Spiro

[Beth-Lock]

I have finally begun gender counselling. It has been mentioned to me that a prescription of Spiro might settle me down. I am however, a little worried about longer term effects.
So far, I am only into my eighth month of real life trial. I wonder if that sort of thing should not wait until I have completed my real life trial, at the very least.
In many ways, I am still conflicted. These are things that will have to be worked out in therapy.
What do others think?

[Stephenie S]

So, dear. I am confused.

You are living and working and socializing as a woman? Now? 24/7? And you have been for 8 months?

You just started therapy? At 8 months?

You wonder about taking spirolactone now? And what it will do for you?

Can you answer these questions?

Hormone therapy WILL probably "calm you down". But why aren't you asking your doctor? Do you have a doctor? Your endocrinologist should be answering ALL your questions about hormone therapy. Of course, Spironolactone is NOT a hormone. You do know that, don't you? Do you have any plans to take anything OTHER (in addition to) spiro? Where are you planning to get your spiro?

Spironolactone is a BLOOD PRESSURE medication. In the doses that make it effective as a testosterone blocker, it can have VERY serious side effects. It will lower your blood pressure significantly, make no mistake. You should be carefully supervised by a competant physician.

In general, spiro will have little feminizing effect without some form of estrogen taken with it.

Lot's of questions, I know. But it will help me to help you if I had the answers to those questions from you.

Lovies,
Stephenie

[Shikyo]

It sounds little strange to me, but not all that strange in the end that you've been living as a woman for so long already but haven't started with hormone therapy yet. How long have you been in the counseling for? From your post it seems like that you just recently started it, which would mean after you've nearly been in your real life test for 8 months.

Now you are wondering about if you should take spiro or not. You've lived as a woman for so long already yet you are unsure if you want to start with the hormone therapy. To my knowledge many doctors prefer to start with just one of the drugs instead of both of them at the same time to see if there are any side-effects. In my opinion the question isn't really if you want to take the drug or not, but more so do you want to become a woman. Myself, I wouldn't have a thought a second about taking spiro or not if a doctor would have proposed it to me. It's a tool for getting where I want to be. Especially with your life experience as a woman you should very well know if you want a life like that or not.

The way the matter went with me. I started hormone therapy on the 01.23.2009. I changed my name to a female name on 04.14.2009 this is also the date when I started living as girl full time. My counseling didn't start until 08.20.2009. Just like you I started the counseling way later in the whole process just like you. However, if I wouldn't have been on HRT by then and they would have proposed to me if I want to start HRT it would have been an easy decision.

What I don't really understand why are you worried about longer term effects of spiro? What makes you worry about that? Is there some health reason which you have that might cause complications with the usage of spiro? Talk about these things with your counselor. Spiro is not the only medication you can take but there are others. Which ones those are would depend of the location where you live but I'm rather sure that the others are going to be more expensive than spiro.

We need more details if you want to us to help you out.

[CharleneT]

Sorry to add another question, rather than answer, but for you what does real life trial mean ?

As mentioned about, Spiro is generally ( but not always) taken with other drugs, as its purpose is to shut down testosterone production. I'm not sure what your therapist might have meant by "settle you down", do you find yourself having some sort of rages ?

[Zenith]

Actually Spiro doesn't shut down production of testosterone so much...(we wish)...but...has anti-androgen activity by binding to the androgen receptor and preventing it from interacting with dihydrotestosterone.

And the side effects of using spiro alone can definitely include gynecomastia. Also elevated levels of potassium or hyperkalemia which can be very dangerous.

Although it can lower blood pressure (and in some patients a great deal)...not always when combined with estrogen. My blood pressure ended up being stage 2 hypertension with estrogen and a high dose of spiro, so I also needed Lisinopril to just get into a normal range...

[joanlynn28]

The side effects of spironolactone are also what you want if your transitioning eg breast growth. I have mild hypertension and stopped taking lisinipril because it gave me a constant cough because it causes dry mouth. My doctor told me to stop and when I did the cough went away and being on the spi. lowered my blood pressure where I didn't need to take medication for high bp. My bp being under 110/80 now on HRT. Being on two types of diuretics at once was just too much for me, and being post op one tends to go more often to the bathroom.

[Shikyo]

Sorry to add another question, rather than answer, but for you what does real life trial mean ?

No one else seems to have answered your question, so I shall answer it instead. With real life trial/experience/etc. one means the period of time where you start to live fully in the sex you wish to live in without reverting back to your old self/sex for anything. This includes working as female, using the female bathrooms, living as a female etc. simply being a woman.

I hope this answered your question well enough.

[Beth-Lock]

Thank you for your responses. This is what I needed -- some feedback and clarification of the nature of spiro treatment.
One thing that is controversial about my situation and that of many others, and that I hesitate to mention, is the case in which one regrets going down the path to becoming a woman at some time. I have already experienced that, so that makes me hesitant to speed along the normal course. Needless to say, it would be much more difficult if major changes had been made, so turning back might be even more problematic.
My attempts to get therapy had been, up until now, when I am finally getting somewhere, discouraging. Also this is expensive, and I have been squeezed for money this year. I have had therapy five years ago, and at that time the therapist suggested I just pursue cross-dressing. When I phoned again this year, wanting to transition, I was told he could not handle this. I then brought it up with my family doctor, (twice), and the second time got a major run-around, among other things told to contact a therapist specializing in gays to ask who to see. Subsequently, I tried another route, and the result was a setback and fiasco. (I really got hurt.)
It is only recently that I was able to have an appointment with a social worker specializing in GID, and I waited patiently for the day of the appointment to come up. This first session was mainly an intake session, for information. The social worker works with a psychiatrist, and I assume the spiro would be prescribed, if at all, by the psychiatrist.
In essence, my sensitive nature has been scarred by my treatment by a number of helping people, and indeed, for a while, I thought I would stick to myself and not seek help anymore, I was so discouraged. Then a crisis came up, and I had little choice but to seek help. So, I am sort of limping, emotionally, along the path at the moment.
One thing I have learned is that what works for others, may not work for me. In fact, my therapist said something like that at a local university lecture to aspiring social workers. Everyone is different, and I am very different indeed. If I need to err, it ought to be on the side of caution. And I haven't even mentioned family problems.

[carolinoakland]

I reread and gathered that the comment about calming you down was probably NOT from your therapist. It's a combo act for sure with that anti androgens AND the estrogens. I started therapy first, then went on HRT after a diagnosis of GID. I started living more in the target gender, I filed papers in Dec. 08 to change my name, but the court date to change it didn't happen until May 09 ( darn mortgage crisis is tying up the civil courts here.). My job allowed me to change my name on my work id's and I decided to transition in place at work on Jan. 26th. It has been the most happy year of my life.

Ok, we are trying to talk to you about you right? Ok, I think a lot of the things you write about are what the other girls have told you about their experience. But here's a note about the hormones... prior ( and this was from my therapist.) to the current anti depressants female hormones where often used as anti depressants. And the reaction one has to the hormones is an indicator of one's suitability as a successful candidate for SRS. And for me... they calmed me WAAAAAAY down. I'm less anxious, in fact at one point on a job I got into an altercation with a guy ( I was full time by then...) where we where nose to nose with him yelling.... and it took me two days to realize... NO ADRENELINE SPIKE! No fight of flight panic... Life without testosteron is great!

Now for all that is good about them (HRT)... PLEASE! See a doctor! DO NOT SELF MEDICATE! These are serious drugs with serious effects AND side effects. We want you around for a long time, do not use these lightly. You've waited this long to not do this any other way but safely, and perfectly. This will be the greatest and most satisfying journey ever, do not do this half way! Carol

[jenna_woods]

I must confess I don't understand at all,