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 14, 2012
Cons:
It is a daily pill to remember to take (but I will say I have forgotten it with no consequence) and a diuretic
Takes a while a few months to work its magic but I like this a LOT. I have a lot of scaring but no active zits after using this for a ~8 months and it is a little shocking since I am used to having more zits than I can count. Won't burn like antibiotics and no risk of raising the super bug. Doesn't dry out your face. I use with epiduo as well but I have been on retinoids forever and feel that I can safely say that the difference is spirolactone. Just moisturize with spf in the morning and removing the evening application of epiduo which can be a little drying. I used tazorac for a long time but the milder epiduo with/ benzoyl peroxide is nice.
May 23, 2012
Pros:
Weight Loss (Not major - Small Amount)
Cons:
My face has gotten worse
I'm so sad :-( I read so many reviews about how life changing this drug is. I'm 38 and have been dealing with acne since my 20s. I took Acutane and it worked like a charm. But my moodiness was bad, so I didn't want to go that way again. I am taking 100mg per day of Spiro right now. My derm increased slowly from 25mg. It's been 2 months and my face looks the worst it ever has! I am going back to the derm next week, and am happy to see that some people have a stronger dosage than 100mg. I am hoping that she will increase mine. I am beyond the point of not wanting to leave the house. Everyone notices it. I can see them staring at the acne, not me, you know? I really want the acne gone but don't think this is going to do it for me. I will definitely update if signs improve. Very sad day :-(
March 21, 2012
Pros:
- Smooth skin
- clears both topical and cystic ance
- smaller pores
Cons:
- none that I have noticed so far
I can't tell you enough how amazing this stuff is. My cystic acne was horrible... It was embarrassing. I've only been on this medication for 2.5 weeks and my face is almost completely clear. My face hasn't been this clear since I was 13. I'm also using Differen gel so that might be whats helping as well. Everyone responds differently to different products, but this works for me. If you haven't tried this, I would definitely say give it a shot.
January 22, 2012
Pros:
Face Clearing after Initial Breakout
Inexpensive (Even without Prescription Coverage)
Cons:
Initial Bad Breakout
Significant Fatigue
Period Every 2 Weeks
Hair Thinning/Shedding
After a diagnosis of hormonal acne (experienced bad breakouts leading up to monthly periods), my dermatologist prescribed Spironolactone (50 mg/once a day). With very little knowledge of the drug, I took it for about 2 to 3 months before stopping it cold turkey. After a fairly initial bad breakout and a subsequent dosage increase (to 75 mg/day), the drug definitely reduced my acne flareups, going from larger cystic bumps to smaller, less bothersome, pimples. My acne never fully went away (perhaps if I had stayed with the drug longer and/or was on a higher dosage). After about 2 to 3 months, I took myself off the drug completely. Especially after the higher dosage, I experienced chronic fatigue, periods every two weeks, and, worst of all, hair thinning and shedding (odd for a drug that's often prescribed to treat that very thing), which I had never experienced before. As soon as I stopped the drug, almost overnight, my energy level went back to where it was previous to taking the drug and my hair stopped thinning/shedding after about a week (haven't had a problem since, so, without question, I can safely tie it to the drug). My periods went back to normal after about two cycles The hair, period, and fatigue side effects were just too much for me to warrant taking this drug, which, when I researched more deeply, scared me anyway for a host of other reasons. So, bottom line, CANNOT recommend! Since my Spironolactone therapy about two months ago, I've been taking just Clindamycin topical lotion twice a day and, that's actually been sufficient at keeping my acne at bay (perhaps helped by the prior Spironolactone therapy).
December 19, 2011
Pros:
no longer have oily skin
acne has gone from terrible to manageable
weight loss
softer skin
Less anxiety
Cons:
none so far
I have struggled with acne since I was 16 on my face, neck, chect, and upper back/shoulder area. I was on Tetracycline for 2 years which helped at the time. I then started taking Yaz birth control and that completely got rid of my acne but gave me Malazma (darkening of skin). After 10 years on Yaz I decided to go off birth control to get rid of the darkening skin issue and got an IUD instead. Almost immediately my acne came back and it ws worse than before. My derm suggested Acutane so I gave it a try. It was a pain but I had amazing results, my skin had never looked so good. My skin was clear for 1 1/2 years but the acne then came back. About 2 months ago my derm suggested Spiro after the Tetracycline she gave me didn't work and the results have been amazing. My skin is almost clear. I am taking 75mg per day but I think I need to up it to 100mg b/c my acne is not completely gone. I have not had any bad side affects. The first week I felt a little medicated (kind of like when you take cold medicine) but it wasn't disruptive to my daily rutine. I have lost 10lbs, I have less anxiety (due to it lowering your blood pressure), my acne is almost gone, I have little to no oil, and my skin is softer. Overall this has been the best acne treatment over all that I have had. You can't beat the price and there are very few side affects.
July 11, 2011
Pros:
beautiful skin
im 19 years old and a junior in college and i have always had a slight case of acne since 8th grade, my parents and i have tried everything from medications to lazer treatments, and we just couldnt find something that gave us the results i wanted. my last resort was either accutane or spiro and i highly recommend no women takes accutane. i started talking spiro in november and immediately after i started it my skin did a 360. I am thrilled with the results and i think you have nothing to lose. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING AND THIS ACTUALLY WORKS
April 7, 2011
Pros:
Cleared up large cystic acne
Cons:
nausea, dizziness, indigestion, headaches, frequent urination, irregular periods
I'm 35 and going through a lot of stress in my life. For over a year I had terrible cystic acne, especially on my back and neck. So, I started out on 100mg a day and had an increase in breakouts before starting to see it clear up. However I had terrible side effects. So I cut back to 50 mg and still had terrible side effects. I am now down to 25mg a day starting today but I'm afraid it won't work as well. But I can't live with the headaches and nausea anymore. Its almost worse than being pregnant, but my skin hasn't looked this good since I was 25.
September 20, 2010
Pros:
Has reduced my acne quite a bit. However I am still getting some minor stuff.
Cons:
Frequent trips to the bathroom!
I have had acne for eight years and have tried everything minus accutane. My derm gave me this and said if it did not get rid of the problem then accutane would be my next step. I started three mounths ago my dosage was 100mg 2x with birth control. Now I was bumped up to 150mg which is the max with birth control so that is 175mg all together. I love how less oily I am infact I am never oily which is so cool! I still have some minor breakouts but I have only been on it for three mounths and my derm was immpressed. I go back in decmeber that is seven mouths total and hopefully I will be acne free! This is a great product to try before resorting to accutane. If this does not work accutane will. Beacuse my problem is oil. Give this a try you might be susprised.
September 16, 2010
Pros:
Worked great
Cons:
Side effects
Worked great but after taking just under a year I started getting tingling in my feet and hands. Talked to the Dr. and he stated it was due to the medication. I also had to urinate a lot. Stopped taking it and about a week later both of the side effects stopped.
March 12, 2010
Pros:
The Hope of treating the real reason for my acne which is HORMONES.
Cons:
SE: Fatigue, sluggish laziness, decreased appetite, decreased muscle mass, increased thirst, freq urination, risk of dehydration, cloudy thinking, slightly depressed mood, initial break-out-- with acne in new unlikely areas of the face.
I have been on Spiro for a mere 24 days. I am 35 and have had acne since I was 12 so basically I started Spiro b/c I am literally at my wits end- I need freedom from this miserable condition. I have always linked my acne to horms -- like many of us ladies our breakouts are very predictable pre menst or during the cycle. So Spiro seems like the best fit for me. Spiro does definitely have its SE. The most concerning for me is not the thirst and urination it is the extreme fatigue and the lazy sluggishness I feel-- Just generally unmotivated-- Which is not like me-- I tend to get a lot handled, so I really hope this SE fades to grey soon! The inital breakout was preceeded by me missing a dose-- a link? Maybe. I now take it at 10am and 10pm regularly. The initial break outs (2) were very stressful, but breakouts are familliar to me so I got through them. Today (day 24) I have no new spots and the old breakouts are healing slowly. I take zinc and C to aide healing -- as well as flax seed oil. Bottom line, it is worth a shot. Just be educated, consisent, and persistent in drinking a lot (like 80 oz of water/day) of water! This will help diminish the SE-- it helps me. Oh-- also watch blood potassium levels. Take care all.
Pros:
Skin totally clear after 10 years of battling acne.