I have moderate acne mainly on my chin jaw line. Went to see the dermatologist who said he wouldnt let me have accutane because I didnt fit the criteria for severe cystic acne and that if I wanted to be on it I would have to pay over $1300 out of my own pocket. He put me on differin cream and antibiotic tetracycline 250mg four times a day. Initially it cleared some up but now it has brought them out and my face is very swelled up and so is my abdomen, I also get sharp pains (feels like bleeding ) in the R lower abdo region but that has reduced along witht he severe nausea that I got from it initially.
dont know what to do

I've been on oxytetracline for 3 months now and for the first 3 months it started to clear up my skin - but only reducing inflammation not actually stopping any red marks! :-(

Basically i think it just stops it "cultivating" on your face but doesnt actually 'stop' it!? Proven by the fact i've had a big break out recently and thats probably because i havent taken it for 2 days......due to the fact i ran out!!

So basically if you only get a few spots take this......if you actually have ACNE go for something stronger!!

Tetracycline made me either feel sick or physically sick after taking on many occasions. If you want to try it I would recommend taking it after at least a little food so you have something in your stomach to help it absorb. I never used to get ill either with colds or fever but lately I have had so many, it's only after reading these comments that I realise it may be linked to taking antibiotics. I'm going to try birth control pills now so I hope they help. I really think there should be some more research into these acne medications.

Tetracycline (along with the topical Diffrin) was my last resort before I went to Accutane, something I could neither afford nor had the desire to do. My acne was moderate, but I have very fair skin, and any cysts that developed lasted for weeks at a time and left red scars all over my face. It had cleared up while I was on Alesse birth control, but I had to switch because of unrelated matters to Ortho-tricyclen Lo, and I am convince this was the cause of my "flareup" (that was in actuality worse than anything I had before).

Needless to say, after having been on the treatment for almost 3 months now, my face is looking much better. I don't get any cystic acne any more, and any acne I do get is small, coverable with makeup, and goes away in a day.

A warning, though -- it made my acne get EXPONENTIALLY worse before getting better. It "pushes" all the grime in your pores to the surface, causing multiple deep cysts. The unfortunate result for me was that my skin got clear, but it is now covered with red scars. I am using cocoa butter and shark oil to hopefully make them disappear quickly.

I hope my skin stays clear after I quit the regimen!

i had moderate acne on my forehead and chin. I wanted to clear it up fast so i went on a combo of tetracycline and benzaclin. It worked great and cleared up my acne in 1 week. but then as i continued to use it as i was supposed to after my acne cleared up, i got a small rash on my arm and thought nothing of it, just thought i had a little skin irratation. Then a week later my face looked like i was a burn victim. My cheeks were bright red, my eyes were really swollen and watery. I talked to a doctor and he just said to stop taking the medication. The next day i had to go to the emercency room to get a shot so the swelling in my eyes to go down so i could open them! I cant wear contacts and my face really burns and itches. cleared up my acne, but made my face realllly really red and my eyes all puffy...no acne :) but i wish i had acne instead of swollen eyes and burn victim skin.

I used oxytetracycline tablets twice a day. An hour before food or two hours after and not to be taken at the same time of day as milk and not to lay down for 30 mins after taking....not fun! Worked really well for the first three months, thought I had found a cure! Went back to Dr's for more and the second batch didn't work at all. I kept taking it for two more months and returned to Dr's in the same state I started. Apparently I have become immune to it. Now on Erythromycin....early days so will post comment in a few months.

used tetra and mino for like 4 years. it helped at times, but never symptoms always came back. i've now changed to accutane, and it seems to work minus the dry face, lipos and hands. i'm getting sick all the time though...fever, sweats, sinus infection, flu, cough, etc.
i think the antibiotics have killed my immune system.
theres got to be some natural products that can equal, or work better than all this bureaucratic money-making drug crap.

I used Tetracycline (tetralysal) for about 5 month. It worked absolutely wonderful for 3 month (no side-effects) then my acne started to return again. My doctor said that the bacteria can develop immunity to the drug. So now I’m on Accutan (Roaccutan) and so far my acne as become worse and my skin is extremely dry (I can’t laugh because my skin cracks) and I am also very tired all the time, but hopefully it will work and clear my face.

This stuff's pretty good, not the best thought,, It does keep ur skin clear after using bp gel, but it made me break out in the first 2 weeks. I've been using this for 4 weeks now, and i have had little to no breakouts, that weren't already happening.

I have been taking Tetracyline for many months now. I have had virtually no side effects, but my acne is NOT gone. I have not seen any dramatic improvement from it. I sort of stopped taking it for a few days and just put alot of BP on my skin and that seemed to work better. I would suggest the clear skin regimin and lots of water and healthy foods.

Good Luck!
MK