I just want to encourage anyone who is just starting spironolactone and don't seem to see any fast improvements... this medication takes some time so please be patient. I read many reviews on this site that told me to be PATIENT, and i am glad that i listened and persisted because after about 4 months in, i am reaping the benefits! :) Spironolactone is working for me; i don't have any 'active' pimples on my face (for the first time in how many months???) and i am now being patient about the scars fading... good luck and hope for the best. acne sucks and i know how it feels.. be patient.

I first heard about this in Elle magazine, and I am so glad I asked my doctor about it (though she had to look it up, as she'd never heard of it being used this way). I have been taking 50mg/day for about 1.5 years with no problems and consistent results. Though I've never had terrible acne, I always got it hormonally. And whenever I got acne, I would pick at it (check out [link removed] for more info). This would create a vicious cycle in which picking would lead to more acne, etc. When my skin was bad, I'd get depressed, become a recluse, and buy ridiculous, expensive skin products in hopes that they'd save my skin. Spironolactone is the only thing that has helped me break that cycle (and I've tried everything from OTC washes to extreme diet changes, only to realize that my acne is completely hormonal). My skin is now beautiful all of the time. I no longer wear makeup to bed with my boyfriend, and I don't have to hide in shadows when I walk down the street. I don't dread stores with fluorescent lighting. The list goes on! Why not give it a try? Give yourself a chance to start living your life fully. For $20-$30/3 months, it's well worth it.

This is the best thing I ever took...l was getting severe large painful cystic acne around my chin. which is mainly hormonal. I've tried everything on the market and nothing seemed to work. I don't use any benzol peroxide or any salycic acid on my face...Just use a mild cleanser now with an oil free moisterizer day and night..It did take 3 months to see a significant improvement but it was worth it. I too was discouraged by the results at first but the postings on this site kept me going..Please do not give up...I have been on 100mg a day now for 4 1/2 months and rarely have any breakout even during that time of the month...

I originally took this along with BC when my doctor and I concluded that my acne was hormone related. I went off Yaz because it was causing weight gain and clots, and I was worried that I would see my acne return even with Spiro, but I went off and hardly saw a difference! actually saw it improve. I use it now along with Atralin cream, and the combo give me perfect skin (breakouts here and there). I paid $0 because my insurance is amazing.

I'v struggled with acne since i was 12... It really has taken a toll on my confidence. I always felt like i had this permanent ugly mask on, it really sucked to feel so disgusting & having no control over it. I have been on accutane, doxy, mino, bactrim, proactiv, acanya, atralin, ETC ETC ETCCC!! drank tons of water, ate healthy great hygiene bla bla bla NOTHING worked like spironolactone. accutane helped for about 2 years when i was 19 then boom full blown acne came back at 21. it was so bad. so embarrassing, even to show my dermatologist i even seen in her face she knew it was so bad... she would do chemical peels and stick me with those needles to try to get it to go down & THEN i broke down in tears. --i know things can be ALOT worse-- you must always remind yourself that!!!!! but emotionally & physically i was hurting. it took over my life. i am a young happy outgoing girl with pretty friends and a handsome boyfriend, & it doesn't bother them at all but it kills me to be seen with acne all over my face i just wanted to hide from everyone. I even became petrified of little kids because they would always ask what it was. just always felt like a freak show deep down but did a great job acting like it didnt take over my life and like didnt become obsessed with it and trying to cover it 24-7. and then i was like enough is enough. i refuse to let this friggin acne win and take away my social life and my confidence and my beauty and everything else i read acne.org reviews almost everyday hoping to find some help. AND I DIDDDDD!! I went to a new derm & he prescribed me it on the spot, 100 mgs a day. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO WROTE ABOUT SPIRO!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING! I felt so helpless in my world full of friends & family with normal skin! i'm so thankful for this website & everyone else like me... ***GIRLS DONT GO ON ACCUTANE GO ON SPIRO!!!! PLEASE!!!!! TRUST ME.*** & accutane can cause women to be

I have had mild/moderate acne on my face, chest, and back since high school. I had always been able to pretty much keep it under control... and then I turned 21. WOW. New blemishes every day, painful, huge, take-months-to-disappear cysts on my forehead and jawline, as well as tiny little skin-colored bumps (milia) along my cheeks and T-zone. It was miserable-- I would not be seen without makeup on, if I forgot my concealor at home I would freak out, I was terrified of pools, looking at my reflection in the car window, sweating... I know there are people out there with much more to stress about but it literally made me hate my life. I tried everything, from proactiv/tazorac/ anti-biotics/birth control/glytone/$$acid peels/microderm... NOTHING worked. Finally I took the time to research other options out there, thinking I would have to resort to Accutane. Thankfully I discovered this, went to the doctor, and got prescribed 25 mg/day (I am 5'5 105 lbs) along with retin-A gel to use at night. Over the course of a couple months, I moved up to 100 mg/day (50 at morning 50 at night). I didn't really see any significant change until about week 8. I still had massive gross cysts, but they healed quicker.. I was discouraged that it wasn't really working yet, but decided to wait it out and continued to take the spiro religiously. Well, now I am in my 4th/mo of taking it, and the difference in my face is night and day, and only getting better!! I used to have about 15-20 blemishes on any given day; now I have 2-3 at MOST. My pores are smaller, my skintone is more even, NO blemishes on my back or chest. My face still gets oily from time to time, but much much less than before- nothing face blotters can't fix. I must give some of the credit to the retin-A, which has definitely helped with the scarring and redness, but I know 90% of the change happened on the INSIDE, where spiro starts to work. PLEASE give this a chance, and be PATIENT, it won't happen over-night!

I've been on every acne treatment under the sun, minus Accutane. Every antibiotic, every topical product, both over the counter and RX. Finally, after suffering for years with what I suspected was acne caused by hormonal problems, I went to a new dermatologist. She said, your acne is on the lower half of your face, you break out more just before your period, no other acne med's have worked...you have hormonal acne and need Spironolactone. I started with 25 mg/day for one month. Then went to 50 mg per day after that. Within 2 months my acne had began to clear and I'm now acne free! For the first time in years! I had no problems with this medication. This was about 5 years ago. I took it for about 2 years. Then went off it as I had been free of acne the entire time. I continued to be acne free until I had a stressful event. At that point I began getting a few acne cysts again. So, I went back to my dermatologist who put me back on Spironolactone and again...I'm acne free! My suggestion is...find a dermatologist who will give you this. I kept thinking, "Why are all these doctors treating my symptoms and not trying to treat the cause?" I knew my acne was related to hormones in some way! Especially since I never had acne until I went on a specific birth control and after that I developed acne cysts, mostly on the lower half of my face. And these would get much worse during PMS. This drug is the absolute best! It's cheap and it works. Who could ask for more?!

This medicine actually works!!!! Having suffered with acne for 13 years, I have been on every possible medication including 2 rounds of Accutane. When I was 15 I developed a rare skin condition called Gram Negative Folliculitus; caused from taking Tetracyclin for a pro-longed period. The gram negative formed a bacteria combined with severe cystic acne that dis-formed my jaw line and it was so bad, I was out of school for 6 weeks. I was put on Accutane to clear it up and it did, but my regular acne soon came back and never left. After years of tears, scaring and trying every prescription, online and homopathic natural treatment, I went to a new dermatologist for one last try. She prescribed me spironolactone and I could not be happier. I call it my miracle drug...if you have hormonal acne, this WILL work and you will see improvement after just a week. I have never been more happy with my clear skin! Now if only I can find a fantastic product for left over scars ;)

I am a 38 year old female who has had fluctuating acne for over 22 years. My acne piqued about 4 years ago. I'm talking persistent, mind numblingly painful cystic acne on my chin, jawline and unto my neck, they reproduced and had babies all over my face, forehead and anywhere there was room, including on top of each other (ouchie!!). My face was an oil field requiring face blotting every hour. I had been on the BP regimen for years prior but it did nothing for the the cysts when they came full force seemingly out of nowhere. I still thank the BP regimen for years and years of controlled acne, so no resiment here, it just wasn't a match for for my spastic hormones. I needed a systemic fix, not just topical. A sidebar to reflect on some facts of life: 1) We live in a society that demands a quick fix. You see it all over TV, radio, etc... But the reality is quite different. It took years and years of imbalance for your hormones to turn spastic for a plethora of reasons (age, genes, family history, environment, diet, etc). Your hormonal acne and the underworkings did not just suddenly happen although it feels that way. So give Spirinolactone at least that same amount of time to do its job. It's a systemic drug. It needs to be given months and months of tweaking with the dosage before you can expect it to work. 2) Manage your expectations. This med worked for me but it is not a miracle drug. I had a horrendous initial breakout once the dosage was increased. I was a hermit for months. I started at the lowest dosage and that did nothing for me other than make me go pee a lot. Painfully and slowly, my derm increased the dosage to the max allowed which is 100mg twice a day. That was 8 months ago. I continued to pee a lot, my oil production was cut by 90% , I had headaches, my period was coming every two weeks and my acne decreased by 85%. I was persistent. Even though I wanted to quit because I wanted perfect, glowing skin and microscopic pores right now (see bullet point #1 ;))! 3) At 8 months out with the 200mg daily dose and having been on this med for almost 2 years with incremental dosage increases, I now have zero oil which requires copious amounts a daily moisturizer (because I'm dry now 🙂). I still get a few pimples around ovulation and my period. I still pee a lot but I'm used to it now. Headaches are gone once my body got used to the increase in dosage. My period has normalized although my cycles are shorter but the flip side is that my periods are lighter. Win/win. 4) Quality of life: improved! I still have a few pimples but I'm ok w that. I have improved 90% overall and I can live w that considering where I started. Conclusion: Be patient ladies. Hormonal acne is vicious and soul sucking but you are not alone and you can push through! These blogs and positive reviews inspired me and helped me suck it up on days I just wanted to stay in bed and eat lime flavored chips all day long 🙂. I promised myself I would pay it forward and write a review once my acne was under control. If only to inspire one person to push through and be persistent with the medication, I feel like it was worth it. Each individual person has to reach their own conclusion on the risk/benefit of any drug they are taking. There is no risk-less medication out there, do your due diligence, inform yourself and be comfortable in your decision. Most importantly, remember that you are not alone and there are others out there dealing with the same thing. I'm sending you all happy vibes and a wish for glowing, acne free, with maybe the occasional little pimple 😉 Skin! Persevere, you got this!

I am 25 years old and I have had hormonal acne sine I turned 20. I tried so many things just to be dissapointed and I have so many scars! have been taking 25mg a day for 3 months now. i had deep, painful cysts along with regular acne, but now i am 100% clear! I am so happy, i want everyone to know about Spironolactone! I can leave the house without wanting to cry because i felt like a monster. i will post photos soon!