Beauty Tips For Body Care
I originally posted this as a response to this thread by /u/Bras_Suck. I thought I would slightly edit and add to it for SCA since it's of pretty decent length and I know many people here are always interested in hearing about Spiro ☺️ So here goes:Spironolactone is a potassium-sparing and androgen-blocking diuretic, commonly used to manage high blood pressure. One of its off-label uses is for acne management in women--specifically hormonal acne. You can ask your general practitioner or dermatologist (or cardiologist too I guess... given the intended nature of the drug 😅) about this particular medication, and if it would be appropriate to use for the management of your acne. I should preface my review by saying that this particular medication should be intended for preventative purposes, instead of "clearing up" purposes. I should also mention that, since it falls under the anti-androgen treatment category, it is intended for female use instead of male use (I linked a dermnet article that explains anti-androgen treatments and androgen-blocking treatments). Talk with your doc about it though!) --PREFACE OVER, REVIEW STARTS HERE-- I'm on Spiro right now, and have been since mid-March of 2015 (so about 10 months). I was originally on 25 mg for the first 3 months, just to see if any noticeable side effects developed, and since none did, my GP allowed me to increase my daily dose to 50 mg, but only after taking a blood test to check my potassium levels. So for the past 7 months I've been taking 50 mg once a day. I also take it with 800 iu's of vitamin E--not sure if that makes a difference, but thought I'd include it, nonetheless 😊 List of PROS:Noticeable improvement in hormonal acne around my chin and mouth (meaning, not nearly as many cystic breakouts as before... still get them on occasion but only like once or twice a month, if that)Decrease in oil production for overall skin (only slight, but still nice)I think it's more of a preventative measure for cystic/hormonal acne rather than a "cure" or healing medication for pre-existing breakouts, so you need to stay on top of taking it daily or else you might end up breaking out within a few daysI drink more water to compensate for the inherent diuretic effect of Spiro; which means I also pee a lot more, and have lost about 15 pounds since going on it (but about 10 of those pounds were lost from being sick... I'll take the other 5 though 😁)No noticeable side effects for me thankfully... but YMMV List of CONS:Didn't really start seeing results until about 4 or 5 months into the treatment(Not really a con, but kind of annoying...) Had to go in for two blood tests, once when I initially began using it, and then once again when I wanted to increase my dose to 50 mg/day. GP wanted to check my potassium levels to make sure I didn't have hyperkalemia, since Spiro is a potassium-sparing diureticSince my skin doesn't produce as much oil, I've noticed it has a tendency to get dehydrated more easily than in past years--especially during colder and drier monthsI don't think it works incredibly well on its own for getting rid of pre-existing acne; so I have to use Epiduo in conjunction with it on a nightly basis; if I don't, I notice I start breaking out with smaller non-cystic pimples a few days after I slackThinking about asking my GP to increase my dose to 75 mg/day since I've been breaking out a little more frequently due to stress, and since I know 50 mg is a pretty low dose for most people on Spiro solely for acne managementSince you have to take it daily, if I forget to take it for a day or two, I'll notice I get a small breakout a few days laterNo other cons I can think of (for me anyway) Overall verdict and important mini-PSA:Try it out for a few months (~2-4 months) on a low dose and determine whether your skin and body TOLERATE it! Do NOT base your decision on its effectiveness within that time frame. (I can't emphasize this point enough!!!) As I said earlier, I didn't start seeing a noticeable difference until around the 4-5 month mark (Spiro in particular can take upwards of 6 months to see any noticeable results with some people). If you get side effects within that initial trial timeframe, then I would either consider counter measures like drinking more water or drinking/eating more foods with electrolytes, or, if the side effects are too much, discontinue the medication altogether. Honestly, it's very much a YMMV type of acne treatment medication, and since you may not respond to a lower dosage as well as another person, it can take awhile to find your most effective dosage and subsequently see a noticeable improvement in your skin. If you decide that Spiro is something you would like to try out, I hope all goes well and that it works for you! However, pleaseeeeee be patient with it! It is by no means a cure-all for acne, and it will not start working over night, or even over the course of a month (in most people)! You need to wait to determine if your body can first tolerate it, and once you've determined that it can, THEN you can begin analyzing it for its effectiveness at preventing acne! Hope this review helped you guys out, and feel free to ask questions 😁 I've researched the crap out of this drug. And if anyone's interested, I have a research article saved somewhere on my computer or in Google Drive or iCloud... just need to find it first 😅
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by nattweeter
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