Forgive me if this has probably come up before. I did a search on this med (I am really getting hairy on my face - especially the sides, and stary whiskers as well as fine stray hairs on my chin) but I'm not understanding the pharmaceutical lingo.
Does this med help reduce the facial hair, act on some other organ that results in less facial hair, does it stop it at the root, or decrease what we already have?
*confused*
Thanks in advance, thinking of giving it a try, seeing an endocrinologist next week -finally!
Spiro - in my case anyway - has made my hair less, still there but less thick. I've been on it 5 years now. You cant have spiro if ttc though. As it can damage the baby.
hope this helps
Eva
Yes it should help w/ excess hair. I read though it can take a few months to show any results so you have to stick w/ it.
I also checked out a hormone book and he mentioned that too low a dose won't do anything so make sure you get a good dose. I am on 200mg a day. I have some facial hair--gotten worse over the years. I used to have no facial hair--never had to shave, but now I do weekly. Sigh.
spironolactone does help the excess hair, yes. it mainly stops new hairs from growing, so hopefully your facial hair won't get worse. some women notice that the hair they already have is thinner and lighter too. i've been on it for 5 months, and i can say that my chin hairs haven't spread anywhere else on my face.
I just started it and, considering it IS a diuretic, I've had to go to the bathroom CONSTANTLY. The constant water loss has also made me very fatigued. The nurses that work in the same facility as I do said to make sure I'm drinking at least as much as what I'm putting out. That should cut down on the fatigue. Otherwise I haven't noticed any changes.
Spironolactone does three things:
lowers overall testosterone
stops conversion between testosterone and estrogen (and vice versa)
competes somewhat with DHT at hair follicles
In theory, the decrease in testosterone (and therefore lower DHT) and the competition with DHT will improve our hair symptoms in PCOS.
But it makes AF wild--I bled every 2 weeks for over a year, so you might want to be on bcp or something.
__________________ Whoa! bfp 11/22/08. A YAZ "reset" baby!
allergy shots 2 yr
Soma sleep apnea pillow--yeah it works, but it wears out after a year
Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.
I see an endocrinologist in about two weeks.
I hopnestly just think I am very carb sensitive, as far as my hormones go. For me and my PCOS, the cysts, pain, the weight and hair are the problem. What is the deal with carbs and PCOS?
It seems if I eat any carbs, I bloat up--is there a test I should have this endo do when I see her?
i haven't had any significant side effects. i take 150mg per day, plus yasmin which adds another 25 mg. i've taken it for five months, and with the BCP my periods are like clockwork. no spotting, no problems. my skin is better too, and i don't see that new hair is popping up in areas where i didn't have it before, so i believe it's at least keeping the facial hair from progressing too much, which is good enough for me.
Spiro 
but I'm not understanding the pharmaceutical lingo. 
