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POSTED UNDER Spironolactone For Acne REVIEWS

Awful Side Effects

ORIGINAL POST

I had gorgeous skin as a teen and then developed...

verrineAugust 16, 2017
$20
I had gorgeous skin as a teen and then developed adult acne. I'm 48 and finally visited a dermatologist. She prescribed Spironolactone 50 mg and said to go to 100 mg if it was well tolerated. It was developed as a blood pressure drug and acne isn't even listed as a condition it treats on Drugs.com! I was warned about its diuretic effect and told to drink lots of water. I was not told that many people didn't deal well with the side effects! There were lots of positive reviews about using it for acne, so I stuck with it for 2 weeks hoping things would improve. The doctor was surprised I lasted that long considering my reaction. MAJOR: confusion (didn't help me decide whether to stay on it or not!), frequent urination and lack of control about it (I drank a lot of water like I was supposed to). If I'd had to go to work, that alone would have been awful. Occasional: dizziness, lack of balance, headache, night shivers (only once). The worst was that it tipped me into a bipolar episode (not a problem for most people), but the other problems were specific to the spironolactone.

Replies (5)

betterlissa
November 2, 2017
Wow, I'm 47 and have a history with bipolar and holding my new filled prescription now. Not sure it's worth it. I think I'll at least try the topical antibiotic I was prescribed, alone first before giving the Spiro a try. Thanks for posting.
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TreeTopAngel
March 31, 2018
like almost any other medicine, only two weeks on a medication won't give you noticeable progress toward treatment goals. spiro disagreed with you but it's not like that for most people who take it. also the frequent urination, you get used to it after a while.
Elendarin
April 12, 2019
That tipped you into a manic or depressive episode? I appreciate you noting that. I have bipolar I, and I'm starting spiro today.
verrine
April 12, 2019
It's possible that I would have had a bipolar episode anyway (I get stuck, not really up or down, but unable to make decisions) as sometimes there don't seem to be any triggers. However, I've gotten good at recognizing when things are starting to slip and since bipolar and sleep are very closely related for me, I should have been able to realize it and stop it in its tracks, but I wasn't even that aware.
verrine
December 23, 2019
Based on reading another review, spironolactone may have helped kick me into menopause. I wasn't hungry and since I wanted to lose weight, I decided to take advantage of the situation. Estrogen is stored in body fat. I think that losing 10% of my body weight so quickly jolted my system. I stopped having periods. I'm now 50 and was shocked when my period came back! Blood tests now indicate that I'm not in menopause. Spiro is used with other drugs to treat early puberty and is only used for acne in women due to hormonal effects.
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