Spironolactone
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Spironolactone is a type of oral medication called an anti-androgen that is sometimes prescribed to females. Androgens are male hormones that are present...

Spironolactone is a type of oral medication called an anti-androgen that is sometimes prescribed to females. Androgens are male hormones that are present in both males and females that lead to more acne, and spironolactone helps reduce androgens.

It is usually taken once or twice a day, around the same time(s), preferably with a meal.

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November 18, 2011

Pros:

no more blackheads
no more cystic acne

Cons:

got my period immediately after starting it
some dryness

I've been on spiro for about 4 months now, and so far it has been a miracle cure. I've had cystic acne (particularly on my chin and jaw) for about 7 years and NOTHING worked. Spiro made my acne much worse at first, but it's now almost completely cleared up. I don't think there's been a day since I was 16 that every pore on my nose didn't have a blackhead...until now! I know some people have terrible side effects, so be wary...but I've experienced none of them, so this might work for you too :-)
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November 17, 2011

Pros:

Started to work quickly

Cons:

Side Effects not tolerable:
cramping
diarrhea
dizziness
increased aggression
sleeplessness

Not worth it!! And I'm on a small dosage.
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November 15, 2011

Pros:

Clear skin
Less Oil
Inexpensive

Cons:

Initial breakout

For the first time since I was 12 my skin is finally clear!! I have tried everything out there except Accutane and I mean everything. I didn't have cystic acne so doctors were reluctant to give me Accutane but I begged for it many times. Acne has ruled my life for so long and I am finallly, at 35, clear. This was a miracle...I was really at a point where I was about to give up but decided to try once more with another doctor visit. My acne was apparently hormonal which makes perfect sense because the only other times in my life my skin was clear was during my 2 pregnancies. I have been on spiro for almost 5 months now and haven't had a pimple in about 3 months. I broke out during the first 3 weeks with some pretty big cystic acne, which I had never experienced, maybe a total of 5-7 different bumps that took a while to go away but it was totally worth it. If you've tried everything, I urge you to ask your doctor about this and give it a try. But be sure to give it some time and keep taking it through the first breakout! It's truly changed my life and I finally feel free!! I started on 50mg/day but after 2 weeks started on 100mg/day and that's where I am now.
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November 6, 2011

Pros:

- Cleared up my acne in about 1.5 months
- no more greasy hair
- hardly any facial hair

Cons:

- AWFUL (and I mean awful) initial break out
- Lots of trips to the bathroom at first
- the scars from initial break out . . .

I decided to try this medication before I tried Sprinolactone and i'm glad that I did (in the end, anyways). Spiro is a lot easier to obtain and initially I was put on 25 mg, but then I upped the dose to 50 mg within the first week. I started Spiro on exactly Sept. 15 (and now it is Oct 5). By the second week I had never seen my skin look so bad. I was waking up with new pimples EVERY DAY! And not the small insignificant ones either, the ones that that are big (not like huge cysts though), horribly painful, remain for weeks and then leave behind dark pigment marks. Naturally, I was extremely upset by this. But after reading about others who had similar experiences, I decided to continue use and at least wait it out for just a few more weeks until I hit that "2 month mark". Well it has not been fully 2 months yet but i'm proud to say that my skin has not looked this good in a long time. I'm still oily on my face a little, but my hair... oh man my hair! That's what really makes me love this medication. My hair is no longer greasy. I used to have to scrub it TWICE with shampoo and never skip a day showering unless I wanted to look like a nasty little grease monkey. Yuck. Anyways, I definitely recommend this product before you try Accutane if you've been struggling with acne as long as I have (for seven long, long years) with minimal results. That is ff you can endure that horrible initial break-out and the scarring that is sure to follow (but they are fading away now), because that first stage is BRUTAL. :(
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November 4, 2011

Pros:

NONE

Cons:

HORRIBLE CYSTIC ACNE, HAIR LOSS

This drug is absolutely, positively the absolute worse drug i have ever taken. I was completely clear before starting this medicine. Almost immediately I started to breakout in massive cysts. Every two weeks a new one would sprout. I stuck it out for two months, but i just couldn't take it anymore and stopped completely 21 days ago. I am now left with many hyperpigmented areas, a scar, a huge crator, and a hypertropic scar. This drug ruined my skin. I had to give a rating, but i would rate this minus one hundred, its disgusting what it did to my skin.
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November 3, 2011

Pros:

Cleared up acne pretty well
Worked better than antibiotics

Cons:

Fatigue
Taking pills every day
Frequent Urination

I have tried EVERYTHING for my acne. I have had stubborn acne (pretty frequently cystic) for about 13 years. I am now 26 years old and have also gone through the torture of accutane about a year ago. Accutane was pretty difficult to get through, but in the end it worked dramatically. I have now been off of it and everything else for about a year now and my acne is now coming back (not as badly, but it's back, even cystic acne). I now have depression, anxiety and am on medication for that also. My doc thinks its probably from the accutane, but no one can be sure. I just started treating my acne now with Spiro and so far, so good. I've been on it for about three weeks so far and its cleared it up I'd say about 60% already. Hopefully this works completely, but everyone's feedback about it gives me hope. Thanks guys. Any questions about my accutane experience, let me know.
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November 3, 2011

Pros:

Cleared skin up

Cons:

seems to be a little more tired than usual

I have never had terrible acne, but it has been persistent since 7th grade. I have been on antibiotics, retin-A, differin, and multiple birth controls. Although never terrible at all, I was always self conscious about my skin. I would never go to the pool without concealer or even go to bed with my boyfriend without makeup on. It was a constant stress in my life and I spent hundreds of dollars on crazy products trying to finally have a clear face. Finally right before my 21st birthday I decided I would bite the bullet and go back to the dermatologist to see if they had any other solutions. I was given spiro and after 3 months my face was completely clear. I do have the occasional zit but they are manageable and go away much faster than before. Spiro gave me confidence I never had before. I could finally go to class without worrying about who was staring at my face. It may sound vain and I tried to rationalize with myself that it was just my skin, but when I finally had clear skin I felt so much better. I hope this is helpful to others who are having the same problems I did. My acne was never cystic and never terrible, but it was just always there. I think anyone should try it if nothing else has seemed to work for them.
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November 3, 2011

Pros:

more effective than antibiotics and any other acne treatment that dermatologist would suggest for those of us with acne. i highly recommend using this b/c it has very little side effects (it's a dieuretic sp?)

Cons:

frequent urination

I have suffered with acne my entire adult life (i am 43 y.o.). I believe dermatologist are treating the symptom w/o treating the cause. they often prescribe antibiotics and topical creams but acne is caused by hormone imbalance. Simply put acne can be treated with birth control pills and aldactone. I always feel so bad for people with severe acne b/c it doesn't have to be that way!
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November 1, 2011

Pros:

It has given my that best results out of everything I've tried (including Accutane, which did nothing for me!) for my severe, adult onset, cystic acne.

If you are insured, it is very affordable.

Cons:

I am on a very high dose (100 mg twice a day), and if I do not take this medication immediately after dinner, and at least several hours before bed, I wake up in the early morning hours nauseus and dry heaving (it's happened about half a dozen times in the three months I've been on it). The feeling is quite analgous to morning sickness.

Like all other medications, Spiro is no miracle drug, but has helped my severe acne better than anything else. When my derm first prescribed this medication, she put me on 50mg a day, and I had no results. She then raised my dose to 100mg a day. Still, no results. She then referred me an endocrinologist, who promptly sent me to the lab for a battery of blood and urine tests. Results? All normal. Despite these lab results, he raised my dose of Spiro to 100mg twice a day, and I am finally starting to see results. My skin is far from perfect, but has significantly improved. Other Rx's that I currently taking/using: Bactermin (oral antibiotic); Veltin (topical antibiotic/retinoid hybrid); Benzaclyne (topical antibiotic); Prascion (sulfur based antimicrobial face wash) Other products I use: Alyria 10% glycolic toner; YuBe moisturizer (sold at Sephora). The combination of these two products prevents my skin from becoming dry/flaky/irritable despite the plethora of topicals that I use every day.
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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! :)
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website