vaginapagina | testosterone-related question

testosterone-related question

A blood test recently revealed that I'm producing too much testosterone. my body has been properly breaking it down for the most part, so I don't have facial or body hair issues the way some women have, but I do have "adult acne" as a result--which just flat out pisses me off, because give me a hormonal break already.

that having been said, my doctor prescribed a medication called spironolactone (50 mg a day) to make the acne go away. I've done some internet research, and the side effects are minimal (dizziness, bigger boobs) but I'm concerned because this medication is frequently prescribed for high blood pressure--and my blood pressure is great. Has anyone ever taken this medication for hormonal reasons? If so, can you share your experience?

Thank you!

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I took accutane for acne, and it also tends to cause high blood pressure. If you have already high blood pressure, I would recomend that you do what I did while taking Accutane, which was to have a monthly blood test done to make sure things were normal. You can also adjust your diet, cutting back on things that we know makes blood pressure rise. Good luck!

She's taking spironolactone, not accutane- they're entirely different :)

Okay, but the blood pressure thing sounds about the same, and if someone wants to make sure their blood pressure remains regulated, the two best ways are regular tests via blood or a cuff and avoiding foods that are known to raise bp.

This drug is often prescribed to /reduce/ blood pressure. And the only way you'll really know whether your blood pressure has dropped dangerously is if you become dizzy- and you don't need a blood pressure cuff to measure that.

How would you test blood pressure through blood?

the side effects are LOWER blood pressure, not higher :)

I started spironolactone about a month ago for ye olde excess hairiness. I'm taking 200mg a day. Spironolactone is used for many things that don't seem to match up (excess testosterone or hirsutism in women, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure) but the action that helps with blood pressure and congestive heart failure is that it is a diuretic and will get rid of excess fluids in your body. Your doc should have you back to check blood pressure, potassium blood levels, and testosterone levels in a few weeks to gauge your response.

Side effects I've experienced:

-drowsiness (I was really really tired for about 3 weeks. Seems to be gone now.)

-it is definitely a diruetic. When I have to pee, I have to pee. NOW. I'm already used to drinking a lot of water and urinating relatively frequently, so that's nothing new. My "need to pee" mechanism is a little different now - I can't wait for long. And now about 4 out of 7 days a week, I'm getting up at 4am to pee (I used to get up in the middle of the night to pee maybe once a week.) Try to take before 8pm, pee before bedtime. At first I was very thirsty - I drank a little more water than usual the first week or two (I already drink over 100 ounces of water a day.)

-the first 5 days, I lost a pound a day. That has since stopped and stabilized (I'm guessing water loss.)

-my hunger mechanism is re-set. I now have to eat every couple of hours or I'm dizzy. Like the urinating, when I'm hungry, I'm hungry NOW. I'm dealing with smaller more frequent meals and fruit and yogurt snacks, which are healthy anyway.

-my skin did clear up some. No monthly hormonal acne.

-my boobs are a little plumper nowadays (something I just noticed in the past few days.) Not even a cup size of difference, just a little extra fun.

All in all, I'll take it, and I'm very happy with spironolactone so far. I'm all for celebrating bearded women and playing with notions of gender appearance, but I was getting tired of my personal goatee.

oh good. I'm glad the effects have been minimal. I mostly have bacne (back acne) issues, which prevents me from wearing slutty clothing, but skipping the monthly I'm 16-again moments will be bliss. I've also noticed the have-to-pee response. It's inevitable that halfway through the night I'll wake up for the potty break. my younger sister also has a testosterone surpluss which *does* manifest as facial hair. Did it successfully make it all go away? Perhaps I can recommend it to her, as well.

I'm finding that this medication chills me out a bit. I don't have high blood pressure, but I do get pissy a little more often than I'd like to. The mellowing effect is very different from brain-related drugs. It feels like a stop to the permanent PMS thing I had going on.

Thanks a lot for responding. I was hoping someone else was taking it.

i'll point out that the dizziness is a sign of low blood pressure from the blood pressure side effects. If you already sometimes get dark spots over your eyes when you stand up too fast, make sure you work on being careful at standing. If you actually start passing out and such then definately talk to the doctor.

I've been told that, for hair, it will take about 3 months to really kick in, and I've got just over a month in right now. However, I think that I can see a difference. My chinny chin chins seem to be not quite so coarse and not quite so dark.

A note on my dizziness - it only happens to me when I hit my must eat moments. I've also historically had pretty darn good blood pressure.

And interestingly, I've been a little crankier than normal: I've been attributing it to how I experience hunger, since I notice it most in the morning when I arrive at work and am in need of foooooood.

It looks like the diuretic effect of spironolactone may be decreased by use with salicylates, FWIW.

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