I've been on Spironolactone since last June, and have notice that it does help with the hair growth, it doesn't stop it completely but the hair does come in a lot lighter and I can go longer between waxing visits. BCP hasn't done a lot for me besides lightening my periods some.

hey so i was just wondering when you were on birth control did you experience headaches, fatigue, fogginess, and other crazy symptoms? That is what happened to me before i was diagnosed with PCOS. We just came to the conclusion that i can't handle the hormones and that i may have an allergy. I swear you learn something new everyday about PCOS. I just started spironalactone about a week ago to help with hair loss, hair growth, and acne and then on Monday I started metformin. The doctor is confident it will help with energy levels and weight loss. I sure hope so.

my experience is similar to yours and i am wondering how the spiro and yas worked for you?
i developed pcos after having my first child, i had always had cysts on my ovaries but i was never diagnosed with pcos i was put on MIRENA 5yr- i went crazy on it , my body began absorbing the progestirin from the mirena at an elevated rate and in turn it put my pcos on a highway to hell, i developed severe acne, i gained 80lbs (i too have always been a little hairier from the arms and legs, but then i started getting a darker colored upper lip hair, my acne turned into cystic acne and it was horrible, i developed skin allergy to everything i changed all my soaps to frangrance free but even then i would get huge liquid fille welts on my back it looked as though i had been whipped with a leather horse whip) my moods were crazy,
i had an abnormal pap in 2008 and because of the severity of the dysplasia i went off of the mirena i lost 20lbs immediately and skin allergies were subsiding. reason i went off of mirena was because the doctor was saying if the dysplasia didnt begin to subside they would have to cut a piece of the cervix out making it harder conceive at all. so she suggested if i wanted more kids naturally now was the time. 2 months after removing mirena i got pregnant (i didnt give my body enough time to adjust to life without mirena)
i had a rough pregnancy, i had preclamsia, and gestational diabetes i went into threatened miscarriage at 11weeks and preterm labor at 20 weeks, 28 weeks and finalyl delivered at 33.5 weeks a 9lb 15oz baby (yes i had a close to 10lbs premie, he gained lot of weight due to the gestational -which is also a high risk for pregnant women with pcos)
i didnt recieve my pcos diagnosis until my son was about a year old
after my 40 days of recovery (maternity leave) i started my preiods and they were all extremely heavy i went to the er several times because i was hemerging, i would soak a tampon and pad within the hour. i had a few scraps to ease the heavy bleeding it was horrible.
needless to say i was put on the ring, the patch, and several bcps i wasnt losing weight and i was dieting and exersizing, skin allergies were gone but the acne wasnt and i still wanted to lose weight.
so ive done it i went to a weight loss clinic, i was so against these places because well they push the drugs on you.
but i really needed them, the PCOS was preventing me from losing any weight no matter how much i diet and exercise. the OB pointed out that the more i work out the high my testosteron levels went which ofcourse only made me gain weight (most muscle then fat) and also made my acne and facial hair worse.
so she put me on a bcp, and on spiro this worked for a year.
i had done accutane - only did 4month it helped with the cystic acne which was heart wrenchingly painful so the 4month round was enough to settle down the deep embeded vessels that when they popped they looked like blood spatters from zombie movies
anyway so after the accutane the derm put me on spiro which was helping and the ob put me on Lo-Ogestrel (which is the generic of LO-Estrin) it worked wonders i was able to lose about 10lbs in a year more then i had lost in 4 years since i had my son.
but then i started gaining weight again.
in november 2013 i finally gave in and went to see a weight loss doc,
he put me on
phentermine 37.5
hydrochlorithiazine (water pill)
and chromium (supplement)
in combination with the spiro and bcp i was taking from november 17th to january 17th i went from tiping the scales at 259.9 to 237!!!
just under 20lbs
i was estatic!!!
but then i missed my period in january and (i although i have pcos i did get pregnant with my first born at 17 while on a bcp) my weight loss was at a standstill and my period wasnt coming i figured i should stop because if i am pregnant i dont know what effect that could have on the fetus
so i stopped all the drugs, i am back at 244 mainly because i have also gone back to eating crap. but that stops today!
my ob has changed up my bcp to Yasmin (she thinks that the LO-ogestrel stunt the weight loss maybe my body had gotten used to is and she believes that changing it will help
the yasmin like the spiro is progesterin binding and decreses testosteron. so that will help me lose weight as well she recommended i go back to the phentermine but change my diet so i get used to the new diet and continue it once im off the phentermine.
i do wish to have more children but i already have 2 and if having one more will put me back out of whack in the hormone department then maybe i should stop with the 2 plus i can afford the 2 i have and i wouldnt want to have a 3rd if i would have to ask for god assistance.
how has your experience with YAS and spiro gone?
a lot of problems conceiving stems from taking the wrong type of birthcontrol i am so against mirena what ever you do do not take mirena!
the doctor said skipping periods is also dangerous because the lining gets thicker- so when you do menstruate your utuerus works double time (which is when i get my period it feels like contractions from birth)