Is Spiro really that bad??

[Charlie Nicki]

I found spiro annoying. Having to pee all the time and watching what I ate was annoying. Besides that, I think it is relatively safe... But I'm glad I had an orchi so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

[KageNiko]

Thank you everyone for the input, it gave me a lot to think about. :3

[Cindi Lane]

I did notice that I now crave Dill Pickles, a big source of Sodium.
I've been on Spiro for almost two years, blood tests show that I typically have low potassium and sodium levels despite eating pickles and still eating the occasional banana.  My PCP swapped out a diuretic I was on for blood pressure control when I started Spiro. I am considering an orchi prior to GCS, as safely reducing the total number of drugs I require to be healthy is one of my goals for this year.

[laurenb]

Spiro has worked for me so far (1.5 years in). I'm a vegetarian but have not had any difficulty with potassium. I just had with a sweet potato loaded with guacamole for dinner. It's great to not have to limit Sodium - and my blood pressure reads incredibly low for my age (typ: 117/73). Overall, I'm happy with the de-masculinization effects. All that said, I'd like to get to the point where I can switch to just Estradiol. Anyone know when that can be done without the evil twins coming back ?

[Lucy Ross]

I had to give up spiro - the itching was truly infernal, I'd open cuts sometimes, all the sebum in my skin was dried up.  When I started it with it I didn't realize that I needed to hydrate constantly even if I wasn't thirsty and went through an alarming episode where I felt like my blood had turned to jello, I couldn't stand up, etc.  Fun stuff.  Follow your doc's advice and then some, and you'll probably do fine.

Now I just don't bother with anti-androgens as transdermal estradiol keeps me in the low male/high female range for T anyway.  I plan to have an orchi this year, too.

I never craved anything weird, but then I live on a very straightforward diet anyway.  I'd just dump some NaCl into a pint glass of water now and then.

[KayXo]

With spironolactone, one needs to ensure that potassium doesn't get too high as this can cause the heart to stop beating (i.e. hyperkalemia). Very rare but it can happen.