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
March 6, 2013
Cons:
My daughter is 16 and has really red acne all over her face and right shoulder and back. We tried EVERYTHING topical, antibiotics, took a blood test to make sure liver, thryoid and hormones were ok. Nothing worked. She has been on Spiro for 4 weeks and shows no improvement. Hopefully she will soon. She is so depressed about it.
Don't know......
October 11, 2012
Pros:
-Less acne after 2 months
-Less oil
Cons:
-HORRIBLE HEARTBURN. Just from the pill itself. Am I the only one that this has happened to???
-Acne slowly came back
-NOT a cure.
Spiro did help when I became desperate for clear skin but I was just taking it for remission. Once it started slowly but surely coming back I decided to do a second round of Accutane. I believe Accutane is going to give me the result that I am looking for.
September 12, 2012
Pros:
Slowly but surely my cystic acne is starting to clear up.
Cons:
Weight gain ... considerable amount!
I wrote my first post a few months ago. I am now on 75mg (50mg in the morning & 25mg at night) a day. I'm in my fourth month since starting spiro. I still get cystic pimples, but much less now. They still stick around for about a week though. I've been really patient, but the initial breakout is horrible! Things are improving though. A new side effect I've noticed since my dose was increased is weight gain! I read that some women have had this happen, but for the most part, from what I've read, women have lost weight while on spiro. I've also read that taking a BCP while on spiro may help prevent the wt. gain by keeping hormones more regulated ... Anyone with more info about this?! Would greatly appreciate it! Thanks. Will post again soon =)
July 28, 2012
Pros:
cleared acne
reduced oily face and hair
small pill
Cons:
have to take at the same time everyday (twice a day for me)
loss of period
I've been on spiro for about 8 months (75ml X2) with no side effects. I have an over active bladder so I was nervous to start taking a water pill. I'm very happy to see it did not effect my urination at all. After about 6-8 weeks I noticed a HUGE improvement in my acne with minor break out only around my period (1 or 2 zits). Then the PMS breakout went away after about 6 month of using. It also reduced oil in my hair which is a huge plus for me considering I could barely make it a whole 24 hours before needing to wash my hair again. I was very happy using spiro until this past month when I did not get my period- at all! I mean of course its great to not deal with my period but I prefer to not interrupt my body's natural cycles. I have an appointment to discuss this with my doctor and I'm hoping to start weaning off the medication.
July 16, 2012
Pros:
May be decreasing in size but not so much quantity.
Lost a bit of weight.
Face feels a bit fuller.
Cons:
May be drying my face, but I am still very hopeful. I have urinated at least 6 times today.
I started last week with 50mg a day. I don't know if it is working yet because I feel my face feels irritated still. I am 19 and have never had severe acne until now. It makes me self conscience and not secure of myself. I cannot cope with how much it hurts to be under my own skin (metaphorically and physically). But I hope that it begins to clear up my face soon.
My face gets red but I try not to put too much junk on it.
June 22, 2012
Pros:
Really helped with cystic acne,
Skin less oily
Cons:
Huge breakouts the first 6 weeks. Developed white bumps on skin, had to watch the potassium intake (bananas, tomatoes,potatoes), periods became longer and more frequent( like..every other week), headaches if you don't drink enough water continuously, which in turn sends you to the bathroom ALOT! A little pricey depending on insurance.
I'm a 40 year old woman who has struggled with cystic acne periodically over the years. Mostly on the chin area. My dermatologist hailed this as the wonder drug I would never want to stop taking. Well, it did help after about 6 weeks BUT for me... having to eliminate healthy foods I love, drinking water like a camel and the almost constant periods were not worth the clear skin. Since I've stopped taking the drug I have eliminated sugar and dairy and my skin has been behaving beautifully. The white bumps went away and the headaches have stopped. I just feel better not taking medication. If I had really severe acne I would probably have stuck with it but I would urge people to address their diet first and possibly scale their skin care regime down to basics.
I currently use Purpose skin wash and Clinique dramatically different gel 2x a day.
May 25, 2012
Pros:
There was a good 2 week period where my skin was clearer than it's been in years!
Also seem to have lost some weight (probably water weight), which is kind of nice :)
Cons:
Still getting pimples, but the majority of them are under the skin now.. Also I've started breaking out on my forehead which has never happened before in my life.
Acne lesions are refusing to heal. And the cysts under the skin get smaller but never go away. So strange!
My testosterone levels are all over the place according to blood tests, which is why I'm assuming I have persistent acne. Anyway, I've been taking 100mg every day for 2.5 months. I had about 2 weeks of really clear skin around the 1.5 month mark, and since then it's been downhill again. I'm not going to give up on this medication, though. My endocrinologist told me I can double my dosage (to 200mg every day) but I might try increasing it to 150mg first. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty disappointed this hasn't worked wonders for me the way it has for other people. I guess I just have to stay hopeful.
May 2, 2012
Pros:
-cleared most of chest and back acne after a few months
-cleared cystic acne
-reduces oiliness & pores
Cons:
-bad initial break out on face
-getting a heavy period every 2 weeks!!
-my side aches all the time(I only have one ovary, since it is on overdrive now it hurts constantly)
-dehydration and headaches
I am a 42 year old female who has been taking spiro for almost 6 months now. I started on 50mg and quickly worked my way up to 100mg. Oiliness improved almost immediately, but conversely I felt dry all the time and used in conjunction with Epiduo I wanted to claw holes in my skin from the itchiness(I found that I could only spot treat in certain areas with Epiduo).
After 4 months my back and chest scalp and neck were almost completely clear and I was no longer getting cysts along my chin and jawline. However, I started having a period every 2 weeks about 2 months into the med. and I felt like I was being kicked in the ovary(I had one removed a few years ago, so this one ovary is doing all the work).... my breasts were tender & sore all the time as well.
The derm lowered my dose a month ago to 50mg to try to counteract side effects(I tried BC pills, but started throwing up from them 9 days in). As soon as the dose went down, I started breaking out on my neck, shoulders and jawline again and the oiliness increased. The lowered dose has not decreased the side effects either... I am still getting a period every 2 weeks :( The worst part is that because it is hormonal acne, now I am breaking out every time I get a period which is WAY more often than before. I think if you can take BC pills to control the periods that this medication is good. It was effective at the 100mg dose for me, but not nearly as much at the 50mg dose. I am going back to derm tomorrow to see how we will proceed.
April 22, 2012
Pros:
Slight weight loss ( although I didn't have any to lose)
Smooth, soft skin
Does work....BUT takes a very long time
You can use long term
Cons:
Took a full 3 months for bumps to clear
Horrific initial breakout
My hair thinned out initially, but it's really thick again
I started taking Spironolactone almost exactly 3 months ago. I'm 26 years old and have had VERY mild sporadic acne, depending on the time of the month for most of my 20's. Nothing major and very easy to deal with and cover with light make-up. However, right around January I started breaking out more frequently and worse than I was used to. Although still not that bad,It really bothered me, as I am a perfectionist and work in a business where beauty is a must. ;) I went to see my dermatologist hoping he would put me on an antibiotic, since I had used that in my teens and it worked beautifully. However, he really only gave me two options: Accutane or Spironolactone. Not wanting to be on Accutane I started taking Spironolactone in late January with no other prescriptions. The first two weeks, I really saw no real dramatic change for better or worse. BUT, week two hit and I started getting the worst break out of my life. I knew that an initial breakout may happen based on what I read here, so I figured it would be short lived. Sadly, I was wrong. From week 2-8 I experience CONSTANT breakouts that were much worse than what I started with. I was devestated and almost stopped entirely. About my 7th week my dr. Put me on Bactrim in conjunction with Spiro. I was on Spiro for 2 full months before my skin started getting better at all. This last month, leading to my 12th week, the breakouts have gotten MUCH less severe and waaay better to manage. At this point, I really only have a few little bumps left. The moral of the story here is you MUST be patient. I'm still being patient. I read a couple posts below that some of you are breaking out worse....it will pass. You have to keep on. It takes ALOT of time and yes, the breakouts are bad, but I do think it works. I really recommend using it in conjunction with an antibiotic. The only bummer now is that I'm left with a bit of hyper pigments. I'm thinking of trying a che
January 22, 2012
Pros:
Cleared large zits on back of neck and back
Cons:
Broke out at first for 2 weeks
Severe nausea after working out
Started taking 3 pills a day but after 3 weeks was not seeing a lot of improvement. Dr upped my dose to 5 a day(125) and I started getting really nauseous after running. Did start to clear my acne however. Anyone else get nauseous?
Pros:
Not as dangerous as Accutane. No side effects.