Spironolactone and Acne

Draanor | Jul 21, 2009 | Views: 916 |

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Spironolactone is a drug that is used to treat a variety of disorders. The most common use for spironolactone is high blood pressure and liquid retention in the body. Interestingly enough however, even though the FDA does not recognize it as a treatment for acne, many doctors will off-label prescribe it for women with hormonal acne.

Spironolactone is not a drug you should be considering if you haven't tried other basic topical acne treatments first. And after that, its only useful if you're experiencing acne due to your hormones fluctuating erratically.

If you're thinking spironolactone might be something you'd be interested in, you can only get it from a prescription from your doctor.

How does spironolactone reduce acne?

Spironolactone is from a family of drugs called anti-androgens. Androgen hormones are most prevelant in male bodies (testosterone for example) but women have it in their bodies as well, just in smaller quantities. Through testing, spironolactone has proven to be a great acne treatment.

Some women experience a problem where their bodies overproduce these androgens which can result in unwanted facial hair, acne, and other problems in women. Spironolactone works by blocking the androgen receptors in the body which in turn, reduce the amount of androgen produced.

Because of how spironolactone works, women will only experience results in acne reduction if their body is overproducing androgens. If they aren't having those types of hormonal problems they will see little to no results.

Side effects of spironolactone

As with any drug, there are some side effects with spironolactone that you should be aware of. The most common of these are:

irregular menstrual cycle
breast tenderness

Some other less common side effects that you can have are:

dry mouth or thirst
stomach problems (diarrhea, cramps, vomiting)
headache
dizziness
low blood pressure
increased potassium levels

What other options do I have available?

If you're experiencing acne due to an imbalance in hormones, there are other methods of acne treatment that you can look at. In some cases, a change in diet, exercise, and environment can greatly improve acne problems.

If you've been eating a lot of fast food or foods with lots of preservatives, you should consider a diet with more natural, healthy foods. For healthy, acne free skin, carrots and leafy green vegetables make great choices because of the high level of vitamins that they give your body.

Drinking plenty of water and skipping out on energy drinks and soda also help with acne problems. If you haven't been drinking 8 glasses a day of water, you should start now! Not only will it help you skin out, but it will reduce your risk for a variety of diseases.

Tags: spironolactone acne; spironolactone prescription; hormonal acne; side effects spironolactone; acne treatment;

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