Has anyone else on here bought spironolactone on the internet? I know that some of you have. I’m going to be taking 100 mg twice a day. I drink about half a gallon of water per day. I know that drinking a lot of water is what I should do if on Spriro, but is there anything else I need to control?
Hi:
You should limit your potassium intake. i.e. don’t take any potassium supplements and avoid salt substitutes which are potassium based. Spiro causes your body to retain potassium.
Also I noted that you are female from another posting. It is very important not to get pregnant while on spiro since it could harm developement of male fetuses.
Alicia
Oh yeah, I’ve read that. I’ve been on birth control (Norinyl 1+35) for almost a year now. Where would I be getting my salt substitutes from…which foods?
were you prescribed this by your doctor?
That’s not exactly an answer to my question.
You should get regular blood tests to check potassium levels… If you get any cramping in your legs, that is a bad sign of too much potassium.*
As to where you would get salt substitutes from, they are not usually in foods - they are in the spice aisle at the grocers - for use by people who are concerned about their sodium intake (they are usually potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride). Just keep an eye out for potassium rich foods (there are about a dozen or so - a doctor could give you a list or you could google for it).
That dosage is what MTFs take to drop testosterone from male levels - any particular reason that you feel you need so much (unless of course you are an MTF)?
There is a yahoo group called TsDoItYourselfHormones where you can find out all you want to know about this and other drugs.
*I am not a doctor and thus this advice should be taken with a grain of salt.
Hi:
The salt substitutes I mentioned were stuff such as Mortons salt substitute which cintain Potassium Chloride rather than Sodium Chloride. You should check out packaging if in doubt.
I took a regular vitamin over a mega one since the mega one had a lot of potassium in it.
I agree that from a safety standpoint getting it through doctor and getting blood tests is best, but I know that doctors are reluctant to prescribe spiro for women. Your reasons for self prescribing are understandable to me since I know how the excess body hair can be very psychologically damaging.
Alicia
Someone else just started another thread here:
I asked because I’m wondering if you have been to an endocrinologist to really see if your hair issue is hereditary. Most gynos or regular physicians don’t have enough experience with hormonal issues to determine these types of issues for a fact. This is a strong drug with a bunch of side effects and I would take every precaution necessary and every step necessary to figure out if it’s really safe for you and you need it. There is a reason that doctors are hesitant to prescribe it. There are also birth control pills like Yasmin that could be enough for you. Not sure if you’ve tried that to start.
I assume you meant to reply to the OP and not me because I will not be taking spiro for hair issues (hint, I will also be taking estrogen).
Okay, well I just got some Spiro. I’m curious as to what would be a good dose to start out at. I’ve read that 100-200mg a day would be a dosage to treat hirsutism, but I don’t know if that depends on hairy type, density, coarsenes, etc. Someone also wrote that 100 mg per day is for MTF, which I think means male to female, but I’m not sure. I have darker coarser hair in the classic hirsutism areas of my body, except my face (it’s pretty fine), but the rest is finer and not as dark. I bought 100 100mg tablets. I figure I would start with only 200 mg a day and just cut the pill in half and take 50mg twice a day. That’s about 3 months worth. I just want to see how well I do on it for 3 months and decide if I want more. I drink a lot of water and I’ve been on birth control for almost a year now. I’ll stay away from foods high in potassium and salt substitutes. Does that sound like I have it covered? I would never take anyone’s advice on here as medical advice, but if you could give me some personal experience advice I’d appreciate it. Thanks.
Yes, MTF means male to female - my doctor just prescribed me 50mg twice a day. If you start doing above that you really need to watch out.
So, being that I am a female and not a male, would 50mg twice a day be too much? Or is that normal for treating hirsutism?
Nikki is taking is for transitional reasons. so yes, that would be WAY too much.
Well, from everything I’ve read, 100mg/day is the norm. I mean, even if someone was going MTF, it’s still doing the same thing–making current hair growth finer, slower, and preventing new growth. NikkiSTL also said she’s taking estrogen. I’ve read that to get an androgenic effect, you would need at least 100mg. I’ll figure out some way to ask a doctor and go in for lab testing to make sure my potassium is okay.
someone just posted on the cosmetic enhancements electrolysis forum that they’re a woman taking 200mg a day. you might want to email them. they said they’ve been on it for a year and about to start electrolysis.
Hi:
200 mg/day is a standard dose for a pre-op MTF TS woman.
You may want to try 50 mg/day for 3 months since you probably don’t have near as much testosterone. I really don’t think you would have to exceed 100 mg/day, but that is just a guess.
It is safer to start low.
If you try too much at once it might lead to dizziness as an additional side effect. You would most certainly have to pee more as one of the side effects.
Alicia
Hey all:
I just bought a book called “The Hormonally Vulnerable Woman” and I recommend it to everyone. It discusses all these various hormonal issues that many women face. He’s been in the field for decades studying these issues. Included in his book are hirsutism, alopecia, and acne–which are all due to testosterone, whether the levels are too high or your skin is just vulnerable to the normal levels. Anyway, he also discusses effective treatments, which he himself uses. The main one being Spironolactone, which he recommends combining with an oral contraceptive. He also said that 50mg daily won’t do much for testosterone. He has found that the patients who were on that much before they came to him complained that it was ineffective. He said that 75mg may do some, but the doses to effect testosterone need to be 100-200mg daily. The side effects are not so common aside from the dehydration, which he said can subside by adding more water to you daily intake. Since Spiro was originally designed as a blood pressure medication, you might think that it can effect this, but in reality it was a very weak medication which is why it is no longer used to treat blood pressure issues.
I just thought everyone should know. I recommend reading this book b/c even if you have seen an endocrinologist, they may be undertreating you. Even though they specialize in hormones, they don’t know much about hair. Hair, alopecia, oily skin and acne that are effected by testosterone are pretty much diagnosed and treated in the same way.
I also recommend The Diet Cure, by Julia Ross, The Mood Cure, By Julia Ross, and Your Body’s Many Cries For Water, by F. Batmanghelidj.
It is my opinion that the overwhelming majority of genetic women don’t need Spirolactone, but can make other changes that will do what Spiro is prescribed to do. A good start would be increased water drinking, as that would increase urination, which is one of the main things Spiro does.
I definitely agree that water is great for your health. I usually drink 64 oz a day and sometimes less depending on how busy I am. I’ve decided to up the anti based on a previous post you wrote about drinking 1oz of water for every pound you weigh. It does make my skin clearer b/c it rids it of toxins in my body. However, as I’m sure you know, Spiro doesn’t rid your body of hormones by urinating them out. It competes with testosterone by binding to your receptor site in the hair follicle (something like that). I don’t see how water can do that. The urination is merely a side effect of Spiro. If you could explain to me how driking a lot of water and changing my diet can help with my hair, I’m open to anything you have to say. I am making a change in my diet. I’m going to make a lifestyle change and eat no sugars, except the ones in my fruit and the carbohydrates that by my body needs. I also don’t eat much red meat and chicken, but I love fish and turkey. I plan on beefing up on my exercise. My plan is to lose about 10 pounds, which would put me at 110. From what I’ve read, the less fat you have, the less hormones, and less area for hair to grow. I don’t know though. If you could give me some insight on this, I’d greatly appreciate it. I’m still going to take the Spiro for 3-6 months to see what imporvement there is.