14 replies to this topic

[mamarb]

I'm 43 and have had cystic acne all my life. It was really getting worse every month over the last few years to the point that instead of having one to two cysts a month, I had at least one active cyst at all times. I was afraid of going on Accutane again, which I took when I was 19 but had terrible side effects. I was using Retin-A Micro at night, and BP and clindamycin gel in the mornings.

In September all h*ll broke loose and I had an uncountable number of cysts on my chin and forehead. I decided to try Minocycline. I had tried it before but hadn't stuck with it because it made me dizzy. I also switched to Tazorac. (Kind of a what the heck thing.)

I can't believe it, but I am now 100% clear.

I write this partly to recommend to those of you trying topicals only, as I was, that perhaps you should try oral antibiotics.

I am also writing with questions:

1) How long can I expect this to last? I know we become immune to antibiotics over time. Anything I can do to prolong the results?

2) I could use some help with moisturizing my dry, flaky winter skin, but as you can imagine, I am paranoid about breaking out!

Thanks in advance.

[m.susan23]

I'm 43 and have had cystic acne all my life. It was really getting worse every month over the last few years to the point that instead of having one to two cysts a month, I had at least one active cyst at all times. I was afraid of going on Accutane again, which I took when I was 19 but had terrible side effects. I was using Retin-A Micro at night, and BP and clindamycin gel in the mornings.

In September all h*ll broke loose and I had an uncountable number of cysts on my chin and forehead. I decided to try Minocycline. I had tried it before but hadn't stuck with it because it made me dizzy. I also switched to Tazorac. (Kind of a what the heck thing.)

I can't believe it, but I am now 100% clear.

I write this partly to recommend to those of you trying topicals only, as I was, that perhaps you should try oral antibiotics.

I am also writing with questions:

1) How long can I expect this to last? I know we become immune to antibiotics over time. Anything I can do to prolong the results?

2) I could use some help with moisturizing my dry, flaky winter skin, but as you can imagine, I am paranoid about breaking out!

Thanks in advance.

Hey mamarb, when I was on Mino the first time I'd say the results lasted about 6 months. Then the cysts would come back, I would stop taking it for a while then started again and they would stay away for about 3 months the 2nd time around. The third time they stayed away for about 1 month. I'm on my 5th month of Accutane now and am really pleased with the results, I scar more easily if I pick on my skin while on it, but I started scarring from the cysts before I started (which is why I finally decided to go on it and get try to rid of my breakouts for good). And the best mosturizer ever is Cetaphil DailyAdvance Ultra Hydrating lotion! But I dont break out from product since my 2nd month of tane so I dont know if it will cause you to break out or not.
Best Wishes!

[sarahf79]

1) How long can I expect this to last? I know we become immune to antibiotics over time. Anything I can do to prolong the results?

Mino works wonders on acne - it really clears up the skin. However, you are right, you will become immune to the antibiotic sooner or later. There is nothing you can do to prolong the results; it's simply dependent on your body's chemistry. Everyone is different - sometimes the effectiveness lasts 6 months, sometimes 3 years. But sadly, antibiotics only treat the symptoms...once you go off of them, the acne comes right back. What sucks the most is that Mino is the best of all the antibiotics, so once you become immune to it, you'll likely have a very difficult time finding anything else that works. However, it is worth it in the meantime to have clear skin!! I was on Mino several times in my life, and the last time I went on it, I discovered I was now allergic to it. After only 2 days, I got an itchy rash all over and haven't been able to take it since (or any of the Tetracycline family of drugs). Sooo frustrating.

2) I could use some help with moisturizing my dry, flaky winter skin, but as you can imagine, I am paranoid about breaking out!

I use Purpose moisturizer with SPF 15. It is oil-free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, very gentle in general. It also does not make your face greasy which is super important for me, since my face is always an oil slick

Good luck to you!

[HolisticJane]

You found the same formula that got me clear Mino and taz together gave me clear skin for the first time in probably 10 years. I weaned off the Mino and stayed clear with just taz. Whatever you do don't stop anything unless the doc gives you the ok. I know that within a month of me not using taz (Stupid me), I broke out again and have had to start over with the peeling and redness. But my zits are dried up and I'm just peeling badly again.

I'm glad you found a winning formula too!

[B-rit]

Mino did the exact same thing to me... i was 100% clear within a few months. Sadly it only lasted for sixth months and slowly got worse and worse.

Now I am on Retin- A Mirco.... And i refuse to go on any type of antibiotic ever again. It makes your stomach sick as you watch your skin return to its horrible state. Not only does it wear off but over time it can really take a toll on your body... After about 5 months of being clear I started having horrible stomach pains whenever I would eat. The antibiotic not only kills the bad bacteria in your body, but also the good bacteria (the ones that line your stomach).

I am happy to be mino free for two months now... Lets just hope RAM can do the trick.

good luck, and take full advantage of your clear skin... hopefully it won't wear off for you- but don't be surprised if it does.

Wow that was a depressing post. I didn't mean for it to turn out that way. I guess i am just bitter about my Mino experience

[He-man]

what is minocycline. is it better and stronger than doxycycline and tetraysal? i had few acne and a couple of cysts so went on tetraysal, this made things worse and cause headaches so i changed to doxycycline. now my acne is 10 times worse than when i began taking antibiotics. waiting for hospital appointement so i can cry and ask for roaccutane

[mamarb]

Thank you all for responding.

I wore Clinique City Block (I think that's the name) SPF 40 this weekend because we attended a football game, and I got some cosmetic acne on my chin, but still no cysts. I can deal with little teeny pimples and it seems like they went away sooner, probably due to the Minocycline. Other than that, I'm still completely clear.

I am in love with the Taz (no, seriously, I want to marry it; don't tell my husband) so there is no danger of me going off of it. I may have acne, but I am far less wrinkled than my friends in their 40s. I would like to have something to lord over them.

However, I found the comment about the stomach issues with Mino interesting because last month I had an upper endoscopy for an unrelated screening (family history of stomach cancers) and the doc found that I had an odd thinning of the stomach lining in two places. I told him I was on Mino, but had just started. He thought it was probably unrelated. I'll make sure I mention it again at the next visit.

However, I feel about Mino at this point much like Charlton Heston felt about his guns: You can have my Minocycline when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands. I think I can put up with a little stomach stuff... I didn't realize how much having visible acne was affecting me until I cleared up. I feel like I lost 20 lbs!

Anyway, I'm a little high on life right now. We'll see how I am in 6 months. Thanks again all for responding.

[ctbo]

minocycline worked for me for a few years and then i started getting zits again.your body will get use to it overtime and hten you will start to break out again.minocycline can also make dark marks n your skin....you might wanna read these links ...............http://findarticles....v41/ai_17276571................
http://www.aocd.org/...inocycline.html

[pb101]

What's the difference between Taz and Retin-a? I did try retin-a and all I got was red skin. Does Taz irritate the skin as much?

[Siava]

mamarb, if/when you decide to stop taking the antibiotic, please wean. Stopping cold turkey can cause a flare up of acne. Your doctor can give you more details. Just wanted to throw that out there for future reference. I'm very glad you have some acne relief and feel great.

[bran88]

Minocycline worked for me for about a year and a half...it never stopped working for my acne, but I started to get blue bruise like spots on my leg (sometimes excess minocycline can build up in your system, watch out for this side effect. If you let it go for a long time, your teeth can turn blue)....Anyway years later, I tried going back on it out of desperation because it had worked so well the first time...it didn't help at all and I got the blue spots back within 2 weeks. good luck with it, but keep in mind that this is a good time to figure out other things that work for you for when you have to stop the minocycline

[Leopold]

Mino stopped my acne for about a year and a half, on and off, and I came off it about two months ago. This was after my doctor assured me that building up a resistance to it was highly unlikely and I didn't need to worry about it- ill-informed bastard.

It's really, really great while it works, but I've been left feeling a bit cheated by it to be honest, like I was given a taste of what life could have been before having it snatched away again.

[princesspimple]

I'm 43 and have had cystic acne all my life. It was really getting worse every month over the last few years to the point that instead of having one to two cysts a month, I had at least one active cyst at all times. I was afraid of going on Accutane again, which I took when I was 19 but had terrible side effects. I was using Retin-A Micro at night, and BP and clindamycin gel in the mornings.

In September all h*ll broke loose and I had an uncountable number of cysts on my chin and forehead. I decided to try Minocycline. I had tried it before but hadn't stuck with it because it made me dizzy. I also switched to Tazorac. (Kind of a what the heck thing.)

I can't believe it, but I am now 100% clear.

I write this partly to recommend to those of you trying topicals only, as I was, that perhaps you should try oral antibiotics.

I am also writing with questions:

1) How long can I expect this to last? I know we become immune to antibiotics over time. Anything I can do to prolong the results?

2) I could use some help with moisturizing my dry, flaky winter skin, but as you can imagine, I am paranoid about breaking out!

Thanks in advance.

I was on minocycline once in combination with Differin and metrogel.It worked good.I was only on it for 3 months,but managed to stay clear for up to a year and half after being off it.
My derm is hestitant to put me on anti biotics again though...I think they are great when starting a new topical routine because they help ward off that inital break out new topicals tend to cause.

[LillyMay77]

Mino kept me completely clear for a year, no zits at all. I had to go off it I have been breaking out ever since

[overfl00d]

Antiboitics kills off all the good bacteria in the body. I'm not surprised at all that acne comes back after getting off any antibiotic. People shouldn't be using antibiotics for acne. If you do, at least do yourself a favor and take probiotics to restore all the good flora in your system.