Spironolactone for a MTF on HRT: Is it better once or twice a day?
Posted on | September 1, 2010 |
I’ve been on HRT for 13 months now. First two months on low dosages, for both estrogen and anti-androgens, until I gradually reached the top dosages, which I’ve kept taking since.
Currently, I take:
Estradiol 4 mg twice a day, morning and evening (8 mg a day total)
Spironolactone 200 mg once a day, evening, 15 minutes after my estradiol evening dose.
So far, I am only a cup A and not much of my body fat has reabsorbed to my hips, buttocks and legs yet.
I was wondering if I would get better results taking my spiro twice a day, divided (100 mg morning, 100 mg evening) instead of 200 mg at once, evenings.
The thing is, I HATE the urges for going to the bathroom for at least 2 hours straight when taking spironolactione, as well as the annoying leg cramps I sometimes get, that’s the only reason why I prefer to take it once a day. But if dividing up the dose helps me feminize my body better, I would do it.
Personal experiences and regimens are welcome, and if you really don’t have an answer based on your real life intake as an M to F patient or as an endocrinologist in care of M to F patients, please do not respond.
Don’t want to be rude, but my question WAS NOT to give me obvious "advice" such as "ask your doctor" duh. My question is: What has worked better for you (split or single dose)? Or, if you are an endocrinologist OTHER THAN MINE, OBVIOUSLY, do you think it is better to split instead of a single dose?
BTW OTOH I’m a little worried because my left breast is growing bigger than the right one! It even bounces much more notoriously! Back to my question, If you hall ad simply told me "My endo told me to take a split dose morning/evening because he/she considers it renders better results than taking a single dose" that would have sufficed. I myself was told to take a split dose, but then I complained that I hated taking the morning one and was told to then take it only once in the evening but my endo was not sure whether the effects would be the same as dividing the dose, so I wanted to hear about other people’s real experiences, but unfortunately I DID NOT, so I’m still right at square one!
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6 Responses to “Spironolactone for a MTF on HRT: Is it better once or twice a day?”
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September 1st, 2010 @ 1:13 am
i asked my doc this very question….she said it doesn’t matter, so i split it up….morning and evening.
it is an individual thing….there very well could be reasons why SOME people might benefit from either doing it all at once or splitting it up….your doctor is the best source for such information as it concerns you, the individual.
spiro was developed as a med for hypertension, so your blood pressure might be a factor in how your doc thinks best to deliver it to your system. after surgery i chose to continue on spiro as, for me, it is the most effective drug i have taken for hypertension, which i do suffer from. the best meds, before spiro, only put me in the moderate range but spiro keeps me steady in the very normal ranges. for those without hypertension, it might become a problem easily dealt with by splitting up the dose, or the other way around.
that’s just one example of why you should really run all your med choices through your doc, telling them everything, no matter how insignificant it might seem to you, it might just mean the difference between effective and ineffective, or in some circumstances…even life and death.
much love and hope. pj
September 1st, 2010 @ 1:13 am
What does your doctor say?
It would seem to me that the obvious thing to do would be to take the Spiro earlier so you’re not getting up to use the bathroom at night. Splitting the dosage would probably also help.
edit: I love how PJ is back to abusing the system and giving everyone multiple thumbs down. The woman has no shame.
September 1st, 2010 @ 1:13 am
Whatever your doctor suggests
When I was on spiro, I took a dose once per day
September 1st, 2010 @ 1:13 am
a few thoughts:
don’t expect to be your final breast size until after srs. my breasts kept growing for a couple of years after my srs.
what are you doing for exercise? this is a great way to redistribute fat.
have you discussed your concerns with your doctor?
September 1st, 2010 @ 1:13 am
This is something you really should ask your doctor/endrocrinologist.
Don’t expect changes to occur very quickly. 13 months is actually not that much time for your body to develop. As everyone else said, your body will continue to redevlop over a number of years, which is something I can attest to.
By the way, I was never on spiro, but I knew someone who was. I actually was on Androcur which also is an androgen blocker.
September 1st, 2010 @ 1:13 am
I’m not a doctor, but to me it makes sense to split the dose. A steady delivery is always preferably with drugs that are meant to maintain a specific condition in your body. I don’t know if it would affect your feminization, but I doubt it. An A cup is pretty typical for Transwomen, and it can take years for your body shape to change. Also, fat doesn’t "migrate" as people always say. If you have fat around your waist, the only thing that’s going to get rid of it is exercise (or lipo.) Fat cells don’t move around in your body, hormones simply tell the new fat to go to female storage sites.
One of the downsides to Spiro is that it’s a diuretic (makes you lose water), which is something healthy people don’t need. I have low blood pressure from years of intense aerobic exercise, so the Spiro is a double whammy for me because it lowers my BP even more, causing me to get dizzy when I stand up. I drink gallons of water, but it doesn’t help because I’m not dehydrated.
I agree it’s annoying to have to deal with frequent trips to the bathroom, but on the bright side, Spiro is a temporary thing. Once you have SRS you no longer need it Look at it this way… it’s not going to hurt you to try splitting the dosage, so do it and see how it works for you.