17 replies to this topic

[Isabella100]

as a requirement to gain pre-authorization for accutane with my insurance i have to do a course of tretinoin + minocycline for three months. i got my scripts filled today, tretinoin cream 0.025% and minocycline 100mg (once a day). i already know a bit about tretinoin, that my face could become really irritated and cause an initial break out, but once that goes away it should for the duration that i use it be going good things for my skin overall and reduce oiliness, which is an immense relief because my skin is insanely oily, but i'm worried about taking minocycline.

i've read and heard that in women (i am female) the side effects are more common, and worse, and possible long-term effects can include enamel hypoplasia (yikes!), mild to severe diarrhea that can lead to colitis, liver damage, vulvovaginitis, jaundice, discoloration of the teeth and oral cavity, and hair loss. the only plus i see is that if the side effects aren't debilitating or anything that it should start to work fairly quickly and the results may be more long-term, as compared to other antibiotics i've used in the past.

my question is mostly directed toward women who've used it - what has your experience been with minocycline? good, bad, love it, hate it? also, does it do anything in reducing oiliness? i really wouldn't want to take it if it's likely to cause recurrent yeast infections.

but here's hoping! i'll start my tretinoin tonight and wait a couple of days to start minocycline so i can read up on it some more and get some feedback. thanks in advance!

i intend to eat a lot of yoghurt with probiotics to combat possible diarrhea and yeast infections, but if i shouldn't do this with minocycline for some reason, PLEASE tell me... i'm a little ignorant at the moment to the do's and don'ts of the drug.

[Michellica]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, the only bad side effects I got were because I was left on Mino for years. I think you should be fine since you'll only be on it for 3 months, but everyone responds to things differently. If you feel that your acne is bad enough to need accutane then I guess you'll have to fulfill the pre-authorization requirement. Otherwise, I would never recommend antibiotics. My dumb a$$ doctor had me on Mino for years and never checked me for any symptoms and just kept writing prescriptions for it. I was the one who finally researched it myself and found that a person should never be on antibiotics for as long as I was. I asked him to take me off and have been off for a little over a year now. It took forever for my stomach and intestines to return to some sort of normal. The Mino had killed off the good bacteria in my body :/. Also, I had the side effect where you get blue patches on your skin (it kind of looks like bruises) and it still hasn't gone away. It now looks like I have permanent bruises on my shin. Anyway, that was my experience. Good luck to you! And don't let them keep you on antibiotics for too long like my stupid doctor did.

[Isabella100]

thanks. i don't think the side effects should be too bad since i will be on a relatively short course, but i'll be on the lookout for even the most minor signs that something is wrong.

[Michellica]

thanks. i don't think the side effects should be too bad since i will be on a relatively short course, but i'll be on the lookout for even the most minor signs that something is wrong.

Exactly. I wish I would have done the same thing. Good luck!

[CoolGuy68]

I definitely cannot recommend going on antibiotics, no matter how desperate you are! Antibiotics kill everything, and it will ruin you bowel movements, plus give you a yeast infection as well! Not to mention, more breakouts, I'll tell you why. Mincocycline and most other antibiotics contain a milk protein called Lactose Monohydrate as a binder, this makes no sense whatsoever in "helping" your acne. I say this because most acne sufferers go "dairy-free" for a reason. I found out about this after doing some research right after I decided to stop taking them. Follow the Candida Diet, and start taking probiotics instead! This is my last warning, and I will not post this again!!!

[Isabella100]

second day of using tretinoin, and so far the only difference i've noted is that my skin feels greasier from the cream. is that normal?

[Isabella100]

almost a week now... still no bad break-out, and my skin is still getting really oily, more than it was before. i'm still wondering if that's normal?

i decided to go ahead with minocycline. no bad side effects so far, and no sign of clearing yet. i hope this at least helps.

[asburypark101]

I am on minocycline and it is one of the toughest antibiotics out there for acne and also has a very very low resistance rate, which is very good. So far I have not had any bad side effects from minocycline and I have been on it for years. I get a blood test twice a year and everything is normal, but I would recommend not to drink a lot of alcohol while on this. Also wait a good 3-6 months, and that is usually when most people will see results from your combo of tretinoin and minocycline. Good luck and keep us posted!

[Isabella100]

the first time i took it i had the sweats, my head felt weird, and i threw up. i tried taking it on an empty stomach. since then i've been taking it with dinner and haven't had any bad effects. still no real change with the tretinoin, but i can tell my skin is starting to clear up already from the minocycline.

i'm worried now about the scars i have from acne - white scars. how can i get rid of them?

[Randomstuffs261]

Minocyclin gave me GRIEF but some people had pretty good results from it.
I had (still have after 2 months) light headedness, hyperPIGmentation(lol) and redness(red).

Edited by Randomstuffs261, 14 December 2010 - 06:32 PM.

[Isabella100]

i'm starting to see noticeable results from the treatment. my face is getting dry in some sensitive areas, but that seems to be the only undesirable effect so far. i'm having very few break outs, what break outs i do have aren't very bad, and they don't last long before healing. the tretinoin seems to be helping the scars on my face heal much more quickly.

i just have to find a routine to control oil during the day that doesn't make my face irritated. i'm still working on finding a solution for the white scars i have.

[Isabella100]

regular moisturizing is taking care of the dryness. i haven't had a breakout in a while, just one or two blemishes here and there that have gone away quickly, so i just have the red scars left behind from the mess my face was before that are fading quite nicely.

if anyone knows a good way to battle oil and white scars, i'd still like to know.

[Isabella100]

scars that are white? meaning they're not superficial red scars that fade with time, they're more or less permanent. i'd like to know a way to diminish them.

[Isabella100]

i dunno. slightly raised, but not a lot.

[Reti]

I feel like I am not really there, there... you know? Minocycline makes my head feel weird, besides the initial nausea (subsided) and dizziness (didn't completely). I'm switching to Doxycycline, since it's a $35 cheaper per month. Mino has also made me very susceptible to rashes and sunburns. Second day on it and walking to the university and back on a cloudy day, may face was on fire by night. Cleansers and medicated creams are also not well tolerated while I'm on it. It is definitely the most potent and brain-invading of the 'cyclines, but I'm hoping doxy strikes a better balance between the weak Tetra and the too invasive Mino at the other end. Tetracycline is in short supply in the USA right now, though. Year or two ago it was Erythromycin that you couldn't get without paying 10X the normal price. For all the hoopla about not “misusing” antibiotics, the manufacturers aren’t making it very easy to stick to one drug. Why the heck are the synthetic retinoids so darn expensive, anyway? They’re terrible for your bones, ligaments, and digestive track, but they work the best with the fewest severe side-effects, considering.

Edited by Reti, 27 March 2012 - 12:28 PM.

[BaRayRayAllDayDay]

Anyone's weight change up or down on Mino??