I did 2 rounds of accutane and it kept acne away for maybe a year. But it slowly starting coming back. I had a bad cause of acne but it wasn't cystic. Now i had 2 huge cystic zits that he actually gave me cortisone shot in. Ouchy! The derm put me on 100mg of spiro and now my face looks Bad!! I may have jumped the gun but I had 2 huge cystic zits that scared me. I think if I would've just let them be I would've been ok but I started taking the spiro and now I look like crap. Tons of tiny red pimples all over cheeks. Is this purging? I also just generally feel like crap. Headache, light headed, body ache, groggy. I hope this med pans out for me.

I never ever write reviews, but I felt the need to share my experience on spironolactone. In my early 20s, I went on spironolactone as a last resort. I had terrible hormonal acne for years along my jawline and red inflamed skin no matter what I tried. Spironolactone worked like a charm for me, and I was on it for almost 4 years with absolutely perfect skin. However, after some time, I started to develop digestive issues and generally did not feel well most of the time. At the recommendation of a doctor, I decided to go off of Spiro at that time. After a few months off of Spiro my acne came back full force, but I remained off of Spiro for another two years. During that time, I coincidentally had food allergy testing done and found out that I had a mild dairy allergy. I cut most dairy out of my diet (not all, but definitely cut way back on dairy) and after about 6 months my skin became perfectly clear again (just like when I had been on Spiro). I've been off of dairy for almost two years now and my skin is still clear. For me, I believe dairy had been causing a hormonal imbalance which Spiro had temporarily covered up years before. While I don't know this for sure, I wanted to share my story in case it happens to be the same for any of you. A natural cure may be possible depending on your situation. Good luck to all of you in searching for an acne solution!

I started taking spiro at 25mg per day. I didn't see a bit of difference after a bunch of weeks, so I wondered if I should bump it up to 50mg. However, I read a lot of other reviews that advised waiting. So I waited and waited. I took like 4 months to start clearing. Finally 6 months later I am 100% clear, I never have to wear makeup, and I only get 1 or 2 little spots before my period, which I can live with. However, it is a diuretic - I get low blood pressure, have trouble standing up, and I have to pee like 14 times a day. I also got the worst cellulite on my legs - soooo bad. I personally wouldn't go higher than 25mg, it's an androgen blocker and my testosterone was extremely high and my other androgens were literally off the charts they were so high (I have PCOS). So if you are wondering if you need to go up, be patient, and be prepared for some pretty awful side effects. My thoughts are, I can cover up the cellulite on my legs by wearing pants, but its harder to cover up your face. That said I will probably stop taking it soon and try saw palmetto as some others have suggested.

I have been on spironolactone for 2 months now. I'm 19. My face was completely clear until last summer. I started breaking out with cystic acne all over my chin, forehead, jawline, and cheeks. It was horrible and I tried everything natural and Otc to get rid of it. Nothing worked. I was so afraid to go to the dermatologist because everyone said it doesn't work. I finally decided I had to go because it was my last hope. I went in and my doctor said it was hormonal and new exactly what to put me on. He gave me spironolactone and started me off on two 25 mg pills a day. 50 mg total. Within 2 weeks I started seeing improvement. After about a month my face looked so much better. Everyone was commenting about how my face was clearing up. I went back and he now upped my dosage to 100 mg a day. Two 50 mg pills a day. My face looks 100% better! I felt bad about myself when my face broke out of no where with like 10 pimples on my chin. I now am lucky if I get 1. I even took before and after pic. Amazing what this did for me. I also have the most sensitive skin ever. My face is continuing to clear the more I'm on it. The only thing that bothers me is sometimes I get headaches and I get dizzy. It comes and goes. It also is making my time of the month fluctuate. Last month I had 2 in one month and now this month I havent had it yet. I'm going to ask him about that when I see him next week. That kind of concerns me. Even though I have side effects it's worth putting up with them to keep my face clear. I highly recommend this product to anyone! It's a miracle! My scars are fading every month.

I have been on 100 mg of spiro for maybe 3 months now in addition to Tazorac. The initial breakout for me was awful and lasted maybe 2 months or so. By the 3rd month my skin started clearing up more but then my dermatologist stupidly forgot to refill my prescription (despite me contacting him dozens of times to renew it). Anyway, I was off spiro for maybe 2 weeks and my skin got extremely bad, even worse than before I started spiro. I am back on now and I think I am going through an initial breakout again but I am hoping my skin clears up faster than the first time I started this med. The fact that I was only off this med for maybe 2 weeks and my skin got so bad worries me because I am afraid I will develop a dependency on this medication, which will be a problem in the future when I decide to have children. My biggest problem with this medication is that my skin is so dry! I don't know how I can get my skin to not be so dry. I have been using CeraVe Hyrdrating cleanser, Garnier Cleansing Oil for very dry skin, and CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer and somehow my skin is STILL incredibly dry. During the day I also wear a BB Cream on top of the CeraVe PM but my skin is still dry within an hour. I have no idea how to help this so if anyone has any recommendations for cleansers, moisturizers, BB Creams, or Foundations I would be so grateful!!!

I began taking spironolactone about 3 years ago after a course of Accutane that produced only temporary results. I took 50 and then 100 mgs a day and it did wonders! Over the course of about 6 months, I had gone from 4-6 cystic pimples to completely clear skin. My dark marks had faded and I was able to live life like a normal human being for the first time in my life. I ran errands, went to the gym, and hung out with my boyfriend all without a stitch of makeup-- something I never believed would be possible for me after suffering from moderate-severe acne for 10 years. I decided in May of last year to go off the medication. I incorrectly thought that maybe my hormones had leveled out by 26 years old and that didn't have to take the spiro anymore. Life was great for 6 months after going off spiro but then I began to break out again. I wouldn't say worse than before, but about the same as before spiro. I began taking the med again last December and after almost 3 months my skin has definitely improved but I still have at least 2 cysts and a gaggle of little pimples at any given time. Of course there are a ton of new scars that will take forever to heal. I'm hoping that spironolactone will again work for me and I can feel human again. It's really depressing to feel like you always have to hide. Summary: In terms of it's effectiveness, I give spironolactone a RESOUNDING 5 stars. This stuff really really worked for me! For those of us with hormonal acne who do not want to use (or re-use) Accutane, it might be the only option- and thank god it's a good one. The only reason why I subtracted a star is because it's not a long term solution. One day I hope to become pregnant and I will have to stop using the drug. I wonder if it's worth it to use a drug as a band-aid, or if I should be investing my time in longer-term solutions that I can utilize indefinitely? Maybe it's worth it to do a second course of Accutane if it means curing my acne for good. For now, I will stick with the spiro and hope that my hormones level out on their own.

I am a 20 year old woman. I had pretty decent skin in my teenage years with only a few breakouts from time to time. Starting about a year ago, I noticed that I would get one or two moderate sized cysts on my forehead every now and then. they were more stubborn and would leave hyperpigmentation scars. Then, this past August, I began to see many tiny bumps form on my chin by my jawline and on my cheeks. They were under the skin and so I didn't bother about them until slowly but surely, each tiny bump would expand into a large cyst. I wondered if this was due to stress from studying for the MCAT or schoolwork. I would lose a good amount of hair every day as well and this was frustrating to me. TMI warning: the cysts were not like typical whiteheads but rather had hard, white colored oil "chunks" inside and they would hurt when the cyst burst or when I tried to rupture them. The cyst would then disappear but only after it had burst and the strange white oil bit was gone. Meanwhile, the cysts left dark hyperpigmentation marks on my skin. In the past, derms had put me on doxycycline mono and topical creams and washes but they did nothing for me. About a week after I started 100 mg of spiro a day, I noticed maybe 4 or 5 cyst breakouts that went away within a week and left scars. After that, I have noticed NO new formations of those tiny bumps that eventually become horrendous cysts. ZERO FORMATIONS. This is very new for me and I am extremely excited. I am now on my 4th week of spiro and after that initial breakout, I have had skin clear of breakouts. That being said, I am still left with hyperpigmentation scars for which I use Epiduo religiously and that seems to be working in lightening them up. My hair fall has reduced SIGNIFICANTLY which leads me to believe my adult acne was caused by hyperandrogenism or having too much testosterone. Apparently these hormonal imbalances can happen to young women (so unfair, isn't it?). I would like to see myself with my teenage skin back in the next three months so I'll followup at that point but for now I am very happy. Yes, I no longer have that flowing hair and flawless skin that I used have but I think after suffering with something for months and finally getting a break like this -- I am very thankful. My self confidence has improved significantly and I am thrilled. Side effects: I have experienced NO weight gain or weight loss. I do get dizzy but I drink lots of water to prevent that from happening. My breasts do feel tender but there has been no increase in cup size as some other users have mentioned. Finally, my menstrual cycle is absolutely normal.

Background info: I starting getting acne when I was 16 years old (Currently 23). All through my teens it was mostly little zits all over my forehead and chin. I started birth control that year to keep control of my acne but it only did so much. The next couple years I switched birth controls twice and literally tried every over-the-counter topical treatments and wash, along with 3 other topical treatments from the dermatologist (Aczone, Tazorac, etc.). NOTHING HELPED. All those topical treatments would do was dry out my face and then I would break out even more. I became so frustrated and gave up. I figured through high school and college it was semi-normal to have bad acne and thought it would go away as I matured. Nope, not the case....around age 20 just when I thought my acne was going away naturally my face blew up with cysts. The acne "moved" from my forehead/chin to my cheeks and instead of little zits they were deep cysts, sometimes painful to touch. It has been awful. I haven't been able to leave the house without makeup for over 5 years (which really sucks as an athletic person, I workout everyday). I workout daily, drink a lot of water and have a balanced diet. I came to the conclusion this is 100% hormonal acne. I decided to see a dermatologist and went it determined to start Accutane. She thought it would be better to try something else and less harsh on my body. Medication: I started this med on 12/29/2014 along with a topical cream from my dermatologists (Going on my 5th week). The first couple weeks I didn't notice much. My pores were shrinking slightly and I noticed a decreased size in my normal cysts. I was breaking out more (the cysts were just smaller in clusters) but it hasn't bothered me that much because hey, I have acne, it's normal for me, right? Going into my 5th week I'm starting to see slightly less acne. I'm wondering if it comes and goes for awhile before it really gets better. The most noticeable side effect is INCREASED THIRST which in turn requires me to go to the bathroom every 30 min. I am SO thirsty all the time. I have already drank 3 large water bottles before 9am today and am still thirsty. Other than that, I haven't noticed any other side effects. Bottom line: It seems to be working and I have a lot of hope for this medication. If you haven't tried any hormonal pill treatment, I highly recommended seeing a dermatologists. I should have went on this 3 years ago and now I am stuck with ugly scars on my cheeks. Once the acne dies down a bit I'm going to start using chemical peels to help with the acne scar resurfacing. I'm also thinking I might cut diary out of my diet because I love milk, cheeses, yogurt, etc. I'll update this post in a few weeks to really share the results. Good luck! Thanks everyone for the encouraging process!

Background: 25 y/o female, have had hormonal acne issues since 22. Have had terrible self-esteem issues, also because I had NEVER had a pimple before 22! Literally. So having this acne has really put a damper on my confidence. I wait until my boyfriend goes to bed to take off my make up, and wake up before he does in the morning to put on make up (INSANE), and I have cancelled plans because of my skin, spent hours in front of the mirror, cried, etc. I haven't been able to leave the house without make up for three years. So I went to the dermatologist. Dermatologist prescribed minocycline which kept things manageable (not clear) for about a year. Then the minocycline appeared to stop working. Also have tried many topicals which never worked. Acanya is the only one I still sometimes use as a spot treatment. Went back to there dermatologist and it happened to be a new doctor who took one look at where my acne was on my face and prescribed spironolactone, telling me it was basically a miracle drug for people with my kind of acne. So- I don't know how I feel yet because it hasn't been too much time, but will update this post... I have been on spironolactone for exactly 7 weeks. I was on 50mg but about 2 and a half weeks ago I was bumped up to 100mg. I currently take 100mg every morning. I hadn't seen any improvement at all...mainly just more clogged pores than I have ever had and still had new pimples all the time, especially when old ones cleared up... So I would get my hopes up and be let down again. Side effects have been minimal, mainly just drinking a lot more water & peeing a lot. Anyway, exactly 2 weeks after the dermatologist upped my dose I had a horrible break out. I read reviews and figured I was doomed for these breakouts for months, because thats how it seems to be for those that it doesn't work for quickly. I cried over the initial breakout and thought it would never end...meanwhile only a couple days later it SEEMS to be clearing up, but of course this may jinx it. I'm hoping this was it for the initial breakout and things will be good from here. Fingers crossed!!! I have HIGH hopes for this med. It just feels like it will work for me because I KNOW I have hormonal acne. 8 weeks- face is clear!!! only one small bump. fingers crossed that this won't jinx it but I had to update for anyone out there wondering if the initial break out ever ends...my hair is getting healthy too, and my hair felt so gross for about 7 weeks being on this med at first. I'm glad that didn't stick around because it would have possibly been a deal breaker for this med. So I'm very happy with the results right now...will update with any changes... now time to clear these old scars up. UPDATE Exactly three months in... I STILL get acne. I would still say my skin is better than it was but I was expecting more from this med. Maybe it was retin-a I was trying to use to clear up my scars. So I stopped that and seeing If my skin clears. These acne marks are also driving me crazy. they take a long time to fade...

I started out on 50 mg twice daily for moderate hormonal acne. I didn't see much improvement after three months, and thought I was actually getting worse at times. The only change I noticed was decreased oil production. My derm upped by dose to 150 mg a day and after about two weeks of that, I started seeing more improvement than I did in the first three months of treatment. This pill takes time, and from my experience and what I have heard from others, it can take getting up to the higher doses to really see changes. I have now been on spiro for 5 months and my acne is 60 percent improved-- in the long run that is not very long for the results I am now seeing. If your derm starts you out on 50 or 100 mg, be patient. They have to make sure your levels are okay to tolerate the medication.