Spironolactone and Hair Loss: What Users Say

• Rig...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 18, 2015

For Alopecia "As a female, and years of taking an anti-migraine pill caused massive hair loss. Over time, it started coming out by the handfuls. I went to the dermatologist, and he prescribed spironolactone. I have low BP, so 25mg at first, then 50mg. Not only after a few weeks, my hairbrush didn't need a daily cleaning. My hair loss stopped completely, and my regrowth is tremendous! I had lost about 1/3 of my hair, my parts were wide. Now I have my luscious locks back, and without breakage. No more tears!"

• ozf...
• April 21, 2021

For Alopecia "Started Spironolactone for acne 3 years ago. Helped my acne, and although I always had thick hair, I never really noticed a big difference except my hair was drier over the years. THEN I STOPPED SPIRONOLACTONE!!!!! My once beautiful thick hair is almost completely gone. Exactly 3 months after stopping (and yes, I tapered down), my hair came out in clumps. Now 8 months later and still shedding handfuls, I wish I never ever started. Please, please only take it if you understand you will be taking it for life, or you will end up practically bald after it. Please post if you are experiencing similar issues."

• Anonymous
• November 1, 2019

For Alopecia "I hit pre-menopause, and my formerly thick head of hair literally started falling out in clumps. Spiro arrested the loss, and my hair regrew over a year+ time. Then, I tried to go off Spiro a couple of years later, as I am on BHRT and stable now. Big mistake, after I tapered off, exactly 3 months later, my hair started coming out at a shocking rate. It is awful, I am sick to my stomach every time I wash my hair. I pick up a massive fist-sized hairball. I can just touch my head, and hair comes out. It is everywhere, all over the house, my clothes... I am back on Spiro (200mg) and praying every day for the loss to slow. I have lost nearly half my hair volume in 4 weeks :-( I wanted to post as a warning for anyone who stops Spiro...try slowly reducing over a year and in increments. Give it a good 3 months before assuming you are okay. I should have done this more gradually to avoid now losing so much hair."

• Mud...
• August 20, 2015

For Alopecia "I have been using spironolactone for the past 6 months. I take a total of 75mg per day (1-25mg in the morning and 2-25mg in the evening). The first month or so, I did not see any changes. By the second/third month, my hair was shedding; however, I also started to see hair growing in areas that I had none. At the six-month mark, the sprouts of hair I saw in the third/fourth month are approximately 1/2 inch long. Now, I do not see my scalp or that shiny scalp that you see on balding men. Periodically, I have experienced scalp soreness. Overall, I am very pleased with my hair growth."

• Pco...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 30, 2016

For Alopecia "I've been taking spironolactone for 6 months due to hair loss from PCOS. The first 4 months my hair continued to shed. There were many times I panicked and wanted to stop taking it, thinking it would just get worse (dose of 100 morning and night). I'm so happy I pushed through, I now have a lot of new hair growth and the shedding has stopped."

• Nin...
• June 10, 2020

For Acne "I was prescribed Spironolactone 50 mg to treat acne. Two months later, my cystic acne improved, but my hair started falling out really bad. I have never had a problem with hair loss before. My doctor reassured me that Spironolactone doesn't cause hair loss and recommended to continue the treatment. I was happy with clearer skin and kept taking the medication, hoping that the hair loss will stop, but it didn't. After six months of treatment, I lost a substantial amount of my hair volume and decided to stop Spironolactone. I didn't have any underlying conditions and haven't had any traumatizing life events that would cause hair loss. Three months after I stopped Spironolactone, my hair loss has completely resolved. Half a year later, I decided to try Spironolactone again as my acne came back. Surely enough, my hair started shedding really bad after one or two weeks of taking this medication. I am very disappointed that this medication did more harm than good."

• Sid...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 26, 2013

For Alopecia "I am 19 years old and have female androgenetic alopecia, at an alarmingly high stage at that. This had a HORRIBLE initial shed, but it has stopped shedding, and now I have less hair falling out. I don't see any regrowth though and am using minoxidil every other day, so maybe if I used it regularly, I'd be fine. Minoxidil is causing me to grow lots of facial hair though (5% concentration), and the spironolactone is supposed to fix hirsutism, but the minoxidil is more dominating in the facial hair aspect... not giving up though because keeping hair on my head is more important than having a hairy face. I can just wax/thread facial hair."

• Ann...
• December 4, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I tried spiro 6 months ago, lowered my BP too much, had to come off. 100 gram. Dr. wouldn't listen to my side effects. Dry mouth, severe cramps, and numbness in the left side of my face, left arm, and foot. Sore mouth and tongue, super thirsty, and itchy scalp, and lots of hair falling out. Was put back on a lower dose 1/2 of 25 gram. Same night, numbness started, and fingers started to cramp. Washed my hair a few days later, and loads fell out. Stopped taking it after 12 days. Dr. is not going to be pleased. This is a dangerous drug. Don't know how far the numbness goes if ignored."

• Eve...
• July 23, 2015

For Alopecia "Due to medication, lost hair every time I brushed, every time I washed, seemingly every time I touched my head!! Now, due to spironolactone, I no longer lose hair!! My plumbing is happy too. My doctor suggested I take Biotin as well. I know it will take many months for me to see new growth, but that's okay. My skin looks great too!!"

• jub...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 22, 2013

For Alopecia "I've been taking spironolactone 50mg for 6 months, my skin cleared up dramatically almost perfectly. It's not greasy anymore. My hair feels softer but is still coming out a little, although it does feel much healthier I don't see any amazing regrowth. I've decided to up the dose to 100mg because it doesn't hurt anymore. It was a real curve coming from 25 to 50. It hurt whenever I jumped right into 100mg when I first started. I don't pee that much either even now on 100mg, I think my body has a tolerance for it. Nothing hurts really but my stomach (not belly, but stomach right below the heart) that went away in time, the pain was more of a depleted feeling than a painful feeling. I had a little brain fog in the beginning, not anymore."

• Sth...
• December 27, 2017

For Hirsutism "I’m a 27-year-old African American woman, and I’ve been taking Spiro (100 mg) for hirsutism off and on for 4 years. I’d go off of it because it caused a significant amount of weight loss. I was already slim to begin with, so weight loss was not something I could tolerate. But when the excessive hair growth came back about 6 months later, I stayed on for another year. Fast forward to 4 years later, weight loss is no longer an issue, but I feel like the hair on top of my head is a lot thinner than it was before. Starting in January, I’m thinking about taking Spiro in conjunction with Hairfinity. I’ll provide an update at the end of March! Wish me luck, ladies."

• Lob...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 6, 2014

For Acne "I've been on spironolactone for probably 2 or 3 years now. We have always had a love/hate relationship. Rest assured, spironolactone will work for most people when it comes to combating acne (all acne is caused by hormones to some degree), but like any other medication, spironolactone is not without side effects! Over the years, I have decreased my dosage and sometimes tried to completely stop taking it due to weight gain (yes, you initially lose it, but just wait!), thinning hair, depression, dehydration (I believe this side effect is worse for me due to other medicines I take with it), slower metabolism/fatigue, and evidence that this medicine was totally prematurely aging my skin! Initially, it was 25 mg 2 times a day, but now I just take 25 mg a day."

• Yel...
• October 17, 2019

For Alopecia "Been on spironolactone 100 mg and a year ago increased to 200 mg. Since then I notice little skin lesions, they're not itchy, just red. I've seen a few doctors and my dermatologist, who say it's eczema and gave me a steroid cream. Start of this year I reduced my dose of spironolactone from 200 mg to 100 mg, then 50 mg, and my hair thinned, unfortunately, but I noticed my lesions fading. I increased my dose back to 200 mg, and lesions are back, I feel the spironolactone is the cause. If I reduce spironolactone, my hair thins, if I don't, I'm getting a rash. Recently I've started the autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet, as I've heard it can help with autoimmune diseases, so no dairy, wheat, sugar, and nightshades, then I'll go onto the Paleo diet. If anyone else has had the issue with spironolactone and rashes, please comment. If you have gone onto a diet that has improved symptoms, did you stop spironolactone as soon as you started the diet or continue to take it until improvements were seen from the diet, then stop?"

• Hop...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 1, 2019

For Alopecia "I have been using a low dose of 25 mg for 3 months now. Originally, I noticed less shedding, but currently, my hair is thinner than before. Having moderate shedding now with diffuse hair loss. Has not improved the condition of my hair at all."

• Jew...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 19, 2013

For Acne "My doctor prescribed spironolactone (50 mg per day). It seemed to work rather quickly, and I was thrilled. However, I have gained 11 lbs in one month, my hair seems to be thinning, always tired, double cycle in one month! So I have stopped as of 3 weeks ago, now my face is breaking out again, but I have lost 9 lbs and seem to have more energy. I am so frustrated! I am 45 and should not have to deal with this cystic acne."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 1, 2022

For Alopecia "Have been on Spironolactone (now 200 mg/day) for 1 1/2 months; at first no shedding, but now for two weeks terrible shedding :(. Burning in many parts of the scalp. Also on HRT since four months. Anybody else had terrible shedding and scalp burning sensations? No PCOS. Normal hormone levels."

• Joj...
• December 12, 2017

For Alopecia "I have excessive hair loss, and it’s been like that for months, maybe a year now. Anyway, I first wanted to try natural stuff, but it never stopped the hair loss. After months of hair loss, I decided to ask my doctor what medicine would reduce the hair loss caused by high testosterone, and she gave me spironolactone 50 mg. I have been Googling about it before she gave it to me for months, and based on people's experience and the comments here, I was excited, like finally something would stop it. I only took it for 5 days, and OMG the hair shedding I had every day was crazy, clumps and clumps. I stopped it, and the crazy shedding was still there for two weeks. Plus, I hardly get acne, and I got like 5 spots on each cheek. Obviously, people are different, but it didn’t work for me."

• Man...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 31, 2018

Spironolactone for Acne "This medication was prescribed to treat my hormonal acne. The side effects that I experienced outweighed any positives. I did observe my acne subside, but my skin became so dry and parched doing so. My face looked sunken in and aged. I'm only 27, and I do not smoke and only occasionally consume alcoholic beverages. My libido was nearly nonexistent. I was very dry in my genitals and could not self-lubricate for sex. My hair was also incredibly dry and brittle, and I noticed hair thinning at my scalp. My hair was coming out noticeably more as well. I was having difficulty sleeping. I gained nearly 10 pounds since starting... I eat fairly healthy and balanced. I was only on Spiro for roughly 4 months. I've been off of it for only a few days, but I swear I already feel and look so much better. I'll take some pimples and oily (but healthy) facial skin."

• Anonymous
• July 8, 2011

For Acne "I started taking this after having missed four periods. I started taking this on Tuesday, and by Thursday, I started my period. The horrible cystic acne I was suffering from disappeared, and the unwanted hair growth stopped and reversed course. The joint pain I see people commenting on may not be from this pill. Have your physician test your DHEA and prolactin levels through blood work, as deficiencies in these areas can cause severe joint pain, fatigue, memory loss, decreased libido, and hair loss."

• Ama...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 3, 2023

For Acne "I am so glad that I found this medicine along with Yaz birth control. I suffered from acne, oily hair, plus hair loss, and facial hair. I never realized how much this medicine helped me until I stopped taking them. I tried to go the natural route, but honestly, the stress of always having to eat right and never being able to enjoy dairy and sugar at all is not worth it to me. Got back on the spironolactone and Yaz, and my skin is clear, baby hairs are growing back like crazy, my heart rate is at a normal level, and all anxiety and depression are gone."

• Kik...
• June 14, 2019

For Acne "I was prescribed 25 mg spironolactone once a day for acne. I've taken Accutane 2 rounds over 10 years ago, but I still have horrible cysts on my face. My dermatologist said it was hormonal and that spironolactone would help me. After 2 weeks, my face was so clear and acne-free, my face/hair was no longer oily. But soon the happiness went away. By the beginning of the 2nd month, my hair got so brittle/thin and I was losing over 300 hairs a day. I told my dermatologist, who said it's impossible because this med also helps grow hair. He took a full panel of blood work, and the results said my testosterone levels were below normal. I was 4, and 8 was the minimum normal. Yes, ladies, we have testosterone in our bodies. He told me to stop the medication. My hair and face went back to being oily with acne, but my hair is still gone. I lost over 75% of my hair, and I don't know if it will grow back. I wear baseball caps to cover my almost bald head. It is so depressing because I had a full head of thick, waist-length hair."

• Kik...
• June 14, 2019

For Acne "I was prescribed 25 mg spironolactone once a day for acne. I've taken Accutane 2 rounds over 10 years ago, but I still have horrible cysts on my face. My dermatologist said it was hormonal and that spironolactone would help me. After 2 weeks, my face was so clear and acne-free, my face/hair was no longer oily. But soon the happiness went away. By the beginning of the 2nd month, my hair got so brittle/thin and I was losing over 300 hairs a day. I told my dermatologist, who said it's impossible because this med also helps grow hair. He took a full panel of blood work, and the results said my testosterone levels were below normal. I was 4, and 8 was the minimum normal. Yes, ladies, we have testosterone in our bodies. He told me to stop the medication. My hair and face went back to being oily with acne, but my hair is still gone. I lost over 75% of my hair, and I don't know if it will grow back. I wear baseball caps to cover my almost bald head. It is so depressing because I had a full head of thick, waist-length hair."

• Kik...
• June 14, 2019

For Acne "I was prescribed 25 mg spironolactone once a day for acne. I've taken Accutane 2 rounds over 10 years ago, but I still have horrible cysts on my face. My dermatologist said it was hormonal and that spironolactone would help me. After 2 weeks, my face was so clear and acne-free, my face/hair was no longer oily. But soon the happiness went away. By the beginning of the 2nd month, my hair got so brittle/thin and I was losing over 300 hairs a day. I told my dermatologist, who said it's impossible because this med also helps grow hair. He took a full panel of blood work, and the results said my testosterone levels were below normal. I was 4, and 8 was the minimum normal. Yes, ladies, we have testosterone in our bodies. He told me to stop the medication. My hair and face went back to being oily with acne, but my hair is still gone. I lost over 75% of my hair, and I don't know if it will grow back. I wear baseball caps to cover my almost bald head. It is so depressing because I had a full head of thick, waist-length hair."

• 41r...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2016

For Acne "53 female and have cystic acne and very oily skin. Been on it about a month, and I'm over the top happy. No more itchy, painful bumps in my scalp, ears, and face. I am having hair loss but will push through to see if it subsides. Having dealt with acne most of my life, I'll take thinner hair for clear skin any day. ☺️"

• Hai...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 11, 2023

For Acne "I was on 100 mg of spironolactone for 1.5 years, and it caused significant hair loss. My dermatologist kept telling me it’s supposed to help with hair growth and doesn’t cause hair loss. So I kept on it until my hairstylist noticed and was concerned about the amount I had lost. On a whim, I decided to just stop the drug. The kicker was that it didn’t even relieve my acne 100%. Maybe 50%. Luckily, it hasn’t returned to the way it was before I started spironolactone. It’s been 5 months, and it feels like my hair is growing, but it’s such a slow process that it’s hard to tell."