I'm a caucasian 17 (almost 18) male and I've had moderate acne since i was about 13. Ive been on and off many different treatments. First I was only on bp and topical antibiotics. Then I was prescribed Doxy, 0.1% retin A, and the same topical antibiotic by my father (who is a MD). This worked fairly well, a lot of my acne cleared up for a while but it started to creep back and so I went to see a dermatologist. The dermatologist prescribed me Minocycline instead of doxy (due to photosensitivity), lover strength retin-A and we kept with the same topical antibiotic. Ive been on doxy or mino for over a year and a half now and acne is still constantly at the door (if i stop treatment for more than a day). This course has been fairly effective, and about 80% of my acne is gone. But I don't know how long it will last, and i don't want to be on antibiotics forever. I was offered accutane but was fearful of the initial breakout and side effects, and was wondering if anyone is in the same boat and has advice?
I was in the same situation a couple months ago! Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I never ventured on the path of antibiotics whether or not my face would be better compared to today, currently.
I was on Mino and Doxy and they both worked... At a very important cost.
I was prescribed Mino 3 years ago and was really bad at taking them for the first two years (I was suppose to take them every day, but I took them every two weeks or so). I began to take them consistently in my senior year and Mino worked wonders for my skin then. I had very clear skin and I barely had a bad breakout (and if I did, it was mainly due to stress and during the time of the month). However, it only worked for a year and I had a massive breakout in the summer. My acne came back worse than ever and I was getting hormonal acne, specifically cysts on my chin. It sucked. After that, I was put on Doxy. It didn't work for the first month, but during the period of 2.5-3.5 months, I was blessed with clear skin again! It didn't last for very long. During the fourth month, I broke out again, probably worse than the first breakout after Mino.
I'd imagine that because Doxy has a similar molecular structure like Mino, and they are both in the cycline family is the reason why my time on Doxy was so short and didn't last very long. I am however, on Accutane now!
I think I'm going through the initial breakout currently and it's not dandy; it really sucks because it will be a really bad breakout but at least your mind is rest assured in knowing that at least the drug is working because the IB just essentially means your skin's purging and everything bad is coming up! There is lots of side effects, but I think it's worth it! I'm struggling through my course right now, just mainly due to the IB that's making me very emotional at just looking at the state of my face and how my face is super sensitive now, but I have very high hopes for this drug. A lot of regrets that people have who have been on Accutane is the regret of not taking it earlier.
Lastly, like Control Panel above me said, if you don't want to go on Accutane, limit the antibiotics so you won't build resistance. I don't regret taking Doxy or Mino, but I do wonder if my skin could've been better off without them. I have a twin sister and she had the same amount of acne as I did before I started antibiotics but right now, she is super clear with a couple manageable zits here and there and she didn't touch any antibiotics. We were told that genetics played a role in our acne, but my complexion and face is worse than her's to this day, and I can't help but wonder whether or not it's due to my immunity to antibiotics.
Never been on Accutane but was on Minocycline for about 6 months. 1st time my skin cleared up. It was gorgeous. once I stopped, the cysts reappeared. So I went back on Mino but derm. told me that was the last prescription because if you are on it too long you get a form of lupus (look it up..super scary). After 2nd round, cysts came back but worse. Instead of getting one or 2 a month, I was getting them all over. So depressing. I was never able to get rid of them until I got pregnant...then they just disappeared. It's been 4 months since baby and haven't had another breakout and hoping it stays that way. Mino works for some people and doesn't work for others. I was one of the "others." Hope you are able to find something that works for you. I know how depressing acne and the scars that come with it can be. 
I started taking monocycline like 5 years ago, for 3 months. I took that with Retin A, and BP. it eventually worked and I was clear. After my prescription ran out my acne came back, worse than initially. Then they put me on tetracycline. It helped some, but not as much as previously. Then I ran out and my acne got more severe, put me on doxycline, which didn't really do anything. Months later I went and got Bactrim and some topical. This worked on the third month, but after I got off of it (3 month prescription) my acne got worse than ever. Went back to get more, and then I ended up just going to a derm and instantly she told me to go on accutane, which I am now, on my 2nd month. I'm no doctor but for me antibiotics seemed to be a short term solution to a longterm problem that for some reason made my breakouts worse after I got off. Maybe this is because my immune system had a harder time fighting the bacteria after the bacteria was exposed to so many antibiotics? I dont know. I no longer really trust doctors for acne, they cant prescribe accutane generally, my advice would be take it to a derm and they will get you figured out.