so some months ago (around february) doctor increased the dosage of spironolactone we take, 1x25 mg per day to 2x25 mg per day. at first there were no noticeable side effects, but as time went on we started feeling more stressed and depressed and on the verge of crying randomly. it continued to get worse to the point of frequently thinking about suicide very often (began about a month ago).
at some point we thought “this is not a usual amount of feeling trash, even with all that is going on in life”. we decided that it might be one of our medications; we use estradiol patches and spironolactone. genetics make it so AFABs in our family often have such mental health issues, so we didn’t deem it too out of the question that it was playing a factor, even if such side effects weren’t common with the medication usually.
other side effects included sometimes having terrible muscle coordination, and frequently panicking in general. more recently, walking was sometimes a challenge. not exactly hard, but it would not be in a straight line at all hehe. crying of stress became a common occurrence too.
so anyways last friday we just decided to stop taking spiro, and the depression just like went away. we made some yummy food and actually started getting some stuff done we really needed to! it was shocking how quick we felt better.
as for antiandrogens, monotherapy with patches seems a little tricky, although perhaps that may have changed now. our current plan is just to continue without spiro and get orchiectomy if possible.
there isnt really a specific reason we are posting, we just thought it would be an interesting experience to catalog for the internet and the world as a whole. yay science!!
we will be showing our plushies extra appreciation tonight for sticking around and keeping us sane x3 please do so for yours too they deserve it
I reduced my spiro dose and my pre-transition depression came back around 2-3 weeks later. Finding the right dose can take a bit of trial and error, or guess and check. If you change the meds and things get worse, its probably wise to revert that change.
Spiro itself has some unpleasant side effects, but so does having too much or too little T.
Spiro sucks, and I’m currently on a pretty massive dose. Looking forward to dialing it back after my valerate takes hold.
It’s a complicated dance. Before my egg cracked I was on T pellets and they gave me superpowers. Nothing much bothered me and I got in some epic workouts. But I felt two-dimensional. I eventually realized what I actually should do, but fully withdrawing one hormone suuuuuuucks unless it’s smoothly replaced with another one. Suppressing T by itself is not a good time.
Hey y’all. You’re definitely not alone in finding spiro unpleasant. Seems like you are more likely to get it in the US for some reason.
I’m in the UK and I was able to get cypro instead. You have to take very low doses but it’s an extremely potent anti androgen with no side effects (does come with some risks at higher doses but my endo explained as long as the dose is low enough that the liver gets through it all before you take more, the risks very very very low). My script is for a quarter pill every 2 days.
Passing on what my endo told me:
You don’t have to be on blockers forever, once E is your dominant hormone, it starts suppressing T all on its own. At the beginning the blocker just helps you reach that tipping point earlier. My doc wants to take me off blockers and put me on monotherapy once my levels get where I want them.
Hope y’all feel OK. Sending love <3
Cypro is not approved for use in the US which is the main reason they give us spiro.
Ahh got it
Still glad you could find the culprit and that you all can feel better 😊
I decided against AA because of things I’ve read about it (especially spiro). There were alternatives but only one could be alright with my body.
And monotherapy seemed the best course of action for me. T suppression through a bit higher E level is good enough right now.
Spiro is normally prescribed to people with enough water in their body to have elephant feet. If you take it when this isn’t the case you are going to have a bad time. If you insist on taking it make sure you remain hydrated.
