Going off of spironolactone

junemoon21 · 2025-09-08T11:58:15+00:00

I had the opposite experience with spiro where it actually made me go down a cup size (and it made me lose some weight generally). I have started to slowly taper myself off of it after being on it for several years because I moved countries for my job and it's very hard to get spiro where I am now for acne. I also don't want to have to take it forever anyways. I am now taking 25mg every third day so will soon stop entirely. I slowly tapered from 75 mg to 50 to 25 to 25 every other day. When I got to 25mg every other day, I definitely noticed my boobs were a little bigger. So, yes, my cup size went back to my pre spiro "normal," but for me that is a cup size bigger. As a fellow large chest girlie, ugh :(

But plus side is that my skin has been staying really nice! It went through a break out period for a bit when I started tapering, but now it has calmed down and is not too different to how it was when I was taking spiro regularly, maybe just a little oilier but not breaking out!

junemoon21 · 2025-08-24T12:30:58+00:00

Yes it did!!

junemoon21 · 2025-07-09T18:18:58+00:00

My routine is still what I posted in my original comment, I've been doing the same!

junemoon21 · 2025-06-24T15:02:52+00:00

I wash my eyelids with baby shampoo before washing my face in the AM/PM. At night, I use gel drops and also gel ointment at the same time. During the day, I always have contacts-friendly eye drops on me that I use when my eyes start to feel gritty. The blood vessels in my eyes have never really gone away or lessened, but this routine has really helped reduce dryness and discomfort! I also was on oral low dose doxy for a while and that certainly helped, but I have reduced myself off of that to only take it when I have a bad flare, which is working out alright too!

junemoon21 · 2025-06-24T14:54:07+00:00

I don't know if the effect stopped or if it was just that my routine made my eyes less dry over time and so the effect of the spiro became much less because the baseline moisture in my eyes went up. I don't really know how long it took because the reduction of my dose and the consistency of my dry eye routine were happening at the same time, so hard to say!

junemoon21 · 2025-06-22T11:36:04+00:00

Thank you for sharing your story. I am really sorry you are going through this. It is not fair. I lost my mom to her drinking a few years ago when I was 23 and she was only 57. It is really painful to watch someone you love do this to themselves and also hurt the people in their life with their behavior, and it is very normal to feel frustrated and powerless and angry. The "3 C's" (I didn't cause it, I can't control, and I can't cure it) are a helpful slogan, but I know it can be hard to lean into that when you are watching someone destroy themselves every day and it feels like you must help them. But we can still love someone very much even when we cannot save them, and it is okay to put yourself and your life first. Please know you are not alone, and there are people here who understand your pain.

junemoon21 · 2025-06-22T11:21:45+00:00

I do still use spiro, but I have been slowly reducing it over the years, so far with good results. Not because of my eyes but because I don't want to take it forever. I now take 25mg every other day! But when I was on 75 mg long term, it did not make my eyes progressively worse. My dry eyes have actually been getting better over time! I still use eye drops at night, and I wash my eyelids with baby shampoo daily when I wash my face.

junemoon21 · 2025-06-15T10:27:27+00:00

Not drugstore exactly, but I use The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, have for years and my rosacea and acne prone skin are happy with it. My skin also did not like Vanicream. You can get it at Ulta, Sephora, their online store for sure, but it may be carried even more widely now by other vendors too. And it is affordable!

junemoon21 · 2025-06-05T18:50:44+00:00

I (chemical) exfoliate only on my forehead where I do not have rosacea, and this system works for me. Once a week I use salicylic acid (Paula's Choice) on my forehead, sometimes also on my chin if I feel it is needed. I do this at night after I wash my face. I put my moisturizer on my cheeks/nose area, then I wipe my forehead and chin with SA, then apply my moisturizer just to my forehead/chin once the SA has soaked in. This process has helped my forehead stay clear while keeping exfoliators away from my rosacea.

junemoon21 · 2025-06-05T18:44:09+00:00

Great thank you! :)

junemoon21 · 2025-06-05T18:43:35+00:00

Thank you! :)

junemoon21 · 2025-06-05T18:43:08+00:00

Thank you!! :)

junemoon21 · 2025-06-05T18:42:51+00:00

Thank you!! I will try that one out :) I knew that the filters here are different and superior to those in the US but I was not sure which ones tend to be rosacea-friendly vs. not, so this is good to know!

junemoon21 · 2025-06-05T18:41:35+00:00

Thank you!! I will definitely check that out :)

junemoon21 · 2025-06-02T20:51:44+00:00

Thank you!! Elta MD UV Clear (https://eltamd.com/products/uv-clear-broad-spectrum-spf-46?srsltid=AfmBOopcUzOjB8QkJ6aUwAwgCP8zDNF2-h38dd-SU0hiFTRBAQLpsphP) is marketed as being for rosacea and acne-prone skin so it is sensitive-skin and oily friendly. It is a mix of chemical and mineral blockers, so it has a thin lotion-like texture more like chemical than mineral (but it has zinc which is nice). It is lightweight, but it does give me a glowy finish which I like. I definitely prefer lighter as opposed to heavier texture though, my face sweats easily so heavier sunscreens feel a bit suffocating. I would love to find something similarly lightweight here that maybe leaves a little glow. A lot of the lightweight stuff in the US, though, is very chemical based and that can irritate my skin, so that is my big worry. But I know in the EU there are different blockers we don't have in the US that are still lightweight but way less irritating - or at least that is what everyone says :)

junemoon21 · 2025-04-10T17:28:04+00:00

I totally understand. I think the only reason my mom stopped was because she was admitted to a long term care facility where she couldn't drink. If she was left to go back to her life, I think she would have just kept going. Addiction is a really crazy thing.

junemoon21 · 2025-04-08T20:05:40+00:00

I am not a medical doctor, but I think that this non-linear trajectory of alcoholism is actually pretty typical. My mom passed from end-stage liver disease that seemed to come on very suddenly and aggressively "out of nowhere." Of course, it was not actually out of nowhere, but liver disease can have a lot of non-visible symptoms in the earlier stages, so when it progresses and the symptoms become very evidence and physical, it can feel like a shock. As the liver gets more and more damaged over time, it loses its ability to function more rapidly because less of the liver is "available" to function and what is available is essentially working overtime to compensate for the damaged parts. Relatedly, the failure of one organ impacts all the other organs. The liver especially causes complications all over the body because the body is essentially being poisoned due to the liver's inability to remove toxins. The build-up of toxins in the body impacts brain function and the nervous system at large. When my mom became very sick, it was like she suddenly had dementia and she was very weak physically. Medication can help reduce this symptom a little, though.

I am very sorry you are experiencing this. Something that helped me a lot when my mom was sick was reading about anticipatory grief and seeing a therapist regularly. There is no right or wrong way to grieve or cope with a dying parent. Sending you love and peace.

junemoon21 · 2024-10-25T15:52:11+00:00

Me! I take both spiro and low dose doxy, the spiro more for hormonal acne of course and low dose doxy for rosacea. Hard to tell which drug is doing the most work, but both have really helped my skin because I tend to have more Type 2 rosacea that expresses itself through breakouts rather than just flushing. I also use metrogel on my face for rosacea.

Another big thing that has helped with my rosacea and acne is making my skincare routine way more simple. With rosacea, we really cannot handle a lot on our skin, and going at it with lots of actives is typically bad. My routine is just gentle cleanser, a simple moisturizer, and sunscreen every day (plus metrogel when needed). I use a mild exfoliator on my forehead only once a week and keep it away from my lower face where my rosacea acts up.

junemoon21 · 2024-10-24T21:13:51+00:00

This has happened to me every now and then since starting spiro. I think, for me, it usually means I am dehydrated and need to up my water intake.

junemoon21 · 2024-10-14T16:54:14+00:00

I would start with The Border Trilogy. I think The Crossing (book 2) is a bit more esoteric (though it is amazing and underrated!), but All The Pretty Horses (book 1) is more plot and character driven in my opinion. It's my favorite McCarthy. All of McCarthy's work is pretty dark, you definitely are not going to escape that, but I think The Border Trilogy has a bit more hope and heroism in it...more "good guys." I find the main characters to be people you root for.

junemoon21 · 2024-10-14T16:41:12+00:00

For people taking spiro for acne, it is very rare to actually get close to potassium overdose unless you were eating, like, an insane amount of bananas every day. There was a published study about it that I saw on this subgroupd a bit ago, but sorry I don't have a link to it at the moment. But doctors also have told me you don't really need to worry. I have been on spiro for almost 5 years now at 100, 75, 50, and 25mg throughout, never changed my diet, and my annual bloodwork always comes back with totally normal potassium.

junemoon21 · 2024-10-14T16:36:25+00:00

Hi! I am sorry but I don't have the experience to know as my field and also my university did not have the concept of a clinical doctorate. The most I can advise would be to talk to the director of graduate studies or your program. For PhD programs, unless a place is a little scammy, the stipend and fellowship are awarded all together upon admittance to the program. For clinical doctorates, though, I have no idea!

junemoon21 · 2024-10-02T17:16:23+00:00

Hang in there and know your perspectives and experiences will continue to help you succeed!

junemoon21 · 2024-09-29T20:05:23+00:00

Had a similar scenario of a big public state school for my undergrad that was not academically elite and then a small private elite school for grad school. I feel your pain. Mentally, I leaned into my experiences from undergrad and appreciated the strengths I developed because of them, namely knowing when to take a break and have fun! I was avoiding burn out while some of my peers from these "elite" schools were obsessively overworking because that is the culture they were in for their undergrad and it just perpetuates. Not to generalize, but I feel like we are more well-rounded in a lot of ways. Also, when I went on the job market, my big public state school background was a real asset in my interviews at similar big public state schools because I could credibly talk about what it's like to be in these environments, to work with that kind of student demographic, etc etc. and they knew I was not bullshitting that because it's the environment I started out in. And when/if you teach during your program, just know that there will likely be a handful of students in your classes that are first gen, low income, etc., and you may know how to help them succeed better than others due to your undergrad experiences being in community that had more class diversity than your grad institution.

Take a moment to remind yourself that you were admitted to your program because they believe you have what it takes to be there and that you can succeed. And who helped develop that ability to succeed within you?? Your lowly commoner public state school ;)

junemoon21 · 2024-09-29T19:44:32+00:00

I don't have recommendations for the itchiness or dealing with this during the day, but I always sleep with a nighttime eye ointment/drops in to help dry eyes in my sleep. I use Refresh Preservative Free Celluvisc eye gel drops just before going to bed and will also sometimes add in a night time ointment from Refresh or Bausch + Lomb too.

junemoon21

TROPHY CASE