14 replies to this topic

[goodnews]

I had my appointment 2 days ago. He said I definately have Papulopustular rosacea. He prescibed doxycycline 100 mg twice daily and said it will be used as an inflammatory. I have a 2 month prescription and he wants to see back then. In the last 2 days I have been doing as much research as possible here on the internet concerning doxycycline. I have come to the conclusion if this works it will only be a temporary solution as anti biotics can't be taken for very long. After googling doxycycline I came across tons of stuff suggesting a low dose of 40 mgs daily (20mg twice daily) for rosacea patients that can safely be continued without the negative effects of the full dose antibiotics. I am not sure why my doctor didn't prescibe this dose???

low-dose regimen appears to treat acne effectively without altering the antimicrobial susceptibility of the skin flora. Furthermore, previous trials of low-dose doxycycline have demonstrated no change in the antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria in the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. This therapy may be the safest approach to using antibiotics for treating acne (see also JW Dermatology May 14

One of the better articles I found on low dose doxyclycline and the importance of dosing twice daily at 20mgs each time rather than one 40 mg dose (as the 40 mg dose all at once will likely be high enough to cause antibiotic resistant bacteria.) Also at the end of the article they included detailed findings on patients health after 6 months on the low dose including all good findings.




I would like to know if anyone here has any experience with low dose doxycycline. I have read plenty of negative threads concerning doxycline losing its effectiveness after 2-3 months. Also read tons of stuff where rosacea/acne came back severely after stopping doxycycline. I guess what I am thinking is following doctors dosing amount and then later tapering down to 40 mg low dose and maybe staying there instead of stopping it's use completely.

Any suggestions and opinions would be really appreciated

[asburypark101]

First off dont change your medication regimen until you talk with the doctor. It is good that you researched this and the doctor may or may not know this infomation as doctors cannot research every single article written. I think your doctor gave you a higher dose at first to control your symptoms faster and then when the symptoms of rosacea have subsided he may lower your dose to a"maintenance dose." Also it is very very rare for doxycycline to lose its effectivness in 2-3 months...2-3 years maybe, but definitely in a few months. So i say give the doxycycline a chance and when the symptoms are more controlled you can talk to your doctor about lowering your dose and having a maintenance dose. Also bring the article too, he probably wont read it right there, but he may read it later.

[goodnews]

asuburypark thank you for your input. I will follow doctors regimen. I believe I am already seeing results in just 4 days. I will know for sure when I wake up in the morning. I haven't gotten any new breakouts today and my face looks a tiny better. I read so many reviews on doxycycline. Some folks saw great improvement, some a little and a few felt it did not help at all. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

[asburypark101]

Everyone will react different to medicine because our bodies are all different. I am glad to hear that it is working for you so far Good luck!!

[goodnews]

Well, I have gotten no new pimples or bumps in 2 days. The ones I had are fading for sure. This is working for sure. I always get a couple new ones on my cheeks everyday, when I look in the mirror in the morning and then again at the end of the day. Sometimes they are small but they do come each day. So when I get real close to the mirror I have zero new ones popping out. I also wanted to mention that I waited too late yesterday to take my pill. I did not want to miss a dose and took a chance taking it 20 minutes before going to bed. It was a mistake and I won't ever do that again. Most of the night I was suffering with acid refex type symptoms and got very little sleep. You can't be lying down while your stomach digests this medicine. Next time I will stay up long enough after I take it to prevent this from happening. It was not pleasant.

[goodnews]

My face is looking very good considering its just under a week. No new bumps popping up and I can see this is a winner for me. I find myself constantly thinking about my future and doxycycline and know this is only a temporary relief. I read hundreds and hundreds of reviews of this stuff on several sites. Many, many people had awesome success using it until they either had to stop or its effectiveness wore off and they were back to square one or worse. Then there were many more who had success with it for the first time, then a took a break from it and when they started back up a second time it had lost its effectiveness. I did not see where it permantly cured a patient or of a patient using it for the long term as it always seems to quit working at some point. I really wonder if someone having success with full dose doxyclycline will then drop the dose down to a low dose (20 mg 2x daily) before the medicine loses its effectiveness or the time frame for taking an anti-biotic runs out. I plan on discussing this with my doctor when the time comes. In the mean time I am still gathering all the info I can on low dose doxycyline.

[goodnews]

Well it just shows how much a newbe I am to this medicine stuff. After googling and googling I finally found what I was looking for. ORACEA Oh well, LOL Anyway since folks have been using "oracea" for the treatment of the postules and papules that rosacea causes and it is low dose doxyclycline for years...... I guess thats my answer. I just had never heard of it. Well I only just found out I had rosacea a week ago... I figure since the doxycycline works for me then the oracea will do the same but without all the symptoms of taking an anti-biotic. I even found an article stating that 100 mg of doxyclycline was no better at treating the p and p's of rosacea any better than the oracea's 40 mgs daily. So I will just keep going with doxycycline daily and my log here and hopefully be getting my doctor to switch me over when the time comes. My face still has no new anything in several days and I am in a great mood about it all.

Edited by goodnews, 05 April 2011 - 07:33 PM.

[asburypark101]

Im really happy things are going so well for you so far I know how easy it is to think about the future with this medicine and how it may lose its effectiveness and what would do you then, etc....but remember to live in the now!! If the doxycycline stops working down the road sometime then you will try another medicine, but in the mean time enjoy your life right now Anxiety over the future just causes us more problems, take it from someone who habitually does it, lol!

[goodnews]

Asbury, thank you for your nice comments. Today is another day with no p's or p's. My face is looking really good. Only 1 week so far. I don't remember reading about it working this fast

[goodnews]

So not one pimple or papule or popule or anything for days. I have almost quit looking in the mirror constantly because no matter how hard I look I can't find anything. My face hasn't looked better in years. This stuff works for me. I guess the big question is will the oracea do the same since it can be taken longer than the full strength anti biotic I am taking now? I have even eaten or taken some of the trigger foods and supplements and they don't even effect my complexion. Pretty amazing stuff. Well, I thats all I got for now

[asburypark101]

Thats terrific!!! I have no idea with the oracea will do the same thing for you, everyone responds to the treatment differently...what works for some people, may not work for others. This could be a discussion you may want to initiate with your doc when you see him/her again. But right now enjoy it and live your life to the fullest

[goodnews]

So not even a tiny pimple or anything in over a week. I can't even find a tiny bump anywhere. Totally weird. Never would have expected results like this. I don't even do anything special as far as washing my face. Just wash in the shower like normal each morning. Just over 2 weeks on the anti-biotic. I can eat or take anything I want and still no breakouts. Too bad this isn't a maintenance drug. It sure has done wonders for me. Only one small negative so far. Since my complexion has totally cleared I can actually see some tiny red vessel things that I don't think were visible before. First time I saw them it kinda freaked me out. They are more visible in natural daylight then in the bathroom mirror. I have a couple on top part of each cheek. I have read they don't go away. If they don't get worse or I don't get more I might be ok though. Just wondering if I will be getting more even though I don't get breakouts anymore. Well, thats all I got for now. I am looking forward to switching to the low dose stuff to see if I still get same results. I will update if anything changes.

[Callme_kpr]

great good news...luv to hear this.

I have been prescribed doxy 100mg (1 daily morning) and metrogel lotion for my rosacea on nose. It did work and reduced the bumpness, papules/pustules and cleared my nose. I promise you, I googled more than you over the internet on Rosacea/dermatitis. I am still in complete disappointment that there is no cure for rosacea.

So I started thinking....what does doxy do to keep rosacea under control, that we are afraid that the symptoms reappear once we stop doxy in future. Think....think.....

Is there something we can do naturally as effective as doxycycline in future? taking something daily that provides more effectiveness than doxycycline. This is to just overcome the body resistant to antibiotics.

Post your thoughts on this....and how are you feeling now? its almost 3 months you posted....let me know...

Chaitu

[goodnews]

Thought I should update since its been 6 months since starting doxycyclene My physician wanted to stay with the doxy at a lower dose since I was seeing such good results. He has me at 100mg once daily. I still worry about taking antibiotics longer than needed so I intentionally miss days. I can get by with 100mg once every 3 days. If I start to get a breakout it goes away after the next dose. I get zero pimples unless I go too long without. I understand doxy doesn't work for everyone. I am just very lucky I guess. It is magic for me so far. I will update if anything changes.

[goodnews]

Wanted to update, its been a few months. Nothing has changed. I still take doxy 100 mg once a day. I skip every 3rd or 4th day, depending on my complexion. If I go a few days without it I start getting several pimples around my nose and cheeks. It then takes 2 days and they all vanish, like they were never there. Even the ones that were just starting to form just go away. I don't use any special face wash or diet. Really curious why the doxycycline works so well. I do worry about what effects the doxy might have taking it over time. I have learned with trial and error that I must drink a bunch of water with it. A full 20 oz glass of water will prevent me from any acid reflex or indigestion stuff. A half cup of water will not work in preventing this. In time I will get my physician to let me try something else. I just hope there is something that works like this.