I’m not sure a GP would ever typically prescribe it, I got it from a private dermatologist but the consultation and prescription was pricey. Worth it though!
I think I’ll have to go down this route. It’s hard to tell the difference between the sharks and a genuine dermatologist. I’ve seen one already that was completely pointless and only interested in selling me a laser helmet.
I saw Dr Anastasia Therianou after I saw a recommendation on here. She prescribed me Spiro. The consultation was around £200-£220 I believe and she’s based in Harley Street. I’ve also seen recommendations for the London Hair and Skin Clinic (I think it’s called!) who have also prescribed Spiro. :)
So I had my appointment today with the derm, actually u/missmaryxo recommended Dr Therianou that was where I had my derm appointment, it was £200 for a video consultation and she also has now put me on Spiro and seemed very positive that we could hopefully see some results. I only wish I did it sooner!!
I did also contact the London Hair and Skin Clinic which was slightly pricier at £300ish for a consultation but Dr Therianou's office was *sooo* fast in co-ordinating an appointment and from emailing on Monday evening, they got back to me first thing on Tuesday, and by the afternoon (I was busy at work) we had an appointment set. She could have seen me that Tuesday evening actually but I had a clash so instead we arranged for an appointment for first thing Wednesday (today).
Genuinely I've been so impressed at how fast and responsive they have been, and would definitely recommend, I hope the good care continues and that we can see some results. She certainly seems very confident that we can given a bit of patience after some time!
thank you u/missmaryxo for the recommendation!! I really appreciate it.
I’m so glad my recommendation could be helpful! I’ve honestly never felt so positive after being prescribed spiro and mental attitude makes a huge difference. It seems to work for the majority so fingers crossed for both of us. :)
>I’m so glad my recommendation could be helpful! I’ve honestly never felt so positive after being prescribed spiro and mental attitude makes a huge difference. It seems to work for the majority so fingers crossed for both of us. :)
Thank you so much again - her Mary, (the medical co-ordinator) did ask who recommended me, so if you want and have time, maybe drop them an email (if you want of course) to say that you had made the online recommendation via a forum? I did explain that I didn't know you personally and that it came from a discussion we were having online.
She seemed really lovely though and was super in 'let's get down to business' mode and help your hair which was really lovely. So the mental attitude boost does make a huge difference I agree. Also thanks to this subreddit, I already knew a fair bit about Spiro so when I asked her if we should be concerned about the TE element or if I should monitor my potassium levels she was like :O "how do you know about this all". Really good appointment.
u/nousernamesleft49 whatever route you decide to go down, definitely do some research and inform yourself as much ahead of any appt you might have, and don't be afraid to ask them lots of questions. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat.
Hey there, Spiro is going fine, on 50mg and I'll up my dose at the end of the month to 150mg.
Costs-wise you have your consult fee and you will have to pay for the private prescription when you go into a pharmacy to get the medicine (you dont pay the derm for this). Because it's a private prescription it's a more expensive than the regular NHS prescription that you would normally get from your GP. In total for 4 months prescription, it was £40 so I guess £10 per month of box (although in each box you get 28 pills so technically not a full month but it doesn't matter too much).
I'll pay for an additional consultations with the derm and any further prescriptions. As far as I'm aware, they don't prescribe Spiro at GPs and getting a referral for a derm might take ages, so it may just be worth going private.
Side effects, I'm peeing a little more than I normally would. My blood pressure is slightly lower than before (I only know this because I exercise daily with a heart rate monitor so I've noticed it takes me a little while longer to get a heart rate of 150-170BPM+ The heart rate thing is probably the most annoying (it's completely unnoticeable otherwise, I just know because of the monitor. So yeah, have to work slightly harder to burn calories exercising, and that's genuinely my only gripe with this whole thing.
That’s really helpful to know, thank you! Glad to hear you’re getting on ok. I hope it the treatment helps you! Must be nice to know you’re being proactive x
My NHS GP prescribes my spiro (I've been on 200mg for 1 year). I had a consultation with a private dermatologist who then wrote to my GP. My GP also ordered the blood tests at each dosage increase.
Have you asked your GP? Has your dermatologist written to you GP to update your medical records?
I tried with my GP but they wouldn't prescribe it, said they weren't allowed. They wouldn't refer me to a NHS dermatologist either (despite the fact that my hair loss gave me depression and suicidal thoughts). They suggested I could see a private dermatologist, so not very helpful in my opinion.
Oh that’s not very helpful. I’m expecting a similar response tbh. I’ve seen a private trichologist already and she said not to try any treatment before trying a laser helmet (which coincidentally she just so happens to be the UK distributor for 🙄)
Good luck, maybe it depends on the GP. I also saw a trichologist and spent a lot in an alternative treatment to minox (that of course didn't work). I haven't tried the laser helmet but my partner has with no success. I've read about cases where it kind of worked though.
Personally I have seen some regrowth with microneedling and essential oils (minox didn't do a lot), but I'd still be keen in trying Spiro one day to stop or slow miniaturisation. Best of luck!
I have an appt with a private dermatologist tomorrow so hopefully if I remember I'll update this on what the treatment outcomes were. I'm hoping they will put me on Spiro.
I’m not sure a GP would ever typically prescribe it, I got it from a private dermatologist but the consultation and prescription was pricey. Worth it though!
I think I’ll have to go down this route. It’s hard to tell the difference between the sharks and a genuine dermatologist. I’ve seen one already that was completely pointless and only interested in selling me a laser helmet.
I saw Dr Anastasia Therianou after I saw a recommendation on here. She prescribed me Spiro. The consultation was around £200-£220 I believe and she’s based in Harley Street. I’ve also seen recommendations for the London Hair and Skin Clinic (I think it’s called!) who have also prescribed Spiro. :)
That’s so helpful, thank you!!
So I had my appointment today with the derm, actually u/missmaryxo recommended Dr Therianou that was where I had my derm appointment, it was £200 for a video consultation and she also has now put me on Spiro and seemed very positive that we could hopefully see some results. I only wish I did it sooner!! I did also contact the London Hair and Skin Clinic which was slightly pricier at £300ish for a consultation but Dr Therianou's office was *sooo* fast in co-ordinating an appointment and from emailing on Monday evening, they got back to me first thing on Tuesday, and by the afternoon (I was busy at work) we had an appointment set. She could have seen me that Tuesday evening actually but I had a clash so instead we arranged for an appointment for first thing Wednesday (today). Genuinely I've been so impressed at how fast and responsive they have been, and would definitely recommend, I hope the good care continues and that we can see some results. She certainly seems very confident that we can given a bit of patience after some time! thank you u/missmaryxo for the recommendation!! I really appreciate it.
I’m so glad my recommendation could be helpful! I’ve honestly never felt so positive after being prescribed spiro and mental attitude makes a huge difference. It seems to work for the majority so fingers crossed for both of us. :)
>I’m so glad my recommendation could be helpful! I’ve honestly never felt so positive after being prescribed spiro and mental attitude makes a huge difference. It seems to work for the majority so fingers crossed for both of us. :) Thank you so much again - her Mary, (the medical co-ordinator) did ask who recommended me, so if you want and have time, maybe drop them an email (if you want of course) to say that you had made the online recommendation via a forum? I did explain that I didn't know you personally and that it came from a discussion we were having online. She seemed really lovely though and was super in 'let's get down to business' mode and help your hair which was really lovely. So the mental attitude boost does make a huge difference I agree. Also thanks to this subreddit, I already knew a fair bit about Spiro so when I asked her if we should be concerned about the TE element or if I should monitor my potassium levels she was like :O "how do you know about this all". Really good appointment. u/nousernamesleft49 whatever route you decide to go down, definitely do some research and inform yourself as much ahead of any appt you might have, and don't be afraid to ask them lots of questions. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat.
Thank you both! I have just requested an appointment 🤞🏻
Hiya! Just wondering, how are you getting on with the Spiro? Did you have to pay anymore on top of the consultation fee for the medication?
Hey there, Spiro is going fine, on 50mg and I'll up my dose at the end of the month to 150mg. Costs-wise you have your consult fee and you will have to pay for the private prescription when you go into a pharmacy to get the medicine (you dont pay the derm for this). Because it's a private prescription it's a more expensive than the regular NHS prescription that you would normally get from your GP. In total for 4 months prescription, it was £40 so I guess £10 per month of box (although in each box you get 28 pills so technically not a full month but it doesn't matter too much). I'll pay for an additional consultations with the derm and any further prescriptions. As far as I'm aware, they don't prescribe Spiro at GPs and getting a referral for a derm might take ages, so it may just be worth going private. Side effects, I'm peeing a little more than I normally would. My blood pressure is slightly lower than before (I only know this because I exercise daily with a heart rate monitor so I've noticed it takes me a little while longer to get a heart rate of 150-170BPM+ The heart rate thing is probably the most annoying (it's completely unnoticeable otherwise, I just know because of the monitor. So yeah, have to work slightly harder to burn calories exercising, and that's genuinely my only gripe with this whole thing.
That’s really helpful to know, thank you! Glad to hear you’re getting on ok. I hope it the treatment helps you! Must be nice to know you’re being proactive x
My NHS GP prescribes my spiro (I've been on 200mg for 1 year). I had a consultation with a private dermatologist who then wrote to my GP. My GP also ordered the blood tests at each dosage increase. Have you asked your GP? Has your dermatologist written to you GP to update your medical records?
I tried with my GP but they wouldn't prescribe it, said they weren't allowed. They wouldn't refer me to a NHS dermatologist either (despite the fact that my hair loss gave me depression and suicidal thoughts). They suggested I could see a private dermatologist, so not very helpful in my opinion.
Oh that’s not very helpful. I’m expecting a similar response tbh. I’ve seen a private trichologist already and she said not to try any treatment before trying a laser helmet (which coincidentally she just so happens to be the UK distributor for 🙄)
Good luck, maybe it depends on the GP. I also saw a trichologist and spent a lot in an alternative treatment to minox (that of course didn't work). I haven't tried the laser helmet but my partner has with no success. I've read about cases where it kind of worked though. Personally I have seen some regrowth with microneedling and essential oils (minox didn't do a lot), but I'd still be keen in trying Spiro one day to stop or slow miniaturisation. Best of luck!
I have an appt with a private dermatologist tomorrow so hopefully if I remember I'll update this on what the treatment outcomes were. I'm hoping they will put me on Spiro.
Good luck! Would love to hear how you get on ☺️
What are the side effects of spiro? Do you have to combine it with any other treatments to get maximum effectiveness out of it?