Spironolacone

Hair Removal Methods Prescription oral medications
#61

I just noticed that it said above something about how you can die if your potassium levels get too high!! Does this make spironolactone more dangerous than Flutamide or Finasteride for women or as far as these three drugs go is spiro the least dangerous? (I know there are side affects for all 3- none are risk free- and that a birth control pill needs to be taken at the same time).
I’m wondering which of the three works best for decreasing facial hair growth. The posts from women here have been mostly for Spiro. More men have posted about the other two. Which drug is best for women?

alli

#62

Please forgive me for asking how many mg of spiro you take coffeegal!! I went back and read what I had printed out and I see what you are taking.Sorry to waste anyone’s time.

I still wonder about the grapefruit thing tho.

alli

#63

Almost all drugs are dangerous if you are not careful. You have to really consume a lot of potassium to get into the danger zone. The dangers were just brought up since so many people on this thread are taking the medications without doctor supervision.

Finasteride blocks the conversion of testosterone to DHT (DHT is reduced, free testosterone increases).

Spironolactone blocks testosterone creation and usage (DHT may be reduced due to less testosterone to create it from, but not necessarily)

Flutamide blocks testosterone receptors by binding to them.

The three different medications have slightly different functions. Unless you are losing hair, I would think finasteride would be the last choice for a genetic woman.

#64

Thanks so much NikkiSTL.

What is the cheapest ppl here have found spironolactone on the internet for and where? I have a prescription written but my insurance will be running out by October and I will have crappier University insurance. I’m not sure what prescriptions they will even cover and I KNOW they don’t cover pre-existing conditions so I am worried that if I submit this prescription to my insurance now the other insurance won’t cover it later.

Then again I was prescribed it 3 years ago and taking it so they may go back that far to check…I don’t know how they do it, but I didn’t stay on it that long. If a doctor gives you a drug to try but you are not "technically " diagnosed for anything but hirsutism is it a pre-existing condition? ugghhhh…I’m asking too many questions!

Alli

#65

Hi Alli – you aren’t asking to many questions! I just haven’t been back here for awhile to check this thread–sorry!

You can get generic Spiro from Wal-Mart Pharmacies for $4. I will tell you that the name brand, Aldactone, is still the fastest working because the fillers in it don’t block any absorption compared to generics, but that’s not to say the generics don’t work. And one cannot take what one cannot afford, and Aldactone is outrageously expensive.
If money is an issue, get the generic stuff at Wal-Mart. I get mine from www.inhousedrugstore.com because I don’t have a prescription. And it’s dirt cheap too.

Grapefruit will intensify almost every kind of medication out there. Anymore you will get warnings about grapefruit/juice on slips that the pharmacists staple to the bags when you pick up your prescriptions. They are paying extremely close attention to the elderly regarding grapefruit, because older people tend to be forgetful, and just tend to eat/drink whatever they like.

Right now I take 200 mg/day. The transgendered people I know of take 200-300 mg/day. None of them have had any sort of bad side effects, and any side effects I have had were mostly good (see my prior posts). The negative ones were very short-lived.

Ask any questions you like; I’ll try to check back here more often. I had a really tough time in my beginning finding anyone who would give their experiences with Spiro, which is why I wrote all about mine here. Many people go on perpetual electrology, thinking it doesn’t work, when really it’s just that their hormones are causing new follicles to come into action as fast as the old ones are killed off.

BTW, I researched all the anti-androgen drugs, and Spiro is by far the most benign when it comes to side effects and taking it long term. Plus it makes my skin feel like a baby’s butt.
:wink:

#66

I know that salt substitutes are not something one should intake while on Spiro, but natural salt is okay right? More specifically, Himalayan Sea Salt. It’s much healthier than table salt, but I just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t have any interference.

#67

Sea Salt is better for you, just make sure that you increase your water intake along with your salt intake. You should be having an ounce for every pound you weigh anyhow. The problem comes when an already dehydrated person increases salt intake.

#68

I do try and drink the amount of water in ounces that I weigh in pounds, but it can be difficult. I’m a lurker on this site and I’ve read your advice about that before, so since then I’ve been doing it. I’m currently reading a book called "Water & Salt, The Essece of Life. More specifically, salt from Himalaya. It’s an interesting read and makes sense. I just needed to know if it would be okay to intake the salt. Thanks for the reply.

#69

Spiro depletes your body somewhat of sodium, and according to hormonehelpny.com, the salt shaker is perfectly fine. Just no salt substitutes, and for those of you with water softeners, use the sodium pellets, NOT the potassium pellets! Okay to eat potassium foods; I always do. Just don’t eat a pack of bananas after you’ve taken your tablet.

Once in awhile I’ll crave salt, so I’ll get a bowl of popcorn or eat pickles or something, then I feel better. I have never been dehydrated on spiro. I don’t go to the bathroom much more than I ever did–maybe just a little more. Spiro is nothing like Lasix.

I prefer mineral sea salt. Healthier and much tastier than the white stuff at the store. Of course, at $10/pound, it ought to!
(Lasts a long time, though.)

#70

Yeah, I didn’t go to the bathroom much more than I did before either, however, since I’ve beefed up on my water intake, I do go to the bathroom a lot more. I don’t think I really ever put salt on anything, just this soup that I make ever couple of weeks that lasts me a week. The Lipton Soup Mix is loaded with it. So I wanted to cut that in half and start using Himalyan sea salt since it is actually good for you. Seeing as how table salt is a mixture of Sodium and Chloride, which can be lethal on their own, I don’t really like putting that in my body. So I just wanted to make sure it was all good intaking the seal salt.

#71

I am MtF as well. I recently began taking spironolactone that I ordered from the internet. I am somewhat suspicous that it smell like mints. Has anyone else noticed a minty, piney smell to this medication?

#72

That is how it smells (I buy online and through pharmacy) - those pills are VERY nasty if you were to dissolve them in your mouth.

#73

I have not been online at all or checked this site in almost 2 months as I have been super depressed and pretty much checked out of life…all from this stupid hair growth that just seems to worsen and frustrate me more. I quit grad school and things have taken a turn for the worse but I really want to have faith that this will all get better. I have begun therapy and changed my diet, at least, but the hardest part is that the stress of my high anxiety and depression about the hair is making it worse by increasing my DHEA, which is creating more testosoterone!!! UGHHH… I’ve had a battery of hormonal tests and my cortisol is high AND my adrenals are elevated off the charts. I wish I could just accept the hair growth but it just reaks havoc on me physically and emotionally…anyhow I just want to thank CoffeeGal and those others who have offered their cherished advice since I haven’t posted in so long. (This post actually does have to do with spironolactone!)

I have been taking spiro for a little over a month now and I am seriously considering electrolysis. It just seems so hopeless and it takes so long to see results…like it will never really significantly get better.I need hope cuz i can’t go on like this. How long should I wait to have been on spiro before I start the electrolysis?

#74

You can start electrolysis now. Sprio is not going to pose a problem to your treatment. The sooner you get to first clearance, the better you will feel, and the easier it will be to maintain your clearance.

#75

Yes, you can start now. Are you just looking to treat your face right now? You should have aggressive longer treatments up front to clear the area, so that after, you will only have to come in to get the new hairs that pop up. So, even if the entire process to get rid of every single hair takes a while, you will look clear after the first month or so depending on how much hair there is to remove. So you will feel much better. And spiro will kick in and prevent NEW growth. So overall, the hairs will look like they’re coming in slower.

Btw, is the hair you’re looking to treat coarse or fine? How much hair and what specific areas? If there are large areas with very coarse hair, you can knock out a bunch with laser first, before finishing with electrolysis.

#76

The areas are mostly chin/ under chin and throat and some on cheeks and sideburn area. Most of it is finer dark hairs and coarser blond hairs but there are also many sporadic, thick, dark, coarse hairs on and under my chin and cheeks. I will worry about the mustache later sice it doesn’t bother me as much as those bigger surface areas.

The thing I’m worried about is that the only spot I want to tackle full clearance is the direct chin. I have tons of hairs that bother me most under my chin on the neck/ throat area of all the hair types mentioned above but I want to leave many of the natural looking blonde hairs or even light brown ones alone that hug the skin and follow the natural curves of my face/neck and don’t jet out or stand out in order to keep a natural look. This seems more complicated in terms of judging what stage each hair is in (that and the fact that there is a lot of hair).

I am particularly repulsed when I see my face in natural sunlight and see all the new hairs coming through the skin, blond or dark, as they reflect the light and shine, looking so thick and coarse. Sunny days actually give me more anxiety, which is so sad.

#77

May I suggest that you make peace with the blonde ones. Those prove that you are human and not a wax statue in Madame Tussaint’s Wax Museum. I would bet my money that if you see Rita while you are in Ohio, she would be able to give you full first clearance of all black hairs chin, cheeks, AND aroud your lips.

#78

Your situation is perfect for electrolysis. Laser would not be good for you. Check out the electrologists that were recommended for you and stick with the best one out of those. You should be good in 6 months when you’re leaving Ohio, with much of it cleared.

#79

Thanks you guys…regarding the blonde hairs-like I said I want to leave the natural looking blonde and even brown hairs that “go with the flow” alone but there are some thick blonde hairs or ones that glisten in the light and go every which way, sticking out and not laying down with the others. Would it be realistic to have success in getting rid of these as well? Honestly I think many types of facial hair look fine and even attractive but anything that is not uniform and/or laying somewhat down and curving with the face really grabs my attention and kills my self esteem.

The question I’m most concerned about is how I will see good results since it won’t be easy to tell which hairs are in the best treating “growth” phase in the areas that I don’t want to remove ALL the hairs, like under my chin, throat, jawline/cheeks. How will the practitioner tackle this issue?

#80

An electrologist with good vision and lighting equipment can actually see those hairs and the follicle openings they come from. If the vision equipment is not up to the job, then the electrologist either can’t see well enough to notice those hairs, or, they can see the hairs, but are guessing on the insertion into the follicle.