Finally Decided On spironolactone, Now Need Help On Dosage

[Mellie]

After agonizing for a really long time on whether I should try spironolactone or not, I finally decided that I would. I'm seeing my endocrinologist on Monday and will ask him for a prescription. I've been really depressed about my hair loss, especially going through another round of shedding since June. I have no other option.

I know the recommended dose is 200 mg per day but I want to start low and increase gradually so as to minimize side effects and dread shed. Does anyone know what should be the protocol for this?

Should I go from 50 to 200 over 3 months? 4 months?

Did anyone have results at 100 mg?

 

[DHTpolice]

I am not a female, but I take 100 mg (some days even 200 mg) spironolactone since the beginning of the year. It works, I don't know for what degree, cause I combine it with finasteride and other antiandrogens, but I remember after month of adding spironolactone to my regimen, itch and other symptoms of high androgen stimulation in the scalp decreased dramatically and skin quality improved. Side effects are low bp and constant tiredness, they are not too critical though. Yes, better to start with low dosage, and gradually rise it.

 

[Leslie5555]

After agonizing for a really long time on whether I should try spironolactone or not, I finally decided that I would. I'm seeing my endocrinologist on Monday and will ask him for a prescription. I've been really depressed about my hair loss, especially going through another round of shedding since June. I have no other option.

I know the recommended dose is 200 mg per day but I want to start low and increase gradually so as to minimize side effects and dread shed. Does anyone know what should be the protocol for this?

Should I go from 50 to 200 over 3 months? 4 months?

Did anyone have results at 100 mg?

I was on Spironolactone for 8 years. 200mg a day. Worked great. Kept my hair and had good normal growth. It truly was amazing and a miracle for me. BUT now im 41 and the spironolactone stopped working. From everything im reading and researching it works for most women under 40 who have no other hair loss reasons like thyroid or low iron etc. I have hirsutism so the evil useless DHT attacks my hair follicles. Good luck. Im glad i was on it and it helped for 8 years. Id b completely bald now if i hadnt had it all those years. But now for me i need a new solution

 

[Mellie]

I'm sorry to hear that it stopped working for you. I'm 38 so I hope that it will work for me still. Do you remember if you gradually got to this dose or did you start at 200 mg and did you have a dread shed?

 

[Leslie5555]

I started at 100 mg a day and that did not bring my testosterone level down enough so about 2 to 3 months on they upped me to 200 mg a day and I immediately had improvement. no shedding other than the usual hair shedding that every person goes through. Were you diagnosed with that high testosterone DHT problem? Or do you have a diagnosis for your hair issue?

 

[Mellie]

I have Androgenetic Alopecia. It started after I went off the birth control pill. Basically my hair started shedding like crazy (Telogen Effluvium) but never stopped. After 10 months, I went to see a hairloss specialist and he said I had early onset of Androgenetic Alopecia from the Telogen Effluvium. I got on Rogaine and have been on for a year. The shedding decreased for a few months but now it's picking up again.

I got tested for everything possible. My DHT is in range but my testosterone is on the high side of the range.

 

[Leslie5555]

I've been reading so much lately about all these supplements and want to do naturally for the past couple days. It's exhausting. I've read that you need zinc to block DHT. now I'm reading articles that zinc is not good for you if you have hair loss. it's like you're darned if you do and darned if you don't. I've been going to the gym more in the last year and just in the last several months I started going to these body pump classes the Les Mills ones, and I'm wondering if that's raising my testosterone, but I only use five or 10 pound weight's and it's like an hour a week. I hate to say it but I think if you're prone to lose hair like we are than you're just gonna lose hair. I'm so depressed and devastated about all of it but I feel like I have to try all of these things to at least give it a shot

 

[Leslie5555]

Birth control was great for me and being pregnant was great for my hair. I had thick hair but I had to stop taking birth control when I was 29 years old because of my high blood pressure and ever since then I've had hair loss issues. I wish I knew why the Spironolactone stopped working. that seemed like a miracle drug for almost 8 years for me