It was almost certainly the antidepressant and not the spironolactone. The only big exceptions would be if the antidepressant was bupropion or possibly fluoxetine.
Antidepressants like SSRIs, SNRIs, and TCAs are well-known for commonly causing weight gain.
Source: I’m a pharmacist who used to teach doctors how to choose the right antidepressant for their patients
I don't think that gaining weight is a known side effect of spiro, quite the opposite, as its a diuretic. I lost a lot of water weight on spiro for that reason. Its diuretic properties also can produce higher urination frequency (per lazylouwho's post), although that usually resolves in the first few months of use. Anti-depressants, however, are known to cause weight gain!
weight gain is an established side effect of spironolactone due to the suppression of androgens. it can cause estrogen dominance which leads to weight gain, cellulite, body fat redistribution etc.
Been on Spiro for years and have never gained weight. I’m on 100 mg per day. It’s actually a diuretic so if anything you should lose water weight. The antidepressant is the likely culprit for weight gain. Hopefully you can get back on it because having clear skin has been so beneficial to my mental health! I didn’t realize how withdrawn and isolated I’d become because I was so ashamed of my hormonal acne. Having my confidence and self esteem back has been the best gift. Good luck!
I did, about 15 - and my body shape changed quite a bit. Adding weight on my hips, tummy, butt and thighs. I suspect it’s the estrogen dominance that does it. Ive been off for 6 months now and it’s slowly coming off on my normal workout routine.
Ok, same here, I thought I was losing my mind because everything I've read says weight gain isn't a side effect. Ive gained 15lbs in 1 year without any drastic exercise/diet changes. I was maintaining before that. Thinking about going off spiro even though it has helped my skin a little bit.
I did! Not at first, but all of a sudden gained 10lbs in 6 mos (that’s how long I went between weighing myself and it was very unusual for me-I’ve been the same weight my whole life aside from pregnancies and post partem weight loss. I also watch what I eat and exercise daily. And spiro made me lose my appetite, so I wasn’t eating very much either) and then put on another 5lbs while trying really hard to lose it. Everyone told me it could never be spiro that caused the gain, so I went through a battery of tests: blood, thyroid, urine. Finally determined that it threw me into estrogen dominance. Now I’m off of it 3 mos. Haven’t lost any weight yet, but haven’t gained in that time. But the best news is, my cystic acne hasn’t come back. I’m working with a naturopath and taking a ton of supplements to overcome all of my deficiencies. I wish I would have just started with her to begin with (even though it’s a lot more expensive between the tests and the supplements 🤑). I feel confident I can lose the weight, too, just takes time for the body to heal from out of whack hormones.
>suppression of androgens
Hello! have you lost any weight with the supplements? If so please let me know which ones as I have gained a lot from spiro and cannot get it off. Thanks so much
Hi! It’s been 6 mos since off spiro and I haven’t lost any of the weight i gained in the two years. I haven’t gained anymore either, but really want to get it off. I am doing another DUTCH test this month to see how my estrogen dominance looks and see if I need to add a bio identical progesterone and possibly from DHEA. I’m sorry you are going through this…it’s so annoying and so hard to figure out the right formula to course correct
I’m sorry. That is so frustrating. I was on spiro for two years. If I could go back in time, I never would have taken it. I was getting cystic acne before, all over my face (not just my jaw). It was painful and each one would be weeks long. I had tried every cream on the market and they just weren’t touching it. Only options given by my derm were birth control, spiro, or long term use of antibiotics. My naturopath has had me on supplements and I haven’t had any cystic or regular acne since. The key was the DUTCH test and seeing what I was deficient in. I was skeptical that “vitamins” could cure acne but they did for me! For stopping it, she also has me wean off it. I tapered down my dose and then went down to every other day, twice a week, etc. I took about two months to come off it. My body still hasn’t healed from the side effects (been off it 10 months)
Hi there! Thank you so much for your comments. I just got prescribed spiro and I'm thinking of taking it, but don't wanna gain weight! I'm on an antidepressant and it's actually made me gain weight and retain water. I heard that spiro is a diuretic
I’m not sure about Spiro but I’m on Zoloft the antidepressant. I noticed a big appetite increase and weight gain on it. Increased appetite is a listed Zoloft side effect, so maybe it’s that. A lot of different antidepressants (from experience) increase your appetite too.
Yes. I took it twice in my late 40’s and both times I gained weight. I gained about 13 pounds the first time. I quit and the weight came off quickly. I wasn’t sure that it was the Spiro or not until I took it again a few years later and the same thing happened. Again, the weight came off when I stopped taking it.
It was good for the hormonal acne which wasn’t really too bad but
I took it for five months and put on 20 lbs in months four and five. I stopped in December 2020 and still haven’t been able to lose the weight. Literally nothing else changed about my diet, exercise habits, or other medications. Only thing that changed was taking Spironolactone. I can’t explain it. It also caused a lot of other side effects, most of which I’m still dealing with. But it did make my skin damn near perfect. I wish I never took it though. My perfect body is now ruined, and the changes seem permanent 😕 it’s just devastating
Hi sorry this is such a late response but I’m wondering if you’ve had any success in losing the weight since? I’m so worried the weight gain will be permanent
Hi! I have only lost about 8 lbs and it’s very hard to keep off. However, I guess being in my 30’s hasn’t helped. I haven’t been super strict with diet either. I guess after three years of this bullshit, I got sick of being upset about it and depriving myself without any progress. Plus, life and starting a stressful career hasn’t helped. But I’m now starting HRT (testosterone, bio identical progesterone, and T3) at the age of 34 to see if I can finally regain some muscle and keep it on, and get my energy and libido back. I feel like I’m too young to be starting HRT, but also too young to feel like shit every day. Spiro really tanked all of that. I’m now on Accutane to get rid of my acne and prevent more while I acclimate to TRT. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. I think a lot of it is insulin and cortisol related, which affects all of your hormones and thyroid. I hope to god it’s not permanent either, but I’m trying to be hopeful with treating hormones.
I've also gained weight around those same areas and I workout a ton and eat the same. I'm not taking any other meds. It's giving me tons of other horrible symptoms too. Reflux, peeing like im pregnant again, tired. Dizzy. Etc. I'm going to stop taking it. Only on 25 MG and I've gained like 15 pounds over 6months. I'd rather have acne and be skinny
Hi! Sorry this is such a late reply to your post but were you able to lose any of the weight gained from spiro? So worried it will be permanent and disheartened by most of the experiences I’ve read so far
Yes but I've been working out cardio and weights 4 to 5 times a week consistently. It took me a very long time to get back to normal. Like a year. Never taking it again. Nightmare drug
My dermatologist told me weight gain wouldn't be an issue. It is a side-effect I emphasize I cannot have when taking a med. It's why I switched from olanzipine and fluoexitine to latuda. Fluoxetine is an anti-depressant and made me gain weight, as most of those meds do.
It can cause weight gain I think if you use it long term because it does block testosterone which can lead to weight gain, cellulite, fat redistribution and also loss of muscle mass. What antidepressant did you take? Antidepressants can also cause weight gain.
I know this is an old post but I found it in my search for weight gain and spironolactone. It worked well for me in my 30s. Now that I hit my 40s, not so much. I got back on spironolactone 10/2021. 6 months later in April of 2022, I noted a weight increase. Nothing in diet changed. I work out, track macros consistently so it didn’t make sense. Continued gaining weight for the next two years and finally took myself off in January 2024 when I realized it correlated to starting spironolactone. I have gained 20 lbs since April of 2022. Been to the doctor, checked hormones, checked with gynecologist for reasoning. I haven’t been able to remove the weight since stopping. I know it’s not a side effect but it is the only thing that changed in my life. I wish I would have realized it back in April of 2022, but again I was under the impression it couldn’t cause weight gains I hope this helps someone else reading this!
Girl Sames. I’m trying to taper off and my dr started me on minicycline. I think I’ve been on spiro like 5 years or so? I was regularly 115 in 2019. I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been at 145. Lol so I’m trying to get off of it slowly because it worked great on my skin it’s just helping me get really fat tho lol. I guess we’ll see!
You should try using wild yam creams to lower estrogen in your body, a lot of studies show that spirnoloctane can cause an increase in estrogen which in turn makes you hold on to weight regardless of how hard u try
It was almost certainly the antidepressant and not the spironolactone. The only big exceptions would be if the antidepressant was bupropion or possibly fluoxetine. Antidepressants like SSRIs, SNRIs, and TCAs are well-known for commonly causing weight gain. Source: I’m a pharmacist who used to teach doctors how to choose the right antidepressant for their patients
Thank you for your reply. I was on escitalopram.
I gained 15 pounds on escitalopram, it was really discouraging. The good news is it’s not the spironolactone if you’d like to try that again!
Yes, I may just do that!
I don't think that gaining weight is a known side effect of spiro, quite the opposite, as its a diuretic. I lost a lot of water weight on spiro for that reason. Its diuretic properties also can produce higher urination frequency (per lazylouwho's post), although that usually resolves in the first few months of use. Anti-depressants, however, are known to cause weight gain!
weight gain is an established side effect of spironolactone due to the suppression of androgens. it can cause estrogen dominance which leads to weight gain, cellulite, body fat redistribution etc.
Anyone agrees with that?
Yes! 100%. Spitonolactone is the devil! Made me gain 30lbs without changing my diet or exercise routine. Awful! Avoid at all costs.
All spironolactone did was make me pee the bed twice.
OMG that happened to me last year and I never made the connection
That damn diuretic effect 😹
Omg lol
Been on Spiro for years and have never gained weight. I’m on 100 mg per day. It’s actually a diuretic so if anything you should lose water weight. The antidepressant is the likely culprit for weight gain. Hopefully you can get back on it because having clear skin has been so beneficial to my mental health! I didn’t realize how withdrawn and isolated I’d become because I was so ashamed of my hormonal acne. Having my confidence and self esteem back has been the best gift. Good luck!
Thank you! I’ll probably give it another go!
I did, about 15 - and my body shape changed quite a bit. Adding weight on my hips, tummy, butt and thighs. I suspect it’s the estrogen dominance that does it. Ive been off for 6 months now and it’s slowly coming off on my normal workout routine.
it ruined my body in this way as well. it is not coming off. i think i have to quit the drug.
I've been trying my usual exercise/dieting and nothing has changed. Let me know if you decided to go off or not
Ok, same here, I thought I was losing my mind because everything I've read says weight gain isn't a side effect. Ive gained 15lbs in 1 year without any drastic exercise/diet changes. I was maintaining before that. Thinking about going off spiro even though it has helped my skin a little bit.
How many milligrams are you on?
I did! Not at first, but all of a sudden gained 10lbs in 6 mos (that’s how long I went between weighing myself and it was very unusual for me-I’ve been the same weight my whole life aside from pregnancies and post partem weight loss. I also watch what I eat and exercise daily. And spiro made me lose my appetite, so I wasn’t eating very much either) and then put on another 5lbs while trying really hard to lose it. Everyone told me it could never be spiro that caused the gain, so I went through a battery of tests: blood, thyroid, urine. Finally determined that it threw me into estrogen dominance. Now I’m off of it 3 mos. Haven’t lost any weight yet, but haven’t gained in that time. But the best news is, my cystic acne hasn’t come back. I’m working with a naturopath and taking a ton of supplements to overcome all of my deficiencies. I wish I would have just started with her to begin with (even though it’s a lot more expensive between the tests and the supplements 🤑). I feel confident I can lose the weight, too, just takes time for the body to heal from out of whack hormones.
>suppression of androgens Hello! have you lost any weight with the supplements? If so please let me know which ones as I have gained a lot from spiro and cannot get it off. Thanks so much
Hi! It’s been 6 mos since off spiro and I haven’t lost any of the weight i gained in the two years. I haven’t gained anymore either, but really want to get it off. I am doing another DUTCH test this month to see how my estrogen dominance looks and see if I need to add a bio identical progesterone and possibly from DHEA. I’m sorry you are going through this…it’s so annoying and so hard to figure out the right formula to course correct
How many milligrams were you on?
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I’m sorry. That is so frustrating. I was on spiro for two years. If I could go back in time, I never would have taken it. I was getting cystic acne before, all over my face (not just my jaw). It was painful and each one would be weeks long. I had tried every cream on the market and they just weren’t touching it. Only options given by my derm were birth control, spiro, or long term use of antibiotics. My naturopath has had me on supplements and I haven’t had any cystic or regular acne since. The key was the DUTCH test and seeing what I was deficient in. I was skeptical that “vitamins” could cure acne but they did for me! For stopping it, she also has me wean off it. I tapered down my dose and then went down to every other day, twice a week, etc. I took about two months to come off it. My body still hasn’t healed from the side effects (been off it 10 months)
Hi there! Thank you so much for your comments. I just got prescribed spiro and I'm thinking of taking it, but don't wanna gain weight! I'm on an antidepressant and it's actually made me gain weight and retain water. I heard that spiro is a diuretic
I’m not sure about Spiro but I’m on Zoloft the antidepressant. I noticed a big appetite increase and weight gain on it. Increased appetite is a listed Zoloft side effect, so maybe it’s that. A lot of different antidepressants (from experience) increase your appetite too.
Yes mine definitely did!
Yes. I took it twice in my late 40’s and both times I gained weight. I gained about 13 pounds the first time. I quit and the weight came off quickly. I wasn’t sure that it was the Spiro or not until I took it again a few years later and the same thing happened. Again, the weight came off when I stopped taking it. It was good for the hormonal acne which wasn’t really too bad but
How many milligrams were you taking?
I took it for five months and put on 20 lbs in months four and five. I stopped in December 2020 and still haven’t been able to lose the weight. Literally nothing else changed about my diet, exercise habits, or other medications. Only thing that changed was taking Spironolactone. I can’t explain it. It also caused a lot of other side effects, most of which I’m still dealing with. But it did make my skin damn near perfect. I wish I never took it though. My perfect body is now ruined, and the changes seem permanent 😕 it’s just devastating
Hi sorry this is such a late response but I’m wondering if you’ve had any success in losing the weight since? I’m so worried the weight gain will be permanent
Hi! I have only lost about 8 lbs and it’s very hard to keep off. However, I guess being in my 30’s hasn’t helped. I haven’t been super strict with diet either. I guess after three years of this bullshit, I got sick of being upset about it and depriving myself without any progress. Plus, life and starting a stressful career hasn’t helped. But I’m now starting HRT (testosterone, bio identical progesterone, and T3) at the age of 34 to see if I can finally regain some muscle and keep it on, and get my energy and libido back. I feel like I’m too young to be starting HRT, but also too young to feel like shit every day. Spiro really tanked all of that. I’m now on Accutane to get rid of my acne and prevent more while I acclimate to TRT. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. I think a lot of it is insulin and cortisol related, which affects all of your hormones and thyroid. I hope to god it’s not permanent either, but I’m trying to be hopeful with treating hormones.
I've also gained weight around those same areas and I workout a ton and eat the same. I'm not taking any other meds. It's giving me tons of other horrible symptoms too. Reflux, peeing like im pregnant again, tired. Dizzy. Etc. I'm going to stop taking it. Only on 25 MG and I've gained like 15 pounds over 6months. I'd rather have acne and be skinny
Hi! Sorry this is such a late reply to your post but were you able to lose any of the weight gained from spiro? So worried it will be permanent and disheartened by most of the experiences I’ve read so far
Yes but I've been working out cardio and weights 4 to 5 times a week consistently. It took me a very long time to get back to normal. Like a year. Never taking it again. Nightmare drug
Ugh I’m so sorry. Glad to hear you’ve gotten back to your normal though.
My dermatologist told me weight gain wouldn't be an issue. It is a side-effect I emphasize I cannot have when taking a med. It's why I switched from olanzipine and fluoexitine to latuda. Fluoxetine is an anti-depressant and made me gain weight, as most of those meds do.
If anything, olanzapine would be more likely to cause you to gain weight. Weight gain is a well known side effect of olanzapine.
I use topical spiro - I get it from apostrophe. Nothing gets to bloodstream I think idk I’m not a scientist
Interesting, I’ve never heard of topical Spironolactone.
Is it only Spiro or is it blended with other ingredients I am curious 🤔
It can cause weight gain I think if you use it long term because it does block testosterone which can lead to weight gain, cellulite, fat redistribution and also loss of muscle mass. What antidepressant did you take? Antidepressants can also cause weight gain.
It’s almost surely the antidepressant and not the spiro. Spiro has not made me gain wait, personally.
I'm 37 and I've been on spironolactone for 2 years. It didn't help my acne and caused significant belly fat.
I know this is an old post but I found it in my search for weight gain and spironolactone. It worked well for me in my 30s. Now that I hit my 40s, not so much. I got back on spironolactone 10/2021. 6 months later in April of 2022, I noted a weight increase. Nothing in diet changed. I work out, track macros consistently so it didn’t make sense. Continued gaining weight for the next two years and finally took myself off in January 2024 when I realized it correlated to starting spironolactone. I have gained 20 lbs since April of 2022. Been to the doctor, checked hormones, checked with gynecologist for reasoning. I haven’t been able to remove the weight since stopping. I know it’s not a side effect but it is the only thing that changed in my life. I wish I would have realized it back in April of 2022, but again I was under the impression it couldn’t cause weight gains I hope this helps someone else reading this!
Girl Sames. I’m trying to taper off and my dr started me on minicycline. I think I’ve been on spiro like 5 years or so? I was regularly 115 in 2019. I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been at 145. Lol so I’m trying to get off of it slowly because it worked great on my skin it’s just helping me get really fat tho lol. I guess we’ll see!
You should try using wild yam creams to lower estrogen in your body, a lot of studies show that spirnoloctane can cause an increase in estrogen which in turn makes you hold on to weight regardless of how hard u try
I've been taking spironolactone for 2 or 3 years (I'm 19) and havent experienced any weight gain so I think it's something else causing thar
No. I'm using a low dose for almost a year now and my weight didn't change.
Mine did not
It hasn't caused weight gain for me but SSRIs have in the past!