Has cleared up all of my acne and I'm only on 50 milligrams. my scars are starting to fade too!! so happy with the results

Little background: It was the end of my Junior year in high school and I got extremely extremely bad acne. It covered my ENTIRE face. I couldn't run my hands over my skin or even wash it without wincing in pain. I became deeply depressed over the summer and barely left my room. I knew I needed help and my mom took me to the doctors. They said I had severe acne and needed medication to help clear it. The first medication I had been on was doxycycline. I was on that for about 4 months and things got clear, not completely but enough. I decided to get off but of course, the acne came back. So I revisited my doctor and got prescribed minocyline and a birth control. I liked mino much better than doxy, one less pill and easier on the stomach. Finally I went to the doctors again for a check up and they decided to check my blood. I have irregular hormone levels, which was causing the acne. In order to correct the levels I needed a medication of course. So I was prescribed spironolactone! I have been on this for about 4 months and absolutely love it. It is 100 times better than any other medication I have tried. It took awhile to get started, maybe 3 months. But my skin was clear, no bumps, no cysts. One thing I would recommend is not waiting to refill.. The past week I forgot and haven't taken the pill in 5 days, and I now have multiple breakouts and cysts around my chin.. Of course I am discouraged but have faith that the pill will fix it all up quickly :)

I have been eager to write this review but wanted to wait until the three month mark to report my results. You really have to give this medicine at least three months, if not more, to reach full effect. I know how extremely difficult it is to suffer from excessive acne, and I NEVER thought I'd find anything to help me. I thought I was doomed for life since it kept getting worse and worse and NOTHING would help in the slightest. I hope that my review can give others hope that they can overcome their hormonal acne. My story is like many others. Suffered from acne since puberty, I am now 22. Over the last year, it had gotten so bad that I was having constant cysts and spots on not only my face, but down the sides of my neck. It was all over my face, but mostly concentrated on my jawline and cheeks. Huge spots that would shoot onto the mirror if I popped them. I would have 20+ spots at a time (of all different kinds, not including blackheads and clogged plugs) with 5-10 new spots a day. It was exhausting and effected my self-esteem severely, and no one understood why. I tried everything over the last 10 years of course. I started wasting A LOT of my free time doing extensive research on why acne happens. I don't trust dermatologists. I came across spironolactone and printed out scientific studies and such to bring to my gynecologist that has been seeing me since I was 15. I cried to him about how unbearable my acne was and begged him to let me try spironolactone even though he said my testosterone levels were in normal range. I've had extremely irregular periods since puberty, excess hair growth, and cysts on my ovaries... so that led me to believe that spiro could work since those are all symptoms of excess testosterone or testosterone sensitivity. He was familiar with the medication, and agreed. Thank GOD he did. I started on 25MG twice daily for 2 or 3 weeks, then I got anxious and upped in to 50MG twice daily. I started spironolactone in late September(3 months ago and it is now late December. I broke out consistently and constantly during this. Now, finally, within the last week I am noticing definite results. I only have 4 or 5 active spots right now, which is obviously a major improvement. I still have a lot of blackheads, clogged pores, and scaring, but I am confident that will all clear up with time! I'm not at the end of the road quite yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Spiro works, but PLEASE give it time. And don't reviews it after 2 weeks because that's not how this medicine works.... I've had no negative side effects except for frequent urination... but honestly I can deal with that if that means that my skin doesn't look like a mountain range anymore. I dealt with some heart palpitations and anxiety the first few weeks... but determined that it was just from dehydration and electrolytes imbalance since I'm peeing out all my salt and retaining potassium. I just try to drink more water and increase my salt intake... all has been good! I will update in a few months.

Hormonal acne for last 3 years.. Tried it all. Doc suggest spiro end of Feb 2015. I started at 100 for 4 months (end of June) and saw some difference, then upped to 150 and by the 7/8th month (August/sept) there was a huge difference. Zero acne. Zero! No deep cysts that were painful or needed to be drained, no more thick cover up, no more puss. I decreased to 125mg in October and skin has been clear the whole time. Be patient and don't be scared of higher dosages. I'm 5'1, 105lbs. This is the only thing that has completely cleared my acne. I'll take peeing more and monitoring my potassium levels over accutane any day. In my opinion, people give up way way too soon. You've struggled with acne for how many months or years? What's a few more? Be patient. It works.

I take 150 of spiro daily and it took me about 3 months to see total clearance of my skin. My oiliness is now normal. It didn't work overnight but it WORKS. I'm very impatient when it comes to my appearance, but my persistence paid off and I highly recommend spiro for women experiencing hormonal acne.

I am a 33 yr old female. I've been on this drug for three months now. I am finally so much happier with my skin! It was so depressing and awful to deal with months ago. I thought the acne wouldn't stop. And using a ton of makeup was disheartening and exhausting to cover everything up. Note: I've been battling acne since I have been a teenager. With that said, I have taken antibiotics, tried face washes, creams, cleansing wipes, vitamins, you name it- even Accutane when I was 28. My skin was super clear from the accutane and stayed this way for a number of years. In the last two years, my skin started acting up again and in the last few months the hormonal cystic acne became really bad. When the new dermatologist I was seeing recommended spiro, I was completely on board after nothing seemed to help. she also prescribed oracea to take along with the spiro. I felt like while I was both that my stomach was upset. Anyway doc said Oracea would help speed up the process she said with the healing. I started the spiro at 25 mg and after a couple weeks upped it to 50 mg. I honestly didn't see much result in the first Month. And I was taking the antibiotics as well. It just takes a while for the med to work. So towards the end of my second month I was happier but not completely. The doc At the end of month said to stop the antibiotic and upped my spiro to 75 mg per day. Since then my Month 3 has been great! My skin is smooth,the scars are healing every day and I haven't had a deep cystic pimple in weeks!! I have been keeping a photo journal and it's crazy to look back and now at my skin. I'm not sure how Long I will stay on but I am definitely pleased. Along with the spiro I have been using a prescrip face wash, wipes, and adapalenegel at night. Keeping your skin clear is definitely a commitment and is worth all the effort when you see the good results. Because I've battled with this my whole life, I know how it feels to have bad skin and it's the worst feeling! I would definitely recommend spiro and im glad there was something other than accutane to take. Couple cons are feeling like you have to go to bathroom- this was more in beginning. Also Drink a lot of water !! And the one big one is hairloss. My hair has thinned out drastically. I'm hoping once I do stop that it regrows! But I will keep taking this drug as long as possible. It really saved me- I was a mess. ! I wish anyone that take this good luck and just be patient!

I am a 23 year old female who has been suffering from acne since before puberty. My acne runs the gamut from blackheads to whiteheads to severe cysts. I went on an oral contraceptive when I was a teenager and that helped keep my skin clear for a few years, but about a year ago my cystic acne returned with a vengeance. I would say it was worse than it had ever been, and nothing topical was helping, so I went to my dermatologist. She explained that spironolactone is a good option for women who are out of the teen years, but are still dealing with considerable hormonal acne. She started me on a dose of 150mg of spiro a day, along with a course of doxycycline and a topical retinoid (Ziana). The important thing to remember about spiro is it takes a while to kick in, so please don't get discouraged if you don't see results right away. I continued to break out pretty bad for the first two months I was on it, even while taking the antibiotic. But then suddenly it was like the spiro had just been building up and finally started to kick in and work its magic. My breakouts slowed dramatically, and I discontinued the doxy. I take 100mg of spiro in the morning and 50mg in the evening (it is a diuretic, so it's better to take your higher dose earlier in the day to prevent waking up at night to pee), and am using the retinoid twice a week. My skin hasn't looked this good in a long time. My skin's oil production has slowed down too, which is a great bonus. I still struggle with some blackheads in my t-zone, but my cystic acne is 99% gone, and that's my main concern (I can treat my blackheads, but cysts have always been an uphill battle). Side effects (THAT I NOTICED): *The biggest one for me is dizziness. Spiro lowers your blood pressure, which isn't dangerous in itself, but it's just something to be aware of because it can cause you to feel light-headed. If I am dehydrated when I take it, I can get dizzy and am prone to really bad head rushes when I stand up. But if I make sure to take my spiro with water and some food, I don't really have that problem. I have found that if I get dizzy, eating something salty helps a lot. *The first few months I had some issues with tiredness for a few hours after taking my doses, but it seems I have gotten over that now. *I drink a ton of water and I am used to going pee more than the average woman, so the diuretic effect doesn't really bother me. But I imagine it might be annoying for some people. I would recommend this to anyone, but just know that it's not a quick fix! It will most likely take some time to work for you. Be patient and you will see good results!

A year ago I had cystic acne around my mouth and chin. As many know, cystic acne does not respond to topical treatment 9 out of 10 times. (I would actually say 10 out of 10). Initially i thought it was my diet, so I cut out all carbs, sugars, dairy, etc. hoping that it would change something. I juiced every day, drank nothing but water, and still nothing changed. It got to the worst it has ever been last July. My entire skin broke out in a way that was unimaginable and quite frankly unbearable. My self esteem was so low and I spent months depressed and avoiding social interaction. I ended up diagnosing myself with PCOS after hours of research. I figured out that acne resulting from PCOS is due to increased androgen (testosterone) production and insulin resistance. Basically, sugar and testosterone together can lead to the perfect environment for acne to thrive. I went to my derm and OBGYN and found that indeed my testosterone was high. and my derm wanted to put me on accutane; but after doing research myself I realized that accutane does not target hormonal acne. Therefore I thought Spiro would be best, and he agreed after I asked his opinion at my next appointment. I was on 50mg a day at first but after a week or so decided to bump it up to 100 myself. It has worked miracles for me and I havent really noticed an negative side effects at all. Ive been on it for almost a year and have no complaints. I am beyond grateful for it. I have found that taking supplemental ZInc 30mg a day as well helps (read more for yourself. works like an antibiotic). Also, mainting blood sugar is so important in order to make sure you dont experience spikes throughout the day. I eat a lot of high protein food and do not eat any breads, pasta or things containing flour. NO sodas, sweets, or dairy really. Mostly salads and lean meat. Ill have a cookie every now and then though ONLY after Ive eaten a high protein meal so that it isnt the first thing to hit my stomach. Hope this helps! [link removed] <---- great info about acne and PCOS as well as other hormonal issues

Hey everyone, I am 16 years old and I have been on spironolactone for exactly 3 weeks now to treat my hormonal acne. I've had acne for 2 years now but just this past year it's gotten dramactically worse. I was trying everything! No matter how much I cleansed my face, used on the spot treatment, or moisturized my face, there was no improvemnt. In a matter of 4 months, I had 2 cystic pimples underneath my eye that caused it to swell almost completely shut and even slight bruising. I had to miss 2 days of school because of terrible, swollen zits(EMBARRASSING)! I then got put on antibiotics for 10 days which cleared my face up both times, but unfortunately I couldn't use the antibiotic as a long-term acne medication. I got put on birth control 7 months ago solely for acne. Once again, there was no improvement. Each day my self confidence was slowly decreasing. My mom finally took me to the dermatologist when I had one of my breakdowns in front of her. She asked what was wrong and I told her I hated myself. The truth is, I didn't hate myself, but I was so upset and embarrased about my acne. I just wanted a simple clear face like all of my friends and relatives. In the morning I would spend almost an hour doing my makeup to cover up my scars and pimples and even with concealer you could see some blemishes. Now back to spiro... I am SO HAPPY about the results I've already had! This has been the first time in forever the my forehead has been completely clear. The blackheads on my nose are going away more and more everyday. The white heads on my chin have decreased in size. The big zits I had on my cheeks are gone! GONE. I feel like some of the scars on my face are beginning to fade as well. I have 2 small pimples that are tolerable and coverable with concealer. I was actually able to go in public yesterday without foundation and using only a small amount of concealer. I was beyond excited about actually feeling confident with my face with hardly any makeup. I am out of my "hating myself" state and I can't wait to see better results in the next couple of weeks. For anyone looking into this medication whether you're a teenager or an adult, I highly recommend it!! This medicine has helped so much and it's only been 3 weeks. (For anyone wondering, I have been on 50mg the entire time)

Like a lot women, I was acne free until high school. I used to pride myself on my glowing skin so my self esteem tanked when I started getting cystic acne. On top of that, my oily skin got worse so I had smaller white heads dispersed in between. My derm tried sulfur face wash, antibiotics, and ortho tri-cyclen birth control. The birth control helped the most but my skin still wasn't clear, even after patiently waiting for 3 months. Frustrated and determined to get my skin back, I turned to Acne.org. I found out about spiro through the forums and product reviews. I was going to ask my derm about it at my next appointment, but she was one step ahead of me. She wrote me a prescription for 25 mg a day. About 2 months later my skin was clear. I still has those nasty red marks where my acne used to be, but no new pimples! I am now 23 years old and was acne free for most of college (minus the occasional stress breakouts.) Since my skin improved, I stopped taking my spiro about a year ago. However, I had a nasty break out recently (which I attribute to ridiculously hot/sweaty summers in Arizona.) I resumed taking spiro and my skin has significantly improved. I'm not completely clear yet, but I'm well on my way. Moral of the story: This stuff works. If you are a woman with oily skin and hormonal acne, this might be your cure. Good luck to all you beautiful ladies!