Acne Treatment With Spironolcatone As An Alternative For Women
There is a suggestion to reduce the use and reliance of antibiotics in acne treatment and use the diuretic drug spironolactone as an effective substitute to antibiotics.
Research findings at the University of Pennsylvania show promise in early results for the using spironolactone as a viable substitute to commonly prescribed antibiotics such as Tetracycline and Doxycycline etc to deal with acne breakouts in women.
The study, which was published in June 2018’s Journal of Drugs and Dermatology concluded that patients who were originally on spironolactone, when changed onto a different prescription within 12 months. Which was at a similar rate to that of patients prescribed antibiotics for acne treatment.
This prescription change is indicative of ineffectiveness — where treatment was deemed a failure or results were not noticeable.
Oral Antibiotics Used As First Treatment Option For Acne
Oral antibiotics are commonly used in the systemic treatment of acne. This can often be the first-step for almost all dermatologists of skin doctors, which leads to the fear of the abuse of antibiotics and the increasing threat of creating more antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
This more or less means that as more bacteria become resistant, there will be far reduced treatment options in the future in cases of infections.
How Does Spironolactone Benefit As An Alternative to Acne Treatment?
Supplanting antibiotics is a big deal, because it effectively means that we do not need to rely on antibiotic treatments as a go-to prescription. This risk is further mitigated because of the fact that Acne affects more than 50 percent of all women in the world. Which is a large population size that might be exposed to unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.
Spironolactone is commonly prescribed for heart conditions and high blood pressure. It is particularly effective in dealing with fluid retention.
Spironolactone is also known to control androgen, the male hormone that is known to be the cause and trigger of acne by excess sebum creation on the skin.
The Hidden Dangers of Using Antibiotics to Treat Acne
Antibiotics, especially when used long-term, are one of the possibly leading factors that lead to antibiotic resistance, bowel irritation, breast and colon cancer as well as lupus. The reduced dependence on antibiotics through the alternative use of Spironolactone would be a great form of good antibiotic stewardship.
How Does Spironolactone Work In Stopping Acne?
Spironolactone effectively inhibits the production of testosterone (androgen) in both men and women. This means that it can bind receptors that lead to increased sebum production in glands.
Acne is known to appear during life stages that result in hormonal fluctuations, such as puberty, pregnancy or menopause. As a result, this shift in androgen levels does affect the ferocity of an acne outbreak.
Before your doctor starts you on a course of spironolactone, you will need to be cleared by undergoing a blood test. The purpose of the test is to ensure that nothing abnormal is happening in your body internally before treatment begins.
A blood test is also a sure way to test for pregnancy — pregnant women cannot take spironolactone as it is known to cause complications in pregnancy by affecting the development of the fetus.
The typical course of spironolactone will be about $40, which lasts for a month.
Because the use of spironolactone is used to regulate hormone levels, it does typically take 3-4 months for effects to become noticeable.
Did we mention that spironolactone is a diuretic? This basically means, it is not unlike a strong cup of Joe, which would have your bowels moving and your bladders producing more liquid. You will visit the bathroom with greater regularity than normal.
The effects of a successful treatment course of spironolactone would be a less oily skin and reduced appearance of acne, as well as cystic acne.
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