Susan's Place Transgender Resources

There's a huge red sticker on the packets my Spiro come in that say "MAY CAUSE DIZZINESS" which makes me think it isn't a rare side effect.

Anyways, I've taken 1 tablet of Spiro plenty of times (so a low dosage) and never had issues so the doctor had bumped me up to 3x that amount which seemed like a more regular amount to take.
Its been about 2 weeks since I got back on HRT (was off for medical reasons) and I still feel a bit dizzy sometimes. Its not really constant, but sometimes its quite noticeable.. and quite annoying.
I've heard some say to take the pills at night and to drink a lot of water to help dizziness symptoms lessen. I've been trying this and it seems to help sometimes.. though I'm kinda' bad about pouring water down my throat nonstop so maybe I'm not drinking enough.

Anyways, like I said - its been 2 weeks.
Is this dizziness something that might lessen more over time and take longer to adjust to? or are there things I should be doing differently to lessen it? or is it just best that I ask my doctor about lowering dosages.

The only thing is my old dosage wasn't much and being pre-op and all, I want the spiro to do its job. I don't want to get anymore masculine. I'm young and wasn't fully developed as a male when starting hrt (as in - not a very masculine body shape or excessive amounts of body hair and whatnot - things I feel would have changed within the years if I never started HRT) and don't want that to change by being on a lower dose.
I don't know fully how spiro works so I don't know if that'd actually happen.

My dizziness hasn't changed since I started. I'm frequently dizzy when I stand up or even bend down and then get back up. Hydrating doesn't seem to help much. I'll be glad if/when I never have to take spiro again.

I'm fine, no dizziness. I do drink a fair bit of water though, but I did that anyway. Endo says my BP is spot on so that may explain it. The dizziness comes from BP being too low, Spiro is a high BP medication so if your BP is normal or low to begin with I imagine it might cause dizzy spells. (BTW, don't know if what you mentioned counts...but no doses is the general site policy :) )

Quote from: Ms Grace on February 22, 2014, 07:08:53 PM
I'm fine, no dizziness. I do drink a fair bit of water though, but I did that anyway. Endo says my BP is spot on so that may explain it. The dizziness comes from BP being too low, Spiro is a high BP medication so if your BP is normal or low to begin with I imagine it might cause dizzy spells. (BTW, don't know if what you mentioned counts...but no doses is the general site policy :) )

Quote from: Ms Grace on February 22, 2014, 07:08:53 PM
I'm fine, no dizziness. I do drink a fair bit of water though, but I did that anyway. Endo says my BP is spot on so that may explain it. The dizziness comes from BP being too low, Spiro is a high BP medication so if your BP is normal or low to begin with I imagine it might cause dizzy spells. (BTW, don't know if what you mentioned counts...but no doses is the general site policy :) )

hmm, the doctors always say my BP is fine.. but maybe its not as high as it should be?

Also, thanks for the heads up.. though it does kind of relate to my issue so people know how much I'm doing. I'll edit it to try and still get the idea across without saying numbers.

I actually got dizzy from changing over from one large mg tab to four small mg tabs for my dosage. it is a bit concerning that happened, but my doctors didn't find anything adverse on why that would happen. I guess it just does for some people. but back then i was a bit depressed so i had a normal BP that was on the low side. two years later and my BP has increased to prehypertensive levels and I'm getting migraines. Go fig.

I have had dizzy spells on spiro, but it's not something that is consistent.

I have high BP so spiro + my BP meds keeps my BP a little below the normal 120/80. I'd much rather have the dizziness and lower BP than high BP and all of the stuff that comes with that so I just try to deal with it.

You can buy an automated BP monitor that goes around your wrist for about $50, and it's easy to use.

I didn't even know spiro could make you dizzy until I picked up my latest refill to find out they added a nasty mint coating and changed the warnings. So no problems here.


I take about double what you take split into morning and night and drink whenever I'm thirsty. If I try to force myself to drink, I usually end up spending more time in the bathroom than outside it. My suggestion would be to drink enough and talk to your doctor. They may be able to add something to reduce the side effects. Splitting your dose into multiple pills might help too.

oh Spiro has been tasting like spearmint for a long while... it tasted that way when I got it from overseas a decade ago. I've also had the rather bland kind too

I had dizzy spells from week 2 - month 3 on spiro, then it went away. Also, I always had a great sense of balance (skater, surfer) but that time period I almost fell off of a sink (don't ask!) and other mishaps. I'm sure it'll be fine, just give yourself a lot of time for all these new things to happen :) Meghan

Quote from: suzifrommd on February 22, 2014, 06:58:22 PM
My dizziness hasn't changed since I started. I'm frequently dizzy when I stand up or even bend down and then get back up. Hydrating doesn't seem to help much. I'll be glad if/when I never have to take spiro again.

Postural hypotension

As others have said spiro reduces blood pressure, which is its main clinical use. You are better off not taking it at night as your blood pressure drops during sleep and you don't want it to go too low.
In particular take note if you start feeling cold when laying down after taking Spiro, that could be a sign that your BP has dropped too much. Unfortunately one effect of lowering blood pressure is you may not be able to respond to your situation so that you may not be able to call emergency services for help. We very nearly lost a client in that situation.

If dizziness etc persist get a consult with your medic, there are alternative AA, although they all have side effects of various types.

As ever HRT carries risks and hence medical supervision is essential IMO. 

The Spiro I get has a spearmint flavor as well.

One in a while I'll get a little dizzy, but it doesn't happen that often. It seems to only happen if I'm a little dehydrated and I get up too fast. Hasn't cause any issues.

Spiro will increase potassium retention and increase sodium excretion so that there may a resulting imbalance between both electrolytes, causing dizziness, low blood pressure, etc. To the point where it can become life-threatening. So...to avoid this,

drink as much spring (natural) water as you want, not more than you need (are thirsty for) and eat as much salt as you want, as you crave. Forget salt warnings, to limit intake. Eat as salty as you want because spiro significantly reduces sodium. But, only if you crave it. You might crave pickles, chips, olives, etc. Very normal! Eat it as long as it doesn't contain a high amount of potassium. Also avoid fruit juices, sodas, mineral water, energy/sports drink, salt substitutes all of which contain high amounts of potassium and supplements that contain too much of it, as well. Fruits and veggies are fine. 

Also, taking Spiro with food increases it concentrations so maybe taking it without would reduce its effects. Twice daily due to its short half-life as well. Be safe. :)

You may also want to cut down on diuretics as they will add to excreting even more sodium/water...like caffeinated drinks or even tea.

I am just wondering, since I have ordered 25 mg. tablets of the spironolactone, how much is one to take per day (or night)? I want to take enough to block my testosterone while on B.O. Thanks.

Stephanie

Sorry we can't give out dosages, so we can't say how many pills you should take...moreover, it would vary for a variety of factors, how sensitive you are to it, how much T your body produces, how big of a person you are, etc.

Your best bet is to speak to an endocronologist or at the very least start off small and get a doctor to monitor you and let him or her tell you if it is safe to move to a higher dose.

As a Paramedic I would suggest getting a home blood pressure monitor. They are fairly cheap now and when you feel dizzy or off balance check your blood pressure and record it in a journal. Take it with you to the doctor and see if it is dropping it too much at certain parts of the day. This will help your doctor maximize and adjust your dose easier. :)

Quote from: KayXo on February 23, 2014, 02:08:14 PM
Spiro will increase potassium retention and increase sodium excretion so that there may a resulting imbalance between both electrolytes, causing dizziness, low blood pressure, etc. To the point where it can become life-threatening. So...to avoid this,

drink as much spring (natural) water as you want, not more than you need (are thirsty for) and eat as much salt as you want, as you crave. Forget salt warnings, to limit intake. Eat as salty as you want because spiro significantly reduces sodium. But, only if you crave it.

I've always kept myself hydrated with enough water to get light straw colored urine.  I've felt leg cramps on a minor level since starting HRT.  Last week I had, I believe, my 2nd bout of "orthostatic hypotension," AKA feeling like my circulatory system has shut down, except when I'm lying flat on my back.  I spent two full days frantically trying to figure out what was wrong, talking to probably a dozen nurses, finally deciding to go to an Immediate Care clinic.  When I got there I was ravenous and was told I had 15 minutes to find something to eat, so dashed out and bought some Subway, and wolfed down a foot long sub and a bag of salty chips - and felt much better afterwards.

The snooty doc's verdict - plain old dehydration.  "Drink more, since it's so hot."  Really?  Let me write that down.   >:(  I mentioned the meal, he didn't think it mattered.

I work nights - I'd been snacking on salty tortilla chips for 6 hours, no help.  I left early, couldn't take it any more.  I had to drive to work with the seat back as far as possible, it was so bad.

My nurse practitioner who prescribed the HRT didn't warn me about having to wolf down salt like that weird monster that attacked Capt. Kirk, just leg cramps.  It isn't mentioned on pages listing spiro side effects.

How about a Beginner's Guide To HRT for things like this?  I seriously considered checking into the ER, it was so weird and scary, and I'm already $2k in the hole for another visit - different issues. 

I'm packing around a little salt shaker now, and understand the stories you read here about insane things like drinking pickle juice.

Before this episode I'd been soaking in a hot tub for over an hour, which likely leached enough sweat out to send my sodium levels through the floor.  That's the verdict from Dr. Lucy.   ::)  I've been dealing with a pinched nerve in my left shoulder, too, a long term issue.  Lots of salt helps with that, too... :embarrassed:

Drinking A LOT of water helped me improve that. And I haven't really felt it again so I guess my body adjusted to the spiro.


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