Acne.org Products
Antiandrogen
Acne.org’s Real World Take
“Spiro” has been shown to work in a real and noticeable way most of the time. However, messing with hormones is messing with hormones and it’s best to proceed with caution.
Antiandrogen
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Spironolactone? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
July 3, 2014
Major Improvement!
Hello all! I have been struggling with moderate face (mainly on my jaw line and cheek bone area), back, and chest acne since I was 14 years old. I have tried multiple topical treatments, as well as oral antibiotics for my acne. Initially, each product seemed to work great .... until it didn't anymore! My acne has been a problem on and off for the past 10 years, as I am now almost 24. A total struggle! Finally I found a provider who actually wanted to help me clear up my acne. And of course I love her, as she is a physician assistant like myself. We decided to go with Spiro, because we both felt that my acne was mainly hormonal. Initially I was on 25 mg 2x / day. I had no side effects at all. Bacne - GONE. You would never know I had an issue. Face and chest not so much. After 3 months I went for my f/u appointment and she increased me to 50mg 2x / day and we added Retin A Micro (I'm using the generic form which is just tretinoin gel). In 2 weeks I've seen MAJOR improvement in my face and chest. I currently have no active breakouts, just some left over hyper pigmentation (which I am eager to get rid of!) I only apply the Retin A at night to affected areas (if I put it all over my face it gets to dry). I also use St. Ives anti blemish exfoliating wash every night (I swear by it). HOWEVER....ladies pay attention to what makeup you are using. Once I switched to MakeUP Forever (you can get their products at Sephora) I have also noticed a HUGE difference compared to drug store brands. It's worth the extra couple of bucks and it lasts longer! I also wash my makeup brushes every other week...and I apply foundation with CLEAN fingers only. DRINK DRINK DRINK lots of WATER! Not only is it necessary while taking Spiro, but it is just good for your skin in general. All in all, Spiro gets an A+++ in my book.
January 21, 2014
Hang in there... it is SO worth it! This med is a life savior.
Cons:
need to drink a lot of water or else might feel light-headed
initial outbreak was rough
takes a while to see result sometimes... *patience required*
I tried everything. Accutane at one point, a bunch of antibiotics, creams, etc. My derm started me on EstroStep BC and Tazorac. Taz works awesome and really tightens pores. However, once I started on Sprio 100 mg, I began to see results. My derm bumped me up to 150 since I was handling the med fine and my skin TOTALLY cleared and no oil EVER. My pores have shrunk and I don't need to wear make up like I used to. I had a horrible initial breakout for 2-3 months and I almost stopped but my derm said to see the full result I needed to wait until the 6 month period. I am at the beginning of the 5th month and looking amazing. I started to see the major improvement the middle of the 4th month. You need to drink a ton of water on this medicine! I know the initial outbreak can be rough (mine was really intense)... however the difference now is night and day. People tell me I have beautiful skin all the time now. Below are helpful research articles I read about the med that are VERY helpful. Be informed of your medicine and be responsible when taking this med. Best of luck!!! [link edited out] [link edited out] [link edited out]
April 2, 2013
Pros:
• it gave me almost perfect skin
•does not dry skin
•not expensive ($5 for me with my insurance)
•small pill
•works on hormonal acne
Cons:
•TERRIBLE initial breakout ( 2 months for me)
I recommend using a combo of neosporin and crushed aspirin treatments to help keep inflammation down. Something that helped so much was ice facials alternated with the use of a hot washcloth. I would take an ice cube and apply it directly to my skin in circular motions until it melted. Then I would get a washcloth wet with warm water and repeat. I repeated these 2 steps as many times as I had time for. It really helps with redness and inflammati
This product worked for me when nothing else did. I am 19 years old. I developed severe acne when I was 12, and for years could not find anything that could help my skin, which had a crippling effect on my confidence and self esteem. I would cry about how ugly and helpless I felt all the time. I tried over the counter drugs, every type of pill my dermatologist could find, and accutain TWICE to absolutely no effect. Finally a family friend recommended spiro, and I tried it. After 2 months of terrible initial breakout, my skin suddenly started to clear. Within 2 weeks all of my acne was gone. I cant believe how different and free I feel now that I have clear skin.
July 18, 2012
Pros:
99% clear after 5 weeks - face, chest, neck back
a lot less oily at end of day
minor side effects
thicker head hair
Cons:
can make dizzy when take in am so take in pm
tender breasts
ongoing
I have tried most things apart from accutane and after about a month on this (50mg at night) had mostly clear skin. Am 29 and would get cysts on cheeks and jaw, upper back and started getting on chest which was horrid. Any recent spots have been small and cleared quickly. Im not prone to scarring or hyperpigmentation so am really happy with how my skin looks w/o makeup. Couldnt actually get my doc to prescribe this solely for acne, but managed to get it by complaining of mild hisutism so you can always try this! Its actually slowed this growth too even on a low dose.
July 3, 2012
Pros:
Completely cleared acne after 20 years of struggling, less oily skin, no side effects
Cons:
None
I took every pill and every cream you can think of. You name it, I tried it. Nothing ever worked like this drug!! It's been a lifesaver. I am more confident and carefree. I take 100mg daily (with breakfast) and have no side effects. I've never been happier! It took about 2-3 months to see results.
October 12, 2011
Pros:
--Cleared my body acne (chest and back) almost completely.
--Cleared about 85 % of my facial acne.
Cons:
--Could not clear all of my facial acne.
--Side effects for the first 3 months included: dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, dehydration, frequent urination.
--Can cause birth defects so must be VERY careful about using birth control.
I've struggled with varying degrees of acne for about 15 years (since I was 12), from mild to moderate to severe. Most of my acne has been inflammatory, but painful, cystic acne appeared in my late teens, went (mostly) away for a few years, then came back to torment me in my mid-twenties. For the past two years, since I was 25, I have been aggressively trying to get rid of this problem for good. My skin is very sensitive, so all the topicals just made my skin worse. The antibiotics never made a noticeable difference, and several of them, especially Doxycycline, made me very sick (I actually vomited in a parking lot after taking my dose once...so thanks for that, Doxy). Spiro is the first and only medication that worked for me. It took several weeks to notice a difference, and I had a horrible cystic breakout the second week after starting it, so the beginning was pretty frustrating. But by the second month, I noticed that almost ALL of my body acne was gone! I was able to wear scoop-necks and sleeveless and open-back dresses and shirts for the first time in ages. It was so freeing and I was incredibly grateful. However, the breakouts on my face persisted. My doctor raised my dose from 50 mg/day (after my second week horrific breakout) to 100 mg/day (for about 4 weeks)), and finally to 150 mg/day. I've been on the 150 mg/day for about 16 weeks--so I've been taking Spiro for 22 weeks total (approx 5 and-a-half months). The acne on my body is gone. However, the breakouts on my face, while drastically improved, have not stopped. I still get occasional cysts and inflamed breakouts (usually 10-15 inflamed pimples at a time). So as of this week, I am starting my first course of Accutane. I am disappointed that Spiro was not my ultimate solution. However, I am so thankful for the improvement I did see with it. It's certainly worth trying. I started seeing results in month 2, and the awful side-effects subsided in month 3. Best of lu
January 4, 2011
Pros:
Affordable with Insurance
Cons:
Frequent Periods
Temporary Fix
I have tried many creams, lasers, etc. and determined it was a hormone issue and I needed to treat it internally. I HATE taking meds, but I was desperate. They first couple weeks my skin looked great! Then I got an unexpected period along with the usual menstrual breakouts. They barely had time to heal (and leave scars, naturally) before the next period started 2 weeks later. The cycle has been repeating for 3 months now. I had hoped things would settle down but no luck. My derm wants me to take the pill now to counteract the side effects but I refuse. The spiro is messing with my hormones enough (making me act like a crazy person) and I don't want to make it worse. I'm really bummed because I am out of options now...
June 11, 2010
Pros:
Prevented cystic acne, reduced facial/body oil by about 50%, improved overall acne and hormonal breakouts, cheap!
Cons:
Needed to use with birth control to get results, irregular periods, minor irregular heart beat
I have extremely oily skin and hormonal acne on my chin area, and I originally went to my derm to see if I could get on Accutane (mostly to try to control all the excess oil), but she said that it would be too harsh for my already sensitive skin and recommended Spironolactone, and I'm so glad she did! I started on 50mg a day and saw a pretty good decrease in hormonal cystic acne, but little decrease in oil. We bumped it up to 100mg a day after two months and I started taking it with birth control pills (Ortho-tri cyclen Lo) and I saw a huge difference! My cystic acne is completely gone, I only have a few small pimples that easily heal within a week, and the combination of Spiro and birth control pills has decreased my oil production by probably about 50%! I still have a lot of excess oil, but all of you with crazy oily skin will agree that any decrease is well worth the effort! My skin is looking the best it has since before puberty, and a big part of that is the Spiro. If it helps, I now use this combination of products to help with the acne, oil, and redness: Finacea gel
OC 8 (non-prescription oil control gel)
Spironolactone 100mg
Ortho-tri cyclen Lo Try Spiro, it is soooooo worth it!
May 12, 2010
Pros:
Reduced oil dramatically in a few days...by two weeks, oil during the day was consistently reduced by about 75%. I've never seen anything else do this before!
Cons:
Apparent allergic reaction gave me a spreading rash...
I was only taking 25mg, as I am very sensitive to medication. All was well until about 9 days in...I noticed a dry, red, blotchy rash around my underwear line after I worked out. After ignoring it at first, I soon couldn't deny that it was spreading out towards my stomach. I couldnt believe how well the spiro had reduced my oil and did not want to attribute it to the rash. Although it did not itch, I applied a steroid cream to the area, which was progressively getting redder. Finally, after about 2 weeks I showed my doctor who said it clearly appeared to be an allergic reaction. I stopped the spiro and the rash has begun to fade. The oil returned immediately!!! This seemed to be working quite the miracle until I discovered I couldn't tolerate it. I haven't read about this happening to anyone else, so it is absolutely worth trying if you have oily skin.
March 3, 2010
Pros:
I dont have any more pimples... At all!
Cons:
dizziness during the first month, but that went away. Dryness as well, but lotion solves that problem.
I have had severe acne since I was 11. I have been on everything, from antibiotics, face creams, and nothing worked. I have also had severe depression because of my face. and its not because Im crazy because whenever my face is clear (which was only now and when Ive been on accutane) have I been happy to be alive and didnt want to stay home and not go out ever... I went on Accutane 3 times and that of course worked every time but after 2-3 years the pimples came back. My derm. didnt even tell me about spironolactone, I researched it myself and told him I wanted on it. As soon as I started taking it, I noticed a difference. My pimples started going away after a week, and I've been on it for a little over a month and my face has never looked so good. Its perfect!! I really recommend this product to anyone with acne, because acne is mainly caused by hormones
Pros:
flawless skin!
no water retention from my period anymore and my breasts grew a cup size
cheap (with insurance mine is 9 dollars)