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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April 7, 2010

Pros:

Got rid of the two lone hairs on my chin immediately!
Kept acne at bay.
May have regrown hair around my temples.
Larger breasts (this can be a con).

Cons:

Can't tolerate more than 25 mgs. a day.

Terrified of getting high potassium

Palpitations
Leg cramps
Messed up my period.
Bone pain

It is definitely worth a shot! A good med, just not for me. The palpitations scared the hell outta me. That is what made me stop. I was only on 25 mgs a day. I tried going up to 50 but both times I had to stop due to scary side effects (palpitations, low BP). I think since it takes magnesium and calcium out of your body that that is what was causing my leg cramping and occasional bone pain. I wasn't on a high dose, but I had two little hairs on my chin and they went away in a month, which was surprising. I think my hair started to grow back where I had lost it on my head. I was TERRIFIED of my potassium getting high, and as a result, I refused to eat my diet which is high in potassium -- veggies, fruits, meats, kefir, avocado, salads. This was very depressing for me because I LOVE these foods. I cannot wait to be able to eat them again in huge amounts! So excited, lol. It works for acne. Definitely try it. I am moving on to a different anti androgen that doesn't mess with potassium, BP, calcium, magnesium, and periods. I hope it works safely for me. I had mild acne. I also paid more for the brand name because Dr. Redmond (famous dr. for hormonal treatment) said it works better than generic. If you don't have insurance, get it at walmart and have tour dr. give you a rx for 25 mg pills so it is only 4$. The 50/100 mg pills are not $4. The brand name is also NOT 4$. Good luck!! :-)
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March 23, 2010

Pros:

Smaller breakouts so far, breakouts seem to heal quicker, lighter period

Cons:

Not as clear as I was hoping for

I am currently in my early 20s, and I had to come off of birth control a little over a year ago. Since I discontinued my BC, I have had some of the worst acne my friends of I have seen. I have been taking 100mg of this medication for approximately a month. At first, my skin dramatically became clearer, but then it broke out horribly around week 2. It has since gotten better and is slowly improving, but I still have a few cysts and LOTS of whiteheads. However, this month when I got my period, I didn't break out horribly like I usually do. I see several others said their skin cleared up after the 1 month period, so I'm hoping that mine continues to clear, as I am getting married 7 months. :-/
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March 12, 2010

Pros:

The Hope of treating the real reason for my acne which is HORMONES.

Cons:

SE: Fatigue, sluggish laziness, decreased appetite, decreased muscle mass, increased thirst, freq urination, risk of dehydration, cloudy thinking, slightly depressed mood, initial break-out-- with acne in new unlikely areas of the face.

I have been on Spiro for a mere 24 days. I am 35 and have had acne since I was 12 so basically I started Spiro b/c I am literally at my wits end- I need freedom from this miserable condition. I have always linked my acne to horms -- like many of us ladies our breakouts are very predictable pre menst or during the cycle. So Spiro seems like the best fit for me. Spiro does definitely have its SE. The most concerning for me is not the thirst and urination it is the extreme fatigue and the lazy sluggishness I feel-- Just generally unmotivated-- Which is not like me-- I tend to get a lot handled, so I really hope this SE fades to grey soon! The inital breakout was preceeded by me missing a dose-- a link? Maybe. I now take it at 10am and 10pm regularly. The initial break outs (2) were very stressful, but breakouts are familliar to me so I got through them. Today (day 24) I have no new spots and the old breakouts are healing slowly. I take zinc and C to aide healing -- as well as flax seed oil. Bottom line, it is worth a shot. Just be educated, consisent, and persistent in drinking a lot (like 80 oz of water/day) of water! This will help diminish the SE-- it helps me. Oh-- also watch blood potassium levels. Take care all.
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December 9, 2009

Pros:

I just went on this yesterday, so I havent noticed any changes yet. I was on the generic birth control for Yasmin called Ocella. I had HORRIBLE side effects with it. Moodswings, depression, hair loss, horrible acne etc.

Cons:

Havent noticed any yet, will write when I have been on it for a while

Im terrifyed to go off of it if it does work because according to all these reviews, the acne flares up again. I've been on acutane twice and wanted to try this route first before I go back to acutane. Also, one reviewer made a comment about sprio can cause horrible birth defects if you want to have kids later. Im 23 and plan on doing so. Has anyone else heard of the birth defect part?
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November 17, 2009

Pros:

I can see some changes, cleared up my acne.

Cons:

I walk up this morning and had a really bad muscle ache...

I don't know what to do( continue or not)
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October 4, 2009

Pros:

I didn't take it for every long...two weeks

Cons:

The medicine made me feel like I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I have no idea why. I cried all the time, over really stupid things. I called my mom, and she insisted that I stopped taking the medicine.

I thought there would be NO side effects...just be careful with any meds you take.
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September 4, 2009

Pros:

clears up acne. less oily skin. weight loss

Cons:

tired during day, wake up during night, depression, lots of anxiety, need to go to the bathroom a lot, thirsty all the time

I am 41 years old, I have been on this medicine for 15 months at first I had no side effects, but after taking it for about 6 or 7 months I started feeling very anxious about things like driving my car and feeling like something bad was going to happen. I have been on 100 mg a day with also diffren. I will admit it does clear up your skin It did not make my pores any smaller which I was hoping it would. It makes you very thirsty and need to use the bathroom a lot. It makes you tired all day and when you go to bed at night you only get a few hours of sleep snice you wake up alot during the night.
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July 27, 2009

Pros:

Prevents hormonal acne around the chin. Decreases appetite.

Cons:

Increases frequency of periods. Some dizziness. Sore, dry eyes.

I love what this does for my skin. It is the ONLY medication that has had a significant, continuous impact on my acne. I am 34 and have had breakouts since I was about 11. I have taken spiro (100mg/day) off and on over the past 5 years outside of times I have been pregnant or breastfeeding with my 2 children. My biggest problem now is that I am getting my period about every two weeks!! I have about 6-7 days of bleeding and then about a week before the next one hits. As you might imagine, this is NOT ideal. Has anyone else had this problem? Does adding birth control pills help? I do not want to give up this miracle for my face, but I can't imagine going on like this either.
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July 20, 2009

Pros:

Less Oil Production, Weight Loss, and Helped with Migrains

Cons:

Depression, Bad Initial Break Out, and Irregular Periods

I tried spiro for two and half months and just recently had to get off of it due to the emotional upheaval it was causing me to go through. I had three periods in the last month of taking it and was still continueing to get breakout after breakout. I have always had fairly decent skin except for the monthly cysts around my period, but experienced an etreme breakout back in March. I have been seeing a medical eastitician monthly since then and was having success, but was still getting a lot of hormonaly charged breakouts. My doctor put me on spiro because I can not be on birth control, thinking this would help. Maybe the spiro would have eventually helped if it wasn't causing me to be an emotional reck. I have only been off of it for a week and already feel a million times better. Hope that you guys have better luck than I did with this. It is a very serious drug.
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July 12, 2009

Pros:

Smooth skin. Less blackheads. Stomach does seem flatter (less bloating).

Cons:

After about 8 weeks of use, still have acne. Fatigued during daytime, but can't sleep at night. Lots of urinating for a few hours after taking the pill. Muscle soreness and tingliness.

I'm 30 and have been battling acne since I went off birth control at 23. Still in the early stages of using this medicine (I was told to give it 3 months, dosed at 50 mg/twice a day), but I've read that muscle soreness and tingliness are actually serious side effects with this medicine as it's a sign of high potassium in the body, which can be fatal. Also, that it causes tumors in rats. I'm not sure at this point if I'll continue. Right now my arms are tingly when I'm writing this and my legs have been sore for about two weeks now. When I played T-Ball with my sons, just swinging the bat at the ball made my arms ache for hours afterwards, they felt bruised. Hate to complain, but thought others with these side effects should check into it too.
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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:

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