|
Re: Aldactone Question
From: anonymous@obgyn.net
Tue, 16 Oct 2001 17:07:15 -0500 (CDT)
i know two women who've been taking aladactone/spiro for up to 8 years
and never had a problem, physically, hormonally or sex-drive related.
they've even taken breaks from it to have normal, healthy children.
just putting that out there because i really believe in what Renee is
saying!
At Tue, 16 Oct 2001, Renee wrote:
>
>Aldactone is neither a steroid nor a hormone.
>
>It is primarily a diuretic, which makes you pee more. The original use was to
>lower blood pressure and to decrease blood volume for cases of congestive
>heart failure. The secondary use is an an androgen blocker in cases like
>ours. The message you responded to has a good summary of the drug, and how it
>works, so I won't repeat it. I won't snip it to save space either, so it's
>there to read again.
>
>As far as reading things in a book, you always have to critically analyze
>things. I could publish a book saying that PCOS is nothing to worry about,
>it's just cosmetic, eat anything you want, and it's not big deal. We all know
>that's not true, but if someone else read it, they might believe it if they
>didn't think about it. They should look to see how I make my case. Does it
>look like I have an agenda? If I do (and it's ok to have one--you just have
>to be aware of their perspective), try to look through it. Do I support my
>case? Do I cite studies that support my statements? Am I consistent with
>what you already know? Does it make sense? If you knew from somewhere else
>that PCOS has something to do with insulin, you might wonder if the "eat
>anything you want' point was consistent. Does it make sense with what you
>already know?
>
>My point is, you can publish anything. Some people have a view point that all
>medications are bad in the long-term. They think we shouldn't put any
>chemicals into our bodies. That's a valid point. However, you have to look at
>it in the grander scale: which is worse in the long run? I hated taking any
>pills. I'd even put up with a headache instead of taking a Tylenol. However,
>I had to realize that the PCOS was far more serious and would have serious
>implications in the long term; that was worse than taking some meds daily.
>
>So, think about what book you read that statement in. Did they cite a study
>showing bad effects of taking Aldactone for many years? Specifically, was
>that study done in PCOS women? Our physiology is different than women without
>PCOS, so a study like that can't be generalized to us. You can usually find
>out the population studied in the title of the study. Taking it the next step
>would be to get a copy of the article and analyze it to see if it was high
>quality, how many subjects, etc. But, you would probably only do it if you
>really wanted to investigate it deeply, or were writing your own article or book.
>
>So, we can't accept everything we see in a book. The publishers don't usually
>have an "expert panel" review it for accuracy. They just publish what they
>think people will buy. Think critically about everything you see. My hunch
>is that that author was mistaken, since Aldactone is not a hormone or a
>steroid, and has an anti-med viewpoint, which affects what she writes and how
>she presents her case (the same with a pro-med person).
>
>Renee
>
>Linda wrote:
>>
>> i think its a steroid or a hormone coz it has bad efects as well. it
>> usually causes weight gain or some thing of that sort. it blocks the
>> male hormones from working. and that is why it is given here. its the
>> male hormones which are causing all the dratic effects of hair, acne,
>> balding, and all shit things.
>> but continual use is bad, i read it in a hormone book.
>>
>> At Mon, 15 Oct 2001, jodi wrote:
>> >
>> >Hi there
>> >
>> >aldactone is a potassium sparing diurtetic that was originally used for
>> >high blood pressure and i *think* some sort of heart failure or
>> >problem... any condition where excess fluid can be problematic. It was
>> >discovered to have the side effect of blocking androgen effects on the
>> >skin. Depending on who you talk to or what book you read, aldactone
>> >keeps testosterone from having effects on skin receptors, thereby
>> >stopping the problems of acne or excessive hair... OR it flushes excess
>> >T from the body, with the same end result... Less acne, less problem
>> >hair.
>> >
>> >Side effects of this med. are... decrease in "sexual ability" (ie,
>> >loss of sex drive, loss of orgasm...); irregular and/or constant uterine
>> >bleeding; birth defects especially in male fetuses... alone with the
>> >usual diziness, nauseua, upset stomach, etc that is warned of with just
>> >about every med you take!!! because of the bleeding problems and
>> >potential for birth defects, this med. is usually taken in conjunction
>> >with birth control pills, and it is not recommended for women who are
>> >trying to concieve.
>> >
>> >as far as PCOS is concerned, aldactone serves as an androgen blocker...
>> >it keeps androgens from having nasty effects on the skin. it is
>> >therefore more or less a cosmetic fix (although for 4 months after I
>> >quit taking it, I had regular periods... odd... guess it effects the
>> >ovaries somehow too?) ... never heard of it being used to treat
>> >obesity/overweight, though it can cause weight loss, probably largely
>> >through fluid loss... though blocking androgens might also cause weight
>> >loss in females. who knows? :-) but really, unless you have the
>> >problems of excess hair or acne that BCP or other meds alone aren't
>> >helping, aldactone isn't for you.
>> >
>> >Hope that helps...
>> >
>> >- jodi
>> >
>> >At Mon, 15 Oct 2001, anonymous wrote:
>> >>
>> >>Hello, What is Aldactone? How does it work with PCOS? I have noticed
>> >>that a lot of women here mention that they are on it. My Doctor
>> >>mentioned it but them said I did not need it. I am overweight. Could
>> >>it help me?
>>
>--
>Renee Cordrey, MSPT, MPH, CWS
>
>---
>
>Don't follow in the footsteps of the masters. Seek what they sought.
> --Zen saying
>
|
|
![[ PCOS Discussion Forums ]](../../images/pcos_at_obgyn.gif)