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
November 3, 2011
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.
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.
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!
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.
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! :)
October 24, 2011
Pros:
it works and i had no side effects
Cons:
none for me
i have had a worsening in my acne in my 30s for some reason. my dermatologist put me on this a month ago along with retin a micro. love it! totally clearnow.
October 23, 2011
Pros:
works really well for female hormonal acne.
Cons:
see previous review.
this is an update - i'm on my 2nd month (about half way in now). I had a severe breakout about midway through my treatment - just after I wrote my previous review. My skin had been clear and then one morning I woke up and my entire face - forehead, chin, cheeks etc.. had broken out - places that I hadn't broken out in years and my breakout continued for a few weeks until I went back and saw my derm. She put me on Retin-A micro .03% 2x a week (pea sized amount at night, every 3rd day) - and wow - that helped clear things up. I continued with the 100mg of Sprinolactone, and with the RAM my skin began clearing and healing within 3 weeks (I had no new breakouts, just lots of red marks and swelling from previous lesions) My skin is now fairly clear. My cheeks, nose, chin, are all smooth (no peeling, no flaking, no redness because I'm only using it every 3rd day, and I'm moisturizing after the RAM goes on) - and am using the RAM on my forehead every other day, because it's still breaking out and is still badly marked up. The big pluses to being on the Spirno is that I'm no longer oily. Before I went on it I was having to wash my hair 1-2x a day (I have thin, baby fine hair, with bangs that would be stringy within a few hours of washing it) - and now I can go 3-4 days in between washing my hair without it being oily - and the same goes for my face. I used to wake up with it looking like it was doused in baby oil - and my pillow cases would need washing every other day, and now my face is totally "normal" in the morning, and this is after moisturizing right before I go to bed. I also switched out my birth control pill for the Nuva Ring because I was having issues with breakthrough bleeding on the pill. The Nuva Ring eliminates fluctuations in hormones so no worries about that any more. I've also lost 10lbs ,most of which was water retention, awesome. I look forward to having clear, beautiful skin by the Spring, hopef
October 14, 2011
Pros:
- helps HORMONAL acne
- cleared up face about 70% in 3 weeks
- cleared up light body acne around neck & chest
Cons:
- side effects (not everyday or consistent)
*dizziness
*nausea
*headaches
*light headedness
*fatigue
- cannot take over the counter meds for headaches or pain (talk to dr about alternatives)
- watch potassium levels & intake of high potassium foods (potatoes, tomatoes, avocados)
- lots of peeing (this drug is a diuretic)
It's really worth a try if you are suffering from hormonal acne. I had acne as a teen, it went away, & then poof...I woke up with crazy acne at 26 yrs old. My acne is not severe but at 26, having lots of tiny bumps all over my face was not cool! I tried several topical treatments (Metro Gel, Epiduo, ViDerm) for 6 months before I gave in & decided to take oral meds. My list of Cons may seem like a lot but the side effects did lessen once I adjusted the dosage that worked for me. My doctor first prescribed me 50mg 2x's a day. The side effects made me super uncomfortable for the first week, so I called my dr and she suggested that I just take the 50mg once a day instead. This helped lessen the side effects by A LOT. So pay careful attention to any symptoms (good idea to keep a daily log of how you're feeling for the first few weeks) & let your dr know if you're not feeling bright eyed & bushy tailed....even if you're not positive that you're feeling crappy due to the meds- take note! I've read a lot of reviews with people gaining (or losing) weight but I have not seen any change in my weight so far. The time period for results may differ according to each individual. It only took me a few weeks to notice my skin clearing up & others say it takes a few months. BE PATIENT. I have great insurance so it was at no cost to me. According to other reviews, seems pretty cheap ($5-$20) if you have insurance.
TIPS:
- drink PLENTY of water: you may get headaches b/c of dehydration. If you don't like drinking a lot of water, try some gatorade. - watch intake of caffeine & alcohol - keep daily log of any symptoms, tell your doctor ASAP about any severe or consistent side effects - do not take this if you're trying to get preggers
October 12, 2011
Pros:
--Cleared my body acne (chest and back) almost completely.
--Cleared about 85 % of my facial acne.
Cons:
--Could not clear all of my facial acne.
--Side effects for the first 3 months included: dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, dehydration, frequent urination.
--Can cause birth defects so must be VERY careful about using birth control.
I've struggled with varying degrees of acne for about 15 years (since I was 12), from mild to moderate to severe. Most of my acne has been inflammatory, but painful, cystic acne appeared in my late teens, went (mostly) away for a few years, then came back to torment me in my mid-twenties. For the past two years, since I was 25, I have been aggressively trying to get rid of this problem for good. My skin is very sensitive, so all the topicals just made my skin worse. The antibiotics never made a noticeable difference, and several of them, especially Doxycycline, made me very sick (I actually vomited in a parking lot after taking my dose once...so thanks for that, Doxy). Spiro is the first and only medication that worked for me. It took several weeks to notice a difference, and I had a horrible cystic breakout the second week after starting it, so the beginning was pretty frustrating. But by the second month, I noticed that almost ALL of my body acne was gone! I was able to wear scoop-necks and sleeveless and open-back dresses and shirts for the first time in ages. It was so freeing and I was incredibly grateful. However, the breakouts on my face persisted. My doctor raised my dose from 50 mg/day (after my second week horrific breakout) to 100 mg/day (for about 4 weeks)), and finally to 150 mg/day. I've been on the 150 mg/day for about 16 weeks--so I've been taking Spiro for 22 weeks total (approx 5 and-a-half months). The acne on my body is gone. However, the breakouts on my face, while drastically improved, have not stopped. I still get occasional cysts and inflamed breakouts (usually 10-15 inflamed pimples at a time). So as of this week, I am starting my first course of Accutane. I am disappointed that Spiro was not my ultimate solution. However, I am so thankful for the improvement I did see with it. It's certainly worth trying. I started seeing results in month 2, and the awful side-effects subsided in month 3. Best of lu
October 11, 2011
Pros:
Face less oily
Acne/pimples have diminished 90%
Cons:
Scalp itchy
Frequent urination
Feel bloated after eating
I'm a post Accutane user (40mg once a day for four months) Accutane totally cleared my face up in three weeks. My face was gorgeous! After a year of coming off of it - I started to break out again. I was devestated! :( I have taken several orals...Tetra, Erthyo, Doxycycline and Keflex. They all worked, but caused frequent yeast infections. I have used many topicals... Differin, Metro Gel, Finacea and Tazorac - none of them worked for me. I came off Keflex (prescribed by my Derm)after 9 months and my face was beautiful (not using any topicals) I started to break out again within two months. Small pimples, white heads all over my face. My GYN recommended Spironolactone 50 mg once a day. I have been using it now for one week and honestly, my face has cleared up 90%. I may have 2-3 white heads and 3-4 small red bumps. My daily rountine is:
AM: Wash with a warm white face cloth (no cleanser) and lightly moisturize with Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizer.
PM: Wash with Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser (Salicylic acid ), apply DailyClear Adult Tinted Treatment Cream (Resorcinol 2% and Sulfur 8%) and moisturize with Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizer. I use Proactiv Sulfur Mask once a week. Don't use benzol peroxide - it irritates my skin too bad. I hope this continues as I don't want to increase my dosage. I will stop using the Clearasil once all the pimples are gone. As of now, I would totally recommend Spironolactone as my side effects are minimal compared to those on Accutane.
Pros:
Cleared up acne pretty well
Worked better than antibiotics