I have access to a physician online medical reference guide UPTODATE.

In reading about spiro, not only does it contain a tumor warning, the side effects are pretty intense.

It actually makes me not want to take this drug to lower T.I'm otherwise fairly healthly and i worry this drug is going to wreak havoc on my body.

Is this the only medicine available in the US that blocks androgens?

I will likely have my first endo appointment sometime after the new year.

Ive never taken any serious medications before for long term. Am i overreacting??

All medications have potential serious side-effects, except for a few and all the possible effects are listed for legal reasons, to protect pharmaceutical companies. Some are quite rare and so far, I've never heard of anyone developing a tumor on Spiro. You need to research this further and find out in what circumstances, this was observed, it may help reassure you...and talking with your doctor about your concerns may also help.

Other anti-androgens in the US include bicalutamide (Casodex) and LhRh agonists like Lupron. 

As said above, every medication has potentially dire side effects. Spiro is used in north America specifically because it's generally quite safe and non toxic even in large doses as long as you aren't allergic to it or have an underlying medical issue.

I go to the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia. They have 8 PA's, NP's and doctors and they see a lot of Trans all day long. They prescribe Spironolactone.

No problems on it here. 

thanks for the feedback all! i also talked to a trans friend of mine who was also on Spiro during her transition. im sure i just have a case of the jitters, and over-thinking and worrisome. ill be sure to also share my concerns with the endocrinologist when i see them.

xoxo

It's only ever been shown to cause tumors in rats.  Without looking at the specific studies, I can't tell you what the relative potency in rats was or the dose per kilogram used.  Often, in those studies, the doses are much higher by weight than what is given for therapeutic use in humans, because they're attempting to predict worst case long term side effects in an unrealistically short period of time.  Considering Spiro was developed in the fifties, and all the literature I've read explicitly stresses it can cause tumors in rats with no mention of human test results, it's not something I'd be overly concerned about.  The day I grow a tail and start having to trim my front teeth, I'll start panicking.

Quote from: michelle82 on November 28, 2014, 09:32:13 AM
In reading about spiro, not only does it contain a tumor warning, the side effects are pretty intense.

My only advice is to start off slow. Start off with too big a dose and you might have some side effects. At first I had to pee a lot but after a month or so my body adjusted. I am HYPER sensitive to meds and this was one of the few I've ever taken with almost zero bad side effects. I did decide after 3 years of being on them to have an orchi so I wouldn't have to take this huge dose of this stuff every day for the rest of my life. I think most people at some point end up doing this or GRS so it's not really something most people stay on long term.

Bottom line, this stuff is pretty safe. The E part is much more likely to be a health risk than the spiro, esp if you are on oral meds and high dosages.

Spiro is powerful. It gave me weird cravings and lowered my blood pressure to the point where it made me dizzy when I got up. But it worked really well. My T level went from totally male into the undetectable range.

Still, I didn't want to send it through my liver twice a day for the rest of my life. A very compelling reason why I decided to have the T factories removed.

Do NOT adjust medication on your own, any med, without input from the prescribing doctor.

How effective is Spiro as a BP medicine? I will need it as that, because I don't think I can keep my current med (Lotrel) and Spiro at the same time.

Quote from: ImagineKate on November 29, 2014, 08:40:50 AM
How effective is Spiro as a BP medicine? I will need it as that, because I don't think I can keep my current med (Lotrel) and Spiro at the same time.

Spiro on its own is a weak diuretic so it's most often used in conjunction with other meds when used as an anti-hypertensive.

Quote from: ImagineKate on November 29, 2014, 08:40:50 AM
How effective is Spiro as a BP medicine? I will need it as that, because I don't think I can keep my current med (Lotrel) and Spiro at the same time.

It would be best to talk to your Dr. about that

Quote from: V M on November 29, 2014, 08:56:17 AM
It would be best to talk to your Dr. about that

Absolutely, and I'm doing that on Monday when I go see them. But I was just wondering what to expect.