Am I wasting my $$$ on a low dose of Spiro?

LauraOSU05 · 02-06-2005, 01:13 PM

My dermatologist is an older man, who probably has no idea about new treatments for acne.

Last September, I had an appointment and took handouts I had researched about hormonal acne and Spironolactone. After much persuading, he gave me a script for 25mg, even though I told him that I needed a higher dosage. He said that he hadn't heard a lot about the drug and wanted to start me out on a low dose and work the way up. Well, needless to say, 25mg didn't do **** except make me have to pee more (I was also taking OTC Lo at the time...which made me break out horribly!)

At my next appointment in December, he increased my dosage to 50mg. Which I thought would be ok, but I still haven't seen any major results from it. I have heard a lot of people on the board have success with 150 or 200mg, but at this rate it will take me another year to get my derm to increase my dosage to that level...GRRRRR!

My family's insurance changed as of January 1, 2005, so I am hoping to get an appointment with a new dermatologist...one who isn't a fossil! Maybe he or she will know a little bit more about Spiro, but until then, I guess my $$$ is literally going down the toilet!

For those of you on Spiro (Bordergirl, Kelly1212, etc...), how many mg/day are you taking??

P.S. I am also using Differin Cream (pm), Klaron Lotion (am), Tri-Sprintec BCP, and applying jojoba oil (pm) to help with my scars.

SweetJade1 · 02-06-2005, 01:55 PM

The amount of spiro probably depends on the amount of Free Testosterone you have since spiro's effects are dose dependent.

Males are very sensitive to Spiro requiring 25mg - 100mg to get clear. Whereas most women around here take 50mg - 200mg, avg being 100mg - 200mg. Apparently you could take as much as 300mg, but the only people I'm aware of doing so are....transgenders.

HTH =)

LauraOSU05 · 02-06-2005, 02:20 PM

Thanks for the info SweetJade!

I will look into getting my hormones checked at an endocrinologist just to be certain that I really DO have elevated free testosterone before I try and increase my dosage of Spiro. I always thought that I had hormonal problems because I have darker hair above my lip and moderate acne around my chin/jawline. Knowing for sure what the problem is will give me some peace of mind!

When you have hormones checked, what exactly do they do? I assumed that they draw blood and send it to a lab. Anything else I need to be aware of before I make an appointment?

BorderGirl · 02-06-2005, 02:29 PM

Yep they just draw blood. Two things to keep in mind. Some people are successful with spiro even if their testosterone ISN'T elevated, because some people are more prone to testosterone's negative effects. But with your other symptoms there is definitely a chance yours is elevated.
The other thing I've experienced is unless your acne is bad, an endocrinologist is less likely to understand your concern than a dermatologist. Mine puts in his notes all the time "patient has no acne" and I want to scream that I am on 4 meds to control it! (Spiro, Differin, Rosac, and Desogen). My dermatologist sent a note to my endocrinologist to prescribe spiro for me if possible and that was a huge help.
I'm on 100mg a day and was doing really well (along with my other treatments) until very recently. I suspect my hormones have gotten much worse and will definitely be asking my endo to increase the dose if possible.
And nobody asked about this but since people on spiro will be reading this I thought I'd volunteer this info

This month, without asking beforehand what the price would be, I ordered name brand spiro. I felt like I was getting an uneven dose on generic. The good news: I am actually sleeping through the night and not having to get up and pee 5 times. The bad news: It costs $70.
So I'm going back to generic next month

LauraOSU05 · 02-07-2005, 02:05 PM

Ugh...I hate needles, but getting my hormones checked would definately be worth the pain for me to finally understand why I keep getting acne!

I'm glad that you are still doing pretty well on your regime Bordergirl! I really want to increase my dosage of Spiro, since it seems like I do have some sort of elevated testostrone, but I will stick at it until I get my hormones checked...probably sometime over my Spring Break in March! Thanks for the information!