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
May 25, 2009
Cons:
My periods have gotten a little off schedule, but I think they're going back to normal now.
It actually works! I've had pretty severe acne since I was 13. I've been on Accutane twice, every antibiotic under the sun, tried Retin-A, and the list goes on. I've had a little success with birth control, but my moods get whacky when I'm on the pill. So, I was thrilled to find out that there is a medication that actually decreases oil production instead of trying to take care of the excess oil after its already on my skin and causing break-outs.
May 16, 2009
Pros:
This cleared up my severe cystic acne in a very short time! I have run out before - and if I skip more than a week I start to breeak out exactly like I did before.
Cons:
I really don't have many side effects. I always drink a lot of water so I really didn't notice a change in drinking or urinating.
LOVE this stuff. I have been on this medication for well over three years. I go and have my blood work done every 6 months to monitor for pottasium levels, I take 100 mg/ day and it is the only thing that has cleared up my face. I had adult cystic acne for about 15 years before I found this wonder pill. Although, they do taste minty - I don't know what's up with that!
May 1, 2009
Pros:
Less oil, cystic acne is gone.
Cons:
Old red scars are more visible, Tired, You do urinate more. Strong medicine with carcinogenic links.
I have been on spiro for 6 months. I have a better complexion then I have had in 16 years. It is not perfect but the pimples if and when they come are much smaller and more manageable.I have gone from 3-4 cystic big pimples a day everyday to maybe one small one every 6 days. Now I am dealing with all the old red scars deep under the skin because from my experience Spiro makes your face smoother and lighter so the scars are easily seen. It is easier to cover a flat scar then a big bumpy cyst though. While this med does work it is very strong and does not come without side effects. Also there is the risk of cancer. I am on 100 mg a day all at once in the AM. I would have liked to have gone down to 50mg for maintenance by now but I feel I would break out. My skin is not flawless just A LOT better.
April 30, 2009
Pros:
It works! It's as easy at taking two 50mg. tablets a day--no special washes, creams, etc.
Cons:
You'll be fatigued for the first couple of months. You may even feel nauseous at times--but hang in there
I have suffered with mild-moderate acne since I was 27 years old (I'm 31 now). I made the huge mistake of trying Retin-A Micro last year which caused a huge amount of acne to surface over a six month period--it never stopped so I quit taking it, but the breakouts continued. Anyhow, I begged my doctor to test my hormones and found that my DHEA was four times the normal level. My doctor finally believed that the acne was hormonal (what acne isn't hormonal?!) and prescribed Sprio in July '08 and referred me to an endocrinologist who confirmed that I had PCOS. By November of '08 I had consistantly clear skin, though I had gradual improvement throughout those five months. I love Spiro and am so glad I persisted with my doctor to test my hormones. I highly encourage you ladies out there to have your hormones tested to see if this is the cause of your acne!
March 18, 2009
Pros:
Clear skin, less oil in skin,less cystic type acne,fewer hormonal breakouts,smooter overall skin,less amount of facial hair(eyebrows,ect.)
Cons:
dryness, thirsy more often, only available for women.
Works great for hormonal acne. I have tried a few other oral meds for my acne and this is the only one that seems to work. I use to have pretty severe acne when I was 16-18 years old. Now Im 20 and I have been on spiro. for almost 2 years now. It not only has helped to clear my skin but it helps with oil. I rarely feel the need to wash my face in the middle of the day. I definitly recommend this medication to anyone who tends to break out around their period.
March 1, 2009
Pros:
I've been on Spiron for a couple of years - and it has greatly reduced my oiling skin - I have very few acne breakouts now - just the scares leftover
Cons:
My dr ramped me up to 200 mg at first - after a few months, my heart started racing - couldn't climb one flight of stairs without my hearbeat increasing to 130 bpm. So I've backed down to 100 mg/day - and have increased my exercise - doing well.
I started seeing dermatologists with I was 11 - I'm now almost 50 - retin-A & oxy-10 did not work - only antibiotics did - but never took those for acne. It is so cool to have my makeup actually stay all day, I can wear eye shadow, and my eyes no longer sting from the oil.
February 12, 2009
***Rosie in Virginia...My Dr. told me I absolutely had to stop taking Yaz before I could start taking Spironolactone because it would cause immediate heart problems. Any other oral contraceptive except for Yaz would be fine to take at the same time, according to my Dr., because Yaz contains Androgen blockers and, obviously, so does Spironolactone. This combination is too much for your heart to take. I read your note and am worried your Dr. may not know about this and may not tell you to change your oral contraceptive. My appointment was two weeks ago, so this is current information. I just started taking Spironolactone today. You should definitely check into it to make sure you do not have problems with the rhythm of your heartbeat. That would be worse than acne!
January 26, 2009
Pros:
Clearer skin in 1 month, NO MORE cysts, glowing skin, 100 mg generic pill per day. Dr. Reisz saved my life!!
Cons:
None
It is an amazing drug causing adrenal suppression, to decrease Androgens that produce the oil. I have been taking it for over 8 years now, and I am very happy that it works so well. I took 50 mg up until last year, had to increase to 100mg this year. Works like a charm for the cystic acne.
January 3, 2009
Pros:
After 2 months skin is not breaking out with deep painful cysts. I've still had a few pimples but they are not as deep and do not hurt at all. My skin is starting to heal and I am much less oily.
Cons:
I've had some headaches and body aches and I'm tired all the time.
This has worked although my hormonal tests came back normal. I was convinced still that it is hormonal related since I had never had acne before this and they came at the same time of the month. I researched it on here and asked my gyne to prescribe it. I think my hormones fluctuate a great deal so it may not show up at certain times of the month in a blood test. Nonetheless, this has worked well for me. I was on Yaz and it helped for 9 mos. but then stopped working.
I am willing to keep trying despite the aches and pains because it is working. My hope is any side effects will subside after time.
January 2, 2009
Pros:
Skin less greasy, weight loss
Cons:
Slight dizziness
Firstly please ignore any comments from people who have only used this product for a couple of weeks and are claiming miracle results. It will take at least 3 months to start working and in the meantime you will more than likely get the most horrific breakout you have ever had.
At about 3 months my skin became less greasy and my acne started to improve once I had increased my dose from 100mg to 200mg a day. I read that you needed to drink lots of water while taking this and this has contributed to my significant weight loss, which is a nice bonus.
At about 6 months my skin was pretty good, but unfortunately every few weeks I still get a bad outbreak, so Spiro has not been the ultimate cure for me.
The only major side effect I get is slight dizziness, which is annoying but tolerable.
It's been 9 months now and I'm will keep on going with it. If you've tried everything you should definitely try this, it's always worth a shot and the side effects aren't bad.
Pros:
It works!! It took a while for it to work (~3mo). Infact I think it got worse at first and every time I increased my dose until I got 100mg daily. Now my skin is almost completely clear. Yay!