{"id":9371,"date":"2020-04-29T10:00:07","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T14:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=9371"},"modified":"2024-05-28T15:54:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T19:54:58","slug":"spironolactone-for-acne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/spironolactone-for-acne\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I take spironolactone for acne?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is spironolactone?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Spironolactone<\/span><\/a> is an oral prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure and fluid retention, but it is frequently prescribed off-label for the treatment of acne. It\u2019s usually sold under the brand name Aldactone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cSpironolactone is perhaps one of the most commonly prescribed medications in dermatology and has been used safely for over 60 years to treat acne in adult women,\u201d says <\/span>Joshua Zeichner, MD<\/span><\/a>, director of cosmetic and clinical research at The Mount Sinai Hospital.\u00a0<\/span>The drug is a diuretic, a water pill, which triggers your kidneys to filter out excess water from your body through increased urine production. Spironolactone belongs to a class of diuretics, called potassium-sparing diuretics, that <\/span>prevents the loss of potassium<\/span><\/a> during this filtering process; for a patient with high blood pressure, spironolactone can be effective at flushing out excess sodium, a common source of hypertension, without lowering potassium levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How does spironolactone work for acne?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Though spironolactone has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of blood pressure, Dr. Zeichner says it does not affect blood pressure when given at a low dose. Instead, its side effects make it a good <\/span>off-label<\/span><\/a> use for acne: It is an anti-androgen medication. Meaning, it blocks androgens, a type of sex hormone, from binding to oil glands (androgen receptors), reduces the secretion of androgen hormones from the adrenal gland, and prevents stimulation of oil production, which can lead to pimples.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also often prescribed for female patients who experience cystic acne, a type of pimple that sits deep in the surface of the skin rather than on top of it. Cystic acne happens when skin pores become clogged, then infected. It\u2019s common along the jawline and on the chin.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, spironolactone can also block testosterone and cause breast development in men, which is why it\u2019s only prescribed to women. Spironolactone might not be the right treatment for all women with acne. According to Dr. Zeichner, it can be a good fit for women who:<\/span><\/p>\n