Spironolactone for Acne User Reviews (Page 4)

• Han...
• December 9, 2014

"This past summer, I experienced the worst breakout I've ever had all over my entire face. Never before had that happened- I just had a few cystic nodules around my mouth. For a month, I tried everything- a very strict diet and stayed away from bad carbs and sugars. Nothing worked. After seeing my dermatologist and gynecologist and doing research of my own, I presented them with what I believed to be Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. They did blood work and confirmed. The dermatologist wanted to put me on Accutane, but I didn't feel good about it. I did more research, found out about spironolactone and asked him if this could be a good alternative, he agreed, and I've been on 100 mg for about two months now. It has changed my life. Gave me back confidence."

• EmR...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 27, 2014

"I'm 42 and began taking spironolactone and using Differin for adult acne about a year ago. It took almost 8 months to really make a huge difference, but I could see some changes in the inflammation and severity of my acne after about four months. My acne was worse along the jawline and under my jaw and usually manifested as deep, sore nodules that never really came to a head. I still get some breakouts, but the pimples are much smaller and more on the surface, and almost none of them are on my jawline. They also heal much more quickly. The only negative side effects I've had are increased urination and weight gain. I've put on almost fifteen pounds over the last year, mostly in the belly, hips, and thighs."

• Boo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 21, 2015

"Was prescribed this medication for hormonal acne and started at 100 mg daily. This did nothing for me, so at my 3-month check-up, the dermatologist switched me to 150 mg daily. This immediately made a huge difference in my skin, and within 2 weeks, I noticed a reduction in breakouts. I used to break out a lot during my monthly cycle, and now I get maybe 1 pimple a month. I also started using a Clarisonic brush to cleanse my skin better. You have to be patient with this medication, as not everyone reacts the same to the same dosage. You and your doctor may have to try different doses before you get it right, but once you do, it is worth the wait!"

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 28, 2020

"Was prescribed for hormonal acne a few months ago. I would get cystic acne so bad on my chin, I was receiving steroid shots monthly. My doctor finally switched me to spironolactone 150 mg daily, and I couldn't be happier with the results. My acne is about 99% cleared up, my menstrual cycles are rare and very light when they do occur. I notice no side effects, and I'm loving my freedom from acne."

• tha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 5, 2013

"Love this stuff. Miraculous. I am 50 years old and have suffered with cystic acne since age 36. Nothing helped, and it left my once nice skin discolored and scarred. I saw 'the best' dermatologists in Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York, spent a fortune, and nothing helped. Finally, I met a dermatologist from a small town completely by chance, and he urged me to try spironolactone. Within one month, my skin was clear and still is. One caveat: when I first started taking it, I was dizzy and nauseated, so I stopped taking it. The doctor told me to try again with half the dosage, and it worked like a charm."

• Tas...
• January 31, 2020

"Update 2 (original post 2020-01-12): Ok! So I decided to take the 50 mg once a day. I'm over the tired feeling and feeling sluggish. I just couldn't handle two a day. I'm 3 weeks in on this medication plus my tretinoin cream every night, and I am seeing a difference in my skin. My scars and pimples are fading slowly but surely, and my face looks amazing with makeup now! I'm so glad I didn't quit taking this. If you feel like it's too much, listen to your body and cut back if you can't handle it. I will update again in a few weeks. Good luck to you, Spiro users, and hang in there, it does take time."

• Bli...
• July 21, 2014

"I wanted to love spironolactone. It cleared up my hormonal acne within a month and never let me down. I thought I had finally found the perfect solution to my problem. But after taking it for about a year, I suddenly gained almost twenty pounds. All of the weight gain was in the thigh and hip areas, places I had not experienced weight gain before. Nothing had changed in my daily routine. I work out almost every day, and a healthy diet is just part of my lifestyle. I visited the doctor a few weeks ago, and she recommended I stop taking it and see what happens. So far, I haven't been able to lose much weight, and my acne is already starting to resurface. I've already tried Accutane once and don't want to do it again."

• Sha...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 4, 2020

"This medication, spironolactone, is amazing for hormonal acne. Stick with it-first three months my skin was worse, especially around my lips. Gradually got better starting month 4. But 6 months in, my skin is amazing. Only side effect is less body hair. I did have to pee extra the first couple of months. Now I don’t notice any side effects except less body hair, which I love."

• RPh...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 28, 2016

"After turning 30, I started getting severe, red, painful cysts along my jawline, cheeks, and forehead. They would last forever and would not go down with any topical treatments. I had my androgen levels checked, and they were 3x the normal limit. Around this time, I was also having trouble maintaining my weight (5'4'', around 120 lb), my skin became really oily, and I felt fatigued all the time. I'm very active and eat very healthy, so something was going on. I started spironolactone 25 mg - 2 tablets twice daily (three times daily around the time of my cycle), and it's as if I am a new person. The initial breakouts took about 3 months to completely go away, but now I have energy, no weight issues, and no acne!"

• The...
• September 12, 2015

"Like many of the women posting here, I have used almost every prescription and non-prescription acne treatment over the last 15 years. I was prescribed spironolactone, 50 mg a day at the end of April 2015. The first 3 months were horrendous. My cheeks and sometimes forehead broke out so badly, and the pimples lasted for weeks or months and left red scars. I was so depressed, I came on these sites for answers. I found hope when others stated that it took a while to start working. I was noticing a decrease in the amount of oil my skin produced. I can honestly say that as of today, 9/12/15, my skin is amazing. I have a few light red scars, but other than that, my skin feels amazing, no pimples, very little oil. I hope it stays this way!"

• MVa...
• October 13, 2019

"Please reconsider before starting this. Helped my acne, side effects are not worth it. I had no idea how lucky I was before taking this, just to feel no pain. Now I am 10 months off of this drug, and I am still in pain every day. Was on it 6 months, 25 mg 2x a day. In Jan, started feeling side effects: brain fog, fatigue, dizziness, loss of libido. Then chest pains/intense anxiety. Asked my doctor if I could quit cold turkey? She said sure. Then...the next two weeks were so bad. Severe anxiety, panic attacks, tremors, shortness of breath, stomach pains, nausea, diarrhea, depression, irregular heartbeat, arm numbness, chest pain, all day every day. Ears ringing, sleep problems. Lost 25 lbs. Horrible. No doctors had any advice, answers, or wanted to help. Ever since then, the symptoms remain but SLOWLY get better over time. Today I am better but still have chest pain, ear ringing, and digestive issues every day. Please do research, know the effects it could have. I would take acne any day over this."

• Kri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 24, 2024

"This medication is the best thing I have ever done for my skin. I don't even need makeup anymore. I have been on this for many years and have no side effects. I am on 100 mg, and if I don't take it, I will get acne, but as long as I stay on it, I have very clear skin. I would cry in my younger years because nothing worked for me, but now I will never stop this medication."

• Syn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 6, 2015

"I have been getting cystic acne on my right cheek since I turned 30. My face was like an oil slick. I tried everything, from topical creams to using natural stuff (herbs and vitamins), taking myself off all dairy products (boy was that expensive), changing laundry detergents and pillowcases every day... it was RIDICULOUS!! I finally begged my Dr. to give me Accutane, and he refused. He sent me off to a dermatologist to assess the situation. I am an adult acne sufferer. She told me that Accutane is prescribed more to the younger people with acne and that what I was suffering from was adult acne. She prescribed Doxycycline and spironolactone. Cleared up within a week, I suffered for 5 years with this and just can't believe the results!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2014

"I was taking Bactrim DS prior to spironolactone (50 mg 2x/day) and clindamycin from November to April, but I started to build resistance around March and waited until it just stopped working. I recently went to my dermatologist about a week ago, and from the large painful cysts all around my mouth and chin, he told the PA and me to prescribe spironolactone as it is hormonal. I wish I had gone on this sooner! The persistent cysts are shrinking and drying! I had an initial breakout (still have a little), but I am keeping a positive attitude, which helps a ton. This will be the medicine that cures my acne of 9 years, I just know it. I'm glad my dermatologist stopped talking about Accutane with me, this is a much safer alternative if you have persistent hormonal acne."

• Boo...
• March 8, 2016

"I'm gonna make this simple. I took spironolactone and lived happily ever after. (God willing) OK, fine, I'll elaborate. -Age: 35. -Chin acne sufferer. -Tried A-Z of meds/birth control pills. -Used Accutane as a teen. Worked until adulthood. -Taking spiro @ 25mg (half of one pill): No initial breakout. No spotting. No period issues. Instant clearing of skin and no joke. -Side effects: I pee a lot...so what? -Not on the bcp with it, just spiro by itself. FYI I took spiro a year ago before for 5 months @ 50mg a day with same great results but stopped because I had intense breast tenderness. Boohoo, I should have just lowered my dosage but I was stupid. -Spiro worked for me, but if it doesn't for you, don't give up."

• The...
• May 31, 2011

"I was prescribed spironolactone from my dermatologist as I was getting acne along with black hairs on my chin and water retention. (75 mg) - I noticed a difference after about a month - 2 months in and my skin hasn't looked this good in about 5 years. My acne was on my forehead, chest, and back. I have added in a benzoyl peroxide body wash, twice a day as well. I was also advised to up my vitamin A for about 3 months as it can be toxic - all these together have worked wonders. I have had NO side effects at all. Watch your potassium and salt intake and don't take ibuprofen either. I printed out a list of potassium-high foods, and you will be surprised how many there are. That's the reason why I haven't given this a 10. Good luck!"

• Anonymous
• October 2, 2018

"I had a great experience with spironolactone until my pharmacy changed the pill. I’m not sure what brand I was on before, but I know it had a minty coating and worked really well! I saw complete skin clearing within 3-4 months. Then the pill was changed, and the bottle says “Accord Healthcare,” and the acne has come back, almost worse than before. Really frustrating that different brands of the same drug will cause such drastic changes."

• TXg...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2014

"I have always battled acne my whole life. I've been on spironolactone for 2 months, and I'm seeing great results on my skin. I am concerned that my menstrual cycle just won't stop! I had my normal period, which is 6 days. I went one week without a period and then started again for 11 days, then off for 5 days, and then started again. I'm on day 9 of bleeding. I don't want to take any other meds. Does this get better?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2014

"This really works! I was a little hesitant because it seemed like nothing would clear up my acne. After about 2 weeks, my face was clearing up, and I was no longer getting acne where I usually did (forehead, chin). I had a few weird breakouts near my lip and on my nose, which never used to happen, but they cleared up pretty fast. This combined with scar gel has really improved my face. No side effects that I have noticed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2013

"I started taking this medication about four months ago combined with minocycline for my hormonal cystic acne. The first month, I saw no improvement in my skin and abnormally lost 5 pounds. Now, three months later, my skin is finally completely clear, but I'm facing a new problem: the medicine has caused me to gain 10 pounds in my thighs, butt, tummy, and breasts and has given me a yeast infection that has been on and off (mainly on) for the last four months."

• Erb...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 8, 2015

"I went off birth control after about 10 years, and my skin did not appreciate that! I dealt with the severe jawline/neck acne for a few months until it started affecting my life. I went back on birth control, so I did some research on this medicine and prepared to ask my derm for it; but as soon as he heard my story, he recommended 150 mg of spironolactone. I've been on it for about 4 months, and my skin is amazing. It took about this long to actually see dramatic results, so don't get frustrated! Unfortunately, I had some light superficial scars on my neck and jawline, which was disappointing. I began using some Cosmedix products that I read were successful in reducing acne scars, and indeed they did!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 26, 2015

"I have never written a review for anything, however, I felt it imperative that I comment here on what spironolactone has done for me, with the hope that it will help others. I read the reviews here before going on spiro, and all the positive comments were my incentive for trying it. I truly felt like all hope was lost. Spiro has been the ONLY thing that has worked on my extreme, disfiguring cystic acne. For 2 years, I tried everything under the sun (Proactiv, 2 different antibiotics, topical ointments, gels, creams...). None of it helped, and a lot of it made my skin worse. (The antibiotics made me so nauseous that I was vomiting, unable to drive, even fell over.) I have had NO side effects, which is unheard of for me. Started working after 1 week."

• Spi...
• September 14, 2015

"I started spironolactone for acne in April and started out taking 50 mg a day, and I will say for the first three months I thought it wasn't working (I was still getting a lot of cystic acne breakouts around my chin and mouth). But I figured I would give it some more time because my body may still be adjusting to the other medications I'm also using with it (derm also put me on Ortho Tri-Cyclen birth control to help with acne, as well as Differin cream twice a week). I stuck it out and noticed a drastic change in the fourth month, and I'm now on month five and have had no breakouts for a month straight! I also lost about 8 pounds since I started on the medicine, which was a great bonus. I recommend sticking it out! It takes time, but it really works!"

• myo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2017

"Because I wanted results and I wanted them fast. I turned to all of the natural products to cure acne, like apple cider vinegar, rose water, and tea tree oil, etc. Honestly, I can for sure tell you I was making my skin worse. I was heavily exfoliating every night and then putting hella oils on my skin, and I didn't even know I was ruining it. My skin got super bad around finals and then didn't really get much better until spring break, but then it bounced back and was worse than ever. It was the worst it's ever been at the beginning of summer, so I went to the derm finally and got this stuff, and no joke, I haven't seen a zit on my face in so long. It's just scars, and my skin is glowy. Just honestly try this, it works 10/10, fam."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 4, 2012

"Only used it for 2 weeks, and people are already like... WOW... it's crazy how much better your skin looks. I know I won't see the full effects for another few months, but I have noticed that my face is not nearly as oily. It's more normal now, before, by the end of the day, I used to be able to use 5 of those Clean & Clear oil-absorbing sheets! My redness has gone down a lot too, my acne was crazy. Not all over cystic, but it looked like a rash but wasn't rosacea. And now it's getting better! Yay! I am excited."