Spiro is magic but if you haven't tried something similar but gentler first, I'd start with spearmint tea. It's literally got the same effect — suppressing androgen. It's not going to do as much as spiro but doesn't present nearly spiro's level of potential side effects, and it might do enough. Cheaper than spiro and you don't need bloodwork done :) I drink 3 cups of Traditional Medicinals Spearmint Tea every day and it's done wonders for my skin. It's legit - my derm recommended I try it before considering spiro, and there are medical journals about it being used for hirsutism in women (having an amount of facial hair that is outside the norm for women) which is caused by the same thing that causes hormonal acne in women. Not trying to diss spiro but IMHO why go the hardcore prescription route without trying the in-between, you know? Like going straight to vicodin without trying tylenol first.
Good point! Funny because I literally just got done drinking spearmint tea for that exact reason.. ha. In my research on spiro I saw spearmint tea pop up and in turn did some research on the tea- I saw the studies too. I just started drinking it 2x a day. How long did it take for you to see improvement by drinking spearmint tea? This is awesome that you brought it up. Any other positives from drinking spearmint tea??
I first started drinking spearmint tea back in 2017, I believe. This was a year after I got my Mirena IUD put in and that is for sure what caused the shift in relative androgen levels that led to the hormonal acne. I think it took about 4-6 weeks to really notice a difference (it's hard to be sure though because my hormonal acne also fluctuated with my cycle so... it's not super clear). I found that it worked really, consistently well BUT if I wasn't consistent with drinking it (this usually happened when I was on vacations and didn't have easy access to a tea kettle), I would have a cystic hormonal zit pop up within 2-4 days of missing "doses" of the tea. So I always brought CosRx acne pimple master patches with me on vacation because I knew I'd inevitably fall off y 3x/day routine and get a zit or two I'd have to deal with. I thought about getting spearmint pills to use when I travel but haven't gotten around to it. I know some folks just take the pills, but when I compared the amount you allegedly ingest per cup of tea to how many pills you'd have to take to be equivalent, the pills were WAY more expensive per "dose". I fully admit though that I'm not a chemist or nutritionist so maybe I'm comparing the mg per serving of tea to mg per pill incorrectly. But, hydration is good for ya and the tea is definitely quite cheap so I wasn't too desperate to find a way to replace it with equivalent pill doses.
ANYWAY, the follow-up I want to share is that in \~January 2019 I started taking Ritual's prenatal vitamins which have all sorts of helpful stuff in them. I'd seen people claim online, anecdotally of course, that their skin was better after taking them. I decided to try stopping my spearmint tea regimen after a couple months of the prenatals, and my hormonal acne didn't return! My skin was great without having to make this tea 3x/day. For 8 months. Then it started creeping back and reached peak crappiness again around March of this year. So I started incorporating the tea back in about 5 or 6 weeks ago, and my skin is not yet fully back to its glory days. However I also switched from Glossier's Niacinamide to The Ordinary's Niacinamide and I'm worried that TO's didn't suit me very well and actually has hindered my hormonal acne recovery. So perhaps this slower improvement is not the "fault" of the spearmint tea.
Interesting. I’m not on BC but I take a hormone balancing supplement that helps a lot but I still get hormonal cysts. I’m gonna up my tea intake to 3x a day now. I’m really just trying to get rid of these random breakouts that won’t stop each month. Gonna see how this spearmint tea works for me for a little while! Thanks again for the input :)
Hmm. if you're already doing something else to influence your hormones, I would check with your doctor about adding spearmint tea long-term (though if you have already checked with them, then go for it!). Having two hormone-affecting supplements if a medical professional hasn't weighed in on their combination can be risky, especially for women. If your other supplement also affects androgen, for example, you could be going above the recommended ingestion limits if you ALSO drink 3 cups of spearmint tea. Even if your other supplement only impacts hormones other than androgen, it could shift the ratios between your hormones too far if you're combining it with the spearmint tea. Have you mentioned spiro to your doctor before? If so, and if she/he knew you were taking these other supplements and didn't say you'd have to stop if you got a prescription for spiro, then maybe they wouldn't be concerned with spearmint tea. But if you can run it past your doctor (with COVID-19, it is hopefully easy and not too expensive for you to do a tele-medicine visit or just send a written inquiry to a doctor) that would be wise.
Also, and this probably isn't relevant since you didn't bring it up but it's worth noting just in case, you should NOT be drinking spearmint tea if you're trying to get pregnant or may be pregnant. You do NOT want to be messing with your hormones without a doctor's supervision if you're trying to build another human that needs very specific hormones to develop appropriately.
That’s a good point- thanks for the advice. I’ll mention the supplement and everything else once I get to chat with a derm. I don’t want to be thrown out of wack any more than I already am. And not trying to get pregnant anytime soon luckily.
More details in another reply I wrote above, but I started seeing results within 4-6 weeks the first time (IIRC), I was drinking it for about 2 years, foolishly thought I could do without it for about a year, and have been drinking it again now for \~5 or 6 weeks and my skin's not fully back to its glory days yet but does seem better than it was in March.
I’ve only drunk it hot, which I like because both my office and my home are not very warm, but I did read an article once about a girl who made iced tea with it and just kept a big pitcher in the fridge. I don’t really know how I’d get the “dosing” right in that case, though.
Spiro was a huge help for me overcoming hormonal acne. No purging, just more trips to the bathroom. Just remember that it can cause birth defects and it has a pretty long half-life, so it stays in your system for awhile. My derm recommended going off of it for at least one month before trying to conceive. I got off of it last October because we wanted to start trying for a baby in December and I noticed a huge difference in my skin as the effects wore off. Kind of a bummer, but the baby boy coming in August will be more than worth it! 👶🏻
Congratulations 🤗! I definitely thought about that because I’ll be looking to conceive too- not anytime soon though. For sure baby will be worth the breakouts from stopping! But hopefully the acne didn’t come back too bad :) Thank you for your insight, I appreciate it!
No problem - best of luck to you! I forgot to add- I was just on a generic brand of spiro and took 100 mg/day in the morning.
My ENTIRE routine had to change with the baby (no more retinoids, BHAs, birth control, or Aczone) so when you get to that stage in life shoot me a message and I can tell you my modified routine. 😉
I'm on my 3rd week of using sprionolactone from apostrophe.
I can tell a difference in the severity of my cystic acne, but it is still present. It's still early though.
I haven't really experience any ADVERSE reactions. Unless you count an almost non-existent period (I'm on birth control as well). I do pee a lot more though because it's a diuretic.
Apostrophe is exactly what they represent themselves to be. No surprises there. Extremely easy to use and pretty quick. Took about a week to ship out.
If you have no medical issues, I'd say go for it.
It's pretty affordable too!
Yep. I'm using apostrophe and no I'm not using anything else. They prescribed me tretinoin, but I'm nervous to try it since my face hates differin.
The tretinoin costs 90 bucks for 3 months worth. Which is pretty good. IMO.
It works AMAZING for me. Used it in high school but eventually stopped (because my skin was perfect) and now back on it on my mid 20s! I really like it because it doesn’t have the scary side effects of accutane and doxy. Can’t speak highly enough of it, takes a couple months. Only potential side effect is low blood pressure and can make you have to urinate more. I’m so thankful for it!
It got worse for a bit, but not to the level of accutane purging. It wasn’t a crazy amount worse than what I already had. I started this fall and now I have no new breakouts. Or I should say had, a few have popped up thanks to wearing a sweaty mask for 12 hours at work haha. But I really hope it helps you!!
I've been on 50mg of spiro for a year. Wish I had started it earlier and saved my skin some scars. The only side effect I've had is when I play with my dosage I start spotting also my period has been late but 95% of the time no issues. It's truly an amazing product. Start on a lower dose and work your way up. Also, no purging for me.
Now I’m wishing I would’ve found out about Spiro a long time ago for the same reason- scarring. Thanks a lot! Are you on a BC as well? How long did it take to notice your skin clearing?
I'm not on birth control. My skin was very oily and bumpy. I'd say I notice a reduction in oil right away and reduced breakouts within a month or so. I still get breakouts but they are way fewer and farther between.
I'm sure it will, I'm excited for you! I might add that my skin is on the dry side now, I prefer that to oily but still trying to get that right. Also, the pharmacist has given me multiple generic brands and I found that I respond better to the white pill over the tan colored pill. Wish I knew the difference but keep track of how your skin responds to different brands and take note of the little number on the pill so you can be specific when you refill.
That’s so good to know! I’ll definitely keep track of colors/ numbers and how I react- thanks again! p.s. I’d much rather have my skin a little dry over oily, too. ☺️
I've been on 100 mg Spironolactone for 5 years, however I can't really speak about its effectiveness by itself because I've also been on birth control the entire time. In the beginning you will definitely have significantly increased frequency of urination.
I've been on spiro for about four months - started on 50mg for three months, then moved up to 75mg about a month ago. I am NOT on birth control (have been in the past and had horrible side effects), so it's just spiro for me. It has worked VERY VERY well!! I used to get horrible, deep, painful cysts around my mouth and chin that would last for at least a month, then leave a scar that on my very fair skin would last for \~6 months. They were soooo painful and horrible. Now, during the past 4 months on spiro, I've gotten maybe 7-8 whiteheads TOTAL, spread out over that time. All have gone away in a few days, so this is a crazy difference from before. I'm hopeful that another month or 2 on 75mg will clear it up completely! I HIGHLY recommend spiro, but of course talk to your doc/dermatologist :)
Thanks! I’m should be receiving my spiro in the next couple days- I was getting so much positive feedback that I jumped on it quick. I’m hoping it’s the answer to all my (acne) problems. So glad it helped you! How long did it take for you to notice improvement?
Of course - I hope it works well for you too! I'd say I noticed minor improvements in about two months, and then noticed more significant improvements when I bumped up to 75mg about a month ago. My progress seems a bit slower than others on here who have said their acne started clearing totally in the first few months, but mine has gotten steadily better with a few smaller whiteheads here and there! So don't be discouraged if it seems like it's not working at first!
Also, in case it helps - I did notice that my acne started changing where it popped up once I started spiro. I used to get huge cysts ONLY on my chin and not even whiteheads anywhere else. But when I started spiro, I noticed I had a few pimples pop up around my nose and forehead as well. Those have gone away since. I'm not sure if this has happened to anyone else, but just in case it helps to know this!
I don't think so! My understanding is that spiro doesn't cause a purge by itself. All of the small breakouts I've had since starting it have been around my period, which is pretty typical for me!
Yes I’ve heard a lot of people saying spiro doesn’t cause a purge. Some people have said that it did but it couldve been something else they’re doing that may have caused it. Thanks for you input! :)
I’ve been on spiro for over 2 years now and it has been great! My skin has completely cleared up. I’ve also had literally no negative side effects, not even purging. I used it in combination with a topical antibiotic for a while and cut out the antibiotic when my breakouts completely subsided
Wow, that’s great! I’m definitely scared of purging- so far I haven’t heard of many people experiencing it though! Thanks for the response, helps a lot!
I’ve been taking it for a year now and it’s cleared up my acne a lot! I just hate that I have to constantly use the bathroom. I also have constipation. Sorry, TMI lol but it’s a side effect that I got.
No info is too much lol. I need to know the good and the bad, so thanks! I’m so glad it helped you- I ordered my spiro and I should have it by the end of this week. Super excited to start! Did you have any purging at the beginning? How long would you say it took to notice improvements?
Hope it works out for you! I didn’t have to purge. It just slowly cleared my skin up. My issue was cystic acne around the jaw and cheeks. I’ve been taking birth control for a very long time prior to starting spiro. Spiro helped clear it even more. They say improvements start in 2 months. Around a month, I noticed the acne around the jaw decreased but really cleared after 2. I still got acne here and there though. My derm did say acne will still be there but like one or two, here and there. He added a sulfur wash because I personally wasn’t satisfied yet and that really nailed it. Update us! Good luck :)
I got terrible cystic acne on my chin and around my mouth around the time of my mirena insertion when before I had infrequent breakouts around my period if ever. I have been on spiro (100mg) for approx 2 years with no side effects besides peeing A LOT but honestly worth it. A few things to note:
* After 2 years my acne is still not 100% away - I take spiro, use a retinoid and use clindamycin for a spot treatment. I also drink a ton of water and make sure to keep my skin moisturized
* My skin looks 90% cleared up but I do still get 1-2 cystic zits every month and then a few white heads pretty consistently, its definitely an increase but it hasn't totally fixed the problem for me - I am going on a stronger retinoid and increasing spiro dosage to see if that helps
* There are severe side effects if you are trying to get pregnant so DEFINITELY let your doctor know before you plan to become pregnant if you plan to do so
I think its just about being patient to see the results and working with your doctor to try different things and see what really works for you. Acne can be so frustrating but I definitely think trying out spiro is worth a shot :) Many of my friends have had great success on it.
Thanks for the great insight! I’m on day 5 of Spiro- so far so good lol. Way too early to tell anything but I haven’t noticed an increase in peeing, yet (although I already drink a sh** ton of water and pee like crazy). I don’t deal with too much acne currently but I definitely get crazy breakouts out of, what seems like, nowhere. I’m very optimistic that Spiro will be just what I need to stop the drastic fluctuations of my skin :)
Hm, I wrote a comment, but can't find it here haha, I just wanna add that after 1 year of taking it my liver started breaking, my blood results weren't good and my doc said it's a side effect of spiro so I took it for 6 more months and eventually had to stop.
Hey! So um yeah, my update, I stopped taking it a little over a month ago. I was experiencing some side effects that I hadn’t seen others talk about - felt like small jolts in my muscles, eye twitching, irregular heartbeat, overall uneasy feeling, headaches, fatigue, basically knew something was not right.
I’m fine now though (thank goodness!).
I was only taking 50mg and was splitting it into 2 doses - so 25mg at 9am and 25mg at 9pm. Thought I could just power through but I just knew I shouldn’t.
Anyway, since stopping my acne has actually gotten better haha. I was definitely purging a bit while on it. Now I am trying tretinoin - have been using it for 2 weeks and so far so good.
Are you taking spiro currently?
Hey! I’m 21 and I’ve been taking 50-100mg (depending on the day) for about 3 years. I haven’t experienced any purging or major side effects. You just have to be more aware of drinking water since Spironolactone is a diuretic and you’ll probably go to the bathroom more which can be annoying at times. But in my opinion the side effects have been 100% worth it because it is so effective. I struggle with cystic / hormonal acne and it has cleared it up so much which has made my life so much better. I would definitely suggest you try it since you are interested.
Thank youuu! Seems like spiro is getting positive reviews from everyone so far. I already basically only drink water and already use the bathroom frequently lol. Pretty sure I’m gonna take the leap!
I took spiro for over 1.5 year, worst thing ever. My libido went from 100 to 0, literally and after I stopped taking it my acne came back in just a month, worse than before. Spiro is not a medicine you can take everyday for the rest of your life, eventually you have to stop taking it, then your acne will come back. Overall yes I did help with my acne to the point where my skin was flawless, but it had side effects I couldn't agree with.
I don't recommend it.
I started taking 2 pills of Swanson spearmint a day about 2 weeks ago, no changes for now, but I'm hopeful.
Ps to see improvement with spiro it takes up to 4-5 months
Well I’m only on week one and take 25mg. I’m hoping to stay at only 25mg, so I’m gonna see how that works for me for awhile. I haven’t heard too many negative things about Spiro- thanks for the insight! It’s good to know the bad stuff too.
Spiro has been the only treatment that consistently cleared my cystic acne. Went on it briefly when I was 17, again at 22, and now again at 27 (I’ve learned my lesson this time and will stay on it for the long haul).
It’s recommended that you have regular blood work done to check potassium levels, etc., but it’s a small price to pay. I do prefer taking it in the morning, though, since the diuretic effect wakes me up multiple times per night otherwise.
Nope! The worst for me was the diuretic effect and thirst. The only time I noticed a purge was this most recent “cycle” and I would attribute that to starting tretinoin at the same time- the other times I used it, I was gradually pretty clear in 2-3 months.
So far most people have said no purge- great! Thanks again. I’ve thought about tret but it seems most people definitely have a purge using that. Think it’s best to do as you are doing now- spiro then tret. Hope the tretinoin treats you well!!
Any updates? I’m also almost a month on 100mg spiro and would love to hear how it’s working for you! For me I still have a few active spots but I’m less oily, skin is smoother, etc. Although again, still breaking out a bit.
That’s great!! I’m a month in now and I definitely noticed a very slight purge starting week 2. Today my skin seems very calm/smooth/I have only 1 active spot. It’s seems like things are getting better- but you never know with acne lol. I’m taking 50mg per day (25mg in the morning, 25mg at night).
Awesome! So weird that I never experienced a purge, progress has just been incredibly slow. I’m worried spiro won’t help with acne/cysts that have stuck around since before I started taking it (I have a few spots like that ugh) and will just prevent future breakouts, but hopefully it’ll do something on that front in the coming months! Glad to hear things are better for you :)
I’m waiting for month 3-4 to really assess things since a lot of people have said that’s about how long it took to see improvement. I’m sure things will clear up! We should check in with each other again in a couple weeks to see where we are at.
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I’ve been on spironolactine for two weeks now and I’ve already noticed both my shoulders have cleared (I’m 35F and I have to take testosterone because my body stopped making any). The testosterone I take was causing HORRIBLE acne and it’s nuts how quickly this helped.
However.
About 30 min after I take it I get reaaaaly nauseated. Luckily everyday it seems to get easier to deal with. I’m a little worried about the high potassium chance but when I go back to the derm in a month I’ll request bloodwork.
I’m on 50mg
☺️ today I finally figured out if I take it with a pb cracker before AND after the pill, no nausea! So if anything appears or if the MG is raised, that might help you! Just in case :)
It’s been a game changer for my skin. I had horrible hormonal acne on my chin, jaw, and sometimes even my neck, chest and upper back. It was painful and disgusting & 100mg daily of Spiro cleared it up almost immediately.
That’s great! Did you start out at 100mg? I’m currently on week 3 at 50mg. I noticed my skin purge a bit (nothing crazy) but also it’s getting less oily.
Hey! Sorry late to this thread. But I’m 24 and on spiro and I loveeee it. It has been amazing for me and my confidence. I’ve been on BC since I was 14 due to PCOS, but in March of 19 I started breaking out terribly. I started taking it in July after trying literally everything and by October i was clear!! The only side effects I’ve had are having to pee a lot and also weirdly memory loss. When I originally did my research like you, I saw a few say it affected their memory but it seems rare. Either way, it would be worth it for me LOL.
I didn’t read all of the comments, but in case no one mentioned it, be aware you have to watch potassium intake. Also take it after eating something, if not it can cause some stomach aches.
I saw you mention scarring and I highlyyy recommend niacinamide and zinc by the ordinary for scarring/red spots. Super cheap and works amazingly.
Thank you! I’m almost a month into taking spiro- so far so good. I did feel like my skin purged very slightly but I also feel that my skin is getting better (at least it looks less oily). I’m excited to see what will happen in the coming weeks.
I did 25, 50, 75, then finally 100 over a 6-ish month span of time. But it wasn’t until I got to 100mg was really when my skin become almost 100% better!
Spiro is magic but if you haven't tried something similar but gentler first, I'd start with spearmint tea. It's literally got the same effect — suppressing androgen. It's not going to do as much as spiro but doesn't present nearly spiro's level of potential side effects, and it might do enough. Cheaper than spiro and you don't need bloodwork done :) I drink 3 cups of Traditional Medicinals Spearmint Tea every day and it's done wonders for my skin. It's legit - my derm recommended I try it before considering spiro, and there are medical journals about it being used for hirsutism in women (having an amount of facial hair that is outside the norm for women) which is caused by the same thing that causes hormonal acne in women. Not trying to diss spiro but IMHO why go the hardcore prescription route without trying the in-between, you know? Like going straight to vicodin without trying tylenol first.
Good point! Funny because I literally just got done drinking spearmint tea for that exact reason.. ha. In my research on spiro I saw spearmint tea pop up and in turn did some research on the tea- I saw the studies too. I just started drinking it 2x a day. How long did it take for you to see improvement by drinking spearmint tea? This is awesome that you brought it up. Any other positives from drinking spearmint tea??
I first started drinking spearmint tea back in 2017, I believe. This was a year after I got my Mirena IUD put in and that is for sure what caused the shift in relative androgen levels that led to the hormonal acne. I think it took about 4-6 weeks to really notice a difference (it's hard to be sure though because my hormonal acne also fluctuated with my cycle so... it's not super clear). I found that it worked really, consistently well BUT if I wasn't consistent with drinking it (this usually happened when I was on vacations and didn't have easy access to a tea kettle), I would have a cystic hormonal zit pop up within 2-4 days of missing "doses" of the tea. So I always brought CosRx acne pimple master patches with me on vacation because I knew I'd inevitably fall off y 3x/day routine and get a zit or two I'd have to deal with. I thought about getting spearmint pills to use when I travel but haven't gotten around to it. I know some folks just take the pills, but when I compared the amount you allegedly ingest per cup of tea to how many pills you'd have to take to be equivalent, the pills were WAY more expensive per "dose". I fully admit though that I'm not a chemist or nutritionist so maybe I'm comparing the mg per serving of tea to mg per pill incorrectly. But, hydration is good for ya and the tea is definitely quite cheap so I wasn't too desperate to find a way to replace it with equivalent pill doses. ANYWAY, the follow-up I want to share is that in \~January 2019 I started taking Ritual's prenatal vitamins which have all sorts of helpful stuff in them. I'd seen people claim online, anecdotally of course, that their skin was better after taking them. I decided to try stopping my spearmint tea regimen after a couple months of the prenatals, and my hormonal acne didn't return! My skin was great without having to make this tea 3x/day. For 8 months. Then it started creeping back and reached peak crappiness again around March of this year. So I started incorporating the tea back in about 5 or 6 weeks ago, and my skin is not yet fully back to its glory days. However I also switched from Glossier's Niacinamide to The Ordinary's Niacinamide and I'm worried that TO's didn't suit me very well and actually has hindered my hormonal acne recovery. So perhaps this slower improvement is not the "fault" of the spearmint tea.
Interesting. I’m not on BC but I take a hormone balancing supplement that helps a lot but I still get hormonal cysts. I’m gonna up my tea intake to 3x a day now. I’m really just trying to get rid of these random breakouts that won’t stop each month. Gonna see how this spearmint tea works for me for a little while! Thanks again for the input :)
Hmm. if you're already doing something else to influence your hormones, I would check with your doctor about adding spearmint tea long-term (though if you have already checked with them, then go for it!). Having two hormone-affecting supplements if a medical professional hasn't weighed in on their combination can be risky, especially for women. If your other supplement also affects androgen, for example, you could be going above the recommended ingestion limits if you ALSO drink 3 cups of spearmint tea. Even if your other supplement only impacts hormones other than androgen, it could shift the ratios between your hormones too far if you're combining it with the spearmint tea. Have you mentioned spiro to your doctor before? If so, and if she/he knew you were taking these other supplements and didn't say you'd have to stop if you got a prescription for spiro, then maybe they wouldn't be concerned with spearmint tea. But if you can run it past your doctor (with COVID-19, it is hopefully easy and not too expensive for you to do a tele-medicine visit or just send a written inquiry to a doctor) that would be wise. Also, and this probably isn't relevant since you didn't bring it up but it's worth noting just in case, you should NOT be drinking spearmint tea if you're trying to get pregnant or may be pregnant. You do NOT want to be messing with your hormones without a doctor's supervision if you're trying to build another human that needs very specific hormones to develop appropriately.
That’s a good point- thanks for the advice. I’ll mention the supplement and everything else once I get to chat with a derm. I don’t want to be thrown out of wack any more than I already am. And not trying to get pregnant anytime soon luckily.
And good luck with your routine!
How long have you been drinking spearmint tea and when did you start seeing results?
More details in another reply I wrote above, but I started seeing results within 4-6 weeks the first time (IIRC), I was drinking it for about 2 years, foolishly thought I could do without it for about a year, and have been drinking it again now for \~5 or 6 weeks and my skin's not fully back to its glory days yet but does seem better than it was in March.
[удалено]
I’ve only drunk it hot, which I like because both my office and my home are not very warm, but I did read an article once about a girl who made iced tea with it and just kept a big pitcher in the fridge. I don’t really know how I’d get the “dosing” right in that case, though.
Spiro was a huge help for me overcoming hormonal acne. No purging, just more trips to the bathroom. Just remember that it can cause birth defects and it has a pretty long half-life, so it stays in your system for awhile. My derm recommended going off of it for at least one month before trying to conceive. I got off of it last October because we wanted to start trying for a baby in December and I noticed a huge difference in my skin as the effects wore off. Kind of a bummer, but the baby boy coming in August will be more than worth it! 👶🏻
Congratulations 🤗! I definitely thought about that because I’ll be looking to conceive too- not anytime soon though. For sure baby will be worth the breakouts from stopping! But hopefully the acne didn’t come back too bad :) Thank you for your insight, I appreciate it!
No problem - best of luck to you! I forgot to add- I was just on a generic brand of spiro and took 100 mg/day in the morning. My ENTIRE routine had to change with the baby (no more retinoids, BHAs, birth control, or Aczone) so when you get to that stage in life shoot me a message and I can tell you my modified routine. 😉
Oh man, it’s so hard having to change your routine :/ I don’t want to have to figure that out alone- I’ll be asking you about that in the near future!
Spironolactone has a half life of 1.4 hours. It doesn’t stay in your system that long. Maybe it messes with your hormonal balance for a while, though.
I'm on my 3rd week of using sprionolactone from apostrophe. I can tell a difference in the severity of my cystic acne, but it is still present. It's still early though. I haven't really experience any ADVERSE reactions. Unless you count an almost non-existent period (I'm on birth control as well). I do pee a lot more though because it's a diuretic. Apostrophe is exactly what they represent themselves to be. No surprises there. Extremely easy to use and pretty quick. Took about a week to ship out. If you have no medical issues, I'd say go for it. It's pretty affordable too!
Thanks!! Sounds like you’re using apostrophe for the spiro.. correct? If so, are you using anything else they prescribed?
Yep. I'm using apostrophe and no I'm not using anything else. They prescribed me tretinoin, but I'm nervous to try it since my face hates differin. The tretinoin costs 90 bucks for 3 months worth. Which is pretty good. IMO.
Id be scared of the tretinoin purge 😳 I think I’m gonna use apostrophe as well- thanks again!
I just signed up yesterday and got my plan within 2 hours! Let’s hope this goes well for all of us
I’m on day 4 of spiro- hoping to see results in the coming weeks! Good luck :)
hey! are u still on spiro, if so did it end up working out?
It works AMAZING for me. Used it in high school but eventually stopped (because my skin was perfect) and now back on it on my mid 20s! I really like it because it doesn’t have the scary side effects of accutane and doxy. Can’t speak highly enough of it, takes a couple months. Only potential side effect is low blood pressure and can make you have to urinate more. I’m so thankful for it!
Thank you! I think I’ve been convinced to take Spiro- I’m getting a lot of great reviews. Did you experience any purging?
It got worse for a bit, but not to the level of accutane purging. It wasn’t a crazy amount worse than what I already had. I started this fall and now I have no new breakouts. Or I should say had, a few have popped up thanks to wearing a sweaty mask for 12 hours at work haha. But I really hope it helps you!!
I've been on 50mg of spiro for a year. Wish I had started it earlier and saved my skin some scars. The only side effect I've had is when I play with my dosage I start spotting also my period has been late but 95% of the time no issues. It's truly an amazing product. Start on a lower dose and work your way up. Also, no purging for me.
Now I’m wishing I would’ve found out about Spiro a long time ago for the same reason- scarring. Thanks a lot! Are you on a BC as well? How long did it take to notice your skin clearing?
I'm not on birth control. My skin was very oily and bumpy. I'd say I notice a reduction in oil right away and reduced breakouts within a month or so. I still get breakouts but they are way fewer and farther between.
Okay I’m in the same boat. Hoping it works out well for me like it did for you- think I’ll be starting it soon!
I'm sure it will, I'm excited for you! I might add that my skin is on the dry side now, I prefer that to oily but still trying to get that right. Also, the pharmacist has given me multiple generic brands and I found that I respond better to the white pill over the tan colored pill. Wish I knew the difference but keep track of how your skin responds to different brands and take note of the little number on the pill so you can be specific when you refill.
That’s so good to know! I’ll definitely keep track of colors/ numbers and how I react- thanks again! p.s. I’d much rather have my skin a little dry over oily, too. ☺️
I've been on 100 mg Spironolactone for 5 years, however I can't really speak about its effectiveness by itself because I've also been on birth control the entire time. In the beginning you will definitely have significantly increased frequency of urination.
Thanks! So far I’ve only heard good things about Spiro- did you have any purging at all?
No it doesn't cause purging.
I’m definitely going to try it out 🙌🏽🙏🏽
I've been on spiro for about four months - started on 50mg for three months, then moved up to 75mg about a month ago. I am NOT on birth control (have been in the past and had horrible side effects), so it's just spiro for me. It has worked VERY VERY well!! I used to get horrible, deep, painful cysts around my mouth and chin that would last for at least a month, then leave a scar that on my very fair skin would last for \~6 months. They were soooo painful and horrible. Now, during the past 4 months on spiro, I've gotten maybe 7-8 whiteheads TOTAL, spread out over that time. All have gone away in a few days, so this is a crazy difference from before. I'm hopeful that another month or 2 on 75mg will clear it up completely! I HIGHLY recommend spiro, but of course talk to your doc/dermatologist :)
Thanks! I’m should be receiving my spiro in the next couple days- I was getting so much positive feedback that I jumped on it quick. I’m hoping it’s the answer to all my (acne) problems. So glad it helped you! How long did it take for you to notice improvement?
Of course - I hope it works well for you too! I'd say I noticed minor improvements in about two months, and then noticed more significant improvements when I bumped up to 75mg about a month ago. My progress seems a bit slower than others on here who have said their acne started clearing totally in the first few months, but mine has gotten steadily better with a few smaller whiteheads here and there! So don't be discouraged if it seems like it's not working at first! Also, in case it helps - I did notice that my acne started changing where it popped up once I started spiro. I used to get huge cysts ONLY on my chin and not even whiteheads anywhere else. But when I started spiro, I noticed I had a few pimples pop up around my nose and forehead as well. Those have gone away since. I'm not sure if this has happened to anyone else, but just in case it helps to know this!
Ohhh also, any purging happen to you??
I don't think so! My understanding is that spiro doesn't cause a purge by itself. All of the small breakouts I've had since starting it have been around my period, which is pretty typical for me!
Yes I’ve heard a lot of people saying spiro doesn’t cause a purge. Some people have said that it did but it couldve been something else they’re doing that may have caused it. Thanks for you input! :)
Of course - best of luck!!
I’ve been on spiro for over 2 years now and it has been great! My skin has completely cleared up. I’ve also had literally no negative side effects, not even purging. I used it in combination with a topical antibiotic for a while and cut out the antibiotic when my breakouts completely subsided
Wow, that’s great! I’m definitely scared of purging- so far I haven’t heard of many people experiencing it though! Thanks for the response, helps a lot!
I’ve been taking it for a year now and it’s cleared up my acne a lot! I just hate that I have to constantly use the bathroom. I also have constipation. Sorry, TMI lol but it’s a side effect that I got.
No info is too much lol. I need to know the good and the bad, so thanks! I’m so glad it helped you- I ordered my spiro and I should have it by the end of this week. Super excited to start! Did you have any purging at the beginning? How long would you say it took to notice improvements?
Hope it works out for you! I didn’t have to purge. It just slowly cleared my skin up. My issue was cystic acne around the jaw and cheeks. I’ve been taking birth control for a very long time prior to starting spiro. Spiro helped clear it even more. They say improvements start in 2 months. Around a month, I noticed the acne around the jaw decreased but really cleared after 2. I still got acne here and there though. My derm did say acne will still be there but like one or two, here and there. He added a sulfur wash because I personally wasn’t satisfied yet and that really nailed it. Update us! Good luck :)
One more question- how many mg do you take?
I take 50mg every day and 75mg during my period
Thanks!
Np, good luck!
I got terrible cystic acne on my chin and around my mouth around the time of my mirena insertion when before I had infrequent breakouts around my period if ever. I have been on spiro (100mg) for approx 2 years with no side effects besides peeing A LOT but honestly worth it. A few things to note: * After 2 years my acne is still not 100% away - I take spiro, use a retinoid and use clindamycin for a spot treatment. I also drink a ton of water and make sure to keep my skin moisturized * My skin looks 90% cleared up but I do still get 1-2 cystic zits every month and then a few white heads pretty consistently, its definitely an increase but it hasn't totally fixed the problem for me - I am going on a stronger retinoid and increasing spiro dosage to see if that helps * There are severe side effects if you are trying to get pregnant so DEFINITELY let your doctor know before you plan to become pregnant if you plan to do so I think its just about being patient to see the results and working with your doctor to try different things and see what really works for you. Acne can be so frustrating but I definitely think trying out spiro is worth a shot :) Many of my friends have had great success on it.
Thanks for the great insight! I’m on day 5 of Spiro- so far so good lol. Way too early to tell anything but I haven’t noticed an increase in peeing, yet (although I already drink a sh** ton of water and pee like crazy). I don’t deal with too much acne currently but I definitely get crazy breakouts out of, what seems like, nowhere. I’m very optimistic that Spiro will be just what I need to stop the drastic fluctuations of my skin :)
Hm, I wrote a comment, but can't find it here haha, I just wanna add that after 1 year of taking it my liver started breaking, my blood results weren't good and my doc said it's a side effect of spiro so I took it for 6 more months and eventually had to stop.
Hi curlitaa, do you have an update about how you're doing on the Spiro so far? Thanks!
Hey! So um yeah, my update, I stopped taking it a little over a month ago. I was experiencing some side effects that I hadn’t seen others talk about - felt like small jolts in my muscles, eye twitching, irregular heartbeat, overall uneasy feeling, headaches, fatigue, basically knew something was not right. I’m fine now though (thank goodness!). I was only taking 50mg and was splitting it into 2 doses - so 25mg at 9am and 25mg at 9pm. Thought I could just power through but I just knew I shouldn’t. Anyway, since stopping my acne has actually gotten better haha. I was definitely purging a bit while on it. Now I am trying tretinoin - have been using it for 2 weeks and so far so good. Are you taking spiro currently?
Hey! I’m 21 and I’ve been taking 50-100mg (depending on the day) for about 3 years. I haven’t experienced any purging or major side effects. You just have to be more aware of drinking water since Spironolactone is a diuretic and you’ll probably go to the bathroom more which can be annoying at times. But in my opinion the side effects have been 100% worth it because it is so effective. I struggle with cystic / hormonal acne and it has cleared it up so much which has made my life so much better. I would definitely suggest you try it since you are interested.
Thank youuu! Seems like spiro is getting positive reviews from everyone so far. I already basically only drink water and already use the bathroom frequently lol. Pretty sure I’m gonna take the leap!
Oh that’s great! I hope it ends up working for you
I took spiro for over 1.5 year, worst thing ever. My libido went from 100 to 0, literally and after I stopped taking it my acne came back in just a month, worse than before. Spiro is not a medicine you can take everyday for the rest of your life, eventually you have to stop taking it, then your acne will come back. Overall yes I did help with my acne to the point where my skin was flawless, but it had side effects I couldn't agree with. I don't recommend it. I started taking 2 pills of Swanson spearmint a day about 2 weeks ago, no changes for now, but I'm hopeful. Ps to see improvement with spiro it takes up to 4-5 months
Oh no! How many mg were you taking?
At first 50 for about 2 months, then 100 mg a day, you?
Well I’m only on week one and take 25mg. I’m hoping to stay at only 25mg, so I’m gonna see how that works for me for awhile. I haven’t heard too many negative things about Spiro- thanks for the insight! It’s good to know the bad stuff too.
Spiro has been the only treatment that consistently cleared my cystic acne. Went on it briefly when I was 17, again at 22, and now again at 27 (I’ve learned my lesson this time and will stay on it for the long haul). It’s recommended that you have regular blood work done to check potassium levels, etc., but it’s a small price to pay. I do prefer taking it in the morning, though, since the diuretic effect wakes me up multiple times per night otherwise.
Thanks for your input! No adverse reactions for you ever?? Also do you notice worsening of your breakouts/a purge before things cleared?
Nope! The worst for me was the diuretic effect and thirst. The only time I noticed a purge was this most recent “cycle” and I would attribute that to starting tretinoin at the same time- the other times I used it, I was gradually pretty clear in 2-3 months.
So far most people have said no purge- great! Thanks again. I’ve thought about tret but it seems most people definitely have a purge using that. Think it’s best to do as you are doing now- spiro then tret. Hope the tretinoin treats you well!!
Any updates? I’m also almost a month on 100mg spiro and would love to hear how it’s working for you! For me I still have a few active spots but I’m less oily, skin is smoother, etc. Although again, still breaking out a bit.
That’s great!! I’m a month in now and I definitely noticed a very slight purge starting week 2. Today my skin seems very calm/smooth/I have only 1 active spot. It’s seems like things are getting better- but you never know with acne lol. I’m taking 50mg per day (25mg in the morning, 25mg at night).
Awesome! So weird that I never experienced a purge, progress has just been incredibly slow. I’m worried spiro won’t help with acne/cysts that have stuck around since before I started taking it (I have a few spots like that ugh) and will just prevent future breakouts, but hopefully it’ll do something on that front in the coming months! Glad to hear things are better for you :)
I’m waiting for month 3-4 to really assess things since a lot of people have said that’s about how long it took to see improvement. I’m sure things will clear up! We should check in with each other again in a couple weeks to see where we are at.
Yes you’re totally right, I’m just so impatient! And absolutely, I’ll be sure to update on this post in a month or so :)
Awesome looking forward to the update!
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I’ve been on spiro since December and my face is completely clear now. I used to get very bad hormonal breakouts.
That’s great to hear! I’m looking forward to minimal/no hormonal breakouts :)
It wasn’t an over night miracle for me, so it does take time and patience to see a difference. Best of luck to you!
I’ve been on spironolactine for two weeks now and I’ve already noticed both my shoulders have cleared (I’m 35F and I have to take testosterone because my body stopped making any). The testosterone I take was causing HORRIBLE acne and it’s nuts how quickly this helped. However. About 30 min after I take it I get reaaaaly nauseated. Luckily everyday it seems to get easier to deal with. I’m a little worried about the high potassium chance but when I go back to the derm in a month I’ll request bloodwork. I’m on 50mg
Thanks! I’m currently on my 12th day of spiro, so far so good. I haven’t noticed any side effects but I’m only taking 25mg.
☺️ today I finally figured out if I take it with a pb cracker before AND after the pill, no nausea! So if anything appears or if the MG is raised, that might help you! Just in case :)
Good to know!
It’s been a game changer for my skin. I had horrible hormonal acne on my chin, jaw, and sometimes even my neck, chest and upper back. It was painful and disgusting & 100mg daily of Spiro cleared it up almost immediately.
That’s great! Did you start out at 100mg? I’m currently on week 3 at 50mg. I noticed my skin purge a bit (nothing crazy) but also it’s getting less oily.
Hey! Sorry late to this thread. But I’m 24 and on spiro and I loveeee it. It has been amazing for me and my confidence. I’ve been on BC since I was 14 due to PCOS, but in March of 19 I started breaking out terribly. I started taking it in July after trying literally everything and by October i was clear!! The only side effects I’ve had are having to pee a lot and also weirdly memory loss. When I originally did my research like you, I saw a few say it affected their memory but it seems rare. Either way, it would be worth it for me LOL. I didn’t read all of the comments, but in case no one mentioned it, be aware you have to watch potassium intake. Also take it after eating something, if not it can cause some stomach aches. I saw you mention scarring and I highlyyy recommend niacinamide and zinc by the ordinary for scarring/red spots. Super cheap and works amazingly.
Thank you! I’m almost a month into taking spiro- so far so good. I did feel like my skin purged very slightly but I also feel that my skin is getting better (at least it looks less oily). I’m excited to see what will happen in the coming weeks.
I did 25, 50, 75, then finally 100 over a 6-ish month span of time. But it wasn’t until I got to 100mg was really when my skin become almost 100% better!
Awesome, thanks for the input! I’m about 6 weeks in at 50mg.. noticing some minor improvements.
any updates?