I think that my hair loss may actually be worse now that I am on Spiro - is this possible? I have been taking 50mg a day for about 4-5 months now and I have definitely not seen any improvement in my hair loss as yet. In fact, my hair is falling out either as much, or even more than it was before I was on Spiro. I read someplace one of the side effects of Spiro can be hair loss!!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHH. Kind of frustrating to hear that when I'm taking it for the sole purpose of stopping my hair loss.
How long does it take for Spiro to start working? If I was to see positive results, should I have seen them by now??? How long should I wait? Should I ask my doctor to increase the dosage - maybe I am not on enough??
I could be wrong but from what I have read and through e-mails I have had with an endocronologist who specializes in PCOS (Dr. Redmond -www.hormonehelpny.com), spiro's effects for hairloss/unwanted hair growth can take anywhere from 6 to 9 months. Maybe the spiro just hasn't taken a full effect yet so the hair is still falling out???? You know your body better than anyone though so keep an eye on it. If the hair loss isn't drastic - I would stick with it for at least 9 to 10 months. If you don't see any kind of improvement after that, I would definitely discuss this with your doctor.
I'm assuming you had your testosterone levels checked before you began Spiro right? Spiro works on test levels, so if it's your DHEA levels causing the hair loss, I'm not sure that Spiro would work for you. My test levels came back normal, but my DHEAS levels were very high. It's another androgen that causes hair loss, acne, and hirsutism -- all those lovely side effects we spend hours obsessing over, right... Have them check those levels and try something else. I'm currently trying to read up on which drugs will work for me too. Good luck!!
Thanks NurseBunny - I am going to have my doctor check out my DHEA levels. It would be just my luck to be taking the Spiro for testosterone induced hair loss when I should actually be taking something totally different for DHEA induced hair loss!!!
High DHEAs and high testosterone go hand-in-hand. I am taking Spiro for increased DHEAs and testosterone. It is too soon to tell with the Spiro - 200mg for less than 2 months - but my Endo told me that anything under 100mg is not strong enough to combat the hair loss.
I am going to try Dexamethasone if my RE will approve. I'll let you know how it works! You really should take something designed for adrenal dysfunction if you discover that is the cause. I had mine diagnosed with my Cycle Day 3 bloodwork. Taking something for ovarian dysfunction may not be the answer, even if they go hand in hand. Those are 2 drugs that work in different ways, and not every drug will work the same for everyone. It doesn't hurt to check it out, since obviously the Spiro isn't getting you very far. (And in fact seems to be making it worse!)
Hair Loss Worse on Spiro?? 
