Was on it for a year and a half and it works awesome for people with severe cystic acne like myself, but the frequent urination was a lot to deal with. My derm put me on 100 mg daily and I was up at least 4 times a night going pee and every 10 minutes during the day I felt the strong urge to pee. Very annoying side effect of the medication so now I'm switching to Yaz birth control for the anti androgen ;) Lost 25 pounds on this drug probably from water loss :/ I look great but I know the medication is unhealthy for me. No side effects other than the frequent urination though would recommend to give it a shot!!

I've battled hormonal acne since age 10 Currently 22. I've been on every antibiotic and topical cream on the market and even did a course of accutane. I tried to fight the battle the NATURAL way for a year with no improvement. In 12/2014 my acne was the worse it's ever been I was depressed and stayed locked in my house hidden all winter. Finally the derm that I'd been seeing for two years finally stopped wasting my time and referred me to an OBGYN to treat my hormonal acne. 4/2015 I started taking Spiro at 25mg twice daily for two months and saw no results until I upped my dose to 100mg drastic change no more breakouts oil production cut in half my skin is gorgeous scars and all and with my scars fading no more huge pores my skin just continues to improve. It's now been 3 1/2 month's and I will continue to take this amazing med that has made daily life a ton better for me. A couple of weeks ago I started doing the ACV and Indian healing clay mask every 3 days and it's a black head blaster and is great at drawing impurities out of the skin. I may look into chemical peels for the deeper scarring I have but overall I'm happy and grateful to have came across this miracle drug my mood is even better depression is GONE and anxiety greatly reduced. The good out ways the bad for me. CONS*: -Some tiredness here and there. -Thirst -Excessive urination at night on some nights after 2nd dose -Some dehydration in the a.m. due to urination at night -Made my period 2 days longer (was 5 days now 7days) but still regular every 25 days. I may switch up my pill cycle to prevent this. Also this started only when I upped the dose to the 50mg twice daily so my body may still be adjusting. I love this med and would recommended to anyone UPDATE: 8-12-2015 So I'm going back down to 50mg a day because the side effects w/ 100mg have become a bit much my period is now irregular and I've been a bit depressed. Going back to 50mg . UPDATE: 8/28/15 At 50mg the depression is gone but my oil production is back up so I'm getting some clogged pores and some breakouts very mild though. I'm considering upping the dose to 75mg as an attemp to control the oil so the clogged pore breakouts stop. 100mg is the magic dose for 100% clear glowing skin but the side effects are nothing but trouble. ****12/4/2015**** I no longer take Spiro for a number of reasons. It may seem like a maricle and fill you with joy to finally have some skin clarity however, at what cost? Smh Spiro is no good in my opinion it alters the way your kidneys function, spares too much potassium, messes with your thyroid, gives you sore breast, depression, irregular periods, dehydration, crazy fatigue and you WILL STILL HAVE ACNE. These are all the things I experienced while on spiro my skin was clearer but never completely clear I'd still get 2-3 jawline pimples around my period they would heal fast but I never got full clarity . Winter's here and now my skin is breaking out more and Spiro is not helping AT ALL and I feel I gave Spiro too much credit when I feel I owe that credit to the summer and the vitamin d(sun) I was getting all summer. The past 3 years I've watched my acne closely and I've notice that my acne is BAD in the winter and VERY MILD in the summer. I decided to try more natural things and recently started taking 6,000IU vitamin d, spearmint tea & peppermint tea along with a kidney and liver detox tea, I'm gonna keep doing this regimn and see how is goes. As for Spiro STAY AWAY

Growing up I did not have major break outs. I did suffer from awful periods which then lead me to be on birth control from 14-21 with absolutely no issues. I used othro tri lo and it was great for me. Never had breakouts, normal periods and even helped maintain my weight. I got married at 22 and right away we wanted to TTC. After a year of struggling TTC both me and my husband were tested and it was determined my husband could not have children. I have not been on birth control since, im now 29 and have again struggled with the awful periods and now get these deep down cystic acne. By no means it Is awful but I always have atleast one on my chin and cheek. I always struggle with super oily skin and scalp. I wash my hair at night and by morning im already having to use a dry shampoo. Within the past year are so my face has gotten so hairy. I literally have to use a little razor and shave my face every couple of days and have these these course black hairs that im plucking out seriously every morning. I would prefer not to go back on birthcontrol just due to the fact that my husband cant have kids and I don't want to prevent a some miracle happening (weird I know, as well as I know you should not be on spiro when pregnant). A couple of years ago I was put on minocycline and that did not work for me, took it a couple of months but stopped due to almost feeling like I was drunk, could not concentrate and had bad anxiety. Have also tried aczone but did not find that it really did anything for the cystic acne just the occasional pimple. I have been tested for thyroid issues and those have came back normal. I am going to the derm in 2 weeks and think I want to bring up spiro. I definitely feel like my issues are hormonal. Anyone with similar issues have success? I do worry about potential weight gain as I struggle with my weight as it is, 175lbs and 5'5.

I used to take TriNessa (norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol tablets) for a very long time, until I realized it was giving me cystic acne during certain weeks of the month, there'd also been a week, when I felt absolutely miserable, so sad for no reason, I'd just start crying and wouldn't be able to stop. I never drew a connection betw. those symptoms and TriNessa. I went to a different obgyn, she told me, it must be because TriNessa has different level of hormones for each week of the month - so I'd experience all those crazy fluctuations all the time. She prescribed me Microgestin 1/20 tabs 21 green, which has 3 weeks worth of, so to say, the same level of hormones. The cystic acne hasn't really bothered me since, mood swings've been better, but I didn't stop breaking out every month, which is driving me crazy. I went to a dermatologist. She prescribed me Aczone 5% gel 90gm as topical and Spironolactone 100mg a day. She told me to try Spironolactone for a couple of months to see, if it works and if it doesn't, she said there were other pills she could give me. I've been taking Spironolactone 100mg for 2 months already. It doesn't seem to do anything at all!! It's very frustrating! I'm thinking, I need to go back to the dr. and try different meds. Btw, I don't feel any side effects from Spironolactone whatsoever. But it doesn't seem to do any good either. Maybe I should double my dose, I've read that u can take up to 200mg or maybe I should switch b. control again. I don't know what to do.. And the truth is, all the doctors I've ever seen don't know either!! They just offer me meds to try from their list and see how I feel. That's exactly what they say! Aczone 5% gel was $60 with my insurance and I can't say it worked wonders for me. I also tried Epiduo (adapalene and benzoyl peroxide) gel 0.1%/ 2.5% - another prescription topical. It's pretty good at drying up zits, but not the answer. I also went to an endocrinologist and had my hormone level checked, it's totally normal! I'm 27 now

I am a 20 year old woman. I had pretty decent skin in my teenage years with only a few breakouts from time to time. Starting about a year ago, I noticed that I would get one or two moderate sized cysts on my forehead every now and then. they were more stubborn and would leave hyperpigmentation scars. Then, this past August, I began to see many tiny bumps form on my chin by my jawline and on my cheeks. They were under the skin and so I didn't bother about them until slowly but surely, each tiny bump would expand into a large cyst. I wondered if this was due to stress from studying for the MCAT or schoolwork. I would lose a good amount of hair every day as well and this was frustrating to me. TMI warning: the cysts were not like typical whiteheads but rather had hard, white colored oil "chunks" inside and they would hurt when the cyst burst or when I tried to rupture them. The cyst would then disappear but only after it had burst and the strange white oil bit was gone. Meanwhile, the cysts left dark hyperpigmentation marks on my skin. In the past, derms had put me on doxycycline mono and topical creams and washes but they did nothing for me. About a week after I started 100 mg of spiro a day, I noticed maybe 4 or 5 cyst breakouts that went away within a week and left scars. After that, I have noticed NO new formations of those tiny bumps that eventually become horrendous cysts. ZERO FORMATIONS. This is very new for me and I am extremely excited. I am now on my 4th week of spiro and after that initial breakout, I have had skin clear of breakouts. That being said, I am still left with hyperpigmentation scars for which I use Epiduo religiously and that seems to be working in lightening them up. My hair fall has reduced SIGNIFICANTLY which leads me to believe my adult acne was caused by hyperandrogenism or having too much testosterone. Apparently these hormonal imbalances can happen to young women (so unfair, isn't it?). I would like to see myself with my teenage skin back in the next three months so I'll followup at that point but for now I am very happy. Yes, I no longer have that flowing hair and flawless skin that I used have but I think after suffering with something for months and finally getting a break like this -- I am very thankful. My self confidence has improved significantly and I am thrilled. Side effects: I have experienced NO weight gain or weight loss. I do get dizzy but I drink lots of water to prevent that from happening. My breasts do feel tender but there has been no increase in cup size as some other users have mentioned. Finally, my menstrual cycle is absolutely normal.

Started taking 50 mg about a week ago. At first, nothing happened. Then I missed one dose and BOOM: my skin went nuts. I'm not sure if it's because I missed one dose or if this was the initial breakout kicking in. I've been taking for four days since and my skin's still bad. If this is the initial breakout, I'm not sure it's worth it.

I just started taking Spironolactone 100mg. Last night was my first pill. I'm praying to god this works for me because I feel like I am out of options! I'm 31 years old and have been struggling with large cystic acne for the past 6 years. I always have at least 1-6 papules on my jaw and chin at a time. Constantly!! then of course, when they calm down, they leave a big red scar! I never had problems as a teenager so it was a complete shock to me that this would happen in my 20s. Why me?? It has completely destroyed my self confidence and my social life. I hate going out in public. I feel disgusting. Even makeup looks horrible because you can still see those areas. I'm just so done! My question is, am I going to have to take this medicine for the rest of my life? I was hoping to start having children (just got married) in a couple years and I know you absolutely cannot take this while pregnant. When I stop, is it just gonna come right back?

Like a reviewer below, I was on the Implanon for the full 3 years until August 2014. After having the implant removed, within a week, I had a breakout that consisted on 5 inflamed cystic-like pimples on the left side of my face starting from my jaw line and moving upward towards my cheekbone. Before the implant removal, I had some mild acne, nothing near what it is today. I wake up with new inflamed pustules and cysts almost daily. I currently use Doxy 100mg daily since October and Epiduo topical nightly with minimal, and I mean MINIMAL (if any) improvement. My derm also prescribed me Spiro, which I literally just filled today, I am over this and over all the medication. My skin is definitely marked with hyper-pigmentation and some scarring. It sucks. My gyno said she has never seen or heard of this kind of change after the implant removal, but I have my doubts since nothing else could have wrecked havoc on my skin to this extent. I am going to try spiro and risk the side effects because I feel awful so anything that MAY help me is worth it at this point. I am concerned about period irregularities and refuse to take any oral contraceptive and go through this again in the future. I am 25 years old btw and have not experienced anything like this until now.

I started this in Aug 2014 and my acne got better but in Nov I started forgetting to take it 5 days in one week and I went back on and forgotten for another 5 days the next weekend. Now it's full blonde crazy around my cheeks and chin and not sure what to do.

Going to give it 3 stars because I want to be hopeful! Ever since starting the Spironolactone, it seems to just keep getting worse and worse. Now huge cystic acne under the skin and it's getting red, and seems more irritated. I will keep holding out, because I know it's all hormonal. I don't think my period helps when it's that time of month. However, I really am getting depressed over it, and want to cry. My kids want to go out and play, I don't want to go do anything. I'm getting so sad, I feel so ugly. The package says to drink alot of water, and I have been to see if it helps. NOTHING IS WORKING. Anyone else have any hope? I started the pill on November 17th, 2014. I'm now learning, from reading different reviews it's going to get worse before it gets better. This is just disheartening, however hopeful all at the same time. I don't know how to feel. I'm really upset about it, and cry everytime I feel how bad my face is. Hope this all pans out, and I don't have to wear makeup anymore.