How to treat acne with spironolactone

No matter you are male or female, no matter that you are a teenager or a grown up, acne is one of the worse nightmares. Acne is caused by a bacteria found on the skin of 90% of the people (but fortunately a much smaller percentage will develop acne).

Hormonal changes

There are many treatments against acne: oral and topical antibiotics or benzoyl peroxide products. But recently the specialists agreed on treating not the bacteria itself, but the organism's response to it, specially if there are hormonal factors influencing the acne. In this case, other things like birth control pills or spironolactone may also be needed.

Spironolactone, named also Aldactone or for short Spiro, is an antiandrogen (blocks the male hormone) and has great effect not only in treating acne, but on hair, skin, scalp and body hair (decreases the hair's growth - hirsuitism) too. Spironolactone is also an antihypertensive, so will not affect a normal blood pressure.

When taking spironolactone you should:

• drink plenty of water in order to avoid dehydration (it is a water pill-diuretic)

• eat something (or drink milk) to avoid stomach upset

• avoid salt, salt substitutes or other products that contains potassium, otherwise the level of the potassium in your blood will be too high and will have as results: heartbeat irregularities, leg cramps, thirst, weakness, headaches

• talk also to your gynecologist because your periods may become irregular (in case you don't take already oral contraceptives)

• avoid by all means to get pregnant because the baby may have birth defects

• be evaluated by the doctor every two, three months (the positive effects can be better observed and the side effects can be diminished).

There are also some spironolactone side effects that should be taken in consideration:

• menstrual irregularity (specially if you don't take birth control pills)

• breast tenderness

• increase fertility (because enhances estrogen and inhibits testosterone), but the baby may have birth defects so a good contraception is needed

• increase urination (because it is a mild diuretic)

• may appear a mild stomach upset.

You can see spironolactone benefits against acne after a period of two to four months and the needed dosage per day is from 25 to 150 mg. You may take spironolactone a year or two, but every couple of months the doctor should check o your progresses.

If you are pregnant or if you have some problems with your kidneys it is better not to take spironolactone. Otherwise, but only under doctor's observation, you may use it to solve you acne problem.