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
April 24, 2013
Cons:
Severe initial breakout
Breakouts in new places
Occasional dizziness
Muscle Cramps
I've been on Spiro for 10 weeks and it has absolutely contributed to my recent breakthrough in my skin. The first 4-6 weeks were torture, my breakouts were mostly inflamed pustules on my chin/jaw and within 2 weeks it moved my cheeks. Finally after 10 weeks im noticing that I'm breaking out less and less and my skins is mostly smooth to the touch. BE PATIENT, please ladies stick it out. I read other reviews on acne.org during bad breakout days to keep my spirits up.
April 9, 2013
Pros:
Clears skin.
Cons:
Takes a while to work. I had an initial breakout. My skin seemed red and irritated at first.
I had a hard time finding a review that seemed to cover all the bases when I was debating going back on spironolactone. So here is my review.. I hope to help someone looking for answerers. So Last summer starting at the end of August I was prescribed Spironolactone, doxycycline, and epiduo gel. I didn't use the gel much but I took the pills everyday like I was prescribed. 75 MG of spironolactone a day and 100 MG of doxycycline. My acne just got a lot worse and I had it in places where I never really broke out (which seems to be pretty common) the breakouts were near my jaw, chin, cheeks, and neck. Which seemed strange because those areas are a popular area for hormonal acne. (and hormonal acne is what spiro is suppose to help with). Nonetheless it made mine worse. I was on it for a month or two..I'm not sure exactly how long it was, at the time the pimply days just seemed like forever but now looking back I think it was less than two months. Anyways, I stopped taking it because I thought it just wasn't the pill for me. While I was off the medication my initial breakout that I got from spiro went away but my skin was still not the clear skin I was seeking out in the first place. In February, after reading MANY reviews that mentioned an initial breakout I decided I would give it another try. So its been roughly 1.5 months and my skin had improved a lot. Within the first 3 weeks I may have experienced a small initial breakout but nothing like the first time. I still had slightly irritated skin within that time as well. However my skin is glowing now. I still have a few pimples but nothing like before and I am still in the beginning phase so I know I will still see improvement. I am also on tretinoin cream as well. I should also mention I am not taking the doxy.. I just don't feel I needed it and plus now I have a backup when a UTI hits me hard. ANYWAYS. Spironolactone works, maybe not for everyone but for many it does. If you look through the revi
April 7, 2013
Pros:
my skin already looks better
Cons:
have to be careful about getting dehydrated
My face never broke out until I started taking birth control a couple months ago and this has already helped my face in a period of 48 hours! I just hope I don't get an initial break out in a couple of days :( the only thing I don't like so far is being so thirsty all the time
April 6, 2013
Pros:
cleared hormonal acne
fast results
inexpensive ($10/month)
no initial breakout
Cons:
a little dehydration
Birth control made my hormonal acne 10x worse than it had ever been, even after taking it for half a year. I take 50mg of spiro every day and now I am finishing my first month - my skin is way noticeably clearer. Less and less breakouts every day, and they go away much faster. The dehydration isn't even enough for it to bother me, and drinking water is good for your skin anyways. Using this as a supplement for Ortho Tri Cyclen, and also using Aczone as a topical which has worked wonders.
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.
March 31, 2013
Pros:
Okay so I have never written a review before but this site did help me find out about spironolactone about 4 months ago and I am eternally grateful. I have suffered from acne since I was 11. It was so bad that i never went swimming, i wouldn't leave the house without makeup, it actually controlled my life. I was always insecure about it and it prevented me from playing sports sometimes because i didn't want to sweat. I know anyone who has moderate-severe acne has felt these feelings.
Cons:
NO CONS! but using this space..I have tired EVERYTHING: clindoxyl and other topicals, proactive, a million face cleansers and multiple birth control pills. Finally i did research and found the ACNE FACE MAP (Check out!!) I figured my acne was hormonal. In addition to taking 100mg day of spiro, i also am on yaz. I use the proactive spot treatment if I ever feel a zit coming on which actually has no happened in over a month!! My skin is finally starting to clear and scars are healing.
I do notice the occasional bump or LITTLE zit but it is nothing! People have been noticing my clear skin and i love it. On top of getting on spiro now i feel like i should offer some other acne advice which i know have helped me. Cut out dairy and suger foods from you diet. Drink a lot of water and eat lots of greens! wear minimal make up-i know thats hard sometimes.Wash your face only ONCE a day. Deep breathe and exercise to limit stress which causes breakouts. Smile! you are not alone
March 31, 2013
Pros:
Decreased (not cleared) my acne, no side effects
Cons:
None
I used this for about a year in 2009-2010, and again from Nov 2012 until yesterday (March 30, 2013) when I began Accutane. It helped decrease, although not completely clear, my acne in 2009-10 - my acne was light for about three years, and became more severe in May 2012, leading me to start the process of Accutane. In my experience: if you have light to moderate acne and no nodules, this will help you. I took 50mg 2x per day.
March 25, 2013
Pros:
IT WORKS (at the right dosage);
Easy to use - no monthly doctor visits, tests, etc. (vs Accutane);
Only benefits - no burdens;
No side effects;
Worked quickly;
JUST ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!
Cons:
NONE!
IT'S WORTH IT!!! I'm a 33yr old professional female. I've battled some level of acne since I was 12yrs old. On the pill (I believe) it would be contained, but I gained SO MUCH WEIGHT. I didn't realize it until I went off the pill and lost SO MUCH WEIGHT. To combat the breakouts I have done EVERYTHING!!! Benzaclin, Tretracyclin, Retina A, Neutrogena, Mary Kay, Clinique, ProActive (regular and extra strength), Oxy, Clarisonic products and the Mia, chemical peels (glycolic & salycylic), facials (at local spas as well as the Four Season), and Accutane 3 times. Some worked for a time - I have to say I'm a fan of Accutane, it always worked within 3 months, but acne always returned after about two yrs. However, my skin always looked so fabulous for that 2 yrs - but it always came back. I finally read about Spiro. (Last time (2.5 yrs ago) I went on Accut. my derm suggested this, but I was so set on Accutane (b/c I knew it worked) I didn't listen.) Once the acne came back I decided to look into it. I was really nervous about the "initial breakout" - I don't think it happened. I started at 50g 1x day. After 1.5 mos jumped to 100g 1x day - within ONE WEEK the resulft I've been seeking. Initially I noticed the "healing time" was shortened (on just the 50g), but the breakouts still came. Now, no breakouts. The hyperpigmentation seems to be lightening rapidly too. This stuff is great! I do have hormonal acne and my derm explained, if you breakout where a man would most likely wear a beard, spiro is for you.
March 10, 2013
Pros:
Cheap with prescription plan. I imagine it's safer as an acne treatment than most conventional methods (ie antibiotic resistance, liver damage, etc.)
Cons:
Didn't work for me at all-- gave me sore breasts, bloated body.
If you are a woman, and your derm suggests it, I would give it a try. I wish it had worked for me, but it didn't. I imagine if you don't respond well to "low dose" birth control pill, you won't respond to this, either.
March 6, 2013
Pros:
Not as dangerous as Accutane. No side effects.
Cons:
My daughter is 16 and has really red acne all over her face and right shoulder and back. We tried EVERYTHING topical, antibiotics, took a blood test to make sure liver, thryoid and hormones were ok. Nothing worked. She has been on Spiro for 4 weeks and shows no improvement. Hopefully she will soon. She is so depressed about it.
Don't know......
Pros:
reduces breakouts
reduces pustule inflammation