I had horrible deep cyst like bumps. Mostly around my chin area. my doctor put me on this medicine. I started out with 50mg a day. That was working a little bit, but I was still getting a few deep cysts and it wasn't getting rid of the old ones. After being on that for about 2-3 months. He increased it to 100mg a day. after being on the 100mg a day for about 2-3 weeks my face felt great and the cysts were finally going away. Then I started having horrible stomach pains. This was like 10 times worse then regular period cramps. I felt nauseous and like I would be sick. Then I started having bloody bowls. Obviously I did not want to take it anymore, so I stopped. After about a week of being off of it I am still having horrible stomach pains, hopefully they go away soon. I also gained 10lbs just form being on the drug for about 4 months, which I was not a fan of! The symptoms were just not worth the clear skin.

Background- my doctors believe I have an atypical case of PCOS (meaning I don't have many of the symptoms most women with PCOS have, but do have polycystic ovaries), found this out in March 2015. Day 38 of 50mg/day of Spiro & just started my third pack of Beyaz BC pills. So needless to say my skin has been going through a rollercoaster of hormonal changes the last 2 months & I have been so depressed about it. Since starting both meds, I have had at least 2 active cysts on my face at all times (and many other acne spots that are scaring or trying to heal). I feel like I have been living at the derm office with all the weekly injections I am getting (really is the only way for my cysts to diminish). Yesterday, my derm agreed to up my dosage to 100mg of spiro a day. I am PRAYING this is what will do the trick. I know that I need to give the spiro & BC pills time to work (they say 3-4 months?). But I am sure others can agree that acne is so draining, it's all I can think about and has literally spiraled me into being depressed. Any words of encouragement? Do I just need to stick it out for results? Thanks so much for any responses :)

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.

My derm put me on Spiro to get rid of the cysts on my chin after switching from birth control pills to an IUD. I hated it. It worked, after two months I had no cysts, but I was SO dehydrated. I could not keep enough water in me. Felt like I had to pee all the time, was constantly worried I had a UTI, etc. Went to my primary care physician twice because I was convinced I had a UTI, and both times it came out negative. I stopped taking it after 2 months and thankfully, the cysts were completely gone after that.

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!!!

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 spironolactone 7 months ago and I still have acne. I started taking it in May 2014 50mg a day. I have NOT seen any improvement, my acne just stayed the same. Big red and inflamed, all over my neck and chin really bad (that is normal for me). Last month my doctor upped my dosage to 100mg a day still no improvement. He said I need to come back and see him in February. I can't believe that is medicine isn't working for me. All the other reviews I've read are so positive and people are so happy. Should I keep taking it for another two months and just keep my fingers crossed or should I just give up and face the fact that this medicine just isn't for me? I'm so disappointed I had the highest hopes for this to work for me. I am a 32 year old woman with acne and I feel like I just wasted 7 months on this medicine. I am really sad but I'm am glad that others are seeing the results I wished I could of had.

im not kidding to whoever is reading this... please just take it. It has changed my life completely. Im 19 years old female in college. Heres my story: ever since 6th grade I've had a pimple here and there. Then freshmen year in high school BOOM acne all over my face mostly my forehead area and chin, never on my cheeks. I have tried everything in this world you can name from laser treatments topical gels to switching my birth control around like crazy. Even changing my flipping diet!!! Every dermatologist just threw prescriptions at me and honestly i did not what to go out in the world and would cry all day because of it. Worst feeling imaginable. Well i tried a new birth control and things calmed down again but then freshmen year in college the acne hit me all at once. When I'm meeting new people i as afraid they were staring at my face. Lack of sleep, poor diet, and stress I'm sure had an effect but then i was like f it I'm going to a top notch dermatologist. I went all the way to boston and she was the sweetest, nicest and down to earth dermatologist i have EVER met. She was like girl we are getting rid of this and prescribed me spironolactone( she even takes it herself). i have been on it for 3 months and my skin is completely acne free. I have some spots from sun and acne but they are slowly fading and i could not be happier. Please if your a girl struggling just get on this!!! also I'm using differin 0.3 gel to help cell turnover which helps so much. Sorry this was long but y'all needed to hear it!!!!

This medication takes a bit of time to work. for me personally it started to kick in fully at 8 months. I had absolutely no break outs by the 8th month. for some people they see full on results between 3-6mothns. This medications works for hormonal acne but you need a lot of patience with it , Do not give up ! Give it up to 8months to see if you see a change in your acne. Another thing is you must drink lots of Water ,you must train your body to love water. -My dosage was started at 100mg then upped to 150mg a day around month 4, -I also got on Yaz birth control once I started spironolactone. -For topical I was prescribed fiancea to fade my acne hyper pigmentation , and to spot treat my acne.

I have been using 100 mg of sprinolactone for 14 weeks and I couldn't be happier with the results. I use it in conjunction with birth control and Aczone. I have had mild acne on and off since I was a teenager but over the past 2 years it developed into moderate and at times severe cystic acne with my skin not being clear for months at a time. I had tried everything else, antibiotics, topical creams, etc. and nothing was working. After starting spironolactone I slowly saw results but did have a cluster breakout of pimples on my cheeks about once every 3 weeks at the beginning. However, my skin has been clear for the past month and I keep telling my sisters who suffer from the same kind of acne as me to get a prescription! No major side effects except for feeling dizzy when I get up sometimes if I am dehydrated. Stick with it, it's worth it!