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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Riggs

December 19, 2011

Pros:

no longer have oily skin
acne has gone from terrible to manageable
weight loss
softer skin
Less anxiety

Cons:

none so far

I have struggled with acne since I was 16 on my face, neck, chect, and upper back/shoulder area. I was on Tetracycline for 2 years which helped at the time. I then started taking Yaz birth control and that completely got rid of my acne but gave me Malazma (darkening of skin). After 10 years on Yaz I decided to go off birth control to get rid of the darkening skin issue and got an IUD instead. Almost immediately my acne came back and it ws worse than before. My derm suggested Acutane so I gave it a try. It was a pain but I had amazing results, my skin had never looked so good. My skin was clear for 1 1/2 years but the acne then came back. About 2 months ago my derm suggested Spiro after the Tetracycline she gave me didn't work and the results have been amazing. My skin is almost clear. I am taking 75mg per day but I think I need to up it to 100mg b/c my acne is not completely gone. I have not had any bad side affects. The first week I felt a little medicated (kind of like when you take cold medicine) but it wasn't disruptive to my daily rutine. I have lost 10lbs, I have less anxiety (due to it lowering your blood pressure), my acne is almost gone, I have little to no oil, and my skin is softer. Overall this has been the best acne treatment over all that I have had. You can't beat the price and there are very few side affects.

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CatLady

December 8, 2011

Pros:

Increased Energy
Increased libido
Weight loss
Improved texture of skin
Soft silky hair

Cons:

Some lightheadedness
Some side pain that I will review with my doctor
Initial breakout

I am hoping to submit a review weekly along this treatment as is seems to take a while to work but so far after one week this is what I have. I was started on 100mg tablets twice a day which seems quite a lot more than everyone else here, this morning I scaled it back to 50mg because of some side pain I had last night. So I was prescribed this to help with arm and buttocks acne, I have never had much of a problem with my face except for blackhead and an occasional surface pimple. I also have to note that I have naturally dry skin. Day 1-2 - light nausea after first dose, better after I ate. Some lighteheadedness, immediate increase in energy and mood elevation and yes a lot of peeing. Dropped 2 lbs in these 2 days Days 3-4 - feeling great, peppy and energetic, tried to have a beer, not a good idea it was almost like taking a benadryl and then drinking. By days 3-4, my hair has become smooth, soft and silky shiney. Years of having terrible frizzy funky hair, I can finally wear it down! Dropped another lb in these 2 days Days 5-6 - Day 6 terrible break outs on my body the morning of day 6 but by the time I got home from work, showered and everything, they had dried out. I have noticed that my skin actually feels very soft despite the initial breakout. I have notice a striking improvement in the blackheads and pores around my nose. And yesterday, people actually were telling me I looked really good! For those getting the headaches - drink more water! Like I said last night I was a little disturbed by the pain in my side, but it has gone away and I have lowered my dose. After researching this medication, I am a little scared of some of the side effects that it can have, so I would recommend that anyone considering it really speak with your doctor and weigh your options. Stay tuned for week TWO!

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Mason531

November 22, 2011

Pros:

Clear skin
Less oily skin

Cons:

Frequent urination

When I was in high school I was one of the kids that was very lucky to only rarely have any sort of pimples. I have always had large pores and moderately oily skin though. In my early 20's I started to develop acne that only seemed to be getting worse with time. I am now 26 and was very recently diagnosed with PCOS which can cause acne. My doctor put me on it to also help with facial hair, but I am immediately noticing no new acne, reduced pore size, less oil and an evened out complexion. Amazing.

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Riaya32

November 6, 2011

Pros:

- Cleared up my acne in about 1.5 months
- no more greasy hair
- hardly any facial hair

Cons:

- AWFUL (and I mean awful) initial break out
- Lots of trips to the bathroom at first
- the scars from initial break out . . .

I decided to try this medication before I tried Sprinolactone and i'm glad that I did (in the end, anyways). Spiro is a lot easier to obtain and initially I was put on 25 mg, but then I upped the dose to 50 mg within the first week. I started Spiro on exactly Sept. 15 (and now it is Oct 5). By the second week I had never seen my skin look so bad. I was waking up with new pimples EVERY DAY! And not the small insignificant ones either, the ones that that are big (not like huge cysts though), horribly painful, remain for weeks and then leave behind dark pigment marks. Naturally, I was extremely upset by this. But after reading about others who had similar experiences, I decided to continue use and at least wait it out for just a few more weeks until I hit that "2 month mark". Well it has not been fully 2 months yet but i'm proud to say that my skin has not looked this good in a long time. I'm still oily on my face a little, but my hair... oh man my hair! That's what really makes me love this medication. My hair is no longer greasy. I used to have to scrub it TWICE with shampoo and never skip a day showering unless I wanted to look like a nasty little grease monkey. Yuck. Anyways, I definitely recommend this product before you try Accutane if you've been struggling with acne as long as I have (for seven long, long years) with minimal results. That is ff you can endure that horrible initial break-out and the scarring that is sure to follow (but they are fading away now), because that first stage is BRUTAL. :(

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Laura

November 3, 2011

Pros:

Cleared up acne pretty well
Worked better than antibiotics

Cons:

Fatigue
Taking pills every day
Frequent Urination

I have tried EVERYTHING for my acne. I have had stubborn acne (pretty frequently cystic) for about 13 years. I am now 26 years old and have also gone through the torture of accutane about a year ago. Accutane was pretty difficult to get through, but in the end it worked dramatically. I have now been off of it and everything else for about a year now and my acne is now coming back (not as badly, but it's back, even cystic acne). I now have depression, anxiety and am on medication for that also. My doc thinks its probably from the accutane, but no one can be sure. I just started treating my acne now with Spiro and so far, so good. I've been on it for about three weeks so far and its cleared it up I'd say about 60% already. Hopefully this works completely, but everyone's feedback about it gives me hope. Thanks guys. Any questions about my accutane experience, let me know.

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November 1, 2011

Pros:

It has given my that best results out of everything I've tried (including Accutane, which did nothing for me!) for my severe, adult onset, cystic acne.

If you are insured, it is very affordable.

Cons:

I am on a very high dose (100 mg twice a day), and if I do not take this medication immediately after dinner, and at least several hours before bed, I wake up in the early morning hours nauseus and dry heaving (it's happened about half a dozen times in the three months I've been on it). The feeling is quite analgous to morning sickness.

Like all other medications, Spiro is no miracle drug, but has helped my severe acne better than anything else. When my derm first prescribed this medication, she put me on 50mg a day, and I had no results. She then raised my dose to 100mg a day. Still, no results. She then referred me an endocrinologist, who promptly sent me to the lab for a battery of blood and urine tests. Results? All normal. Despite these lab results, he raised my dose of Spiro to 100mg twice a day, and I am finally starting to see results. My skin is far from perfect, but has significantly improved. Other Rx's that I currently taking/using: Bactermin (oral antibiotic); Veltin (topical antibiotic/retinoid hybrid); Benzaclyne (topical antibiotic); Prascion (sulfur based antimicrobial face wash) Other products I use: Alyria 10% glycolic toner; YuBe moisturizer (sold at Sephora). The combination of these two products prevents my skin from becoming dry/flaky/irritable despite the plethora of topicals that I use every day.

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stephanie

October 24, 2011

Pros:

it works and i had no side effects

Cons:

none for me

i have had a worsening in my acne in my 30s for some reason. my dermatologist put me on this a month ago along with retin a micro. love it! totally clearnow.

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Mel

October 14, 2011

Pros:

- helps HORMONAL acne
- cleared up face about 70% in 3 weeks
- cleared up light body acne around neck & chest

Cons:

- side effects (not everyday or consistent)
*dizziness
*nausea
*headaches
*light headedness
*fatigue
- cannot take over the counter meds for headaches or pain (talk to dr about alternatives)
- watch potassium levels & intake of high potassium foods (potatoes, tomatoes, avocados)
- lots of peeing (this drug is a diuretic)

It's really worth a try if you are suffering from hormonal acne. I had acne as a teen, it went away, & then poof...I woke up with crazy acne at 26 yrs old. My acne is not severe but at 26, having lots of tiny bumps all over my face was not cool! I tried several topical treatments (Metro Gel, Epiduo, ViDerm) for 6 months before I gave in & decided to take oral meds. My list of Cons may seem like a lot but the side effects did lessen once I adjusted the dosage that worked for me. My doctor first prescribed me 50mg 2x's a day. The side effects made me super uncomfortable for the first week, so I called my dr and she suggested that I just take the 50mg once a day instead. This helped lessen the side effects by A LOT. So pay careful attention to any symptoms (good idea to keep a daily log of how you're feeling for the first few weeks) & let your dr know if you're not feeling bright eyed & bushy tailed....even if you're not positive that you're feeling crappy due to the meds- take note! I've read a lot of reviews with people gaining (or losing) weight but I have not seen any change in my weight so far. The time period for results may differ according to each individual. It only took me a few weeks to notice my skin clearing up & others say it takes a few months. BE PATIENT. I have great insurance so it was at no cost to me. According to other reviews, seems pretty cheap ($5-$20) if you have insurance. TIPS: - drink PLENTY of water: you may get headaches b/c of dehydration. If you don't like drinking a lot of water, try some gatorade. - watch intake of caffeine & alcohol - keep daily log of any symptoms, tell your doctor ASAP about any severe or consistent side effects - do not take this if you're trying to get preggers

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Isabella Murphy1

October 12, 2011

Pros:

--Cleared my body acne (chest and back) almost completely.
--Cleared about 85 % of my facial acne.

Cons:

--Could not clear all of my facial acne.
--Side effects for the first 3 months included: dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, dehydration, frequent urination.
--Can cause birth defects so must be VERY careful about using birth control.

I've struggled with varying degrees of acne for about 15 years (since I was 12), from mild to moderate to severe. Most of my acne has been inflammatory, but painful, cystic acne appeared in my late teens, went (mostly) away for a few years, then came back to torment me in my mid-twenties. For the past two years, since I was 25, I have been aggressively trying to get rid of this problem for good. My skin is very sensitive, so all the topicals just made my skin worse. The antibiotics never made a noticeable difference, and several of them, especially Doxycycline, made me very sick (I actually vomited in a parking lot after taking my dose once...so thanks for that, Doxy). Spiro is the first and only medication that worked for me. It took several weeks to notice a difference, and I had a horrible cystic breakout the second week after starting it, so the beginning was pretty frustrating. But by the second month, I noticed that almost ALL of my body acne was gone! I was able to wear scoop-necks and sleeveless and open-back dresses and shirts for the first time in ages. It was so freeing and I was incredibly grateful. However, the breakouts on my face persisted. My doctor raised my dose from 50 mg/day (after my second week horrific breakout) to 100 mg/day (for about 4 weeks)), and finally to 150 mg/day. I've been on the 150 mg/day for about 16 weeks--so I've been taking Spiro for 22 weeks total (approx 5 and-a-half months). The acne on my body is gone. However, the breakouts on my face, while drastically improved, have not stopped. I still get occasional cysts and inflamed breakouts (usually 10-15 inflamed pimples at a time). So as of this week, I am starting my first course of Accutane. I am disappointed that Spiro was not my ultimate solution. However, I am so thankful for the improvement I did see with it. It's certainly worth trying. I started seeing results in month 2, and the awful side-effects subsided in month 3. Best of lu

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RWC

October 11, 2011

Pros:

Face less oily
Acne/pimples have diminished 90%

Cons:

Scalp itchy
Frequent urination
Feel bloated after eating

I'm a post Accutane user (40mg once a day for four months) Accutane totally cleared my face up in three weeks. My face was gorgeous! After a year of coming off of it - I started to break out again. I was devestated! :( I have taken several orals...Tetra, Erthyo, Doxycycline and Keflex. They all worked, but caused frequent yeast infections. I have used many topicals... Differin, Metro Gel, Finacea and Tazorac - none of them worked for me. I came off Keflex (prescribed by my Derm)after 9 months and my face was beautiful (not using any topicals) I started to break out again within two months. Small pimples, white heads all over my face. My GYN recommended Spironolactone 50 mg once a day. I have been using it now for one week and honestly, my face has cleared up 90%. I may have 2-3 white heads and 3-4 small red bumps. My daily rountine is: AM: Wash with a warm white face cloth (no cleanser) and lightly moisturize with Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizer. PM: Wash with Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser (Salicylic acid ), apply DailyClear Adult Tinted Treatment Cream (Resorcinol 2% and Sulfur 8%) and moisturize with Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizer. I use Proactiv Sulfur Mask once a week. Don't use benzol peroxide - it irritates my skin too bad. I hope this continues as I don't want to increase my dosage. I will stop using the Clearasil once all the pimples are gone. As of now, I would totally recommend Spironolactone as my side effects are minimal compared to those on Accutane.

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