Spironolactone and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Pai...
• July 8, 2021

For Acne "I am a 20-year-old experiencing hormonal acne. I am currently on Apri birth control and have been for about a year (many birth controls in the past). I have been spending hundreds of dollars on over-the-counter treatments and prescribed topical creams. NOTHING has worked. My face will be fine for many months, then break out big time. I have been on an antibiotic for my skin before, but it was temporary. I had enough and contacted my dermatologist. He had me take 50 mg daily and upped the dose after 2-3 weeks to 100 mg daily. My hormonal acne has improved in 4 weeks, and I’m super impressed. At first, I experienced headaches, but nothing severe. I would strongly recommend trying!"

• Kuu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 21, 2020

"My anti-aging doctor started me on spironolactone in January, and my health declined from the start of it. I didn’t put two and two together until last week and stopped the medicine immediately. Sure enough, I’m feeling better already. I had nausea, worse headaches than I usually have, numbness, tingling, stomach cramps, leg pain, arm pain, and the list goes on. It had to be the medicine. I went to urgent care once in the 6-week time period and the ER twice. I was told it was migraines. I knew it was something different. I know what my migraines feel like. This medicine was dangerous. I don’t care how safe my doctor says it is."

• Jul...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 28, 2019

For Hirsutism "I suffer from hirsutism for a while now, more in my face area. I had taken spironolactone 50 mg about 2 years ago and didn't see any change. I was constantly having headaches and I stopped taking it for a while. A few months ago, my dermatologist prescribed spironolactone 100 mg. This time I'm using a different pharmacy, and the pills have a minty taste and smell compared to the ones from my previous pharmacy 2 years ago. I decided to stop taking them again this time because I'm starting to get headaches again and my hair is thinner than before, causing my hair to break easily. So now that I stopped taking spironolactone, I'm losing my hair like crazy. I don't know why this is happening and if it will stop eventually. Just beware of these side effects."

• Aye...
• October 20, 2019

For Hirsutism "I am facing excessive hair growth on my face. After laser treatment, my dermatologist advised me to take Spironolactone 100 mg for a month. After one week of use, I am suffering from headaches and am depressed. I am disappointed."

• Gre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 2, 2022

For Acne "I have PCOS, PMDD, acne, and very oily skin. I started on 25 mg, then took 50 mg for about 5 months. Some people take 100 mg or even 200 mg, but I think I experienced more side effects than average because even on 50 mg I felt tired often and got dehydrated very easily. If I didn't drink enough water, I would easily get headaches and feel a bit lightheaded. I'm not prone to low blood pressure, so I think the side effects were caused by dehydration. But if I managed to drink enough water, then I felt like I was constantly drinking water and constantly peeing (also, I would still get tired). The 50 mg helped my skin somewhat, but I'm back to 25 mg and it doesn't really do anything for my acne or oily skin, so I think I'm going to stop it. Also, I experienced a phase of hair loss when I first started taking it, and I've heard of people having hair loss when they stop taking it too. I later realized spiro is supposed to help PMDD, but I don't think it helped with that, at least at the doses I was taking."

• Jer...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 30, 2019

For Acne "I've been on Spiro for 4+ months for hormonal acne. I started at 25 mg, then bumped to 50 mg (25 mg AM/25 mg PM) two weeks later. After 6 weeks, increased to 75 mg for 2 weeks, 100 mg after (split 50 mg AM/50 mg PM). Initially, I responded well to the med, but after increasing to 75 mg/100 mg, my breakouts are worse than before. I used to get my worst breakouts prior to menstruation; now they come between menstruation and ovulation. My face is just starting to clear by the time my next period comes, and then the cycle starts again. Will discuss with my derm next appointment in a week. I'm slightly disappointed because I have other conditions in which this med is helpful. SIDE EFFECTS EXPERIENCED: Headache and intense external vaginal itchiness that would start about 2 hours after I took the medication and last for about 2-4 hours after. The headache and itching side effects decreased each day over about 3-4 weeks and did not return when the dosages were increased."

• Mal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 1, 2016

For Acne "I have been on spiro at 100 mg for about seven months. First, the plus side is that I have had almost no side effects. I only experienced side effects when I temporarily increased my dosage to 150 mg to control a bad outbreak. Even then, the side effects were just headaches and having to pee a lot. The down side is that it never fully cleared my acne. Where I started spiro, I would say I had moderate acne, which I've had since middle school (I'm 18 now). I now have mild-moderate acne, depending on the day. The last few months I haven't had a single completely clear day. Overall, I'm disappointed. This was supposed to be the thing that finally worked."

• Ran...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 29, 2020

For Acne "I started spironolactone in late October for my acne, and I haven’t been having the best experience. I have a very regular period cycle, but ever since I’ve been taking spironolactone, it’s been very irregular. In November, I got my period for only 3 days, which is not normal for me because my period usually lasts 6-7 days. After that period, I got it again 2 weeks early, but this time a normal 6-7 days. I became a little worried. After that period, I got it again a week later! It’s stressing me out a lot and getting very tiresome. I’ve done research and saw that this is normal, and my sister, who takes it, said it was normal too. I just hope my period gets back on track to how it was. I’ve also had a lot of nausea and headaches. Besides those awful side effects, I have seen a little bit of progress with my acne. I have a lot of acne scars, but not really any acne."

• Yar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 16, 2016

For Acne "I am 22, and I have always had moderate acne on my forehead since I was 13. I first started with 100 mg of spiro, which caused a horrible initial breakout. I stopped taking it for 1 month and started it again, but on 50 mg, and it really cleared my skin. Within one month, I started getting a terrible headache that lasted 1 week. It was so unbearable I stopped taking the pill for a week now, and my headache is completely gone. I don't know if this happened because my diet consists of mostly salt food, but I was seriously scared. I thought I had a brain tumor. This pill is a diuretic, so maybe it'll work well for those who have a well-balanced diet, but as soon as you feel side effects, you should stop it immediately!!! :("

• Vio...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 4, 2023

For Acne "When I started to take this medication, I was told by my doctor that I might have nausea and headaches, and it was like that because she said to take this with food, but what she didn’t say was that it’s better to take the pill an hour after you eat the food, and since then I have no side effects!"

• Che...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 21, 2020

For Acne "I have only taken three doses at 50 mg so far, and am experiencing throbbing, burning stomach pain, even when taken with food. Will not continue this medication."