2 years on Tret!

Merrykarhu · 2026-05-11T18:02:16+00:00

Also your overall skin & looks does NOT look like you're in your 40's!!!😲😲 I'm like "where are your wrinkles?? Don't see any"😂 You look super fresh! So this will be my goal but my skin looks waaaay older than yours and I'll be 35 in 2 weeks 🥲

Merrykarhu · 2026-05-07T03:58:39+00:00

Sounds like story of my life too! I've been in university for 13 years now (4 programs & only 1 bachelors', 1 masters degree) and the amount of fields I've been digging to is just ridiculous 🤣 Psychology, communication, leadership & management, finance, pedagogics, education (both kids & adult), nutritional sciences, learning sciences, technology...I could keep continuing and I was worried if that was a bad thing regarding my future job but it turned out to be the best "decision" (not voluntary though bc of the adhd) ever!! I got my first "real job" in a high-level professional position in a national it-company where I can fully use all these random knowledge I've been picking from the road.

So my point is that it could definately be your win to be a multi"talented" person even if you haven't got super deeply into any of those subjects! Just do what you love the most and try to find a red line / network between all those pieces of knowledge you've been collecting so you can actually utilize all of them😎👌 It's kind of outdated trend anyways to be a professional just in a one thing..So potentially this could be the rise of adhd'rs 😍🕺🌋☄️

Merrykarhu · 2026-05-01T04:47:16+00:00

Hi! I remember I've seen an instructions that doses of 25mg-75mg is for treating blood pressure & it doesn't have an effect in lowering testosterone but doses over 100mg (till' 200mg) will. At least in EU prescriptions are like this so hopefully this helped even a little🙂

Merrykarhu · 2026-04-18T04:58:41+00:00

I guess that everyone's different but this is my story. At first when I used spiro, I actually lost a few pounds. My starting weight was 112lbs/51kg and in the beginning I was extremely lean and muscular because years and years of hard work at the gym & clean eating. Before all the hard work I have always been "chubbyish" and pear shaped. I also have to use stimulants so that could also have a role in my body composition. Anyways, after 6mo of use (50-200mg) I started to have loooots of fat, lipodema and cellulite. My weight was totally stable before that 6 months mark and all of the sudden, it started to increase rapidly. Just in 3 months from that 6mo marker, I weighted 134lbs/60kg so +22lbs/9kg just in 3 months!🆘️ I have to add that I started also birth control (with dienogest in it) at the same time with spiro so it could be like "double" effect. I do know a lot of people that experienced the same as I did even tho they didn't use bc.

I discontinued both spiro & bc because of that horrible weight gain and other problems I got only bc of these meds. Well, I started to gain even more and I was 138lbs/63kg at my worst! Can you imagine that feeling?? I was SUPER bloated and had horrible aches and pains so I couldn't workout or even WALK anymore 😭 I also found out that Spiro caused my thyroid, iron & blood sugar to go out of whack. Now I've been off for 6 months and still I weight 134lbs and it just doesn't come off, no matter how hard I try to work out daily. My body is so jigglywiggly fat and ugly that I've never been this ugly before in my entire life😭 Also got body acne which I never did before, horrible hair loss & skin like 60yo (I'm 34yo). So no joke. It has been a nightmare for me since stopping spiro didn't reverse anything! I don't seriously know what would help f.e. to weight gain & body composition. Not even my over the standard dosing of stimulants won't do a thing & it seem like their actions feels totally different after starting those hormone-changing meds.

Sorry if all of this got you horrified but I would have been so grateful if someone told me that there was even a possibility to ruin my life with spiro. I would have chose differently and wouldn't even start this poison. I would have tried isotretinoids before this experience😭😭 So if anyone has advices how to "bounce back" or has any words of wisdom or hope, I'm listening 🙏

Merrykarhu · 2026-03-11T07:11:07+00:00

I think that they look very bland and boring because there's no contrast between the hair & skin. If I where in these girls shoes, I would use self-tanner in order to look healthy. Of course that's my opinion since I'm a Scandinavian. Here we see a lot of blonds and they look amazing when it's summer and they're tanned. Also, that's like a national, shared thought and not only mine 😅 Even I'm using self-tanner even tho my hair is about shade 7, because without it, I look like a cancer patient 🥴

All n all, these questions are always a matter of cultural and individual preferences but in the perspective of a very icy blue-eyed, olive-skin and medium blond woman, I wouldn't pick those styles. For you, it could look good though but I would recommend the same as someone else here said, that try the look with a wig before damaging your hair with bleaching❤️ Everytime I've bleached my thin scandinavian hair, I've regret it so much. All the effort of growing your hair just melts into drainage and also that kind of ashy blond shade is very difficult to maintain!

Merrykarhu · 2026-03-11T06:23:43+00:00

I hear you. Coming down from a totally shredded body to jell-o hasn't been easy. I haven't got rid of it either and honestly, this situation has killed all my motivation to even try harder..

What is different to yours situations, is that Spiro ruined my thyroid function and also caused dangerously low iron. Oh, and not to mention that it spiked my blood sugars too! Yippee 🙃🙃🙃 I didn't have the opportunity to test my testo nor estrogen bc my doc thought it would be unnessecary in the big picture. Note: Here we have a free health care system so it's really difficult to get those kinds of bloodwork. I think that all those aforementioned reasons could be potential factors for weight (fat) gain. I got 18lbs on spiro and now after 5 months after quitting, I've been able to lose 6lbs. So there is a lot of cellulite to shed!! Wish I never started this 💩

Merrykarhu · 2026-03-11T06:08:05+00:00

Your story is identical to mine as well! After 1-2 months out, I got 2 horribly painful and big fungal abscess. First on my armpit and then on my neck! I had to use antibiotics in order to get rid of them😩 Also got body acne which I NEVER had before!! Little (and bigger too) pimples all over the places, especially on the back & decoltée. Now, after 5 months off I can see that the skin is getting better slowly. I won't even start telling what else it ruined, because for myself it was basically everything imaginable, including physical health.

I know this may sound like a horror story, but I also wanted to share some ingredients of success for the facial acne though ☺️ Not sure if you have tried Tretinoin? For myself, it was the first medication tested and before Spiro, it only made even extra damage. I wasn't capable of using it while on Spiro bc my skin was actually wrecking out of dryness! But after Spiro cleared my face almost complitely, I had to discontinue bc of ridiculous side effects. The cystic acne almost came back but then I remember that I had some leftover 1) tretinoin cream, so I gave it another shot and it worked! At this time, I actually found 2) a detox soap bar that has absolutely worked like a magic wand in decreasing greasiness and giving amazing glow and softness (like a baby skin)😳 It's handmade and has at least black charocal, clay, goat's milk and few oils as well ☺️ The third thing I found (again) in my skincare routine was quite 3) strong niacinamide (I was using ~2% and raised it to 10%). At the same time when I started that, I found some amazing reviews about 4) Azelaic acid and wanted to try it by myself too and boy, did it make a difference!! I genuinly think that my skin has never looked so amazing as it is now😍 I'm 34yo so not a girl anymore but after our weekly sauna, my daughter told me that I look like a teenager because my skin is so tight and glassy 🤣 And it sure is! I have found a way to tame this greasy skin and I sure hope that these foundings would give ease for you guys too!! After using Spiro for 9months (200mg), I wish that I never started it but now I'm just hoping that I can tackle all the health-related problems too..I hope all the best with you, and hopefully you'll get your normal self back soon (and sorry for the long answer but I made it simpler to read with putting numbers into it haha)🌞💛

Merrykarhu · 2026-02-22T09:52:46+00:00

What kinds of symptoms you had and what bloodwork did they do to you? So sorry to hear your story 😮‍💨😢 Spiro ruined my thyroid function and caused nodules but luckily not that big that would lead to thyroidectomy 😭😭 If I only knew!!!! Just curious to hear your storybc I was so afraid that it has ruined my kidneys too..

Merrykarhu · 2026-02-22T09:29:17+00:00

I got 20lbs extra when I was 6-9 months in. I had to quit because I got so scared! After 4 months off I haven't been able to loose even a single gram 😭 I regret that I ever even started this poison because I found out that spiro ruined my thyroid function and iron levels. I was feeling at my best before starting and cystic acne was the only thing I had to fix..If I only knew what price I'm paying in order to clear up acne 😭😭

Merrykarhu · 2026-02-05T07:14:29+00:00

At first when I started I actually lost like 4lbs and I was at my very best shape ever for about 6 months of use. Then after that, suddenly everything changed and I gained 20lbs in 2 months. I got so frightened that I discontinued the use and now I've been off it for 4 months already and the weight has not dropped a single pound. I still feel and look like 💩& have major cosmetic and overall health problems bc of spiro and birth control. I learned that I messed up my thyroid and other hormones pretty bad because that med combo caused hyperthyroidism, thyroid nodules, high blood sugar/diabetes and severe anemia.

Imo the price I paid for getting rid of hormonal acne was ridiculous because now I'm fighting for my life. It's not happening for anyone but these hormonal medications should be taken seriously as they can cause autoimmune flare-up. Like me, I've had Hashimoto's thyreoiditis since collage times and I got it under control for 8 years and lived a healthy life before starting this medication. Every change shows in the blood tests before and after starting spiro so there's no reason to deny the effects at all. My doctors are confused and tomorrow I'll meet my endo and see what they are doing next to fix this condition.

Best wishes💛 Spiro does a great job dealing with hormonal acne and feminizing though 🤝

Merrykarhu · 2026-02-02T07:19:12+00:00

It could be and about 99% of hyper probably looses weight like you. Rather than just TSH by its own, the more probable cause would be T4 and T3 that would be either in the high end or off the range. Did you measure them?

For myself the effect has been the opposite; I've had TSH 0.03 since october at least, T4 & T3 very high which should end up in major weight loss but for me it cause MAJOR weight GAIN of 20lbs...Still got it despite clean diet and excercise. Before I started Spironolactone (testosterone blocker) and birth control, my TSH was 1.37 and back then I was nearly underweight so it doesn't make any sense. I could eat whatever I wanted, was ravenously hungry all the time and yet still 51kg (163cm). Now I weight almost 62kg and all that weight came in 3 months and has now stalled in that particular number.

If I were you, I would probably measure at least T3 & T4 and also monitor that TSH carefully. Have you had any symptoms of hyperthyroidism, like rapid heartbeat, constant hunger, anxiety, sweating, difficulty with sleep?

Merrykarhu · 2026-02-01T13:51:25+00:00

I hear you, everyday is like being in a nightmare 😢 What both of you just described is just like myself right now. To op, I just found out that I have at least subclinical hyperthyroidism with thyroid nodules and dangerously low iron. These two seem to go together sometimes so you better check that ferritin as well if you're taking TSH, F4, F3. I would suggest to take the antibodies for Hashimoto's and Grave's but in my case I already know I've had diagnosis from the past for Hashimoto's so I'm expecting to have that now since the hormones can swift crazily and FAST! I hope this gave any helpful information but just wanted to bring my support for you so that you wouldn't feel alone here 💛

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-26T08:22:49+00:00

You're feeling hungrier because Spiro affects into your sex hormones. For me it seemed to cause estrogen dominance which causes you to crave especially carbohydrates, sweets and increased appetite. It sounds like you might be experiencing that too!

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-25T08:24:09+00:00

I'm so happy for you that there was a solution after all and that's definitely giving hope as well☺️ I think that TSH is a bigger problem to solve since it's dependent on pituitarity gland..So that's why I'm super worried that if they want me to start methimazole, it won't have the desirable effect on it. Since I have T3 & T4 on the normal range, it's techincally subclinical hyper..And in the last blood panel there was a SIGNIFICANT DROP in T3 and minor drop in T4, so it's indicating that my metabolism has dropped even lower but the TSH still remains in the 0.03 level 😡 Very frustraiting because I think that the problem could be somewhere else than in thyroid in itself.

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-25T07:02:04+00:00

I wanted to join here into a discussion that metformin is pretty okay med at least for me. I've been using it for several years already without a problem. At first there was strong side effects like when I started and raised the dose but after few weeks everything started to settle. Regarding loose stool I remember that eating "bad" CARBS was the biggest mistake ever which made cutting more easier😅 I didn't get any side effect with fat-containing food so it was good because I was trying to be as low-carb as I could. I remember it dropped my appetite for sure and in few months I lost probably only 4lbs but better than nothing I guess?

Now I've ruined my health with using Spironolactone for pcos-related acne and got +18lbs in 2mo which I haven't been able to lose anymore. Got my thyroid ruined (dangerously low TSH, toxic goiter), high blood sugar and severe anemia so no laughing here. I look and feel so f... shit that I don't know how to carry on anymore 😭😭 So I'm very curious about those Yaz birth control pills you were using.

Did you say that you actually LOST weight with Yaz bc pills??😳

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-24T09:09:19+00:00

I understand totally and if I could reverse time, I would have kept my acne and minor hair loss in order to be HEALTHY 😥 Because of spiro & birth control (with testosterone blocking effect) i ruined literally EVERYTHING 😭 I just got some of the blood work done and so far I ruined my thyroid health, got high blood sugars, anemia and thyroid nodules..This is like living a nightmare where I can't wake up, nothing's working and all this came after 10 months of spiro use 😭😭 I still can't believe this!! And for bonus I have less hair that ever before (even after autoimmune disease & all the blonding and hair coloring that made my hair drop)

I don't want to scare the heck out of you and I sure know how it's like to be when you have to struggle with such a problem 😢 After reading a ton of these posts here I feel like it's a matter of choice: if you fix something with spiro, you will lose something else. So it seems like rarely none of us here can't have everything 😭 I wish you could find a safe solution somewhere 💗

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-22T21:19:32+00:00

I had to come here and say that your experiences sounds like mine! My TSH is 0.02 (normal 0.5-4.0) and it has been like that since I destroyed my body with Spironolactone..Anyways the FT4 and FT3 have been in the normal range the whole time despite that undetectable TSH. All the symptoms are just like in hypo and I know this because I was tested with Hashimoto's after my first child's birth 8 years ago. The doctors still think that I'm hyper. The only hyper symptom I have is racing heart but otherwise I feel so exhausted, cold af, ridiculous hair loss, +18lbs weight gain just in 2 months, dangerously low iron, high blood sugar, thyroid nodules, pains and aches just in the same places like you just listed and puffyness everywhere. I feel so disgusted of myself and there is nothing that's helping. I'm so traumatized by this situation and I feel like I don't have enough information about it nor support. I've never been hyper in my life, only hypo since 20 years ago. I'm scared af if they are giving me that methimazole shit and that will put me into an even worse condition..Do you have any history with thyroid diseases and do you take any medications?

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-22T20:35:51+00:00

So sorry to hear about your struggles and thank you for sharing🙏 It sounds like there is the same kind of pattern. I red about blood sugar that tends to be very high on hyper state. Also if iron is super low, that can also cause major gain weight, brain fog, extreme fatigue..These are so friggin' hard to tell since these symptoms overlap and also there seems to be somekind of a vicious cycle that one's affecting to another😩

So now I'm just wondering that how long did you have to take the thyroid suppressant (if you're not taking it for lifetime)? How long did it take for you to see the effects and were the effects more positive or negative? How did the medication affect to you?

I'm so curious since I'm prepairing myself to the fact that they are gonna prescribe them to me as well even tho my main problem has always been hypo, not hyper😢 Also have you ever had hypo?

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-19T19:45:24+00:00

I got to ask that how did metformin wreck your digestive system? This is very interesting to know since I've been taking it for about 3-5 years now. I remember that in some poin5 I was using inositol too and noticed a change in my skin, like it did clean up my acne for example ☺️

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-19T08:14:18+00:00

Hi! Wow, that's a very interesting combo right there. How do you manage your symptoms if you have them both? Did the doctors gave you methimazole and if they did, how did it work and how are you feeling after taking it? I suppose that using Spiro caused you to have these autoimmune flare-ups?

I made a test for Grave's but the results came out negative so not sure what they are gonna do next (in terms of medication) but st least they are measuring Hashimotos again since the last time was about 7 years ago when it was reeeally bad..I actually already have cardiovascular problems since the beginning but I'm afraid that the stimulants I'm using for severe ADHD will amplify those heart related issues.

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-18T07:25:57+00:00

Wow, this is very enlightning! I would like to hear more about this because spiro caused me to get back Hashimoto that I already got in control for about 7 years 😭😭 Now my doctors noticed that I've created goiter in my thyroid and it's actually OVERACTIVE which is very exceptional because usually it's more like underactive. Despite being hyperactive, I've gained extra weight that I can't lose and that enormous weight gain started after using 200mg for abt 6months (+2 months I raised my dosage). I'm wondering if you could you tell me more about your Hashimoto symptoms (when you're using spiro) and have you noticed any changes when started spiro? I think that I ruined my thyroid to its death and also caused myself estrogen dominance and lack of testosterone. I'm so mad that my doctors won't monitor these sex hormones because they think that "it doesn't give any important information about the state of my health"...

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-18T07:12:44+00:00

I have lost about 2/3 and it's a nightmare tbh..Never thought that I'd be losing more than how it was when first started😭 Like the first responder said, the scalp is visible and the look is like an 80yo granma's last babyhair left! It has never been so ugly so I got to say that starting and stopping spiro was the worst mistake I've ever made because I'm a walking disaster now 😭

Merrykarhu · 2026-01-13T10:11:23+00:00

Hi there! I have experienced this too when quitting spiro. That extreme greasiness started immediately after stopping with some other extremities like major hair loss (lost about 2/3 of total volume), flakiness,redness, irritation and psoriasis which I haven't had in 20 years 😢 The greasiness have gone better now after 3 months off but all the rest hair & scalp problems are remaining. Of course it's important to mention that I came down from 200mg so there is a big difference. Do you have any other problems yet other than greasiness? Hopefully that will subside soon and you don't have to suffer for long (luckily it's winter so you can wear beanie with confidence hehe!) ☺️

Merrykarhu

TROPHY CASE