I used to have such clear/perfect skin but after I had my son my face just went crazy. I couldn't afford to go to the derm so it just progressively got worse and worse. To the point that I have horrible scars on my cheeks. It was cystic acne and it basically ruined a big chunk of my life. I was always depressed and did not ever want to be outside in the sun or even anyplace that was well lit. I finally got on accutane and it cleared me right up. The past couple of years my acne has slowly started to come back. I have undergone about 6 fraxel treatments that have helped smooth out my scars and now that I am on spiro 100mg 2x day ( for the past 5 months), Ziana, and Loestrin bc my face is almost completely clear. I don't even put on make up anymore. I still am very self conscious about how my skin looks but at least I am living life a little more. Spiro really does work, as the days go by my skin gets better and better!

1 am 17 years old and started spiro 5 weeks ago. Although it has made my skin so much better, i wish i never started it and considered other options - my side effects are TERRIBLE - i cannot breathe, i've had a sore throat the entire 5 weeks that ive been on it, can't sleep more than 5-6 hours a night (whereas before i was sleeping 10), always tired, irregular periods, DRY skin. CONSIDER YOUR OTHER OPTIONS FIRST!!!!

Like one other reviewer said, I feel like I'm dying... My muscles are very achy and I feel sluggish. I have low blood pressure to start with, so I'm sure that has a lot to do with why it is affecting me so hard. BUT it seems to be clearing my skin up, so it's worth it. I'm 30 and have had hormonal acne around my mouth and chin just in the last year or so and I have a Mirena IUD like one other reviewer. I'm on 50 mg, twice a day right now. My skin isn't perfect yet, but I think it's working. When I wake up in the morning, I feel really stiff and it doesn't get better until a few hours into the day. I can tell a difference when I eat more. I seem to not feel quite as bad. At first I thought the drug was making me depressed, but really, it's just sluggishness and I'll have long stretches where I just don't feel motivated to move at all - which really isn't like me. But I've tried everything - pills and topical, except Accutane, so this is worth it, if it continues to help my skin.

I will continue taking it! I has worked better for me than all the anti-biotics, topicals and even the accutane.

I am 25 years old and have had acne of various types since I was 13. I have tried many medications over the years, both topical and oral - antibiotics, vitamin A based, etc etc. When I started using spironolactone about a year ago, I had about 28 to 30 active, inflamed cystic pimples. I saw great improvement within a few weeks, and within a few months my monthly break outs consisted of maybe one cystic spot. I also use Benzaclin (topical antibiotic) daily, and Differin as needed, but what has really made this difference is this med. After dealing with my acne for over ten years, I had about given up, so this is my miracle acne drug. I experience little to no side effects while taking 50mg per day.

Listen to your body once you start taking this! If you need to: Don't get up too quickly, drink water, no wine, careful of salt etc.. I almost stopped because of start up side effects that I no longer have at all!!! This has been a wonder drug for me. I highly recommend this if you are suffering, especially if your'e experiencing a form of adult on set acne. It is almost always cystic, painful and impossible to treat without medical help!!!! This is hormonal help and balance at it's best. You may still need topical help now and again and be prepared to change your skin routine because you will not be oily, or even an oily dry mix. You just could experience normal skin for the first time! Imagine that! And by the way, a glass of wine at dinner is now tolerated quite normally. Bottom line: I research every drug I've ever taken. I know it's molecular structure and time it takes to leave my body. For me it's a safer bet than accutane and antiboitics ever could be.

If you have tried everything else (as I have including 3 courses of Accutane over the past 20 years)and you are a "mature" woman still dealing with acne, try spiro. Just be patient and try not to get discouraged! For me it took a long time to work and my improvement did not happen in a linear fashion. But after 3-4 months, I could look back and easily recognize a vast overall improvement. Now I'm well into my 6th month and have not had any breakouts in two months.

After having terrible congested skin for 15 years (I am now 30)my skin was so battle scarred and I was at my wits end thinking nothing was ever going to work. Over the years I have tried every acne medication, top brand glycolic cleansers, paid a fortune for micro dermabrasion to no avail. I tried the BC pill Yasmin and saw effects after 3 weeks but unfortunately had to go off it as it turned me into a complete raving lunatic. I went to the best dermatolagist in Sydney who specialises in Acne, she told me my type of acne comes from the INSIDE as it is hormonal and that is where you must treat it. She prescribed Spiro and I must say I am absolutely shocked at how well it works this stuff is a GODSEND!!!!! at last acne free skin.

hello all, this is my first ever product review & i want to share my story. I'm a 24 y.o. female who has suffered with severe/moderate acne since about 12 or 13. BCP helped my skin for 6 years, keeping my acne under control (I was taking YAZ/YAZMIN). I went off bcp when I was 20, to give my body a break and broke out horribly. (As in over 15 inflamed pimpes and more than 2 or 3 cystic). Going off YAZ, it took me 6 months to get a period back. In this 6 months, I was so worried I had permanently messed up my body, that I swore off of BCP forever, even with my acne troubles. My doc said "YOU WANT A PERIOD? I can give you a pill to induce your period?" (No doctor that is not what i want...) "you might have pcos, but I dont know go see the gyno". Couldn't get a gyno apt. For 7 months where I live. My period returned after 6 months, I got checked out and I do not have pcos. BCP just messed with my hormones. I tried accutane for 3 months, and couldn't handle the dry flakey skin. Every time I would go to the bathroom, my face would be covered in visible white dry flakes. My lips were cracking no matter how much moisturizer/ChapStick. It was awful, and unhidable so I went off. Clearish skin after this (3 pimples on avrg) for about 2 months, then my acne returned with a vengeance! Before I tried spiro , I used proactive for 5 months, (with horrible results, made my acne way worse) then the acne.org regime for over a year and it worked at first but started losing its affect. In the beginning acne.org worked " good enough" leaving me with about 6-8 inflamed & 1 or 2 cystic at once. Near the end of the only acne.org use for a year, before Spiro I was around 20-30 inflamed pimples, whiteheads all over nose and cystic acne all over jawline. Such a mess. I waited about a month after getting a prescription for Spiro to try it, because I was scared of the initial breakout. I already had 20-30 inflamed zits and to think of it getting worse was almost unbearable. I also work in the remote wilderness so I was afraid of possible side affects during this time. After one horrible breakout in this month, I had over 30 pimples. I was so embarrassed. I didn't want to leave the house even with coverup on and working out in the bush I couldn't coverup my acne so I was always so embarrassed when I would wakeup with oozing zits everywhere everyday and new ones would form during the day while ide be working. I was miserable about my face, but I have suffered about my acne so much in my life I tried to just not care what I looked like. My last job of the season was 2 weeks alone with a cute boy, so I dreaded having my usual acne filled face. I started taking Spiro about 1 month before this trip. My acne reacted almost immediately. I had a few patches of bad breakouts but nothing worse then my usual horribleness. My face SLOWLY has improved. The first 2 weeks I saw about a 10% reduction, I started in 25 mg. Week 3 I went up to 50, small improvements continued, about 20-30% better. Week 4, the week of the trip with the cute boy.. I uped it to 75 mg. My face slowly continued to improve. After 2 more weeks I now had maybe 10 or less inflamed zits at this point, still not perfect but WAY better than around 30! Holy crap! That was about the 2 month mark. I have now just finished month 3, and currently have ONLY 4-5 pimples. (And alot of scarring from my 30 pimple breakout). I am still taking 75 mg. I am going to get my blood tested and get some docs advice before going up any further. This med. Has been known to be tumorigenic in mice in high doses which scares me, but I hate my acne and am clearly willing to take chances just like a lot of you. -My skin is still regularly greasy but I can handle that. -I'm still breaking out here n there but that is a dream compared to what ive been through. -I get regular headaches on this med. but I have deemed the headaches worth the cause. -I had an extra period last month because of the med. Hopefully that will not happen again. -sometimes I get nausea after taking it, but I just try and ignore it -my mood and sex drive are unaffected :) -my energy level is unaffected :) - this med it a diaretic so I have to pee frequently -I have drank alcohol (not recommended) and I am usually a cheap drunk, but I feel this med makes the booze hit you extra hard. I did not experience bad side effects aside from a usual hangover. I don't drink often but I wouldn't recommend trying to keep up with your old limits. TRY THIS BEFORE ACCUTANE! I'm no doc. But I've been on both and this has been way easier on me and less scary. The initial breakout was not as bad but my acne was horrible (worse then when I started accutane) when I started Spiro. Be patient because results are so gradual and you may suffer a bit for them ( initial breakout, headaches, stomach aches, having to pee constantly). But if you are suffering anyhow because of the way you look, and the way people look at you, give this a try. Its a slow improvent that has made me much more happy even though I still have a few zits.

Definitely works for hormonal -related acne. I have tried Spiro before @ 25mg-50mg a day, but had initial breakout, less oil and smaller bumps, didn't completely clear my skin so I stopped. Trying again, using between 100mg-200mg a day. I started with 150mg right away, and I have only had maybe 3 very little pimples in the last month since I started. Scaring is almost gone in 3 weeks. Washing face with Clinique and Cetaphil products. Spiro is the best! Skin looks so beautiful now, thank god.