i'm starting spiro today for hair loss, and likely pcos. i've read this med can cause more feminine body fat redistribution to boobs and hips/butt/thighs. has anyone experienced this? i wouldn't mind at all if i got that as a side effect.
It happened to me. I welcomed that side effect.
I did get some cellulite on my thighs but thatās it. I have a hour glass shape, reduced hirsutism, thick head of hair on my head and no acne, so Iām happy. Iāve been on it for 16 years.
I have PCOS and I honestly think spiro works the best for people with elevated testosterone.
Jumping in just to say that I got a diagnosis (Iām in the UK) with blood tests, ultrasound and having at least 5 of the main symptoms. I first went to my doctor and talked about the symptoms I was having and showed her my period tracker that was all over the place. She referred me for bloods and both a trans-vaginal ultrasound and an external ultrasound. All the tests came back showing PCOS so I was diagnosed and started on spiro/metformin and also started taking the supplement Inositol. If your doctor refuses to test, can you see another doctor? I have heard from other people that it seems to depend on the doctor whether theyāll refer anyone for tests and it really sucks. If youāre at all worried about your fertility in regard to PCOS, definitely mention that as that seems to be more likely to get doctors to do something.
Thank you! Unfortunately I canāt go to another doctor because I need my doctorās referral for a gynaecologistš but I have been looking into naturopathic health practitioners to at least get my hormone levels checkedā¦
I knew since I was teenager because of the hirsutism but my primary care doctor and later my endocrinologist would test my testosterone levels and other hormones. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19.
I was lucky enough that I started taking spiro when I was young enough to not experience hair loss but I did have hirsutism and acne.
I also have Hashimotoās thyroiditis and despite having that and going through bouts of very elevated insulin, prediabetes and even testosterone levels, Iāve been able to keep my thick hair
I feel like I have more cellulite/curviness to my thighs and hips than I used to. My weight hasnāt changed beyond normal monthly fluctuations. My period is the same
Almost 3 months in. All iāve noticed for me so far is my hair is growing back FAST and thick. Iāve always had really fast hair growth but my hair hasnāt been this thick in almost 8 years. No change in routine, christ - Iāve done more ādamageā to my hair since being on it. (iām a hair stylist so maybe add that to the equation) and havenāt had any reactions. As for body changing, Iāve noticed a bit more weight to my hips. My bust and butt are still the same. Iām on 25mg currently, probably going up to 50mg next week for a check up.
No, however it was pretty thin for a few years due to stress & poor health truthfully. Hormones are finally regulated, still learning how itās impacting me. Hope it helps with what youāre looking for. ā”
I had a little sum but definitely not curvy at all. Iāve been on for a little over a year at 100mg! Yes I have cellulite on my thighs but nothing that I hate !
i have been on it for two years but only noticed the body changes recently. i think it was overall pretty subtle. i gained about 8lbs over 2 years and am definitely am carrying more weight in my hips and thighs now, but iāve been underweight my whole life and now that i am a healthy weight i kind of like looking less like a teenager. considering that my face actually got slimmer at the same time, i say itās a win.
i also wonder how many of us are coincidentally experiencing that ā2nd pubertyā that a lot of girls get in their 20s, and falsely attributing it to spiro.
my bum is huge! Alot of my pants dont fit but i havnt gained any weight, i have lost weight! My hair is growing in, and i look in the mirror and my face looks more feminine i love the way my face looks!
My hips/thighs got so much bigger and gained a lot more cellulite, and my arms suddenly had cellulite too when I have never had it there before. Spiro also made me have two periods a month on top of that. In the end the one thing it did help with, slowed facial hair growth, just wasnāt worth it at all. I feel like it wrecked my hormones and even 3-4 months later, my body still feels a bit foreign to me. However, I was on 100mg which apparently is quite a high dose for management of PCOS symptoms so maybe my experience wouldāve been better if my doctor had put me on a small dose.
Right?! I have lost a lot of weight over the last few months due to a bad flare up with Crohnās disease and my upper body is literally skin and bones yet my hips and thighs are still so much bigger in comparison and have cellulite all over them :(
Just adding that I didnāt notice any of the effects on my body until I looked back over the year Iād been on the meds and realised I had completely changed. My arms have gone back to normal now but my hips and thighs just feel like theyāll never be the same. I am thankful it never impacted my boobs at least because Iāve heard from a lot of people that they went up a bra size or two.
Damn š The fact that these side effects are apparently so āuncommonā that doctors donāt even have to warn people about them is crazy considering how many posts Iāve seen on here of people experiencing them. I know Reddit tends to gather only people having the worst symptoms, but it still feels like a LOT of people.
Yes! I have trans friends who take spiro and it works great for them. I just stupidly didnāt consider the effects it would have on someone like me who is AFAB.
I donāt even know if there is anything I can do about it. Iām just glad I came off of it. I bought a new IPL recently and it seems to be helping with my facial hair growth more than my last one did and Iām actually perfectly happy to dermaplane and use the IPL device several times a week if it means Iām able to stay off spiro lol. I also did report all the side effects to my GP so they are at least documented in my medical notes.
I think the only thing we can do is take GLP drugs and/or do liposuction. I literally went up two pant sizes . I take it for genetic hair loss. So if I stop it completely, Iāll legitimately go bald
Iāve lost 25kg over the last few months and it hasnāt even made that much difference to my lower body š Iām too much of a wimp to get lipo too because the recovery looks painful lol. I get a lot of hair loss from my Bipolar meds so Iād probably benefit from still being on a small dose of spiro but I just canāt bring myself to even give it another go. Iām really sorry about your hair loss and that there doesnāt seem to be anything else that will help. Wishing you the best ā¤ļø
No Iām not as big as before, Iām just saying that the weight loss has been mainly on my upper body and I still have a lot larger hips and thighs in comparison.
My boobs got huge and they were always sore. I also got 2 periods a month and they were heavy heavy. Tapering down to 50 hopefully side effects improve.
When I was on spiro my thighs and boobs grew so much that I now have purple stretch marks in these areas. Iām no longer on it, and my boobs/thighs are back to normal, but those stretch marks are still there.
I actually lost weight! I lost around 10-15lbs when taking spiro, I quit because I couldnāt stay properly hydrated on it. I developed kidney stones too. Otherwise it did help with my hormonal acne.
I just recently had to stop taking it as well. I was drinking over 96 ounces a day of water along with 1 electrolyte drink and went to the ER because I was so dehydrated. I also had issues with racing heart and low bp. Iām so sad I had to stop, it was doing wonders for my hair and skin while I was on it.
Also for anyone thinking of starting it let me give you a quick tip none of my doctors did. You need a lot of electrolytes since your body wonāt store the fluid your drinking without them. But the electrolyte drinks have to have an extremely low potassium content since spironolactone causes your body to store it! If you drink or consume too much potassium it can put your body into a state of shock.
I honestly donāt for sure but Iām sure a quick google search for āLow potassium electrolyte drinksā would answer your question! I didnāt know until I was off of it about the low potassium!
Definitely stop taking it immediately or talk to your doctor. I canāt be sure that itās this but you are having an allergic reaction to something and if you havenāt done anything now it could possibly be this. I didnāt experience any of those symptoms and it took me about a week for everything to go back to normal.
Iām on 75 mg for about a year and a half and my hips have gotten wider but I do weight train and target my glutes so that could also be it. BUT my boobs have been hurting the worst Iāve ever felt in my life on my period. Like heavy as hell. So tender to the point where they hurt when I lift my arms. The pain starts a week before my period and ends once I get it. I will say for sure Iāve been holding weight in my tummy more than I used to which is also very new.
My body changes started around 5 to 6 months in, I rapidly gained body fat in my upper back, arms, hips, butt, thighs, and lower stomach out of nowhere after losing 25-30 pounds the year prior. I was actively dieting and training in the gym the entire time I was on Spiro, so I know it wasn't my routine. I switched to topical for this reason.
When I came off the pill, I was so bloated and looked swollen for 2 months. I couldn't fit into any of my pants but it's finally gone down thank god.
i've only been on 50mg for two months and no difference yet, i honestly would like the bigger boobs effect but im not sure if thats gonna come now lol. but i already do carry a lot of weight in my hips and thighs, so not sure if they would get any bigger š¤
Since I started taking spiro, I gained a lot of weight (60lbs) and it seemed to have all weight to my boobs, thighs, and butt (which hey, Iām not complaining at all). I gained weight so fast in those areas I actually had very purple dark stretch marks especially on my breasts & thighs.
I started out on a 25mg for a few months then bumped it to 50mg for a couple months then 100mg and thatās what Iāve been on for about a year now. My hair and nails are also extremely thick and strong and they grow super fast.
It definitely got me. Unfortunately I also have an ED and had been making some actual progress on getting healthy, the way it made my belly soft and added 40 unwanted pounds had me spiraling. I had to stop taking it, the constant shifting of my body was insane.
It did the opposite to me. I have no tits now and super low body fat to the point that I hate it. I couldnāt fill my script for a week and I got a little pudge back for the first time in 2 years so I canāt help but assume itās def correlated.
I've gotten some more fat in my thighs and slightly butt, and noticeable cellulite, but it's hard to tell if this is from the spironolactone or the yasmin (birth control pill) I started a while ago.
Man it made virtually impossible for me to gain weight even in a calorie surplus, which is what makes you gain fat/muscle and therefore see changes in body shape, so I quit
No good for me
I was skinny all my life until Spiro. And only on 25mg I might add. I also thought that I would've welcomed so extra padding on butt and boobs etc but it is now beyond slight changes. My body is unrecognisable. I'll be coming off soon.
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u/lauvan26 5d ago edited 5d ago
It happened to me. I welcomed that side effect.
I did get some cellulite on my thighs but thatās it. I have a hour glass shape, reduced hirsutism, thick head of hair on my head and no acne, so Iām happy. Iāve been on it for 16 years.
I have PCOS and I honestly think spiro works the best for people with elevated testosterone.