So I’m sure many ladies have already run up against the issue of having difficulty in getting Aldactone (brand name for Spironolactone) prescribed to them. Not all doctors are aware that this drug is used to treat androgenetic alopecia, and most of the ones I have met refuse to prescribe it at all, or in a dosage sufficient to actually potentially be of any help.
After a recent visit to a local dermatologist I left feeling smaller than slug, completely deflated, misunderstood and humiliated. My current prescribing physician is not local, and I was hoping to find someone close to home that would provide me with the prescription I need to help keep my hair from falling out of my head.
A few months ago my fiance went to a local dermatologist, and while there he thought to ask if he prescribes Aldactone to female patients with hair loss. The doctor stated a resounding “Yes,” and seemed to be fully aware of the potential benefits of it for hair loss and for hirsutism. So knowing this, I make a visit there in the hopes of leaving with a prescription for 200mg (100mg/ 2x day) of Aldactone, that is after all what I currently take. I even went to the appointment armed with my existing prescription bottle to prove that I am in fact currently taking this.
To make a long story short, the nurse and the doctor were completely shocked at the dosage, telling me “That is way too much!” and that they only prescribe 25mg, or tops 50mg. What? They then proceeded to ask me if I’ve ever had any blood work to determine what is causing my hair loss. Well gosh darn, why didn’t I ever think of that? I’ve only had every blood test known to man done a 100 times over. The doctor then continues to tell me that this is the culprit of my dry skin, when in reality I’ve had eczema and dry skin my entire life. I try and explain my situation, my 11 years of hair loss and that for 10 of those I’ve been taking Aldactone and that ceasing to take it now would cause a tremendous hair shedding, and at the thinness where it is now, that would leave me with basically no hair. I’m the first to admit that I don’t like taking this drug, I hate it, in fact I’ve written on numerous occasions that I feel like a prisoner to it. My saving grace is knowing that once I make the choice to wear a bonded lace hair system that I’ll ditch the meds and be done with it, but that time isn’t now.
The doctor then suggested we try 100mg. 100mg? I let the doctor know at that dosage my hair will shed. How do I know this? Last year I tried to wean myself off the Aldactone and guess what? My hair shed.. a lot. I guess I probably looked super pathetic and desperate in that doctor’s room since he decided to go ahead and have the nurse write me a prescription for it. The doctor leaves and a short while later the nurse who is in the room with me still, says “I don’t care what you say, you have to get off that, it’s not good for you” and she didn’t say it in a caring way, it was a stern rude way. Of course this is coming from the woman who is probably in her 50’s and has never lost a hair in her life. How easy to judge when you sit there with a full head of perfectly coifed hair. And my favorite part of the whole conversation comes next, she then says to me, “Well, what do you think is causing your hair loss?” Yes you read that right, that is exactly what she asked me in her cold harsh way. Well lets see, hummmm bad genetics? the Loestrin FE pill? A curse? You take your pick. I just told her it’s genetic, that’s it, nothing more to it. I can treat it, glue it, or let it fall out. Those are my options.
I could feel my face getting red, and my eyes feeling like the ocean was about to pour out of them. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough, once I got to my car I burst out into hysterical tears.
That day was just another reminder of how much suffering hair loss has caused me, it’s not bad enough that this is happening, but I have constantly been confronted with doctors that have no compassion or understanding and who fail to do one simple thing… LISTEN. On multiple occassions I have asked the various doctors I have seen to prescribe me the Aldactone and they all look at me like I was asking them for crack. Actually it probably would have elicited less of a reaction if I’d asked for crack. The doctors are usually aghast that I would be taking such a dosage, their reactions make me feel like I am taking arsenic.
Anyways this rant is something I had to get off my chest. I would love to get a list of doctors together that do prescribe Aldactone at the higher dosage levels of 100mg – 200mg / day. Does your doctor prescribe it? If so, please share the name and location of your doctor because I know I am not alone in my struggles to find a doctor that can support my hair loss treatment decisions without making me feel like a piece of garbage in the process.
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As most everyone who frequents this 
Hi, I’m a 19 year old girl who has suffered major hair thinning. I’ve just discovered about this community/project a few days ago. Uptil now, this seems to be probably the most resourceful place I’ve seen.
So I went to a new derm, who diagnosed me with telogen efluvium AND androgenetic alopecia, for which he is going to prescribe me Spiro (sorry can’t spell the full name) and Minoxidil, however I told him about my misfortune with taking Minoxidil previously and he said well then just take the Spiro, 50mg (IMO I need 200, because I have less than a fifth of my original hair left). I appreciate that there is already a lot of info in this site with regards to Spiro, but can anyone specifically answer me these questions please?
I am 51 years old and dealing with hair loss since I was 19. I am an identical twin, and we both experienced hair loss at the same time in our lives, which seems to support the hereditary link. There were and are no other relatives that we know about who experienced this. After 31 years of dealing with this issue, there have been many cruel and insensitive comments. I remember every one. I think every boyfriend I ever had has asked at one time about my hair loss and some asked in a cruel manner. I was recently married and the day after my wedding an old friend visited for a post wedding celebration. I hadn’t seen her for a long time (mind you she is a grown woman). She sat in my kitchen, in a roomful of people and described running into an old, longtime forgotten mutual friend. She told this woman that she was going to be traveling to my wedding and “of course you remember Debbie, you know, the woman with the really thin hair”. Then she said, “I told her how could you forget Debbie, I mean, she has the thinnest hair I have ever seen!” This she said in my kitchen, in front of my new husband, other guests and the day after my wedding!!!! I was appalled, sad, ashamed, etc. Thankfully others were not listening intently, engaged in their own conversations, but nevertheless, the words hung there for eternity for me.
Yesterday I was talking to my mom on the phone and she was telling me about a little girl she saw at the store that reminded her of me as a kid. She said “the little girl had 
Just to reiterate what many other women have said, this website is a wonderful and empowering resource. Here’s my story:
