this worked so well for me after only 1 week :) i don't really have the big cyst like pimples but i had a couple big pimples like 13 on my face cuz i counted them! i was so sad i cried a lot and had never had that many at once so i went 2 see my derm and i was like wtf! because i was already using retin a, clindamycin, and azalaic acid and it was just getting worse! so he prescribed me spironolatone 25mg 2x a day along with doxycyline 50mg 2x a day and it has made a big difference! i just have the marks now but no more big pimples on my face.. in the week that i have been using this medicine i have just had 2 new pimples but not nearly as bad as before! i also have tiny little bumps on my chin and cheeks that don't really look like pimples, as in they are not red and they don't ever come to a white head so it is really annoying cause they are stubborn and wont go away, so i hope by using this medicine those will go away also :) So i stopped using all the topicals he gave me because they were just making my acne worse and i have been using them for almost 3 months so its not like i didn't stick with it.... so if u have been using topicals like i was before and your acne is not getting better it probably means your hormones are effecting your acne so i would recommend trying this! & i had also been spending a lot of money on chemical peels and laser treatments and the first 2 times it cleared my skin but the 3rd time just made my acne worse.. so im gonna just take this medicine and use my clinique acne solutions because after 1 week of doing this it looks sooo much better! so i just hope it continues working the way it has been because i am very happy right now and actually wanna go out and do things instead of staying at home trying to hide my face from the world! so i hope if u do try this it works for also!

I have suffered from acne for 8 years. I tried EVERYTHING but accutane, & this is the only thing that worked :) I get BAD migraines when I take BC, so even though I knew I had hormonal acne, I couldnt take it. I tried:Salicylic acid, Topical & oral antibiotics, BC, BP,natural remedies, icing/ steaming, chemical peels, microdermabrasion ...seriously, am I forgetting anything? I am so happy- No crazy accutane or side effects, just one little miracle pill, haha. I have been on spiro for 6 weeks. It took 4 weeks to see results but now i'm totally clear!! I would have classified myself as having moderate-severe acne...Probably 6-10 new cysts per week on my jawline, plus regular acne on my cheeks. I DO notice a difference if I skip the spiro or take it late-- I have heard it must be taken consistently, much like birth control. Now I am being weaned off my BP in the AM & Retin-a Micro at PM & doxycycline, which I had been on for 9 months without results, but now I'll just take ONE pill :)

I never post on public forums like this but given my situation, I felt obligated to do so. I am a 32 year old female who has had acne, in some shape or form, for over 20 years. I would describe my acne as moderate to, at times, severe. I have seen a dermatologist since I was 12 and have been on pretty much every acne treatment available (with the exception of Accutane): topical and oral antibiotics, retin-a, tazorac, aczone, birth control, etc. I think about my acne every day (it's hard to forget about your acne when your face is covered with painful cysts and scars.) A few months ago, my regular dermatologist informed me that she is leaving the hospital in Massachusetts I was seeing her at and moving back to California. I therefore searched far and wide for a new doctor and after a 6 month waiting period, I was able to secure an appointment with a new doctor. Within 30 seconds of meeting me she said "Your acne is hormonal. It's located primarily on your cheeks and jawline." She then suggested spiro (and recommended I continue using Differin which has, I must admit, unclogged a lot of my pores; granted it took about 6-8 months to see noticeable results with that drug. Note, however, that Differin didn't stop the formation of acne but rather cleared out my pores.) Back to spiro... The doctor gave me 25 mg to take twice a day. Within a week, I stopped getting acne. A week! (The doctor said it would take 6 weeks to see results). I wake up in the morning and expect to see new acne formations: none! I touch my skin and it is smooth. I honestly cannot believe it. You spend 20 years living with acne, hiding the outbreaks and scars with makeup, canceling plans and avoiding places with bright lights due to self consciousness and then one day, it goes away completely. I have been on spiro for two weeks now and have had no new outbreaks so I have my fingers crossed that I have finally found my wonder drug. I truly wish I knew about this drug sooner because I, quite frankly, avoided "living" because I was so embarrassed about my skin. If you have acne around your jawline and cheeks, ask your dermatologist about this drug. It has changed my life and I hope it can change yours too.

My story is like all of you guys who have cyst. You hate them because you can't pick at them, they are painful, and you just want to avoid any face to face interaction. Good news! This wonder pill helped me out so much! I started using it mud July and right now there is so much improvement on my skin. However, I had to be patient and change some of my habits this is what has worked for me and hopefully helps you out too. When I wake up i take 100 mg of spironolactone along with a multivitamin (1 A Day for her) with a large glass of water. -After I wash my face with a hypoallergenic soap bar I let it dry. -My skin is really sensitive so salicylic acid is much better than benzyl peroxide. I apply a few drops on the problem areas (At first is was practically half of my face). -It is important you put a thin layer of clindamycin phosphate lotion on your entire face. I know it sounds like a lot of chemicals but this is an antibacterial cream and if you accidentally pop a pimple or cyst it will prevent more outbreaks. -Next moisturize with a hypoallergenic oil-free facial cream with at least 30 SPF. (Spironolactone can cause spots if you are not careful) -Last step if you wear makeup is to make sure it has zinc in it. You can do some research on the healing properties of zinc. I began seeing more improvement after I began using a foundation with zinc in it. -If you don't use make up find a way to add zinc in your routine! It has done wonders but only after I was patient and followed this routine. Good luck to you all! Remember that you have to be patient.

Best thing I ever did was going on this medication!!! I'm 29 and had very severe acne since I was about 12. Through the years I had antibiotics, creams, contraceptive pills and Accutane. Some worked, some didn't. Accutane worked after 2 rounds when I was 18 and my skin got lots better. I continued to take contraceptive pills all through my 20s and I was mostly acne-free. Then I developed a melasma (brown patches on my face probably caused by the hormones in the pills) so I had to come off them (they've mostly faded now). My skin became horrendous after coming off the pill and I've battled with bad skin for about 2yrs now since then. Oily, spotty, gross! All the psychological pain i suffered as a teen came back and i had panic attacks and felt so depressed. Antibiotics didnt help me, neither did a very strict diet of no dairy, wheat, sugar etc. I was never going back on accutane (was such awful side effects) so i investigated online and heard about spironolactone. This medication isn't prescribed for acne in England on the NHS. My GP refused to prescribe it to me. So I had go to a private dermatologist to get it. It was so easy to get it from him and it's actually very cheap. I paid £16 for 2months supply (although it was £200 for the consultation!) But from now in I just have to pay for the prescription. And, honestly, within a couple of weeks Of starting spiro my skin was SO much better. Now all my red scarring is healing and I'm getting no big spots. In the last 2 months I've had just couple of little ones that are really manageable. I LOVE this medication! It's truly given me my life back. I feel like a new person. I stopped exercising because I was so paranoid about people seeing my bad skin and showering at the gym so now I'm working out again and have even lost weight too so I'm really happy. If you struggle with hormonal acne, don't hesitate to try this drug. It's been brilliant for me!

My story: cystic acne since age 13. On mino/tetra/doxycycline for years, had to get off b/c they were hurting my liver (had bruises on my thighs.) Refused to go on Accutane b/c I wasn't willing to hurt my body that bad to get rid of my acne, even though it was terrible and made me depressed. Finally found spiro. My doc only wanted me to try it for 3 months, but I kept on it. I am taking the highest dose, 200 mg. I saw less oily skin/hair within the first few months, less pimples after 6 months, and now finally a year later I am almost totally clear. If you've tried everything else like I have, try this but give it time! This was definitely the straw the broke the camel's back but it's not the only thing I do to have my skin stay clear. I have a vegan diet (for ethical reasons) and the closer I stay to an all veggie diet (no fruit, grains, etc) the better my skin is. (But make sure to eat nuts/seeds to get your protein). I got an blood food allergy test done by a naturopathic doctor (allergists only do skin tests.) I was allergic to soy, wheat, almonds, and many other foods. I gave up sugar and processed (white) flour. Right after I stopped eating these foods I saw the inflammation in my skin go down. I still got pimples but they weren't as bad and went away more quickly. I was a HUGE popper and now I realize I was just making the problem worse when I did that. I would pop little pimples which would turn them into huge pimples, and a couple times when trying to pop cysts they popped under the skin and it was terrible. Now I don't let myself even look at my face for that long after I get out of the shower b/c I know I will try to clear out my pores and make problems. I only wear mineral makeup. Physician's Formula makes pretty good foundation and powder, but I also use Clinique Advanced Concealer when something is really obvious. I also use Retin-A and Aczone. DON'T GIVE UP! Try lots of things together, it wasn't just one thing that cl

I hope I get to inspire or help anyone out there dealing with acne for years now. Had acne for 13 loooong years. Tried accutane 5 times but oil and acne would come back 4 months after stopping it. Last year (August) I took spironolactone 50 mg then increased to 75mg then 125 mg. Healing happened on the fourth month. Super Bad breakout before that but just hang on. Had to take it with diane 35 bcp because of irregular menstration. 2 months ago, I was feeling super tired, lightheaded and dizzy and I attributed it to spiro so I decided to stop it first. Two weeks ago my skin was getting oily and pimply again so my derm suggested to try 75mg first. At 75mg I seem to be doing okay and dizziness and weakness is considerably gone. I have yet to see if 75 mg would work as well as when I was on 125mg but so far it seems good. Hope this helps someone...

I am 34 & have had problems with cystic acne since my early 20's. My breakouts were predominantly on my chin, with the occasional cyst on my forehead, nose, etc. I would say my skin is borderline oily. I am on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo & about 10 months ago I started 50 mg of spiro once a day with Retin-A Micro. The only result I saw was dry, flaky skin & no improvement with my acne. My derm bumped the spiro to 100 mg a day & gave me Acanya gel for a topical treatment (applied in the morning, every other day). Within two months I noticed a dramatic improvement! I have not had a cyst since starting this regimen. Within the last month, I have not been using the Acanya all that much so I think my results can be attributed to the spiro. I definitely think it takes some time for the drug to work & to find the correct dosage, so do not lose hope!

I have the best dr in the world, I am so upset I wasnt told about this medication by the dozens of doctors I saw before him. He was very clear about what would happen while taking this medication, which is why I think it has worked for me so well. Please understand that this medication takes several months to start working. My doctor told me that I would see dramatic results by the third month and he was completely right. I had two very big cystic breakouts during the first month and a half which he warned me about. I was taking 50 mg a day and was patiently waiting for the third month. I could tell the medication was balancing out my horomones so I let it do its thing. By the third month I was amazed at how nice my skin was looking, however I still had some break outs around my period but never cystic breakouts. When i went back in for a check up at the 4 month mark he doubled my dose and it took about 3 months after that to have completely clear skin. I used to have severe cystic acne, now if I do break out (which ONLY happens around my period) it is one or two very very tiny pimples that go away in a day. This medication changed my life. Make sure you have a doctor who is very experienced with this medication, my doctors wife is on this medication so he knew everything about it. If your body is able to handle this medication please give it a try, its a great option over accutane for women.

I have no doubt that many people do very well with this drug and may experience little to no (perceptible) side effects while taking it, but unfortunately, in my case, the benefits were short-lived and the side-effects seem to outweigh any gains at this point. Even if maintaining my higher dose will eventually resolve the minor breakouts I've had recently, I will not continue to take this drug until I have tried a few other remedies. I am literally tired of not sleeping through the night like I used to (waking up an average of two times/night to pee), and I know I have gained a few pounds due to the constant feeling of hunger, which is more often than not dehydration in disguise. Good luck to others who are interested in spironolactone. As for me, I've had enough!