Has anyone experienced hair loss while taking spironolactone?

At the 3 month mark, I notice thinning around my hairline and A LOT of brittle broken hairs at my temples. I’ve always had very fine hair, but a lot of it. Scalp is super dry with minor inflammation in spots. Also the acne is just as bad, the Spiro hasn’t seemed to help it at all. All these factors made me go see a derm in person.

The derm I saw in person kinda wrote off my hair loss and focused on my bacne. (The hair loss doesn’t look bad to people but it’s very significant to me) She told me I should stop the Spiro if it’s not helping, and do a month long round of Doxycycline. 100mg twice daily. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m tapering off the Spiro for a week then stopping completely. Also I picked up Viviscal Pro while at her office, hoping that helps.

Glad to have found this thread because I’ve been driving myself crazy obsessing over the hair loss. I’ll figure out the acne but the hair loss was very alarming.

Spiro affects the hair follicles/hormones so I am almost sure this is the cause! Hopefully the shedding stops soon. Just wanted to share my experience! Will update after a few months.

My cousin shared a really good App (iphone) called Think Dirty Xhop Clean and has helped me in picking clean products that don't have chemicals in the ingredients so I know for sure its not.my bair products.
I also exercise and eat right as well as drink water.
Does anyone have an alternative to this drug...
I almost just want to throw this drug out the window...

I also had a blood panel done to check my thyroid & iron levels & now know I’m anemic which can also contribute to hair loss..but gauging the TIMELINE from when I began the Rx (Spiro) to when I stopped it is a night & day difference. Scalp pain has diminished at least 90%. One more day & I think it will be 100%. Wheew.
Also, I began “FLO” vitamins for my acne. I’m early in taking them (about 8 days) but I think they are helping. Started “Alaya Naturals” collagen also which may too be contributing to better skin.
My scalp had been very dry also which I know was a factor so am now doing nourishing scalp masks. (Scalp health is vital as well for anyone reading who had scalp issues prior to Rx)
After stopping it, my scalp longer feels “tender” & the shedding is less.
Good luck to you &/or whomever this may help:)

Fast forward about 4 months and I notice thinning spots on my temples. I have (had) very thick coarse hair that grows quickly, and the thinning areas were only noticeable to me if I pulled my hair back. I'm 51 years old so I blamed it on hormonal changes. I still have my period but it was now coming twice a month (one light, one heavy) and I was getting cramps which I have not had in years. I've never had issues or irregularities with my period, it is always on time, every month.

At my annual physical with my PC doctor I mentioned the hair loss and she tested my thyroid function and all was normal. She said to keep an eye on my weight (don't lose any more since I'm petite and increase my protein).

I saw the PA, who prescribed the spiro, for a hair loss appt. and she ordered a hair loss blood work panel. She assured me it was not the Spirno causing hair loss, I did ask. This blood work showed no deficiencies but she suggested I take Viviscal Pro vitamins (expensive) and prescribed a topical prescription that's a combo of Finasteride 0.1% and Minoxidil 7% (it gave me some new baby hairs, but also turned my blonde hair an orange hue). She also said I may have to be on Spirno for life.

After about 3 months of continued hair loss, I now started finding large clumps in the shower and had overall thinning. I now have a much wider part that now goes down the entire back of my head. I have easily lost well over 1/2 of the hair on my head. It feels so thin and you can see my scalp through the hairs. It's also dry and breaks easily.

This time I made an appt with the dermatologist (not her PA) because the hair loss was so drastic at this point and I wanted a second opinion. She said it was not the Spiron because it should help with hair loss. She said I was in a TE cycle. She looked at my previous blood work and said it was fine, but increasing my iron may help. She didn't increase my Spirno but recommended that I stay on it.

At this point, I am still taking Spiron 50mg/2 day and diligent about taking the all the vitamins, iron, adding collagen protein to my coffee, eating protein at almost every meal, washing my hair only a few times a week. Doing all the "right" (and expensive) things. I even started doing a LED red light therapy at home this week for about 20 minutes a day.

One thing I have noticed is that if I accidentally miss a dose or take an extra pill by accident, that seems to trigger a noticeable hair loss phase.

It's been about 4 months since the derm appointment and I seem to be in another TE phase with large clumps in the shower and overall thinning. I want to stop this drug. I have also noticed my skin is getting oily again (but not as oily as before spiron) and the body hair growth is back to the previous amount before starting spiron, and my last two periods have been on a regular cycle.

Since it doesn't seem to be working on the other issues any longer this may be the time to taper my dose and get off this stuff for good. I'm just very nervous stopping may cause even more hair loss.

The amount of time I spend obsessing over my hair loss is crazy. It's constantly running in the background of my mind throughout my day. I think I've read as much as I can on this drug. It's not healthy how it consumes me.

I will do an update on how things go if I taper my dose. I've exhausted everything else at this point. Thank you for letting me vent and to everyone for sharing your story and tips.

Any feedback from those who stopped taking Spiron please let us know how you are doing.

One thing I have tried that helps with my dry, brittle hair is to coat it with EVOO for about 20+ minutes before I wash it. It seems to help with the drying effect of the shampoo.

Please try to stay positive and hopeful. We are more than our hair :)

Present day a little over 2 years after having my youngest I had maintained my luscious locks until about 5 months ago. I finally wanted to start working on parts of myself that were neglected since having the kids. Acne was one of them. I suffer from hormonal cystic acne on chin that has left dark spots and I wanted to get a handle on it. I went toA dermatologist I used in the past to see what my options were. She suggested I do spironolactone, I agreed. I vaguely remembered taking it in the past a few months before my wedding to make sure I was free from blemishes by the big day. I didn’t remember having any issues but then again I had so many extensions in my head I wouldn’t have been able to tell either way. I started the medication 50 mg once daily. It was hard to get into the swing of things so in the beginning I would forget some days here and there. Each month the past I’ve vaguely remember a certain event or time I did my hair and noticed it was getting thinner and thinner. The last month or so I was getting into a good routine and was taking It every single night. Then I ran out and wasn’t able to get on for an apt for a few weeks. I figured it would be no big deal I might just have to fight off a few zits but little did I know I had many more issues to come. First, I got my period 2 times this month. I literally got it a week after it ended. For the record I have probably the most regular menstrual cycle there is. I always know what to expect with duration, heaviness, I’m never late, and typically get it around 26-29 days ( I’m not on birth control and haven’t been in years) so to have this happen was a huge red flag. So because I’m having my period again my whole body is off. Anyone who has suffered from anemia will understand. Then this past week after washing my hair and straightening it for the first time in a while, I noticed I have lost so much around the back and crown and I also have this weird cowlick due to lack of hair and volume. I started researching today what it means when you lose lots of hair in the crown area and somehow stumbled upon this thread. I never connected the 2 and to say I am truly devastated is an understatement. Nearly 4 years of doing damage control since removing the extensions and here I am in the exact same situation. I called my derm she said…”they have no studies to link the two”. I responded “ok but have you been asked this question before my other patients experiencing the same thing?” She said “yes a few times”. That was it. I was done. I will never ever touch that pill ever again. She suggested rogaine but then said it’s just like anything else once you start you have to stick to it otherwise you’ll end up with the same problem. I hope this story helps anyone who may still be on the fence about if hair loss is related to this medication. Don’t risk it!! I wish I found this article 5 months ago before I started. 4 long years of working to get my hair back…. All down the drain:(((

I finally panicked and made a hair app specifically for the hair loss with my dermatologist. She basically told me that it was nothing I was doing and I just had to be patient and deal with it till it clears. Also, my hair has now become two different textures with the back soft and the crown and temples brittle, frizzy, and dry. I literally put no heat on my hair and have styled it with mouse and a diffuser on cool for years. I only high light it with Carmel high lights twice a year. There’s literally no other explanation other than the spiro and thanks to you guys, I have no decided I will slowly wean myself off of this. I am heart broken because it’s given me beautiful skin, so I feel torn between trying to save my hair or having clear skin. Thank you all so much for your posts it’s given me hope, and I will post updates.

I am also taking some other drugs (levothyroxoid since teens, Yasmin bcp, Wellbutrin, Retin-A which I just heard can cause hair loss??? ) known to cause hair loss so I have been so confused about what could be causing it, but from the beginning I have strongly suspected the Spiro. So long story short, I've been off it for 2 full weeks after tapering down for a few months, and my hair is coming out in clumps. I know it has only been 2 weeks since fully stopping, but I really need to hear from some women with success stopping and having their hair return to normal. For what its worth, in response to the questioner, YES I've noticed it and experienced it, you are not crazy. I have been taking Finasteride (Propecia) for a little over a year for hair re-growth, I've tried minoxidil and another European hair regrowth serum but find the upkeep to be too taxing and I really don't want to walk around with greasy or crispy looking hair every day. I use Nizoral and have felt that it helps keep me from losing hair, but just a little bit, and doesn't encourage re-growth (I don't think?). I have not tried Vitex or biotin supplements yet...

When I initially asked my doctor about the hair loss, she said this medication should help with hair loss and suggested we test my thyroid and it was dismissed.
My questions about the weight gain were dismissed with comments about none of us are getting any younger. After finding this website and reading multiple comments from ppl complaining of these same side effects, I’m absolutely convinced it’s this medication.
These drug companies need to put warning labels on this prescription to protect us from these hidden side effects (before we take them.)