5 replies to this topic

[joeshep]

I have been using this for over a week now. First couple of days were really bad. Stomach ache alll the time. Heartburn. Although I don't know whether the heartburn was related. It seems to have settled down now though. I'm taking 250mg twice a day.

Can't notice an improvement as of yet. But this is more appealing to me cos I can take it with food. I was on Oxytetracycline prior to this and it did nothing for me. My doctor pretty much said we'd have to go through all the antibiotics before he would even consider referring me to a dermatologist. Is this usual?

Please share your experience with this.

[mckeonjj]

Dont let your doctor tell you you have to go through tons of stuff before getting better. Remember the DOC WORKS FOR YOU. I recommend a new doctor.

Anyways, I was on mino for a week and cleared me completely in like 2 days it most god. Unfortunetly I almost died of brain side effects so i had to get off it quick. Went to Doxy last week and had the same problems as well as a major outburst of ance. Just started Erythromycin today like 5 seconds ago so I hope my stomach and shit isnt bad and I hope it helps my acne cause my acne is killlingg meee.

Ill keep u posted on my situation with this stuff. Let me know as well too.
I was also prescribed hydrocortisone ointment USP 2.5%
Anyone ever hear of this or have it/ how well it works?

[joeshep]

All the doctors around where I live are like that though. They just seem so reluctant to refer you to a dermatologist. To be honest I think I need Roacutane. I just don't think antibiotics are going to be strong enough for me. My acne really is pretty bad. Face, neck, shoulders, upper arms, back.

Have you ever tried oxytetracycline? I was on them for about 5 weeks but saw very little improvement. Although to be fair I wasn't really following the whole empty stomach thing. But my doctor said that taking them on an empty stomach wouldn't have made much difference anyway. Sometimes I wonder if stopping after 5 weeks was too early?

What dosage of Erythromycin are you on? I'm on 500g a day. The first couple of days really gave me a bad stomach ache although I've been fine since then. I think there working better than oxytetracycline so far.

[eyesopen]

I've been taking two 250mg tablets of Erythromycin a day for about 4 months now and there hasn't been a noticeable improvement for me. I'm going to stop taking them as it seems silly to carry on when it hasn't had an effect. I had really bad stomach pains when I first started taking them as well - you'll be pleased to know that once they go away they don't come back! You sound like you have more severe acne than me so maybe it will work better for you.

I also tried oxytetracycline first (for 3 months and it did nothing-actually seemed to make my skin worse) and it was such a pain to have to take them at a certain time before or after food; being able to take Erythromycin whenever you want is a great plus! .

Antibiotics haven't done anything for me, so I'm hoping this Isotrexin gel I got from a dermotologist will clear up my skin. I paid to see a dermatologist privately in the end, as my doctor doesn't seem to take acne very seriously..

[joeshep]

Have you tried any other antibiotics besides Oxytetracycline and Erythromycin?

I wouldn't mind trying Doxycycline to be honest. Think I'm going to see if he will put me on that next. What sort of direction do doctors take if antibiotics fail? I'd always assumed they would refer you to a dermatologist but probably not.

[Buke]

I replied this on several different posts: I also tried a lot of antibiotics: doxycycline, erythromycin, Bactrim, clindamycin (oral), penicillin, amoxicillin, and currently ciprofloxacin. I had to swtch antibiotics like every 7 weeks, cause the bacteria kept becoming resistant. Erythromycin and clindamycin didn't work at all for my acne. I think it's because those are most effective against gram-negative bacteria or gram positive, I can't remember which one. All the other antibiotics are effective on both the gram type bacteria, so they worked wonders. The derms suggested accutane many times. I had reasons, other than side effects, why I didn't want to take it. I left that hospital and went somewhere else, that's where i got the cipro. It isn't the only thing i got, though. Acne is mainly caused by hormone imbalances. Your body is has wayy too much testosterone, and is telling your body to produce all kinds of oil. That oil clogs your pores and traps the bacteria, forming acne. Antiandrogens are used to control the testosterone level. So the doctor also decided to put me on spironolactone "spiro". This is proven to treat server acne, and get rid of all the excess oil. Many people go on this for an acne medication. Some also get a birth control pill to improve the effectiveness. It takes anywhere from 1-3 months to start clearing acne. It only takes 1-2 weeks for all the oil to stop being produced. I was able to go 12 hours without washing my face; no oil. Usually I have so much oil, I have to wash it every couple hours. I read, I believe on this site, this girl was on antibiotics, and accutane. The accutane stoped working after a while, so she went on this and stayed clear. Go to google and type Spironolactone for acne, read the reviews. I would bring this up to your derm. You also want a healthy immune system. Take a multivitamin, and zinc 50 mg capsules (1 or twice daily). If you have scars, take a shower at night. After the shower, break a zinc capsule open, pour the powder on your finger tips, use your other hand to sprinkle water on the powder, rub it in untill it's like a liquid, and rub it on your face. Leave that on over night, and you'll be good. Zinc is amazing. I think give zinc and spiro a shot. After 3-4 months if you still have acne, may God have mercy on your soul. Good luck to you and enjoy your life. Any question/comments e-mail me.