{"id":1076311,"date":"2025-12-16T08:06:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1076311"},"modified":"2025-12-16T08:06:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:06:47","slug":"what-are-the-most-common-side-effects-of-spironolactone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1076311","title":{"rendered":"What are the most common side effects of spironolactone?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This Little-Known Side Effect of a Common Acne Medication Put Me in the ER<\/h1>\n
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By<\/span><\/p>\n
Tanya Ghahremani<\/p>\n
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\nTanya Ghahremani\n<\/div>\n
\nTanya Ghahremani is a contributing writer for Byrdie. Her writing has appeared in People, InStyle, Travel + Leisure, Shape, and more.\u00a0\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nByrdie’s Editorial Guidelines\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Updated on June 26, 2024 02:06PM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Medically reviewed by<\/span><\/p>\n
C. Nicole Swiner, MD<\/p>\n
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\"dr.\"dr.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Medically reviewed by<\/span>
\nC. Nicole Swiner, MD\n<\/div>\n
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    \nSwiner is a Board-Certified Family Doctor, covering a broad spectrum of both medical and mental health issues. She loves taking care of the family as a whole\u2014from the cradle to the grave. Her interests include Minority Health, Women\u2019s Health and Pediatrics. As a wife and mother of two, she uses real-life experiences to clearly communicate keys to better health and wellness for mind, body and spirit. She is the author of How to Avoid the Superwoman Complex.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Fact checked by<\/span>
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    \nAnna Harris is an experienced fact-checker and researcher and a beauty writer and editor.\u00a0\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    \"spironolactone\"spironolactone<\/div>\n<\/div>
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    \u00a0Stocksy<\/p>\n

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    When I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome in 2013, I was put on the standard cocktail of meds generally prescribed to women with PCOS. This included a prescription called spironolactone, which is recommended to patients for a number of reasons\u2014PCOS is one of them, but so is heart disease, liver damage, hair loss, low potassium, and hormonal acne.<\/p>\n

    I was on it for just a few weeks before discovering both my roommates had the same prescription despite not having PCOS themselves, because it treats hormonal acne so well. In fact, it\u2019s so commonly prescribed for this reason that tons of articles everywhere from Cosmopolitan <\/em>to Into The Gloss have been written on the subject. It\u2019s extremely effective because it acts as an androgen blocker in the body, which lowers the amount of sebum your skin produces. The less sebum on your face, the less chance of clogged pores, the less chance of blemishes. Success.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

    What Happened <\/span><\/h2>\n

    Unfortunately for me, however, though the medication worked at decreasing my hormonal breakouts, a little-known side effect put me in the emergency room (multiple times)\u2014which isn\u2019t exactly a great trade-off.\n<\/p>\n

    The first time I ended up in the ER, it was the middle of the night. It was a few months after I had started taking spironolactone. I woke up in a cold sweat with one of the worst stomach aches of my life, and when I got out of bed to go to the kitchen for water (or just to move and make sure I wasn\u2019t dying, I guess), my shoulders and neck began to ache, and my vision went dark. I immediately got back into bed and, when I tried to get up again, the same thing happened. I was in an excruciating amount of pain, coupled with the fact that I was suddenly having trouble seeing every time I stood up, so I woke up my roommate and we called 911.\n<\/p>\n

    At the ER, I was told both my blood pressure and my sodium levels were low, and that was why I had neck pain and problems with my vision. In fact, they told me that low sodium and blood pressure would have caused me to faint eventually. After asking about medications and general diet, the doctor determined I was likely eating too little sodium (who is ever<\/em> told that?) and kept me on an IV for a few hours to replenish my fluids. They sent me home at the crack of dawn with the instructions to slowly add more sodium to my diet.\n<\/p>\n

    Why it Happened <\/span><\/h2>\n

    I didn\u2019t know it then, but this was the first instance of spironolactone completely messing with my electrolyte balance\u2014low sodium can be a side effect of the medication. According to Janette Nesheiwat, M.D., a board-certified family and emergency doctor, this is because spironolactone is prescribed to patients to help with fluid retention. \u201cIt can reduce the amount of sodium [in your body and] therefore help reduce swelling. It has also been used to treat edema, to help reduce swelling and fluid,\u201d Dr. Nesheiwat explains. To do that, your body expels more water\u2014which makes it expel more sodium.\n<\/p>\n

    The next time I felt like I was about to pass out was during a barre class. I was mid-class, trying to balance on my toes and squat, when I felt like I was about to fall\u2014my shoulders and neck began to throb and my vision was flickering. I left the class and laid down in the locker room until I felt okay again. But still, I didn\u2019t realize the spironolactone could be causing it.\n<\/p>\n

    From there, things kept getting worse. This reaction tended to happen when I was either in pain (once more I woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible stomach ache, and the same thing happened), working out (hiking in the middle of the woods! That wasn\u2019t great!), or when I had accidentally skipped a meal. Something like coconut water would help, but only if I drank it while I was working out. I was at a loss. I knew it was connected to electrolyes\u2014workouts and my blood pressure wouldn\u2019t be a trigger otherwise\u2014but I had no idea a seemingly benign and common medication could have been the cause.\n<\/p>\n

    It took three more trips to the ER\u2014and one of those times I actually fainted\u2014before the spironolactone connection was made. For such a common side effect, it did take a while to pinpoint the reason. Which is surprising, as spironolactone is also such a common medication to be on these days.\n<\/p>\n

    And How I’m Dealing Now <\/span><\/h2>\n

    It took months after I stopped taking spironolactone for me to feel completely normal again, and even now, I still have some strange electrolyte imbalance symptoms. Of course, this low sodium reaction won\u2019t happen to everyone. But, I have a feeling I\u2019m not the only one it\u2019s happened to or will happen to\u2014and if it\u2019s going to be prescribed more and more for just hormonal acne, we should all be more aware (medical professionals included) of any potential side effects.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

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    FAQ<\/div>\n
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      What are the most common side effects of spironolactone?<\/span><\/div>\n
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      Common side effects of taking spironolactone include menstruation irregularities, urinary changes, headaches, nausea, dizziness, vomiting and breast changes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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      What does spironolactone do to a woman’s body?<\/span><\/div>\n
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      Dr. Nesheiwat explains that spironolactone can cause a woman’s body to expel more water, which makes it expel more sodium. While this helps with swelling, it can cause an electrolye imbalance, similar to what our writer experienced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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      Can spironolactone cause sweats?<\/span><\/div>\n
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      Spironolactone can cause the body to get rid of excess fluids, but that’s typically through urine \u2014 increased sodium excretion was not observed in the sweat glands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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      Article Sources<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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      Byrdie takes every opportunity to use high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.<\/div>\n
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      1. \n

        Kim GK, Del Rosso JQ. Oral spironolactone in post-teenage female patients with acne vulgaris: practical considerations for the clinician based on current data and clinical experience.\u00a0J Clin Aesthet Dermatol<\/em>. 2012;5(3):37-50.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      2. \n

        Layton AM, Eady EA, Whitehouse H, Del Rosso JQ, Fedorowicz Z, van Zuuren EJ. Oral spironolactone for acne vulgaris in adult females: a hybrid systematic review.\u00a0Am J Clin Dermatol<\/em>. 2017;18(2):169-191. doi:10.1007\/s40257-016-0245-x<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      3. \n

        University of Michigan Health Michigan Medicine. Spironolactone. Updated March 14, 2020.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      4. \n

        Spironolactone for the treatment of acne in women, a retrospective study of 110 patients<\/p>\n

        J.W.\u00a0Charny,\u00a0J.K.\u00a0Choi,\u00a0W.D.\u00a0James<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      5. \n

        Lee NVL, Miller PW, Buono MJ. The effect of spironolactone on sweat and urinary sodium excretion during exercise in humans.\u00a0Clin Physio Funct Imaging<\/em>. 2010;30(1):13-16.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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        Read more:<\/div>\n
          \n
        • Skin<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Skin Concerns<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Acne<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

          Source URL: https:\/\/www.byrdie.com\/spironolactone-side-effects-4777256<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          This Little-Known Side Effect of a Common Acne Medication Put Me in the ER By Tanya Ghahremani Tanya Ghahremani Tanya Ghahremani is a contributing writer for Byrdie. Her writing has appeared in People, InStyle, Travel + Leisure, Shape, and more.\u00a0 Byrdie’s Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 26, 2024 02:06PM Medically reviewed by C. Nicole Swiner, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1076312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[83],"class_list":["post-1076311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-byrdie-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1076311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1076312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1076311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1076311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1076311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}