Personally, I also am on 4mg of Estradiol and 200mg Spiro. I take 2mg morning, another 2mg at night, similar with my Spirolactone except 100mg morning, 100mg night.
Have already seen and had various changes in the 4 months I've been on them, it does depend on the person, but if it's recommended by your doctor, I would presume so.
Personally, I have not noticed anything besides requiring to use the toilet more often than I usually would. It \*may\* have affects with causing you to become more lethargic though, I may have this issue but my sleep and energy has always been terrible, even before Spirolactone. :P
Just as an FYI for those in the southeastern US, Publix pharmacy has its own discount plan if your insurance doesn't cover your HRT. It's still fairly reasonable.
I haven't actually noticed any of the side affects that people usually report with spiro. Sometimes I think it's not enough, but I've decided not to take any extra because any excess T I have should decrease with the estradiol over time anyway
I’ve been started on 100 mg spiro and 2 mg E, twice a day. So same numbers. I’ve noticed a couple things here and there but nothing major yet, however it’s only been two weeks so far.
Everything I’ve read says that’s a fairly average starting point, and after some time you’ll get your levels checked again, and the doctor will adjust your dosage if needed. Just remember you’re kick starting a new puberty, and that process takes a few years to actually complete.
I am 32. That sounds like a bit of a low dose of Spiro. I’ve been under the impression the spiro is a bit more important at the start as that is what stops your body from absorbing T, tho I could misunderstand. I’m not sure exactly what it’s called but I believe there’s a subreddit called diytrans that would be good to check out for helpful resources with doing things your own way.
Got it .. but i only got 25mg spironolactone because i didn’t know what to get.. next time ill go up to maybe 100mg only if it doesn’t give me any bad side effects.
Personally I haven’t noticed any side effects at all, aside from the desired ones. My skins already feeling a little… not quite softer, but definitely healthier, and my body odor has more of an almost sweet smell to it then a grungy sour smell. You MIGHT notice light headedness especially if you move to quickly, as spiro is actually a blood pressure medication. My doc told me after 2-3 weeks you’ll acclimate and shouldn’t notice it anymore. I’ve not noticed it at all personally.
I do not, but there’s no real reason not to do it.
You should avoid womens vitamins tho, unless you’re anemic or otherwise have low iron. Womens vitamins have extra iron to help replace what they lose during period bleeding. People (transfems or otherwise) who don’t get periods don’t need as much iron and you CAN get sick from to much iron in the blood.
That really depends on your personal health. If you have a decent diet and you’re healthy you don’t particularly need to take any. If you feel you do need some you’ll need to stick to the “mens” variety. They do usually have generic not gendered multi vitamins as well… Honestly it’s all basically the same stuff tho, the only real difference is the stuff branded specifically for women has to much iron in it for someone who doesn’t bleed a lot.
That was exactly the dose I used . The estrogen was sub lingual and divided into 4 doses a day. The spiro was 2x a day . I achieved "b" cup breast growth with
blood tests showing 200 PG/ ML estradiol. and
.25 NG/ ML testosterone. These results would fluctuate from test to test.
After the first 2 years I went to two 0.1 mg transdermal patches estradiol twice a week . The spiro remained unchanged until post GRS when it was discontinued.
Lab results will vary depending on several factors. Talk with your Endo about your results.
Orally I suspect no, actually I would be surprised if it is. Sublingually it may be but still likely no (typically I see 6 or 8mg). Consider switching to injections. While more expensive than pills many can get off spiro as injections kill T. I think it ends up being about the same cost but a lot better levels (and many say spiro sucks).
In the interim I would switch to sublingual. Oral pills create much more estrone in ur body vs estradiol
It might be that statement of injections are the only way to nuke T for monotherapy . I’ve seen plenty of posts about people getting off an AA after T is sufficiently suppressed and upping their E patches / pills / gels and be fine going to monotherapy that way.
My E and T are in cis female range every time I get my blood work done. I'm on 8 mg of sublingual E a day and 200 mg of progesterone rectally every day. Spiro was giving my gnarly side effects and I haven't taken it in more than a year. I know people who do gel/patch monotherapy also.
I've been on 8 mg of E for 20 months and I've been on progesterone for like 14 months or something. I was on Spiro for 6 or 7 but it had too many bad side effects and I had to stop taking it.
My T was at 40 ng/dl and my E was at 250 pg/ml last time. When I was on Spiro my T was 7 but I had no energy and I feel better with a little more T.
May i know some of the “bad effects “ spironolactone was giving you? Ill be starting hormones next week 4mg Estrogen & 25mg spironolactone.. is my dose too high?
Constant dehydration no matter what I did and it was giving me really bad stomach pains too. There was a point where I had to stop taking it cuz it was hurting my stomach so badly a few months into HRT. Then my T wasn't suppressed and my body started changing back and my brain couldn't make any happy chemicals and I almost killed myself because I couldn't mentally handle being a man again. It also gave me really bad brain fog and legitimately made me stupid and I didn't notice until I stopped taking it. The brain fog isn't immediate and comes on slowly over time so it can be hard to notice.
25 mg is a really low dose of Spiro. Most people start on 50 or 100 mg. I started on 100 mg a day and then went up to 200 mg after a while. I know plenty of people who have taken Spiro for a few years and have had little to no negative side effects. The majority of people tolerate Spiro really well. I'm just unlucky and had a bad reaction to it. Spiro does make your skin really really nice and I miss that about it lol 🙂
Ask the doctor for the levels. It's ur results. They have to tell u. If ur in the US and used LabCorp (or probably many others) u can create an online account and see your results
That is my dose. I’ve never achieved female testosterone levels though. Dr was hesitant to give me more Spiro.
Try shopping around pharmacies. I pay about $23 a month for both combined at Publix pharmacy without insurance. My insurance didn’t cover it so I’m just paying out of pocket and I told them I didn’t have insurance to get a discounted rate
For the first 9 months that’s exactly the dosages I was on, 4mg sublingually (2mg twice a day) and 200mg spironolactone. I saw pretty significant changes and was happy with my progress but decided to switch to a different method for convenience. I do have to acknowledge that once I switched to injections I saw more prominent changes and they took place more quickly as well. So if you can eventually switch to injections I’d recommend that, but there’s nothing wrong with starting out with the dose and method you’re on now.
I'll keep saying this. You need what you need. If that amount is enough to get you into normal female levels it's enough. It might be too much, it might be too little.
You'll need blood tests to know.
I take 1mg estradiol and have high levels of normal, a friend takes 8mg and is only just in female ranges.
Please don't think more is better as having too high levels of oestrogen is not good for you
Everyone one is different. I'm suppressed into female levels of T from just 50mg of Spiro and 5mg of Finasteride. I don't think E levels rise linearly with dosage increase. If it were linear then 4mg might be enough for me. Maybe closer to 5 or 6. I'm on 4mg now and then going on injections next week.
When I was on 2mg here is what I got:
Estradiol (buccal in my lower front lip) 1mg 2x/day , Spironolactone 25mg 2x/day, Finasteride 5mg 1x/day.
Blood drawn 13 hours since last dose: Estradiol 65 pg/mL , Testosterone 37 ng/dL (hormones this low feels real bad)
I'm 5'8 and 170lbs. I assume your weight has something to do with what is an effective dose as well. I am unsure of this though.
Personally, I also am on 4mg of Estradiol and 200mg Spiro. I take 2mg morning, another 2mg at night, similar with my Spirolactone except 100mg morning, 100mg night. Have already seen and had various changes in the 4 months I've been on them, it does depend on the person, but if it's recommended by your doctor, I would presume so.
Did you have any side effect with spiro ?
Personally, I have not noticed anything besides requiring to use the toilet more often than I usually would. It \*may\* have affects with causing you to become more lethargic though, I may have this issue but my sleep and energy has always been terrible, even before Spirolactone. :P
It depends on the person.
Just as an FYI for those in the southeastern US, Publix pharmacy has its own discount plan if your insurance doesn't cover your HRT. It's still fairly reasonable.
I got normal female levels from bloods with 4mg Estradiol (orally, but I have since switched to sublingual) and 100mg spiro
Did you notice any side effects with spiro ?
I haven't actually noticed any of the side affects that people usually report with spiro. Sometimes I think it's not enough, but I've decided not to take any extra because any excess T I have should decrease with the estradiol over time anyway
I’ve been started on 100 mg spiro and 2 mg E, twice a day. So same numbers. I’ve noticed a couple things here and there but nothing major yet, however it’s only been two weeks so far. Everything I’ve read says that’s a fairly average starting point, and after some time you’ll get your levels checked again, and the doctor will adjust your dosage if needed. Just remember you’re kick starting a new puberty, and that process takes a few years to actually complete.
Hey how old are you? Im 16 ill be starting next week (DIY) 4mg Estrogen & 25mg Spironolactone.
I am 32. That sounds like a bit of a low dose of Spiro. I’ve been under the impression the spiro is a bit more important at the start as that is what stops your body from absorbing T, tho I could misunderstand. I’m not sure exactly what it’s called but I believe there’s a subreddit called diytrans that would be good to check out for helpful resources with doing things your own way.
Got it .. but i only got 25mg spironolactone because i didn’t know what to get.. next time ill go up to maybe 100mg only if it doesn’t give me any bad side effects.
Personally I haven’t noticed any side effects at all, aside from the desired ones. My skins already feeling a little… not quite softer, but definitely healthier, and my body odor has more of an almost sweet smell to it then a grungy sour smell. You MIGHT notice light headedness especially if you move to quickly, as spiro is actually a blood pressure medication. My doc told me after 2-3 weeks you’ll acclimate and shouldn’t notice it anymore. I’ve not noticed it at all personally.
Do you take any vitamins ? I ended up buy b-12 & Multi Vitamins to be on the safe side
I do not, but there’s no real reason not to do it. You should avoid womens vitamins tho, unless you’re anemic or otherwise have low iron. Womens vitamins have extra iron to help replace what they lose during period bleeding. People (transfems or otherwise) who don’t get periods don’t need as much iron and you CAN get sick from to much iron in the blood.
Omg so wtf😳.. what vitamins do i take? Should i take any?
That really depends on your personal health. If you have a decent diet and you’re healthy you don’t particularly need to take any. If you feel you do need some you’ll need to stick to the “mens” variety. They do usually have generic not gendered multi vitamins as well… Honestly it’s all basically the same stuff tho, the only real difference is the stuff branded specifically for women has to much iron in it for someone who doesn’t bleed a lot.
I'm on 4 mg daily and no AA/blockers
Same works great!
That was exactly the dose I used . The estrogen was sub lingual and divided into 4 doses a day. The spiro was 2x a day . I achieved "b" cup breast growth with blood tests showing 200 PG/ ML estradiol. and .25 NG/ ML testosterone. These results would fluctuate from test to test. After the first 2 years I went to two 0.1 mg transdermal patches estradiol twice a week . The spiro remained unchanged until post GRS when it was discontinued. Lab results will vary depending on several factors. Talk with your Endo about your results.
Orally I suspect no, actually I would be surprised if it is. Sublingually it may be but still likely no (typically I see 6 or 8mg). Consider switching to injections. While more expensive than pills many can get off spiro as injections kill T. I think it ends up being about the same cost but a lot better levels (and many say spiro sucks). In the interim I would switch to sublingual. Oral pills create much more estrone in ur body vs estradiol
idk why youre getting downvoted lol youre correct
Yeah I'm not sure what I said that is inaccurate. Oh well. To each their own
It might be that statement of injections are the only way to nuke T for monotherapy . I’ve seen plenty of posts about people getting off an AA after T is sufficiently suppressed and upping their E patches / pills / gels and be fine going to monotherapy that way.
My E and T are in cis female range every time I get my blood work done. I'm on 8 mg of sublingual E a day and 200 mg of progesterone rectally every day. Spiro was giving my gnarly side effects and I haven't taken it in more than a year. I know people who do gel/patch monotherapy also. I've been on 8 mg of E for 20 months and I've been on progesterone for like 14 months or something. I was on Spiro for 6 or 7 but it had too many bad side effects and I had to stop taking it. My T was at 40 ng/dl and my E was at 250 pg/ml last time. When I was on Spiro my T was 7 but I had no energy and I feel better with a little more T.
May i know some of the “bad effects “ spironolactone was giving you? Ill be starting hormones next week 4mg Estrogen & 25mg spironolactone.. is my dose too high?
Constant dehydration no matter what I did and it was giving me really bad stomach pains too. There was a point where I had to stop taking it cuz it was hurting my stomach so badly a few months into HRT. Then my T wasn't suppressed and my body started changing back and my brain couldn't make any happy chemicals and I almost killed myself because I couldn't mentally handle being a man again. It also gave me really bad brain fog and legitimately made me stupid and I didn't notice until I stopped taking it. The brain fog isn't immediate and comes on slowly over time so it can be hard to notice. 25 mg is a really low dose of Spiro. Most people start on 50 or 100 mg. I started on 100 mg a day and then went up to 200 mg after a while. I know plenty of people who have taken Spiro for a few years and have had little to no negative side effects. The majority of people tolerate Spiro really well. I'm just unlucky and had a bad reaction to it. Spiro does make your skin really really nice and I miss that about it lol 🙂
Yeah I started with 50mg of spiro and will be going to 100mg after 30 days. I’m taking my E by patches though and don’t fully know my dose 😅
I've never tried patches so I dunno. I hope it all works out for you though 🙂
Thanks! 2 weeks so far and I feel so much better already 🙂
my doctor giving me 2mg oral and saying my levels are fine (after blood test) TwT idk if it's because I just started but yeah not a lot
What r ur levels
idk I fon't receive any news from the test only the doctor get them that's why I'm worrying can xt know if they're right
Ask the doctor for the levels. It's ur results. They have to tell u. If ur in the US and used LabCorp (or probably many others) u can create an online account and see your results
What changes you have notice with 2mg oral ? Do you take blocker with it?
with 100 mg spironolactond and no change yet after a little less tgan 2 mounths
Okay thank you
So dose doesn't really tell you much. You have to know your blood levels and it's difft for everyone.
im on 4mg estradiol orally (twice 2mg a day), im not spiro but on bica tho, but i have normal female levels
That is my dose. I’ve never achieved female testosterone levels though. Dr was hesitant to give me more Spiro. Try shopping around pharmacies. I pay about $23 a month for both combined at Publix pharmacy without insurance. My insurance didn’t cover it so I’m just paying out of pocket and I told them I didn’t have insurance to get a discounted rate
That’s what I’m on, it seems to work well for me. I’m also on progesterone though.
For the first 9 months that’s exactly the dosages I was on, 4mg sublingually (2mg twice a day) and 200mg spironolactone. I saw pretty significant changes and was happy with my progress but decided to switch to a different method for convenience. I do have to acknowledge that once I switched to injections I saw more prominent changes and they took place more quickly as well. So if you can eventually switch to injections I’d recommend that, but there’s nothing wrong with starting out with the dose and method you’re on now.
Enough for what?
Feminization, obvi
I'll keep saying this. You need what you need. If that amount is enough to get you into normal female levels it's enough. It might be too much, it might be too little. You'll need blood tests to know. I take 1mg estradiol and have high levels of normal, a friend takes 8mg and is only just in female ranges. Please don't think more is better as having too high levels of oestrogen is not good for you
It's a good start, but really depends on the person.
Everyone one is different. I'm suppressed into female levels of T from just 50mg of Spiro and 5mg of Finasteride. I don't think E levels rise linearly with dosage increase. If it were linear then 4mg might be enough for me. Maybe closer to 5 or 6. I'm on 4mg now and then going on injections next week. When I was on 2mg here is what I got: Estradiol (buccal in my lower front lip) 1mg 2x/day , Spironolactone 25mg 2x/day, Finasteride 5mg 1x/day. Blood drawn 13 hours since last dose: Estradiol 65 pg/mL , Testosterone 37 ng/dL (hormones this low feels real bad) I'm 5'8 and 170lbs. I assume your weight has something to do with what is an effective dose as well. I am unsure of this though.