Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hi, I've heard so many times people saying that the commonly used anti-androgen, Spironolactone, ages our skin.
And because of this, some sisters have changed their medication.

I've been taking Spiro for 2 years, and found it's true to a certain degree. My skin gets drier and less radiant.
I chose spiro in the beginning coz it's the cheapest anti-androgen available and it is commonly known and used. Now I've decided to switch to another one

But the question is : what's the best and affordable alternative?

Androcur is a possible alternative if you want to change away from spiro.

Whether spiro is actually causing your skin problems is an another story.

SRS?

I've been taking Aldactone for 6 years as well as lots of other meds.  Yes, I have dry skin.  Dry skin also comes with aging but I compensate for that by having using lots of moisturizer on my face and body.  Moisturize is the first thing I do after cleansing as part of my daily routine.  My skin looks younger now than when I started and is moist through out the day.

BTW, Make-up adheres to your skin better and you need less when you use a moisturizer.

androcure is an alternative.but it is expensive and VERY DANGEROUS for long use. my doc started me with androcure until i become sterile and then i switched to spiro which is a safe drug.
However, spiro dries skin. 3 lt of water(5 medium bottles) is the best thing to do.yOur skin will be super,and the risk of heart attack or thromvosis will be minimized( 3lt of water every day makes blood thinner.which is good for us
and of courst moisturise and fruits;)

Of cause the best solution is to stop the testosterone completly thru  SRS or at least orchiectomy, but if T blockers must be used spiro is somewhat better tolerated (for most) then the rest and monitoring from a doctor is still a must for any of this to work out safely. Plenty of water with spiro as mentioned above is the answer to dryness as well as moisturizers for the skin

P.S.  Just make sure there's a bathroom always around.... ;) :)

gina

Quote from: deniz on June 15, 2008, 11:07:25 AM
androcure is an alternative.but it is expensive and VERY DANGEROUS for long use. my doc started me with androcure until i become sterile and then i switched to spiro which is a safe drug.

Want to quote a source for that VERY DANGEROUS?

ive not heard its dangerous.... just different....

when i used spiro i had no skin problems, infact, my skin got better?
R >:D

From what i've read, androcur is only particularly dangerous in very high doses. 
And costs aren't that much more than spiro, unless your taking a rediculous amount of androcur.

And just lowering your testosterone levels will cause drier skin, regardless of medication.  ???

Posted on: June 16, 2008, 10:48:51 AM

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You could try changing your moisturiser instead and see if that helps your skin?

Ages skin?
What ages skin the most by far is the sun.
Dry skin mostly effects the surface of the skin
unless its very severe (which is not the case
in normal skin but only when the skin has problems
like eczema).

Spiro diminishes T binding, unless you take mega doses
some T will bind and you'll get some lubrification for
the sweat glands.

Women have less T going to the skin so they also have drier skin
in general.

androcure is dangerous.i am not a doctor but my doctor said that.
too toxic for the liver.also me and 2 other ts friends had our liver transaminases high after 7 months on androcure..
(i do not know the english word for transaminases.i hope you understood.
some people might have no problem though.But in greece it is just A short solution for becoming sterile.and then we are switched to spiro

what does sterility have to do with transition? i mean, what help does it provide? you still produce as much testosterone if sterile...
R >:D

Winter and showering daily in the winter tends to dry the skin. Use body lotion. And wait for summer and then see how dry the skin is in July. I've never heard that spiro is problematic for overly drying skin.

QuoteI've never heard that spiro is problematic for overly drying skin.

The reduction of testosterone reduces oil produced by the skin.

And?

A bit of proper skin-care takes care of that. Of course, not using an anti-androgen at all makes for other difficulties that might be harder to find relief for.

Quote from: deniz on June 16, 2008, 07:28:16 AM
androcure is dangerous.i am not a doctor but my doctor said that.
too toxic for the liver.also me and 2 other ts friends had our liver transaminases high after 7 months on androcure..
(i do not know the english word for transaminases.i hope you understood.
some people might have no problem though.But in greece it is just A short solution for becoming sterile.and then we are switched to spiro

Oh, the doctor said so, so it must be true  ::)

Like I said before, (and according to the manufactur's information), liver toxivity applies to high doses.  The liver should be able to handle a normal effective dose.

I'm also confused about your desire to become sterile ???  And all hrt causes sterility, so why take androcur specifically for that?

Posted on: June 16, 2008, 08:20:03 PM

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Quote from: lovely2008 on June 14, 2008, 11:04:01 PM
Hi, I've heard so many times people saying that the commonly used anti-androgen, Spironolactone, ages our skin.
And because of this, some sisters have changed their medication.

I've been taking Spiro for 2 years, and found it's true to a certain degree. My skin gets drier and less radiant.
I chose spiro in the beginning coz it's the cheapest anti-androgen available and it is commonly known and used. Now I've decided to switch to another one

But the question is : what's the best and affordable alternative?

I don't think its been mentioned above and it might not be relevant to you, but androcur isn't licensed for the US.

Also if you've been on spiro for that long without any problems, perhaps its best to stick with it rather than switch to an unknown medication?  :)

The "issue" with Spiro is not spiro, but less androgens, which dries skin. There's a reason women exfolliate and hydrate their skin much more than men do.

If you exfoliate (less skin on the surface to dry up and to hydrate) and hydrate what's there properly and avoid sun damage with proper sunscreen (thinner epiderm (dead skin layer) means the skin is more vulnerable to sun damage), you skin should be more radiant than when it was "male". Its just a different skin care regime.

One of the reason women used to get more damaged skin when they were older was that they didn't use sunscreen to compensate for the thinner epiderm (thus more UV damage). Nowadays, with sunscreen and the effect of estrogen (which helps collagen production) you should look youngish in your 60's!.

At the risk of sounding like a commercial, ask your doctor about bicalutimide.  That's what I was on prior to SRS, and it worked great, for me at least.

Lia