Spironolactone (Spiro) is a mild diuretic that has been used for decades, most commonly prescribed in combination with other drugs to elderly patients that have hypertension/edema due to heart disease.
Unlike the diuretic Lasik which rids the body of potassium, Spiro forces the body to hold on to it by inhibiting the hormone aldosterone (which is secreted by the adrenal glands). This in itself can be quite dangerous and lethal if not properly monitored. Potassium in high levels can cause heart failure; in fact Potassium Chloride is used in chemical executions.
This drug may adversely affect the liver and there are warnings against prescribing it to individuals that have renal dysfunction because there is evidence that Spiro induces renal insufficiency.
In more recent years, doctors are prescribing this drug to younger women who are struggling with acne, hirsutism, PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and male to female transgendered people resulting in more information about Spiro and it's many side effects. Younger individuals, in general, take less medications and have less disease than their counterparts therefore it's easier to trace adverse reactions to a specific drug like Spironolactone.
Because Spiro obstructs testosterone (androgen) receptors, it can upset hormonal balance causing women to experience irregular periods and men to develop breast tissue. Interestingly, it was recently discovered that there are even androgen receptors located in the inner ear that this drug may target.
Besides the many body systems this drug affects, there is also a box warning that taking Spiro (which is actually a synthetic steroid hormone) could cause tumors. Sadly many women don’t realize this drug is added to the hormone concoction known as the birth control pill Yasmin (YAZ) by the pharmaceutical company, Bayer AG.
I’m 40 and have personally used Spiro for at least three years. 100 mg twice daily was prescribed by my doctor to control my excessive acne. I really never experienced any problem while on this medication until May 1st, 2008 when I suffered the following symptoms in varying degrees over an 11 month period.
- Right eyesight dimmed/blurred for 30 seconds, 7 different times
- Vertigo - Severe spinning sensation
- Nystagmus - Eyes darting left to right
- Disconnected and unable to stay focused
- Mental confusion and struggle with short term memory recall
- Dizziness lasting for 11 months in various degrees
- Muscle spasms/twitches
- Pain feeling like a hot nerve located deep in the left side of my head
- Heart palpitations/arrhythmia
- Low blood pressure
- Pain in my left shoulder when I ran.
- Cholesterol total jumped a 100 points
The second doctor I saw wasn’t familiar with the use of Spiro for acne and recommended that my dose be cut in half (Sept 2008). Around February, 2009 I started to use a transdermal magnesium spray that alleviated many of my symptoms and spurred me on to re-examine why I was having a mineral imbalance. Through my research I discovered other women in my age group experiencing similar symptoms that were taking Spironolactone. I decided to stop taking the magnesium and the Spironolactone to see if my symptoms would vanish.
Within four days, my twitches/spasms, heart arrhythmia and pain in my head stopped. I don’t experience any shoulder pain when I run, in fact I run better and faster now. My blood pressure is back to normal and I’m hoping for even more improvement as my hormones adjust and become balanced.
What happened to me frequently occurs to the elderly. They are placed on a drug and everything seems fine. But slowly the drug causes a deficiency or imbalance that the body can’t continue to compensate for and a symptom appears. The doctor doesn’t think that the culprit for the new symptom is the original prescription but believes it to be the beginning of a new disease or syndrome. The doctor then gives the patient another prescription and the process starts again.
I’ve seen many doctors over this past year that wanted to give me prescriptions for my symptoms instead of put the time into researching and figuring out what was wrong with me. Be your own advocate; educate yourself and never give up!
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