My basic question is... do I need to be on birth control when taking Spironolactone? I heard it's recommended. I'm also on Metformin, 1000mg per day. My doctor told me I could stop birth control and see how my body reacts since I am also on Metformin and starting Spiro. I'm taking Ortho-Tricyclen now.
The hormones in BCPs also keep you ovaries from getting to big and painful...at least that is my experience. Keeps you from running into a metabolic syndrome (more of a problem for the "skinny" PCOSers.
The hormones in BCPs also keep you ovaries from getting to big and painful...at least that is my experience. Keeps you from running into a metabolic syndrome (more of a problem for the "skinny" PCOSers.
Ahh I already have Metabolic Syndrome and take 1000mg of Metformin a day. My doctor said it should help regulate my period and keep everything stablized. I hope so!
Spiro can also make AF wild--I have had AF every 2 weeks the whole time I was on spiro, and not even NPC could reign it in. I think that's why they recommend bcp, so you dont' bleed all the time.
__________________ 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.
Spiro can also make AF wild--I have had AF every 2 weeks the whole time I was on spiro, and not even NPC could reign it in. I think that's why they recommend bcp, so you dont' bleed all the time.
So basically no one knows for sure or has had experience with Metformin regulating periods while on Spiro, without taking any other medications :| I guess I will do a trial run and just keep everyone here posted as to how it reacts with me!
My experience with Spiro without BCPs was frequent periods - like every other week with worse cramps and PMS symptoms. When I started the BCPs, it went back to normal cycles and symptoms.
I was taking a BCP previous but it raised my blood pressure--though I did like being clockwise regular and the light periods. W/ new doctor who I really like, I am now on spiro and met for two weeks, and recently added simvastatin (also found to lower testosterone in study in the hair forum). While outwardly it's hard to tell I have a problem, inwardly my blood sugar was creeping up as was my cholesterol and I have been irregular much of my life.
My new doctor thinks this combo may work for me w/o birth control. I hope so because I hated the blood pressure meds I had been taking w/ birth control--really made me dizzy.
I stopped the pill and blood pressure has dropped. My periods since then have been erratic and frequent so even before this new combo my period was seriously out of whack for 2.5 months--this combo hasn't normalized it. I heard spiro might cause more frequent periods initially but that was already my case and I haven't noticed a difference.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Just wanted to add that I read your profile and saw you're on 50 mg spiro. I think that's too low. My doc put me on 200 mg. My sis has the same doc and he put her on 150 mg to help w/ our excess hair.
We're both on 1000mg met a day plus I take simvastatin for high cholesterol, but it's also supposed to help w/ pcos I think regardless of cholesterol. I take 20mg, the dosage used in the study.
I just wanted to say, studies have shown that the anti-androgen flutamide with glucophage actually induces ovulation and regular cycles, but you have to be careful 'cause flutamide is toxic to fetuses. You also have to have liver tests done pretty regularly for the flut & the met. But still, it's an anti-androgen, a potent one, that supposedly does not screw up AF--didn't in studies.
When I was on spiro (without bcp--had IUD) I tried metformin, DCI, and even a trial run of letrozole directly to make me ovulate. Met did nothing. DCI still brought AF after 21 days. And even the letrozole, which did make me O and produce my own progesterone, only lengthened the spiro cycle to 20 days.
I'd look into other anti-androgens, flutamide, or perhaps one of the male drugs propecia or dutasteride.
In short, be prepared to bleed with spiro!
__________________ 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'd look into other anti-androgens, flutamide, or perhaps one of the male drugs propecia or dutasteride.
In short, be prepared to bleed with spiro!
I'll keep you guys posted as far as treatment goes with new meds and switching some around! I'm so curious to see what happens. I don't really want to take medication that I really don't need- so I'm trying to elimenate some. One of those being BC because I don't have a real use to be on it (I'm not concerned with pregnancy or anything like that), and the main thing is bringing my testosterone down (it even increased while on birth control, which was given to help me decrease it, ha). I don't know anything about the other meds you mentioned, but I could research them. But if they work similar to BC, I'd be better off staying on BC. I wasn't having problems on BC, but like I said, just trying to eliminate.
Spiro + BCP = necessary? 
not on bcp any longer too 
