Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Struggling With Spironolactone/Diuresis


SunnyKay

Recommended Posts

Hello Everyone! I started HRT on October 26 of this year and I couldn't be happier! YAY!!! So I'm well into my second full week of hormones, but I find I'm struggling with the diuretic effects of spironolactone. I'm 38, and 144 lbs normally but within 24 hours of taking my first dose(s), I experienced 4lbs of water loss, and since have gained back half that at best, usually hovering around 140. An uncomfortable weight to be for me at 5'7" Last night I ended up I the ER due to severe pain while urinating, cloudy urine, and blood in urine. OMG!! UTI's are SO, SO, SO PAINFUL! To keep it short, the doctor said I had a raging UTI, and was super dehydrated. I really have been chugging water, but maybe I have no conception of how much I need to drink to offset spironolactones diuretic effects. Taking a day off this stuff today.  And BTW, caffeine and alcohol are dead to me until I can manage this better. The best possible health while on HRT is my complete focus right now.

 

So I'm asking if anyone has advice for dealing with this. Maybe I have no idea of the quantity of fluids I need right now.  It would be super helpful if someone who has dealt with this could share their experience. Grateful for any replies and advice! 

 

Fuzzy Hugs,

 

Sunny 

Link to comment
  • Admin

My big guess is that the UTI was starting before you got onto the Spiro, but you do have to be careful about how much water you drink and what the Potassium levels are while on it.  Two 8 oz glasses of water at meal time, plus non-sports drink stuff as you want it. A rule of thumb my doctor gave me, was input and output should be about equal.  My doctor actually had me do a 48 hour test using a special toilet insert while I was home to measure the output. Do be careful about Potassium in such things as sports drinks, since your body does not get rid of the potassium as fast as it used to, and too much can affect other organs and make you feel weaker.  I am post op and get UTI's a couple of times a year due to my new plumbing, but I had them before as well.  Just be sure to keep your lab appointments and take other drugs on schedule.  Knocking off the drinking and caffeine will help generally in so many ways.  It will be several months before you get completely used to the HRT.  I have 9 years if experience with the stuff and it still pull surprises on me, and not all perfect and fine.

Link to comment
  • Admin

Hi, Sunny.  Sorry to hear about the UTI and your other effects from Spiro.  Obviously, I'm not a doctor, so I won't be offering any specific medical advice.  That said, I suggest waiting until your UTI is gone, and go back to whichever doctor prescribed the Spiro and discuss it with them.  They may be able to change your dosage, or offer an alternative, such as Finesteride.  Spiro is not the only way to go to get results.

 

I hope you feel better.

 

Carolyn Marie

Link to comment

Hi, Sunny...

 

I also had difficulty with spironolactone (although I can no longer recall what they were).  I was switched to finasteride and have had no issues at all with that.

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Hello Sunny, Yes the Spiro will dehydrate you if are not careful about keeping a positive fluid intake.  That and as mentioned your Potassium levels can go into the bad range too.  I used to drink a gallon of water a day.  That may seem like a lot but once you get used to it, its fine.  I also get leg cramps if I don't stay hydrated.  Now that I'm just on E, I still drink a lot of water each day.  As to your weight, I am taller than you but have been at 140 for a long time so I wouldn't worry about that too much except to say listen to you body.  It will tell you what is working and what isn't.  My weight fluctuated a little at the start of HRT but then settled back to my norm.  As suggested, you can talk to your doctor about an alternative to the Spiro and see what they say.  I'm glad you went to the hospital and got the UTI looked into.  They are no fun.   <Hugs>

 

Jani   

Link to comment

Thank you all so much for your quick replies and support. This group is really amazing! It really helps to get feedback from individuals who gave been down this path before....

 

I'm up and about now, and drinking soooo much water. I feel better already! But, I will stay away from sports drinks, since I don't need the extra potassium.....

 

OMG Vicky! You must know how painful these things are. Not fun!

 

Thank you all again!

Sunny Kay

Link to comment
  • Admin
2 hours ago, SunnyKay said:

OMG Vicky! You must know how painful these things are. Not fun!

 

Not so much pain all the time, but when I gotta go, I really really gotta gotta go or there have been wet underpants.  I came down with one at a convention in Atlanta GA and was in ATL airport getting ready to come home cross country and the urge hit in the TSA Screening line.  Thank heaven I had a spare pair of undies in my carry-on case which got used there in the airport.  I was making one trip to the head on board the plane every 1/2 hour for 4 hours and a bit more.  UTI's are NOT FUN at all!!

Link to comment

Carolyne and Kenna, thanks for the heads up on finasteride......If Spiro continues to not cooperate I will bring this up with the Endo. I'll look into it a little more to see what it's liver tox profile is as well....

 

Sunny

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

I made a point of looking up the potassium levels of certain foods and modified my diet a bit.  i got into drinking an amazing amount of unsweetened green tea either hot or as iced tea.  Even though surgery makes the need for a blocker no longer necessary i continue to drink more than i ever did before but also enjoy coffee in the morning.  One thing to watch for is cramping.  that is another sign that your not drinking enough and have high potassium.  I had leg cramps on occasion that were pretty brutal.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

Link to comment

Thats a good idea. I'm in the process of realizing I need to do some housecleaning with my diet, and lifestyle to make sure it works with my HRT. But seriously.....I can't even drink 2 cups of green tea in a day though without it drying me out, sometimes even forcing me to take out my contacts! I think I'm going to stick with LOTS of water right now.

 

And yes, I take my water straight.....No chaser......:blink:

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator
10 hours ago, SunnyKay said:

water straight.....No chaser

Yes This^  I used to drink a lot of seltzer water, and I still enjoy it but the vast majority of my drinking water is plain old filtered tap water.

 

Jani

 

Link to comment
16 minutes ago, Jani423 said:

the vast majority of my drinking water is plain old filtered tap water.

 

 

Aren't you concerned about hydric acid (dihydrogen monoxide)?

Link to comment
Guest Rachel Gia

I dunno but I always thought finasteride is more associated with correcting hair loss.

I brought up my issues with spiro last week with my transition doctor and she said that there were other blockers that I could go to.

I had corrected the problem with diet and so I stayed on spiro.

Water is so important and like was said above potassium is really something to look act as a no fly zone.

Bananas I just don't eat and will stay away from dates now because of it.

There is a boat load of bad stuff out there in things like maltitol which is now used in a lot of things as sweetener but it also is a constipator.

Water and diet and let your trans doctor figure it out.

Link to comment
2 hours ago, Cerise said:

I dunno but I always thought finasteride is more associated with correcting hair loss.

 

 

That's true, but my prescription states that it's for prostate enlargement (which I don't have).

Link to comment

Ok, so since I posted last I've been drinking SOOOOO much more water, and my weight has now gone back up closer to where it should have been. Back up to 143 ish instead of 140ish. AND....I feel much better overall. I am surprised how much water it takes to rehydrate! Back to the full dose of Spirolactone, and handling it in fine form. Still, it's a very serious drug with serious effects and I have alot more respect for it now. Going to the bathroom so much is an inconvenience at times, but a completely acceptable trade-off for my goals.

 

Link to comment
Guest Rachel Gia

Hi again, one thing I noticed is that you basically just started spiro and I had a few problems at the beginning with it that I posted under Spiro Giro.

I basically had clashes with a few things that I was ingesting but with a little help from this forum and personally nailing down what was clashing with the spiro I kept on it.

My first issues was a general lightheaded feeling after taking it and sometimes feeling a slight loss of strength.

All this has gone away and most noticeable reaction was when I forgot to take it one day before going to work.

Basically it is a blood pressure med that happens to block T and thus it is used for that and other medical issues.

Your right ....it is a serious drug!

I have been taking it for 14 months and I would say it is pretty much transparent in side effects now.

i have had the water issues and when I get up in the middle of the night to go I drink more before going back to bed to keep hydrated perhaps out of fear of getting blocked up but also out of respect for the unwanted possibility of gallstones (shudder).

One other thing is sometimes there are shortages of the drug , at least there are in Canada.

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Sunny, I'm glad to hear you're finding balance now.  Keep up with the water intake!
 

Jani

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

I got into the habit of drinking a great deal when i was taking Spiro.  That has stuck with me even though after an orchi T is no longer a problem.  I've found i still have to get up once every night.  Ugh..... that may also be of my getting a bit older......double ugh.  Anyway i ended up having to take a pill to lower my water intake as my body had become used to the effects of Spiro and i was retaining water and my ankles and legs were swelling.

This brings to mind one of the reasons this site has been so stringent in not allowing dosages and plans for self medication to be posted.  As both sunny and Cerise have noted this is a serious drug and can cause major health problems.  Any of us who travel this path have to remember that and get the best medical care that we can.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

 

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

Just a little update...I've learned that splitting the dose by 2-3 hours was super helpful and further reduced my body load and water loss. So now instead of taking 2 pills at 9:30, I take one when I wake up and one after I get to work. I feel much better and my weight is back to where it should be once again. Just posting this update in hopes it will help someone who is wrestling with spiro as i did.

 

Blue Skies and Sunshine, 

 

Sunny Kay

Link to comment
  • 10 months later...
  • Forum Moderator

I don't remember those symptoms.  Please call your doctor and ask for advice.  Giving medical advice here is beyond anyone's ability.  Even a doctor would not comment without knowing you, your history and circumstances.  Make an appointment!

Take care of yourself.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

Link to comment

Thanks for reply was not asking for advice I should have typed ina bettter way sorry.   Spironolactone  stoped make my heart beat faster but did  give me soreness in chest after a some time it stoped  every thing doing great I have been under doctor care for 5 yrs things are doing great

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

That sounds great.  Thanks for the clarification.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 118 Guests (See full list)

    • violet r
    • VickySGV
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.6k
    • Total Posts
      767.9k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,014
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Quillian
    Newest Member
    Quillian
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. l.demiurge
      l.demiurge
  • Posts

    • Carolyn Marie
      https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-health-and-wellness/scotland-pauses-prescriptions-puberty-blockers-transgender-minors-rcna148366     Carolyn Marie
    • Carolyn Marie
      https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-second-trump-presidency-would-be-a-nightmare-scenario-for-transgender-people_n_661ff9a9e4b07db21fd5d59b     Carolyn Marie
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Well, HIPAA is basically useless for keeping government out of your medical stuff.  It doesn't seem to prevent employers from making workplace medical demands either.  About the only thing it seems to do is keep somebody's sister or spouse from having the tools necessary to help you when you're in trouble.  As usual, government made things worse and added unhelpful red tape.  I really doubt HIPAA will be any use in the area of trans rights either.    Honestly, I don't see anything good will come of this no matter how it goes.  If some state AG's win on this, it will cause issues for trans folks.  If the Feds win on this, it'll be a precedent to stomp on states' rights even more than has already been done.  And I'm not sure which way things go will make a difference when it comes to officials from one state trying to do nasty things to people who have left that state and gone elsewhere.    What a crap sandwich... and no matter which plate it gets served on, "We The People" get to eat it. 
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      At least you tried!  Something equivalent or better may come up, and the waiting could be worth it.  Just keep trying and you'll eventually get what you need and want.      For me, having somebody to love was the most important.  Everything else follows after that.  I waited a long time to find somebody...and she ended up leading me to more than I ever thought possible.    Actually, I'm feeling pretty good right now.  I have something work-like outside of my home responsibilities to do for the first time in about 18 months.  Nobody seems to mind the real me.  And this evening, my husband said something that just really made me feel special.  He was rubbing my back, shoulders, and chest while we talked, helping me relax.  He told me that he thought I was really cute in my girl form, but that he thinks my boy form might even be cuter.  And that he's proud of his "smart little Pocket Fox."    For me, the combination of those sweet words and the physical affection was exactly what I needed. 
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Hi!   That was probably hard to write and then read and say, did I really write that?  Been there.   I'm glad you call it a journey.  It is.  One step at a time, and sometimes two steps forward, one back.    Abby
    • April Marie
      Welcome to the forums, Violet! We glad you found us! No one here will judge you. Each of us is unique yet we all share some similarities. And many of us are in the relative early stages of self-discovery.   Take time to wander the sections of the forums. You’ll find lots of information and ideas.   Ask questions if you feel comfortable. You will find lots of people willing to share their experiences.   Is it possible for you to possibly work with a gender therapist? Many of us have found that to be extremely helpful in finding our identity and out true selves.   Just jump in. We don’t bite! We’ve all been in some version of where you are.
    • April Marie
      Literally. 
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Shameless plug for my "Taylor" story down in Stories You Write.  I am not Taylor and the experiences she goes through are not what has happened to me, but there is an emotional expression that I think is the best way to say some things that I don't know how to say otherwise.  I am not Bob, either.  But you might find out some things about me by reading it.  And I hope it is a good read and you enjoy it.  I am not done with it.  If you would like to comment on it, I would appreciate it.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Tuesday night.  They had a quick supper together at a fast food place.  Bob went off to teach karate and Taylor locked herself inside her apartment and worked on her hiring plan.   First the web site problem.  The two guys who ran it were self-taught and knew little.  It currently had three pages, the Home page, the About page and the Contact page,  She asked them to work with Karen in terms of redesigning it and she needed three designs to show Gibbs tomorrow.  The problem was three fold: the two guys and Karen.  Millville was a small town and all three were relatives of members of the Board.  Millville, Millvale. She was doing it.  People here called it either way, sometimes in the space of a few seconds.  She thought it was Millville.  All three had complained about the work, because the two boys regarded it as done and untouchable, even though they actually had not worked on it at all for months.  Like a number of people, they showed up and collected generous pay checks and did nothing.  She had looked at a number of websites and she had been told the company wanted one both internal and external customers could log into.  Her chief difficulty at the moment there was that there was very little content.  She decided to send the three complainers out tomorrow to take numerous pictures of the thirty acres  Or was it forty?  No one seemed to care. She cared, because she needed to get it right.  She debated outsourcing the website to a company, but first she needed something to outsource, and before then she needed to decide whether to keep these people.  She didn't need to mess with them.  So she decided to recommend they hire an experienced website developer with management skills. Would such a person come to Millville?  The schools were good, because the company had poured money into them, and the streets were well paved.  The company had bought all the abandoned houses and maintained them, hoping someday they would be filled again. Millville was crime-free.  People did not lock their doors. Neighborly. Very conservative, but in a good way.  Hard working, ethical, honest. Maybe the Chinese money was corrupting the town?  Not sure.  So she thought they would hire someone, even if it were a remote position.  She would rather have them here, but she would take what she would get.  That would move the website out of her hair. Secondly, she needed an effective presenter.  She could not do all these presentations herself.  She had natural talent but a lot could be passed on. She needed another Mary and another Brenda, or their understudies, effective hardworking people.   Bob. Was he okay with this?  He said she was Management.  Was that a problem?  And she was now earning a ridiculous salary, which she put down to company dysfunction more than anything she had done.  Was that a problem? She was not sure.  He was highly competitive and he had that male ego.  She did not.  A feeling of guilt rose.   Her therapist had brought up her feelings of guilt about not making Dad's expectations, never being the man Dad wanted her to be.  She never could, and this physical evidence backed that up.  What would the doctor say?  She thought about it, and that her therapist said she needed to find a sexual assault survivor's group more than a transgender group right now. Was there one here?  She thought about serving in a women's shelter.  There was one here, oddly enough connected to the church they had visited.  That F on her drivers' license would help.  She was waiting until after she talked to the doctor again to move on that stuff.   Was Bob really buying 160 acres near the old air strip on speculation?  Much of the land around Millville had been for sale for a long time.  That land was being offered at a dollar an acre, the owners having inherited it and now living out of state. Common knowledge.  They would take the first offer, and it had been for sale since the airstrip closed twenty years ago. Airstrip.  That would help.  Not tonight. Focus, girl, she told herself, and read over her notes to do so, which were making less sense the further down she went. It was eleven, and she gave up and went to bed.
    • violet r
      .my name is violet. I'm new here and thus is my first try at forums. I'm 45 and just recently having came to terms of who I really am. Thought a lot of self discovery since I stopped drinking. Drinking was my coping mechanism to hide a lot of thing. There were plenty of signs though the years. As I look back. That i hid inside. Now really sure what made all of this bubble to the surface at this time in my life.  Mabye it was waiting for me to be open minded and ready to accept that I am trans. I have a very unhealthy environment at home that is anti trans. I really don't know what else to say but hi. I hope everyone here will be accepting of me and me work through my journey of finding the real me. I know that since I accepted it I have been much happier than I can remember. Being to real me makes me happy. I hate having to hide this all the the time at home. I work retail management and have no idea if I could even stay in this business if I am to fully come out. Wow that was scary saying all that. It's a first for me
    • Ivy
      It is a lifesaver for a lot of us.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Thanks.  What I do as a man is what a woman would do if she were a man.  There is just something feminine about the way I act as a man.  It's not that being a woman is actually better, or something to aspire to, but it is just that I am one, while not being one.   If beating my head bloody to get rid off this stupid dysphoria would fix it I would find the nearest wall, but I know that if I did that, when I woke up, it would still be there.   If I did not have this struggle I would be someone else and I would be less of a person than I am.  They say an oak tree growing in an open field is far stronger than one in a forest.  The storms come and go and I stand.   This forum is the first time I have interacted with other people struggling with the same struggle and parallel struggles. It helps.
    • Ashley0616
      I'm sorry! :( Hopefully something better will come up
    • Ashley0616
      Thank you! Did great with the kids
    • Sally Stone
      That's me too, Mae.  I don't think it's me as much as it is the camera (that's my story anyway).  Cameras hate me.  I never met one that liked me.  I often wish I was photogenic; sadly, not so much.   However, you look terrific in that selfie! 
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...