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
October 26, 2009
Cons:
I need to drink a lot of water. I do have to pee more ... but I have always been somewhat like that. I initially got dry eyes and dry mouth ... but drinking more water fixes this.
If you have hormonal acne, this will likely work. You don't know until you try. And everyone has different side effects, so again you don't know until you try. It took 2 months or 8 - 10 weeks for this medication to start working for me ... 3 months before I had tapered off my antibiotic because of the stomach aches ... which caused my skin to flare ... but also showed my derma that my acne was likely hormonal. For me, it is important to control my acne which is pretty severe even if there are some side effects b/c I have a problem with picking my skin when I get stressed out -- which happens a lot because I'm in grad school and am a perfectionist. I regret the day when I was a teenager when I thought picking would fix my face and get it out. That was a bad idea ... especially because my acne seems to be permanent (I am now 27). This forum helped me when I was starting out using this. It gave me hope that it might work. Thanks everyone.
October 18, 2009
Pros:
Cystic Acne - cured! Took 1 month to see clear skin. Less oil, hair less oily, no pimples, skin texture is much better and I feel happier!
Cons:
Irregular periods for the first 2 months, extra thirsty, pee a bit more than usual but its worth it!
Try it - its the best thing I have ever used. I will never come off it. The pros outweigh the cons by a mile!!! I wish I could tell everyone who has acne to give it a shot. Good luck!
October 7, 2009
Pros:
Completely cahnged my life! The best...
Cons:
not much that I contribute to the medication, and nothing that I could imagine stopping the medication for.
I have posted a couple times of this product. I did a lot of research on the medication and read many of these posts before I begged my derm to prescribe this to me. I had about two to three large cystic acne at any given time but I only broke out around my mouth on my chin. I was in pain and I was depressed, literally I would not go to class, parties, even work sometimes becasue of my acne. This medication helped me get my life back. I started at 100mg buth got increased to 200mg quite fast. I have been on the 200mg for about two years. My advice is to really push your derm to prescribe this to you. I knew I wanted to take this and I had done alot of research and was pretty sure that it would work for me. She said that we sould try it and since then we have never looked back! Good Luck
September 19, 2009
Pros:
Less oil, cleaner face, no longer suffer with the cystic type acne.
Cons:
Very hard on your stomach, blood tests required
I have been on spiro 100 mg a day for 10 months. It does help more then any other medication I have used, however it does come with some negative side effects as well. I have stomach issues now because of spiro, I have to take prilosect 2 times a day since taking it because of acid reflux. It is important to take it with a full meal. Also my potassium levels have been creeping up, still in the safe zone though. It is very important to get the blood test done to check for this or you can do permanent damage to your heart. Also of course if cancer runs in your family there is a warning on this drug that high concentrations has be known to cause cancer in rats. I personally will go no higher then the 100 mgs. As far as my acne goes I am very pleased with how manageable my face is now, I use to get very large filled cysts that scarred my face, now I get maybe one very small pimple not cyst a week. My face still gets alittle oiler then I would like but it is much better then before.
September 10, 2009
Pros:
Now skin less oily, less pimples/blackheads, hair doesn't seem to get as greasy
Cons:
Pill has a weird "minty" smell/taste. I usually put the liquid beverage in my mouth before putting the pill in my mouth.
Ive tried lots of different acne medications, gels and creams. Some have worked okay, but I still seemed to get oily and zits. Before, my face was REALLY oily and I was constantly blotting it. My dermatologist put me on 100mg a day of Spiro as a last resort and now my face stays smooth and doesn't feel sticky like it used to! I have also seen a big decrease in my acne. I have been on it for 3 months. I personally haven't had any bad side effects except for an increase in urination, which is however expected, since Spiro is a diuretic.
August 16, 2009
Pros:
It works for me. Skin is smooth, acne free, and less oily.
Cons:
Stomach upset (taking it with a little toast helps me), dizziness and fatigue (lessened with time), more frequent stops at the restroom.
I had an unusual jump in testosterone that left my perfect skin a mess. At its worst, I had eighty-three large cysts on my face and jawline. After two months on the medication I have one. In combination, I use bactrim 50mg and Retin-A micro gel .01%. I take 50mg of spironolac. This is the exact regimine that my dermatologist has me on and it works great for me: Morning: wash face with Head and Shoulders regular shampoo, moisurize as needed with Canola oil (yes, the kind in the baking isle) Cosmetics are strictly Bare Minerals, no substitutes. I take 50mg spironolac on empty stomach. Evening:I wash with Head and Shoulders (also use for daily shampoo/conditioner so that hair oils don't get on my face), .5 gram of Retin-A micro, 50mg Bactrim. Moisture as needed. A note on Retin-A: This is the most costly part of my routine, but its an amazing product. I've used it since I was thirteen and have no wrinkles, freckles, visable pores, or other typical aging signs for som
July 29, 2009
Pros:
a miracle, inexpensive, side effects are minimal/tolerable
Cons:
none at this time
50mg of Spiro a day has done wonders for me and my skin! I've been on Spiro since May 26, 2009 and my face has done a 180 degree turn! I'm so happy with the results! I've been diagnosed w/PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and my sudden outbreak was hormone related. I tried everything from antibiotics and retin a to all the OTC products. To make a long story short- if you have acne, excessive oil and are female more than likely it's your hormones. I can not stress enough how much Spiro has helped my face. I NEVER had acne before, not even as a teenager, and now at the age of 27 my face erupted in a peroiod of 5 months- awful cysts, pustules, blackheads, whiteheads ALL OVER my face, jaw line, chin and neck. Once it was treated from the inside it started to heal. I'm still on spiro, I came off of it (to see what would happen) for approx 7 days and my face started to get a heavy 'film' of dead skin (almost like dandruff) that would not come off. Started sprio angain and it went aw
July 12, 2009
Pros:
Smooth skin. Less blackheads. Stomach does seem flatter (less bloating).
Cons:
After about 8 weeks of use, still have acne. Fatigued during daytime, but can't sleep at night. Lots of urinating for a few hours after taking the pill. Muscle soreness and tingliness.
I'm 30 and have been battling acne since I went off birth control at 23. Still in the early stages of using this medicine (I was told to give it 3 months, dosed at 50 mg/twice a day), but I've read that muscle soreness and tingliness are actually serious side effects with this medicine as it's a sign of high potassium in the body, which can be fatal. Also, that it causes tumors in rats. I'm not sure at this point if I'll continue. Right now my arms are tingly when I'm writing this and my legs have been sore for about two weeks now. When I played T-Ball with my sons, just swinging the bat at the ball made my arms ache for hours afterwards, they felt bruised. Hate to complain, but thought others with these side effects should check into it too.
July 11, 2009
Pros:
I was hopeful that it would work.
Cons:
Depressed and fatigued, more than usual.
I didn't take this very long at all, because I couldn't stand being more depressed than usual. I don't know if this is a normal side effect, but I did read one other person who had this experience. I might try going back on it in a couple of months, but doubt it.
June 15, 2009
Pros:
Very effective in clearing my moderate, cystic, adult acne.
Cons:
Breast tenderness, fatigue, nausia,constipation,gas,depression
I have taken 50mg daily for almost a year.This medication has completely cleared up my painfull cystic acne (8-10 cysts per month), which has been really wonderfull, but I am so sick of the side effects that I am going to stop taking it. My breasts are so sore all the time. Taking off my bra has brought me to tears at times. I'm tired all the time and feel sad. Possiby because the meds are depleating B vitamins. I have gained 10lbs in the last year, likely because of the depression.It's just not worth it for me.
Pros:
Spiro has cleared up my skin on just 75 mgs. I also haven't noticed any problematic side effects that drinking more water doesn't take care of. I don't get stomach aces or other problems like I did with antibiotics.