33 replies to this topic

[singinghope]

amoxicillin? could anyone please share the effectiveness of this medication. and also, before my derm perscribed it to me, he asked if i was allergic to penicillin b/c this drug is related. i said no, but when i got home, i realized that i didnt know if i was allergic b/c i never needed to take it. do people first figure out if theyre allergic by taking the medicine? and i know that yeast infections is a possible side effect. anyone experience this? thank you all very much for all the help!

[Susan1967]

Amoxycillin, I believe is in the Penecillin family of anitbiotics. I'm allergic to Penecillin but not Amoxycillin.

Did your regular GP or your dermatologist prescribe it? Did he/she specifically explain why?

I find there are always doctors who are going to want to push the long term use of antiobiotics for the treatment of acne, while there are others who acknowledge that is not only ineffective for some people but a bad idea.

If you just started going to the Doc for acne, perhaps he is simply working through the steps to find what type of acne you have. Perhaps he thinks it's being triggered by a follicle infection. Maybe he thinks that if he can get the acute bacteria under control, then you can move on to other treatments following.

In order to get to the point where Accutane is recommended, the FDA has really clamped down and requiring Docs to cover ALL their bases prior to advising it's use. Most doctors have always been very careful in that sense anyway, but the FDA has really tightened the reigns in the last year.

Ask your doctor lots of questions, though, whatever cousre of treatment he prescribes, and don't be afraid to tell him if you are against long term use of antibiotics for the treatment of your actne. There are other options, some better than others...

Read the patient information sheet that comes with your Rx when you get home as it tells you exactly how to take the medication as well as possible side effects to be on the lookout for.

[singinghope]

no, im not a new patient. and my derm perscribed it to me because of my type of acne. its said to work best if i have topicals and antibiotics since its the inflammatory type. ive been on minocycline for a while. a long while at different dosages paired with various topicals.

[Susan1967]

Oh, I hate minocin (another name for it) -- I took it in college for several months. It did nothing for my acne and only caused severe chronic yeast infection. Yuk.

That was the last antibiotic I took before going on Accutane when I was about 20.

I had a Derm when we first moved to NC years ago that wanted to put me on a long term antibiotic, Sulfa, and not only did it not work either but I had an allergic reaction to it. He just wanted to put me on another and I never went back. Years later, when we moved to OR and I started seeing the Docs about my acne again, I flat told them no antibiotics.

I take spironolactone -- ask your Doc about it...

[sterrance]

The only thing I've ever been on Amoxicillin for was sinus infections and it doesn't work on me. The only thing I know is you might be in trouble if you have a history of yeast infections.

[john71]

Amoxicillin DEFINATELY works for ME.
I discovered it accidentally, taking Amoxicillin for an illness and within about 3 to 4 days I noticed my acne clearing up noticeably, and after taking Amoxicilling for about 7 days I was practically acne free.
My doctor couldn't believe it. She wrote me up for another 7 days of Amoxicillin because I insisted, and my acne stayed away. I didn't get any further refills and my acne came back about a week after stopping.
A couple months later I got another perscription for Amoxicillin from her and again it cleared up. She was curious as to this and so put me on Doxycycline to see if that would work better for whatever reason, but Doxycycline did NOTHING for my acne.

Same results happened about a year later when I had sinus surgery, again being placed on Amoxicillin post-surgery and again my acne notably cleared up about 3 days and virtually was clear in about 7 and remained clear perhaps 3 days after stopping the course of Amoxicillin. Similar to the first doctor, the ENT couldn't believe Amoxicillin cleared up my acne.

...So, as common sense would dictate that there are many causes that may result in one's body producing acne. Maybe Amoxicillin will help you, maybe not. Just try it for a couple weeks. If it works, it is a very inexpensive solution, probably the cheapest. I see the acne solution a bit like women that take hormonal treatment as birth control, doctors seem to play a bit of hit or miss until they find the right birth control that works for that particular woman. So, similarly, you will have to play around until you find what works probably.

In my case, I think it is allergies that somehow causes a moderate acne reaction.
Note, my acne is not bad really, and probably 80% of my "acne" cannot be "popped" like a zit that would produce white goo, so perhaps mine is more like an allergic reaction? I say this because I know it gets worse if I am sleeping on the carpet and I later found via allergy testing that I am allergic to dust mites. Odd thing is that I don't itch nor sneeze nor have runny noses from sleeping on the floor at all, which surprised the allergist. Another odd note in my case is that my acne bumps seem to stay perpetually in the same pores too (unless I take Amoxicillin). Sometimes 10% Benzoil Peroxide helps me a little (over the counter products like Clearisil, Oxy, etc.), but nothing compared to what Amoxicillin does.

Oh, another person commented on Spironolactone - be warned, if you are a MALE taking high doses or long-term dosing this can cause gynocomastia (spelling) which is a SWELLING of your AREOLA around your NIPPLES, which is also a bit painful and not attractive on a man. It takes a long time for your body to naturally recover from this after stopping spironolactone. Surgery to remove the "lumps" is not covered by most insurances for men (but often is a covered procedure for women, a sexist policy in my view).

[JR86]

Oh, I hate minocin (another name for it) -- I took it in college for several months. It did nothing for my acne and only caused severe chronic yeast infection. Yuk.

minocin isn't the same thing.


anyway, i've used Amoxicillin for acne, it didn't really do much for me.

[maggie]

I've heard of Amoxicillin being prescribed for acne. I took it for a tooth infection and it cleared my acne - almost over night.

Be sure to take a high potency probiotic with this to prevent yeast infections (available at health food stores and the best are refridgerated) and keep an eye out for the amoxocillin rash. It looks like flesh colored tiny bumps which may appear in patches. If you should develop this (and you may not) check with your derm. Good luck!

[windycity]

I was prescribed amoxyl for an infection and i found out that it cleared up my acne completely in 3 days. Problem was I had an allergic reaction on the 5th day of taking the stuff and broke out in a huge rash covering almost my entire body. Needless to say, i stopped taking the amoxyl and now a week later my face is back to where it was. Does anyone know of anything that is similar to amoxyl that would be available either via prescription or over the counter? I was amazed at how great my skin looked just one week ago and would love to have it like that permanently!

[siayae]

I was prescribed amoxyl for an infection and i found out that it cleared up my acne completely in 3 days. Problem was I had an allergic reaction on the 5th day of taking the stuff and broke out in a huge rash covering almost my entire body. Needless to say, i stopped taking the amoxyl and now a week later my face is back to where it was. Does anyone know of anything that is similar to amoxyl that would be available either via prescription or over the counter? I was amazed at how great my skin looked just one week ago and would love to have it like that permanently!

I was on amoxy for a long time, it was the only thing that would hold my acne back well, i have been on other drugs too, mino and doxy even ampacillin. mino made me so dizzy and sick, doxy did nothing. the problem is that if you are on it too long you can get other skin problems like i had, after being on it a while like over a year, i got yeast infections on my skin and it resembled acne but very tiny and itchy, also in my mouth and girly area too:( . It has been proven that zinc has been just as effective as antibiotics when taking every day, in alot of people. I now take 60 mg of opti zinc a day to help my acne and i see a noticeable improvement.

[ComaWhite]

my derma perscribed it to me as well and within a few days my acne has almost completely cleared up! but i do have some questions. she perscribed me 1000mg to be taken once a day, but ive read on other sites that the reccomended dose is 875mg max or 500mg 2 times a day, is this correct, the amount she has perscribed me? i also want to know is it alright for me to take this on a permantent basis. i dont ever want my acne to come back, ive been dealing with it for 15 years now and i have finally found something that works great. i just want to know if its safe to take this much for many years or not.

[john71]

> perscribed me 1000mg to be taken once a day,
> other sites that the reccomended dose is 875mg max or 500mg 2 times a day,
> is it alright for me to take this on a permantent basis.

I am on 500mg 2x daily. I suppose 1000mg 1x a day is effectively the same.
I am male, so don't have the vaginal yeast infection concerns, but the people who mentioned such conerns makes me worry about long time use.

I'm going to investigate this Zinc 60mg dialy thing one other poster suggested...

If you are female, for your acne, you should look into birth control pills.. you don't have to take them as "birth control" but as hormone regulators. Seems most women simply have acne disappear after you get the right pill hormonal levels. Sometimes, though, it can also cause a little weight gain. See your doctor.

[xjumper1115]

I was prescribed this in the summer. I had taken the liquid form of amoxicillin when I was a kid for strep throat so I thought I wouldn't be allergic or anything. About a week into taking the pill form I got the rash over my entire body except my face (go figure).

[6to3]

Hi! I have a quetion for all of of you who have taken amoxicillin.For how long have been taking it? Please someone answer.Thanks.

[Retrolicious]

I was prescribed Amoxicillin for a severe sinus infection a few years ago. I think it is a HORRIBLE drug. I too did not know at the time if I was allergic to penicillin. Low and behold I was and Amoxicillin gave me HIVES for a week. It also causes yeast infections and depletes the water in your body which can give you constipation. It gave me such bad cotton mouth that I couldnt sleep at night.


Bottom Line: I would not recommend taking this drug. Especially if you do not know if you're allergic to penicillin.

Edited by Retrolicious, 25 January 2010 - 06:44 PM.

[Mumble]

Interesting, because Amoxicillin is one of my choices of antibiotics before I go see the doctor.

[Jocie]

I took Amoxicillin for a few months while i was in South Africa to prevent Malaria, and it didn't make my acne any better or worst to be honest. I don't see why you shouldn't try it though, it may work for you.

[Eladrev]

I too was very recently prescribed Amoxicillin for my sinus infection. After about a week or more into the treatment, I noticed my acne was also clearing considerably. My treatment just ended yesterday, so I have yet to acknowledge if it was actually the Amoxicillin or just coincidental timing. I'll take notice to how things develop over the next few days.

As a side note, I had almost no negative side effects while on the antibiotic.

[Alexxi]

I was also prescribed this for a sinus infection in November, after taking it for three days my acne had cleared up!! So after my infection cleared, I started taking two per week, every Monday and Friday and I have been clear since Nov! I just ran out the other day and thought I'd let it ride and see if I was 'cured'...I wasn't, I started breaking out again last night and today I have more break outs! So I'm going to go back to the Doc tomorrow and get another prescription...I'm sure taking two anti biotic every week (sometimes I just took one), cant be that harmful..I had no other side effects from taking these antibiotics either!

[majorforum88]

lolzzz. its a good idea...