I had been dealing with acne for over a year and did not bother with a dermatologist but only over the counter creams, etc. I knew what the problem was from the beginning, specially after visiting Dr. Geoffrey Redmond's website. I am glad I just cut to the chase, and didn't bother with dermatologists but went right to an endocrinologist. This drug is highly recommended; the pros definitely overcome the cons. One last note: when I went to my endocrinologist and asked him about the potassium level issue, he told me that it is something one does not have to worry unless they have kidney problems. Moreover, he participated in a research conducted to monitor the K+ levels, and no effect was noted. BUT, in my opinion, it is always good to be safe and check yourself every once in a while.

After everything my derm could think of failed to cure my horrible acne (yes - I was on accutane, it did nothing!), she sent me to a renown acne specialist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He prescribed a combination of spiro (150 mg/day) and birth control pills, and explained that the drug was just beginning to be used to treat acne, but I should still give it a try. Well, 4 years later, my skin is 100% acne and oil free...I am still on the same therapy he prescribed when I was in high school, so I know spiro will not lose its effectiveness.

Hi all, Let me start from the very beginning - I used to have good skin, only a few spots here and there, but being 16 I was very fussy and self conscious and wanted perfect skin. I went to the doctors and they put me on dianette (a strong birth control pill) which made my skin beautiful but also made me VERY fat. I stayed on for about 6 months and not being able to tolerate the weight, I came off and ended up getting the worst acne of my life. I tried to treat it naturally but nothing was working, so after a year of bad acne I went on the Yasmin pill, and started low dose spirinolactone too (this being self medicated as my doc would not prescribe it.) this combo worked perfectly, and my skin was as clear as ever and I never ever got any breakout no matter what I ate or what skin products I did or didn't use. After a few years on this combo, and suspecting Yasmin for causing my hair loss and flat, emotionless state and spironolactone for bad side effects, I weaned myself off of both meds and used Angus castus and Spearmint capsules and tea to balance my hormones and skin. This worked ok and my skin did well for about 2 years, and I managed to lose all the weight, however this dramatic weight loss triggered another breakout which kept getting worse and worse. I tried for 6 months to increase spearmint etc tried all different skin products but nothing was helping, in fact everything I did or used seemed to make my skin even WORSE. I had enough and started to self medicate spironolactone again, starting July 11th 2017 at a dose of 50mg. I slowly increased my dosage to 150 mg, and throughout this stage my skin was at it's worse ever, as you all probably know by now, it definitely gets a lot worse before it gets any better. My skin started to improve around the 3 months mark, by which this stage I had increased my dosage to 150mg in the morning (before 3pm is more effective as this is when androgens are at their highest) WITH food, and 50mg at night time with a snack. Taking it with food is very important. I also did a hell of a lot of research and at 200 mg the side effects were quite severe but it was the dosage that worked best for my skin, so I kept reading up on different things to alleviate this. What I found is that LICORICE ROOT (I take the Swanson Licorice root capsules - 2 with my 150mg morning dosage) works synergistically with spironolactone as Licorice root increase blood pressure and lowers potassium - where as spiro decreases blood pressure and increases potassium. So taking the Licorice root with the spironolactone ensures a good balance where blood pressure is not lowered so much, and potassium levels are not increased so much, every thing is balanced perfectly and it reduces the side effects to ZERO for me. I went from taking 200 mg and having bad heacahes, bad dizziness, non stop pissing, palpitations, to being able to take my dosage with none of those side effects and feeling great and healthy with CLEAR skin all by adding LICORICE ROOT to my regime. Try it! Ps it has now been just over 4 months of being on 200mg with the Licorice and my skin is 95% clear, I maybe get one tiny spot every week that you can't see only feel, I only have marks left from the old acne and even that is fading from doing lactic acid peels and using oils. I am positive my skin will be 100% clear and free of marks very soon, and imagine I went from getting 3-4 new cystic acne every day. Try it!!

I can't believe it is finally time for me to write a positive review on this site. I've been following acne.org for years because I used to suffer from severe acne. I would have a new pimple everyday. I starte taking 100 mg/day of Spironolactone a few years ago and it significantly helped my acne. However, I should add that it does take MONTHS to kick in and you WILL have an initial breakout. When I first started, i had an initial breakout that led to my skin looking the worst it had ever looked. I was dating a guy at the time who literally told me "I can't be with you because you need to take care of yourself." However, after about 3 months, it did start to clear up a lot. It was never perfect though. It was hard for me to find a derm that would increase my dose to 200 mg/day even though I knew I needed it for clear skin. Finally, I saw an OB GYN this February and she put me on 200 mg/day. My skin cleared up INSTANTLY and has stayed that way since!! I can't believe it!! I used to have over 20 pimples on my face at a time and now (from the time I was 12 until 23). Now, I freak out even if I get one pimple!! I never thought I'd see the day! Moral of the story -- go on spironolactone and be patient because it will work. Also, depending on the severity of your skin, try getting on a higher dose because it make a dramatic difference!

I take no other medications. And I frankly despise Big Pharma and taking medicine, period. But I caved after 11 years of chronic acne that NEVER dissipated. Only time it did (temporarily) was after going to the tanning bed daily, which obviously causes cancer, so it didn't last for me personally. Acne has always killed my self-esteem and I have never been able to target what the hell is wrong with my hormones/body/skin. Nothing helped -- literally tried nearly everything other than Acutane, which I couldn't give in to due to the horrendous side effects. But this stuff -- total lifesaver. No side effects whatsoever, that I'm aware of. Completely clear skin after 4-5 months of daily use (particularly my face --- just glows now). I have nothing bad to say so far. I suggest everyone suffering from chronic/hormonal acne give it a shot. Totally changed the way I feel about myself. Can't complain about that.

Don't know if anyone has checked this lately but honestly, I tried everything for my acne until I tried spironolactone(aldactone) my chin, cheeks, jawline and part of my neck were breaking out ... I hated my skin. I tried spiro and started at 25. then progressed to 100mg. A day.. My acne literally disappeared. My periods yes were irregular, and I did not gain any weight. I actually lost 10 pounds.. I went off of it for a year cause my skin was fine. I also already have low blood pressure and this medicine does lower it so I was feeling cold and sleepy at times. My skin was terrible the whole year I was off of it. I literally would not leave my house because I didn't want anyone seeing my face ... Went back on the Med only at 50 a day and I'm back to blemish free and have regular periods and only get tiny ones during my cycle. This has been the only medicine that's ever helped me and I've taken doxycycline, all the antibiotics, even regimens. Anyway, Come to find out I had cystic ovaries and my hormones were whack. So I'm happy i found this medicine because it helps my cramps and my skin 98 percent. Of the time :) also to mention; those who aren't seeing any results after 6+ months.. If your acne isn't hormonal, as in caused by your hormones being whacky, then this will not help. This medicine as my doctor said is; an androgen blocker, sebum (oil) is reduced because your testosterone (androgen) is being blocked. Excessive sebum is why your pores become clogged, and yes you must avoid excessive potassium because this medicine is potassium sparing( it stores it) so anyway. Everyone will have a different reaction, I did not gain weight like everyone else mentioned, I lost 10 pounds actually, and it helped with my cramps and periods. Although when I was on 100 mg a day I was having some off periods.. And was a bit sleepy and had to pee a lot! But all in all this medicine has been amazing to say the least.

I have been taking it for three months. I love it my skin is clear. The only problems i have noticed are breast tenderness and i have had a period twice a month for two months ,which i dont like so not sure if i want to stay on it if that continues. I am going to ask my ob about if i should continue or not. I also use Retin A which as long as i keep using it my skin stays nice.

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!

I have struggled with acne for 10 plus years, with waxing and waning severity. At 23 years old, I was tired of always being self conscious of my face. After only 2-3 months on Spironolactone, my skin became completely clear. Now almost 6 months later I have perfect skin. I barely need to do anything to it anymore, just simple washing and mosturizing. I have had almost no side effects, some mild light headedness in the beginning. Also, I finally shed the extra 15lbs I had gained over the past few years! Now I look and feel amazing, and recommend this treatment to any of my female friends who stiff suffer from acne after their teenage years. :)