Giving this drug 4 stars because I haven't been on it for 3 full months to see complete results yet. My story is similar to many others; I'm 27 and have had serious acne for about 13 years now. I've been through every medical treatment I possibly can, including two rounds of Accutane. Accutane worked for me while I was still on it, but once I came off, my acne was back to where it was. About two years ago, I was prescribed Spiro for the first time. I took it for about 6 months with great results, but had to stop because I began getting severe headaches and migraines. Because the only drug I was on was Spiro, I assumed my migraines were related to the dehydration caused by the drug. For the last year and a half I've been under the treatment of a neurologist for hormonal migraines. A few months ago it clicked- my acne must be hormone related too! Fast forward to today. I've been on Spiro for about two months now, also taking doxy and using Retin-A at night and Aczone gel during the day. After a month, my skin dramatically went downhill. My derm said this was the Retin-A purge. I had about 10 cysts around my mouth/chin and about 10 cysts on my forehead for two weeks before I finally went to the derm and told her I couldn't take it anymore. She injected them with cortisone and they went away in about 3 days. Today, my skin looks AMAZING. I have only one cyst on my cheek and a TON of milia on both sides of my chin. This is a HUGE improvement from where I was 2 months ago, 6 months ago, 1 year ago, 2 years ago. Today my skin looks the best it has in about 5 years. I think the combo of Spiro and Retin-A is what is working for me. I've noseyed around the acne.org message boards for nearly 8 years now searching for hope. I want you girls with hormonal cystic acne like me to know that IT WILL GET BETTER. Don't settle for expensive OTC methods and sub-par skin. Please, please, please give Spiro a shot, and if your derm thinks you can also use Retin-A- even better!!

I take 150 of spiro daily and it took me about 3 months to see total clearance of my skin. My oiliness is now normal. It didn't work overnight but it WORKS. I'm very impatient when it comes to my appearance, but my persistence paid off and I highly recommend spiro for women experiencing hormonal acne.

I did 2 rounds of accutane and it kept acne away for maybe a year. But it slowly starting coming back. I had a bad cause of acne but it wasn't cystic. Now i had 2 huge cystic zits that he actually gave me cortisone shot in. Ouchy! The derm put me on 100mg of spiro and now my face looks Bad!! I may have jumped the gun but I had 2 huge cystic zits that scared me. I think if I would've just let them be I would've been ok but I started taking the spiro and now I look like crap. Tons of tiny red pimples all over cheeks. Is this purging? I also just generally feel like crap. Headache, light headed, body ache, groggy. I hope this med pans out for me.

I have been on spiro 100 mg for about six months now and have seen great results; however about three months ago I noticed my hair hair really begun thinning. A little bit of history about myself. I am 47 years old and have suffered from cystic acne since a teenager. I have done several courses of accutane, which cleared my skin greatly only to go back to breaking out again. My new derm said I would love Spiro since my breakouts were hormonal. She was right. It reduced my oiliness and cleared up my skin. My skin never looked so good. I got so many compliments. However, then I started noticing the hair loss. So I do have some family history of hair thinning in women and had noticed that my crown had thinned in the last seven years or so. However this new hair loss has been pretty drastic. My scalp is really showing on the top of my head, and I seem to be shedding lots of hair when shampooing and throughout the day. I'm going back in to see my derm tomorrow hoping she may have some answers. I share this info in case anyone else has experienced similar symptoms. I've read up on it and can't really find that hair loss is a symptom rather quite the opposite as it's used for hair loss?? So if you don't experience the hair loss with it, I think it's great and would recommend trying it.

I am a 33 yr old female. I've been on this drug for three months now. I am finally so much happier with my skin! It was so depressing and awful to deal with months ago. I thought the acne wouldn't stop. And using a ton of makeup was disheartening and exhausting to cover everything up. Note: I've been battling acne since I have been a teenager. With that said, I have taken antibiotics, tried face washes, creams, cleansing wipes, vitamins, you name it- even Accutane when I was 28. My skin was super clear from the accutane and stayed this way for a number of years. In the last two years, my skin started acting up again and in the last few months the hormonal cystic acne became really bad. When the new dermatologist I was seeing recommended spiro, I was completely on board after nothing seemed to help. she also prescribed oracea to take along with the spiro. I felt like while I was both that my stomach was upset. Anyway doc said Oracea would help speed up the process she said with the healing. I started the spiro at 25 mg and after a couple weeks upped it to 50 mg. I honestly didn't see much result in the first Month. And I was taking the antibiotics as well. It just takes a while for the med to work. So towards the end of my second month I was happier but not completely. The doc At the end of month said to stop the antibiotic and upped my spiro to 75 mg per day. Since then my Month 3 has been great! My skin is smooth,the scars are healing every day and I haven't had a deep cystic pimple in weeks!! I have been keeping a photo journal and it's crazy to look back and now at my skin. I'm not sure how Long I will stay on but I am definitely pleased. Along with the spiro I have been using a prescrip face wash, wipes, and adapalenegel at night. Keeping your skin clear is definitely a commitment and is worth all the effort when you see the good results. Because I've battled with this my whole life, I know how it feels to have bad skin and it's the worst feeling! I would definitely recommend spiro and im glad there was something other than accutane to take. Couple cons are feeling like you have to go to bathroom- this was more in beginning. Also Drink a lot of water !! And the one big one is hairloss. My hair has thinned out drastically. I'm hoping once I do stop that it regrows! But I will keep taking this drug as long as possible. It really saved me- I was a mess. ! I wish anyone that take this good luck and just be patient!

I am a 23 year old female who has been suffering from acne since before puberty. My acne runs the gamut from blackheads to whiteheads to severe cysts. I went on an oral contraceptive when I was a teenager and that helped keep my skin clear for a few years, but about a year ago my cystic acne returned with a vengeance. I would say it was worse than it had ever been, and nothing topical was helping, so I went to my dermatologist. She explained that spironolactone is a good option for women who are out of the teen years, but are still dealing with considerable hormonal acne. She started me on a dose of 150mg of spiro a day, along with a course of doxycycline and a topical retinoid (Ziana). The important thing to remember about spiro is it takes a while to kick in, so please don't get discouraged if you don't see results right away. I continued to break out pretty bad for the first two months I was on it, even while taking the antibiotic. But then suddenly it was like the spiro had just been building up and finally started to kick in and work its magic. My breakouts slowed dramatically, and I discontinued the doxy. I take 100mg of spiro in the morning and 50mg in the evening (it is a diuretic, so it's better to take your higher dose earlier in the day to prevent waking up at night to pee), and am using the retinoid twice a week. My skin hasn't looked this good in a long time. My skin's oil production has slowed down too, which is a great bonus. I still struggle with some blackheads in my t-zone, but my cystic acne is 99% gone, and that's my main concern (I can treat my blackheads, but cysts have always been an uphill battle). Side effects (THAT I NOTICED): *The biggest one for me is dizziness. Spiro lowers your blood pressure, which isn't dangerous in itself, but it's just something to be aware of because it can cause you to feel light-headed. If I am dehydrated when I take it, I can get dizzy and am prone to really bad head rushes when I stand up. But if I make sure to take my spiro with water and some food, I don't really have that problem. I have found that if I get dizzy, eating something salty helps a lot. *The first few months I had some issues with tiredness for a few hours after taking my doses, but it seems I have gotten over that now. *I drink a ton of water and I am used to going pee more than the average woman, so the diuretic effect doesn't really bother me. But I imagine it might be annoying for some people. I would recommend this to anyone, but just know that it's not a quick fix! It will most likely take some time to work for you. Be patient and you will see good results!

A year ago I had cystic acne around my mouth and chin. As many know, cystic acne does not respond to topical treatment 9 out of 10 times. (I would actually say 10 out of 10). Initially i thought it was my diet, so I cut out all carbs, sugars, dairy, etc. hoping that it would change something. I juiced every day, drank nothing but water, and still nothing changed. It got to the worst it has ever been last July. My entire skin broke out in a way that was unimaginable and quite frankly unbearable. My self esteem was so low and I spent months depressed and avoiding social interaction. I ended up diagnosing myself with PCOS after hours of research. I figured out that acne resulting from PCOS is due to increased androgen (testosterone) production and insulin resistance. Basically, sugar and testosterone together can lead to the perfect environment for acne to thrive. I went to my derm and OBGYN and found that indeed my testosterone was high. and my derm wanted to put me on accutane; but after doing research myself I realized that accutane does not target hormonal acne. Therefore I thought Spiro would be best, and he agreed after I asked his opinion at my next appointment. I was on 50mg a day at first but after a week or so decided to bump it up to 100 myself. It has worked miracles for me and I havent really noticed an negative side effects at all. Ive been on it for almost a year and have no complaints. I am beyond grateful for it. I have found that taking supplemental ZInc 30mg a day as well helps (read more for yourself. works like an antibiotic). Also, mainting blood sugar is so important in order to make sure you dont experience spikes throughout the day. I eat a lot of high protein food and do not eat any breads, pasta or things containing flour. NO sodas, sweets, or dairy really. Mostly salads and lean meat. Ill have a cookie every now and then though ONLY after Ive eaten a high protein meal so that it isnt the first thing to hit my stomach. Hope this helps! [link removed] <---- great info about acne and PCOS as well as other hormonal issues

I never ever write reviews, but I felt the need to share my experience on spironolactone. In my early 20s, I went on spironolactone as a last resort. I had terrible hormonal acne for years along my jawline and red inflamed skin no matter what I tried. Spironolactone worked like a charm for me, and I was on it for almost 4 years with absolutely perfect skin. However, after some time, I started to develop digestive issues and generally did not feel well most of the time. At the recommendation of a doctor, I decided to go off of Spiro at that time. After a few months off of Spiro my acne came back full force, but I remained off of Spiro for another two years. During that time, I coincidentally had food allergy testing done and found out that I had a mild dairy allergy. I cut most dairy out of my diet (not all, but definitely cut way back on dairy) and after about 6 months my skin became perfectly clear again (just like when I had been on Spiro). I've been off of dairy for almost two years now and my skin is still clear. For me, I believe dairy had been causing a hormonal imbalance which Spiro had temporarily covered up years before. While I don't know this for sure, I wanted to share my story in case it happens to be the same for any of you. A natural cure may be possible depending on your situation. Good luck to all of you in searching for an acne solution!

I've battled hormonal acne since age 10 Currently 22. I've been on every antibiotic and topical cream on the market and even did a course of accutane. I tried to fight the battle the NATURAL way for a year with no improvement. In 12/2014 my acne was the worse it's ever been I was depressed and stayed locked in my house hidden all winter. Finally the derm that I'd been seeing for two years finally stopped wasting my time and referred me to an OBGYN to treat my hormonal acne. 4/2015 I started taking Spiro at 25mg twice daily for two months and saw no results until I upped my dose to 100mg drastic change no more breakouts oil production cut in half my skin is gorgeous scars and all and with my scars fading no more huge pores my skin just continues to improve. It's now been 3 1/2 month's and I will continue to take this amazing med that has made daily life a ton better for me. A couple of weeks ago I started doing the ACV and Indian healing clay mask every 3 days and it's a black head blaster and is great at drawing impurities out of the skin. I may look into chemical peels for the deeper scarring I have but overall I'm happy and grateful to have came across this miracle drug my mood is even better depression is GONE and anxiety greatly reduced. The good out ways the bad for me. CONS*: -Some tiredness here and there. -Thirst -Excessive urination at night on some nights after 2nd dose -Some dehydration in the a.m. due to urination at night -Made my period 2 days longer (was 5 days now 7days) but still regular every 25 days. I may switch up my pill cycle to prevent this. Also this started only when I upped the dose to the 50mg twice daily so my body may still be adjusting. I love this med and would recommended to anyone UPDATE: 8-12-2015 So I'm going back down to 50mg a day because the side effects w/ 100mg have become a bit much my period is now irregular and I've been a bit depressed. Going back to 50mg . UPDATE: 8/28/15 At 50mg the depression is gone but my oil production is back up so I'm getting some clogged pores and some breakouts very mild though. I'm considering upping the dose to 75mg as an attemp to control the oil so the clogged pore breakouts stop. 100mg is the magic dose for 100% clear glowing skin but the side effects are nothing but trouble. ****12/4/2015**** I no longer take Spiro for a number of reasons. It may seem like a maricle and fill you with joy to finally have some skin clarity however, at what cost? Smh Spiro is no good in my opinion it alters the way your kidneys function, spares too much potassium, messes with your thyroid, gives you sore breast, depression, irregular periods, dehydration, crazy fatigue and you WILL STILL HAVE ACNE. These are all the things I experienced while on spiro my skin was clearer but never completely clear I'd still get 2-3 jawline pimples around my period they would heal fast but I never got full clarity . Winter's here and now my skin is breaking out more and Spiro is not helping AT ALL and I feel I gave Spiro too much credit when I feel I owe that credit to the summer and the vitamin d(sun) I was getting all summer. The past 3 years I've watched my acne closely and I've notice that my acne is BAD in the winter and VERY MILD in the summer. I decided to try more natural things and recently started taking 6,000IU vitamin d, spearmint tea & peppermint tea along with a kidney and liver detox tea, I'm gonna keep doing this regimn and see how is goes. As for Spiro STAY AWAY

Spiro literally dried my whole body out! Sure it helps the cystic acne, but at what cost? In 4 months, I gained wrinkles, weight, cellulite, dry eyes, acid reflux and my stomach is constantly bloated. I play soccer constantly and was starting to feel weak....BAM ....muscle loss. I was randomly sweating, I was literally red all the time. I already had sufficient breasts, now they are huge, painful, and annoying! I have been off of this evil drug for 2 weeks and feel a ton better, but still have the bloating, cellulite, and dry eyes. Also, I have issues with anxiety, and this stuff made it WORSE!!!! My skin has NOT gotten worse since I stopped taking it, it has gotten BETTER. How long until all the side effects go away!!?!?!?!?! Anyone else hate their Dr for putting them on this????? I only gave this 1 star because it made me. Should have negative stars!!!!