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
June 13, 2012
Cons:
none
I started taking spiro at the end of january/beginning of february. My dermatologist started me at 100 mg a day (50 in the am and 50 at night). She also had me start off with an antibiotic that I am weaning off of, down to once every other day. My skin is finally clear, maybe one pimple every month that goes away quikcly. I definitely think that the antibiotic helped with the initial break out that many people get and helped my skin at first, because it can take up to four months for spiro to really kick in. I started the antibiotic at 2x a day and am now down to once every other day without an issue. I think the spiro has been in my system long enough to do its job, so I will be off the antibiotics all together very soon. My skin has never looked this good, I have no problem being seen without make up and the woman that threaded my eyebrows the other day told me that I had beautiful skin, thats something that never happened before!
April 3, 2012
Pros:
Skin and hair is less oily. No side effects experienced (yet). LOVE the fact that it decreases oil production on the face. This was a huge problem for me.
Cons:
No new side effects noted.
I've been taking this for about two weeks now. I'm 26yo female and weigh about 100lbs. I was scared to try this first as I heard that it is for blood pressure. I had to persuade my dermatologist to prescribe it for me...as she was adamant about prescribing this and wanted to prescribe Accutane before anything else. Crazy. But anyways, I take this along with ortho tri cyclen lo.
I don't have to use the bathroom anymore than usual. I don't feel lightheaded and/or nauseated. I DID get a bad breakout after the first 5 days of using it. I assume it's bc my hormones are trying to level out?? but So far I have about 6 pimples on my face that are slowly drying up..(I hope).
March 20, 2012
Pros:
it works!
lose weight
Cons:
none
having some form of acne since I was 13 I randomly got severe cystic acne at the age of 27. My doctor put me on this as a last result before going on acutane. I could see results after 1 week! Not great results but enough for me to notice. Right after the 2 month mark all my acne went away. I am in the middle of my third month and I still get a very small pimple here and there but they go away in a couple days. The only thing I'm still battling are the red acne scars left behind. They are slowly fading but a little too slow for my liking so I am looking for something to speed of that process. I have no back/chest acne either. Sure you have to drink a lot of water and you pee a lot but water is good for you and it is a VERY small price to pay for the results.
December 3, 2011
Pros:
Clears acne
Clears blackhead
Skin smoother
Cons:
Thirsty thirsty thirsty
I have suffered with acne for the past five years since my son was born. I have tried three courses of accutane benzaclin birth control pills facials peels nothing worked. I was very hesitant to start taking the medication because accutane gave me such a bad Inital breakout .. I had no initial breakout thank god. My skin has been doing so good since I started the best feeling is my mom saying what are you doing different. In conjunction with spiro I use cosmedix facial cleanser and haven been getting a chemical peel and facial both once a month to help clear the blackheads. I am so happy this has changed my life I would reccomend this to any female who thinks shr has hormonal acne . The accutane did nothing but caused pain . So glad I changed dermatologists.
October 29, 2011
Pros:
-Clears up hormonal acne really well
-Makes skin dewy and smooth looking
Cons:
-Hate having to take pills daily
-During the first week, had to pee really often
-Can be harsh if eaten on an empty stomach, but not really bad for me.
-First time I took it, it might have made me moody, but I'm not sure it was actually due to the spiro.
-Made my periods irregular
I'm 21 now and actually had pretty clear skin until I was 19. Then all of a sudden, I had horrible and out of control acne. My derm perscribed me spiro, and it def cleared up my skin quite a bit within 2 months-ish. However, during the time I used it, I was really moody all the time. However, this could have been due to other stressful factors--not sure. Then I stopped it after like 4-5 months for some reason (can't remember why). After trying a bunch of other prescriptions (antibiotics, mainly), most of which I was allergic to. After almost giving up on treating my skin, I decided to give spiro another try, and I'm so glad I did! I got back on it a few months ago, and have been on it for 4-5 months now and my skin has gotten really clear. However, it made my periods realllllly irregular (got them like every other week), so then my doc prescribed me ortho tri-cyclen. I've been on that for 2 months now, and I think the combination is working REALLY well. I think this was what I was missing the first time around, because my skin is absolutely FLAWLESS right now. I get compliments about my skin all the time by my friends, and honestly that's something new to me! I know a lot of you might be curious, so I first saw results (the first time I was on spiro) after about 2-3 weeks. I didn't have an initial breakout (maybe because my skin couldn't possibly break out more). The second time I started it, I saw results also within about 2 weeks. Didn't have an initial breakout then either. When I started on ortho-tri cyclen, I was afraid of the initial breakout, but I feel like the spiro prevented that. I also saw results with ortho within a week. My skin has been flawless ever since. So happy! :)
May 13, 2011
Pros:
Clears acne! Cheap.
Cons:
muscle weakness, stomach bloating, dizziness
I am 46 years old and have struggled with acne since my teens. I have been on accutane, which was great for about 2 years. I have used it all: prescription and OTC. I have been taking oral antibiotics for years. My new dermatologist put me on spiro 50mg a day. I had initial break out for about 3 weeks. At 2 months my face is clear! It looks great! My problem is the side effects. I have gained 15 lbs since starting spiro. (I know you are suppose to lose) My stomach is swollen. I have seen the doctor, ultrasounds, etc. and there isn't a problem. I have muscle weakness and often dizziness if I don't drink enough water. I quit taking spiro and within 3 days my face starting breaking out so I'm back on it. I love the clear skin but not sure how much more weight I will gain. Don't see weight gain in side effects but I am convinced it is spiro. Overall I would recommend spiro but watch those side effects.
July 30, 2010
Pros:
Effective when nothing else worked
Cons:
Frequent trips to the bathroom
I have experienced moderate acne since age 10. At age 23, my acne got HORRIBLE. (Children began to point at my face -- that's how bad.) All topical treatments failed; antibiotics failed; and Accutane made it *worse* (I had to go on a steroid to reduce that inflammation!). I'd just about lost hope when an alternate dermatologist recommended combining 100mg of Spironolactone with a light dose of antibiotic. The pairing worked!
Now I take 50mg Spironolactone per day (no antibiotic anymore) and only experience a few blemishes at a time. Whew! There are some mild side effects: it makes me suddenly hungry within 2 hours of taking it, and I pee more frequently than my grandma. But all things considered, it is a welcome tradeoff. Such a relief.
October 22, 2009
Pros:
Amazing!, after 11 years of dealing with acne and trying everything, I finally found a doctor that had me try this. It took about 3 months for it to start working for me but once it did I couldn't believe it (absolute miracle!!!!!)
Cons:
it does make you pee alot, my boobs grew a full cup size. Nothing bad like all the other things I've tried in the past. I am terrified to get off this when I want to get pregnant since it seems everyone gets acne again once off it
I wish I would have found a doctor who put me on this years ago! now my only issue is all the horrible scars from before.
June 22, 2009
Pros:
Works well....but seems to be the kind of drug that will take 3-4 months for real results to be seen. I think my new derm underestimated the severity of my acne - prob need more than 25mg.
Cons:
Haven't experienced any side effects so far. But as stated above - don't expect immediate results. Bactim (and obviously Prednisone), in my experience, work the quickest.
I've had severe cystic acne since I was 14 years old & I've been treated with everything under the sun - minocycline, doxycycline, tetracycline, prednisone, Yaz, Bactrim, Accutane (3 rounds), and tons of topicals. Even though Accutane cleared up my skin for 6-10 months after I finished a round of it, the acne eventually came back. I'm now 23 and even though cysts appear less often, I experience moderate/severe breakouts every month. I'd say for 2-3 weeks each month, my skin is pretty great, but for at least 1-1.5 week, I can't leave my house because my skin is so bad (embarrassing & extremely depressing). I know what you're prob saying - her acne is completely hormonal & I agree. However, I can't do birth control (experience awful side effects), so 4 weeks ago, my new derm prescribed Spironolactone. One month in and all was well, but recently I've had one of the worst breakouts of my life. I'm going to stick with it, maybe a higher dosage or the addition of an antibiotic would help
March 12, 2009
Pros:
Clear & smooth skin, bigger breasts
Cons:
Urge to urinate comes on super strong with NO warning, EXTREME thirst that also comes on strong with no warning, more tired than usual, almost constant spotting between periods
I've been on Spiro for 2 mos. I've tried EVERYTHING under the sun to clear up my cystic acne. 5 derms in 3 years agreed that my acne was NOT hormonal, so they viewed Spiro as a last resort. I am 30 and have battled cystic/nodular acne since I was 12 y/o. I have been on: Accutane (worst side effects EVER), Retin-A, minocycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, ziana, differin, clindamycin, duac, etc etc. I've had chemical peels and light therapies, and NOTHING worked. I went on Spiro as a last resort. My skin def. got worse before it got better, but I have not had a pimple in 3 weeks!! I have never been without at least 3 or 4 active cysts on my face at any time. This stuff is amazing - my skin is still healing from past breakouts and it will be a while before all the red spots go away. They say spiro only works for hormonal acne, which they swore mine wasn't, but it cleared up my skin anyway so I'm super happy. Please try this before you give up hope - and give it a few weeks to work.
Pros:
Clear skin, more confidence