics I've already been on, just cycling them hoping that I wasn't immune to them. Eventually none of them were working for me anymore. I did my own research on Spiro and actually took it to my gyno who cares a lot more about my skin issue than my derm ever did. He prescribed me spiro and I've almost been on it 5 months now. I rarely get a pimple, and if I do, it is MUCH smaller and on the surface and heals in a couple of days. I no longer get the deep painful pimples anymore, NOT EVEN ON MY PERIOD! It is truly amazing. During my last period, I got 3 very tiny pimples and that was it. That never happens and as soon as I was off my period, I was back to being completely clear. I rarely ever even wash my face anymore, I just don't need to be as obsessed as I used to be. For once in 10 years, I don't have to worry about my skin and every morning I wake up happy to see another day of being 100% clear. I recommend this to anyone, I thought for sure I would be that one person it doesn't work for.. but it did! Please give it a try and be very patient. It took probably the first 3-4 months before I really saw a difference. I only hope that it works for you as well as it did for me, I could not be happier with the results.

Overall: I do recommend giving this medication a shot, especially if you are suffering from acne that's caused from internal issues/hormonal/PCOS and you're down to your wits about getting results for a better/normal complexion. I will say, however, that I honestly don't want to depend on this medication for the rest of my life. The side affects are a big nuisance and hindrance at times and sometimes I still suffer from bad breakouts. I'm just okay with it at this point until I can find a different solution once and for all. Below I have attempted to compile a detailed review of my experience with this drug so far. I suffered with acne and cystic acne around chin, jawline, and partial neck area severely, sometimes forehead but not often and sometimes around nose area as well. I was also a bit more hairy on my upper lip and chin area. These issues started once I turned 19 back in late 2011. I was using ProActive for a few years prior, which helped tremendously during the time I was in high school, but stopped working and actually destroyed my face once starting college. I was prescribed various topical treatments including retinol and have also been given several types of antibiotics, all of which did not work. I have also been on 3-4 different brands of BC that really screwed me up emotionally and physically. I refuse to take any now. At that point I knew there was something deeper and internal causing my issues so I was sent to an Endocrinologist. 2012 ' Diagnosed with PCOS. Main issue was androgen levels too high (as of summer 2015 also found out I do get ovarian cysts). I also have a Vitamin D deficiency. 2012-2013 ' Began Spironolactone (started off with 50 mg and eventually bumped up to 100 mg) and generic Junel BC. 2013 (Towards the end of summer/sometime in fall) ' Stopped taking both, as my face was clear, and I was given the clear to stop. Over time my face began breaking out awfully in cysts again (also didn't help I was stressed at a new college I transferred to). Decided to begin both medications again, only to find that BC was causing me to break out awfully, ditched it and only remained on spironolactone. Seemed to be helping, but not by much at all. Stopped taking it altogether as well considering the side effects were greatly affecting me. 2014 Spring ' Suffering from awful, hormonal cystic acne with rarely a break, in between. Even if my face were mostly clear, would always have 1 or 2 or more cysts/acne present. Bore through it all just trying to finish my semester until I could see a specialist back in my state again. 2014 Summer ' Started back on spiro again, really made a difference once more. Maybe I needed those several months for it to be effective again. Today (12/16/15) - Still on 100 mg spironolactone, been on it for over a year, although I have noticed I am starting to break out still even while on it. Could possibly be due to stress from school, but I am on break now and relaxed but still breaking out. The cysts and acne go away within a matter of time, only to have one or two new ones pop up on the other side of my face. Right now they're slowly subsiding. - I do get blood work done at 1-2 times a year to make sure my potassium levels are fine, as well as other blood work to help make sure nothing goes wrong. My last blood work from over the summer states I'm still Vitamin D deficient and now I'm low on B12 as well (which I have been taking vitamins for). Side Effects I have and continue to experience while on this drug: - Please note that Spironolactone is a diuretic. It prevents you from retaining salt, which also prevents you from retaining water, which is why you're constantly drinking and using the bathroom. That also explains some of these side effects: - Constant, constant urination (the biggest culprit). I find myself visiting the restroom a lot, which I've become accustom to (though I don't like it), but it makes it really difficult if I'm at an important event and I'm constantly having to step out to relieve myself every 5 minutes it feels like. Even if I'm doing something as simple as drinking water, I will need to unload about 15 or so minutes later. There are times at work where I literally hold my pee in for about an hour before I use the restroom again or else I would be going constantly. This forces me to drink more as well because I'm losing fluids at the rate I'm drinking them, which is extremely annoying. - Constantly thirsty. This coincides with the dryness and constant urination. - Dry skin. My face at times, especially around my chin and jawline area, tend to get more dry now which is where most of my breakouts occur. It's also around my nose. - Weight fluctuation. I don't gain weight as badly, fortunately, but I don't lose it as easily either. It's really difficult. I will continue to monitor this once I start working out again later this month and next year. - Hair is not as thick as it used to be. Fortunately, I'm not experiencing hair loss to the point where I'm balding, but there is a significant difference in my hair than what it once was. I used to have a decent amount of thick hair and the texture of it felt a lot stronger and now it's more normalized and thinner. - Digestive problems. Sometimes I'll be excreting at least 3 times a day or more, others none at all. I've been suffering from constipation a lot lately as well. I never realized or noticed that spiro could cause this as well until I looked it up again. - Periods are odd. My period doesn't last as long while on this medication, however I occasionally have messed up cycles. Recently I had my period and not even a week or two later I had it again. :/ Things I plan on trying to see if they make a difference: - Eating habits, especially cutting dairy out of my diet - Exercising more I try and will update in the future.

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.