A guide to what these medications do sure would be welcome. I didn't realize Spiro would make me dehydrated without my being thirsty, for instance, which really freaked me out when it first happened, combined with low sodium it was like my blood had turned to jello, and all the nurses/docs I spoke to were pretty clueless. Every day I find out something new about HRT reading posts here, like how levels spike right after you take meds, which is more than obvious, but apparently the effect on test levels can be pretty drastic. Presumably docs would warn us in advance, but you never know.
Well certainly your medic should warn you and of course your pharmacist can help as well. I always question my medics about everything. I write notes before an appointment so that I can remember my questions, and I write their answers down or ask them to spell things if I am unclear about what is going on. I do that and I'm a Prof of Immunology who has been working in cancer for 40 years. I always hope people with not quite as much knowledge as I would be certain to ask even more questions of the people who are treating you.
We can give non-qualified advice here but not on dosages. Of course the advice we give is from our experience, in some cases our knowledge, but as it is on an open Forum the advice is non-qualified.
Taking hormones that are not usually associated with a persons genetic sex is not very common. We are a very small minority and most medical people have not been given much training on our specific concerns. There are a few of us here who do have medical training of one sort or another. I am a Pharmacist and there are other doctors here as well. The most overriding concern we have is liability, not only to ourselves, but more importantly to Susan's Place.
Medical knowledge changes with new research studies and Standards of Care for all areas of medical practice. What we say today, may not be true a few years later, as our experience and knowledge improves. Therefore, the best replies will reference the source of the information. For drug information, public websites such as WebMD or Drugs.com are good and don't forget Wikipedia. Many medical professionals use subscription services such as Micromedex.
Side effects do not always happen to every person taking any specific drug. The best references will give a percentage of people who will experience a certain side effect. Some side effects are common and to be expected by everyone. Other side effects will happen to 5 or 10% of the people taking that drug and lastly if less than 1% report a certain side effect this is usually referred to being a rare occurrence.
In the case of Spironolactone, this drug is mainly used as a diuretic for people with high blood pressure. Helping the body eliminate excess water is what Spironolactone does. When we take Spironolactone for anti-androgen uses we are taking a dose much higher than the usual diuretic dose. Therefore dehydration is always a possibility. The only way around this is to drink plenty of water and keep a restroom handy at all times.
In the US every prescription dispensed has an information sheet attached and common side effects are listed and what you should or should not do when taking that medicine.