Oral Antibiotic
Efficacy
56%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Should never be used on its own and for a maximum of 3 months.
Oral Antibiotic
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Antibiotics should be used for a maximum of 3 months, provide only moderate benefit and only to some people, and may lead to side effects and strains of resistant bacteria. Studies do show doxycycline can reduce severe acne in the short term, and as far as oral antibiotics are concerned, it’s usually the go-to, but approach with caution and stay your own advocate.
Oral Antibiotic
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Doxycycline? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
October 28, 2013
Somewhat helpful
Cons:
Extreme nausea if taken on an empty stomach
Stomach cramps that make you feel like dying
Moodiness / Depression
I've been using Apo-Doxy 100 mg in conjunction with Aczone topical gel, and together they've helped somewhat clear my skin. I do still break out, but my breakouts don't last as long; i'd start off with a bump and then (after spot-applying) Aczone, usually the pimple would disappear by the next morning. The acne on my back and chest have appeared to disappear (I don't use Aczone on those areas), so the pills are helping for bodily acne. But again, my facial acne hasn't completely disappeared. Update: I used this treatment for 3 months. I have now completed my treatment and I can say that I break out a lot less, but I still have a few acne scars. I also noticed that I was a lot more moody while I was on the medication, and felt depressed some days. Another important thing is the stomach pain that comes with it. About 2 months into my treatment, I would get really bad stomach pains -- almost ulcer-like. I was then given some Prevacid pills to take 30 minutes before the Apo-Doxy. The Prevacid helped a lot. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this treatment because my skin didn't really improve as much, which makes the suffering worthless.
October 27, 2013
Ok But Not Great
Pros:
Helped diminish scarring
Cons:
First round was awful
Increased whiteheads and cystic acne
I was on Doxy for two six week rounds. In the first round it did get a lot worse before it gradually got better. My moderate to moderately severe acne did get clearer in the second round, but the medicine had no effect on my cystic acne and only seemed to increase the number of whiteheads I got. My scarring though was greatly reduced, which I was very happy about. Overall I think this medication would have been better prescribed to someone with light to moderate acne.
October 18, 2013
Severe Cystic Acne, First Time On Doxy
This is my first time being prescribed doxy. I have always had a few zits here and there my whole life but nothing that I would ever describe as "problem skin". About two months ago I began to break out something fierce. Nothing helped. I keep my skin so clean, I am extremely active (I am a personal trainer), drink so much water, and have a seriously clean diet (raw vegan). I have not changed anything in my regular routine for over a year. I have no explanation for this awful outburst of cystic acne. I am on doxy, 200 mg a day. It's been 5 days now and I have seen little improvement. I know that's a short amount of time but I am so impatient. I have become super reclusive because I am so embarrassed of the way I look. I have uploaded a picture in the gallery. I would love some advice or feedback. (New here).
October 18, 2013
A little skeptical
It appears this product has the same qualities as accutane but everyone has different reactions! Im 22 and had acne ever since i hit puberty pretty much, im currently taking antivirals and i don't really wanna combine antibiotics with antivirals. Doc prescribed Tactuo topical cream as well as doxy 100mg. I have cystic acne so every two weeks i get an injection of Kenalog steroids. To further help im going to be taking vitamin E supplements along with green tea extract to get rid of free radicals in my body. I will post again i about a month to further my progress.
September 19, 2013
this med did not work
Cons:
nausea
bad mood, light headed
doesn't even work
Oral Antibiotic Doxycycline was the worst acne med ive ever taken. This pill made me extremely nauseas for a long time after swallowing the pill, light headed, and did not even work on clearing up my acne. i have cystic acne and i've recently acquired in the past year due to stress and my acne is not visible at all its under my skin and the pill did absolutely nothing to help. I took this for 1 month and endured it until i couldnt take the nausea anymore, im switching to Bactrim. ill test that out and review the product soon.
September 12, 2013
Doxycycline
Pros:
Works great for body acne
easy to take
clears you right up!
Cons:
initial breakout
sickness if taken on an empty stomach
takes time
Doxycycline first of all is different for everyone. I was on this antibiotic before at 100mg a day for a month and my acne literally DISAPPEARED! But as soon as i ended the treatment the acne came back. I've been suffering from acne since i was 14, now 19 I've tried everything from accutane, to naturals, to differin, tetracycline, EVERYTHING. Now i'm on it again and I've been experiencing an initial breakout. It's been 3 weeks back on it and my acne is the worst its ever been, but i heard higher doses can do that for you. I'm on 200mg a day now but i'm going to remain patient because it has worked for me before. I definitely would give it a try if you suffer from body acne as well because it has been clearing mine up tremendously. Oh. and my acne is moderately severe.
August 30, 2013
Good, but no long-term soloution
Pros:
Acne improved
Cons:
didn't completly clear skin
nausea
I used this in conjunction with Epiduo cream, so this is really a review of both together (I will also post under that product). I saw improvement in my skin in a week, although it took about 6-8 weeks to clear as best it could. I also went up a dose towards the end, which improved my skin further. My face is significantly better, however my back and shoulders are not improved at all (possible because I did not use epiduo on them and doxy is not effective on it's own). I am moving on to accutane, as my back still looks terrible, and I do not want to be on antibiodics long term (it has been about 5 months).
August 16, 2013
Didn't agree with my skin
Cons:
Developed cystic acne
Mild headaches/dizziness
Mild hair loss
I was prescribed Doxy, 50mg once a day. I have been on Brenda for over 6+ years now, which worked great for me throughout high school but since leaving and starting full time work I had developed acne around my mouth and jawline. Within the first week I didn't notice any severe side effects but as the weeks went by I did notice mild hair loss & mild headaches/dizziness. I have long thick hair and I always experience hair falling out as I brush or in the shower but while on Doxy it seemed that more was coming out. The look of my hair hadn't changed though. I didn't experience any stomach pain but I did ensure I took it with food/after eating. Acne-wise, I developed severe pimples all over my face immediately. I had a few small painful bumps before which then had turned into huge red cystic acne. I would breakout EVERYDAY without fail. The pimples would go away and then come back in the same spot, never healing. I was on Doxy for 3 months and since coming off it has made my skin worse. I have acne scarring all over my cheeks and I am still breaking out all over my face. I have been off for 3-4 months now and I am about to take another medication.
August 15, 2013
First thing that worked for me
Pros:
Cleared up skin fast
First antibiotic that worked on me
Cons:
Huge Pill
Have to take with food
Eventually stops working as well
I was prescribed Doryx 150 mg last summer after I went on ortho-tricyclen lo for which completely messed my skin up. This was the first thing that actually worked for me! I was 14 at the time and now I am 15. I started to see results with this antibiotic within days of taking it and I finally felt confident again. I was on it until December and my dermatologist brought me down to half the pill. I wasn't happy about it but with antibiotics you cannot stay on it for long since your body gets immune to it. My skin was clear but I started to get mild breakouts and eventually he brought me down to 1/3 of the pill and that's when I started to break out a lot more. It could clear up your skin really well but it won't last forever. Now I am still on the birth control and off the doryx and planning to go on accutane. I am taking ampicillin 500x mg, twice a day and my skin isn't doing bad.. also I have my last day tomorrow of red and blue light therapy. So, now I am just waiting to go on accutane & praying it will cure me. If you haven't tried an antibiotic that works for you, really consider this drug because it can help you but for only a certain period of time.
July 27, 2013
Be pacient....
Pros:
Really work
Clean pimples
Im skiny.lost weigth
Cons:
Nervous
Stomach problems
Dry mouth
Im not really take this medication like the doctor tell me... Im just take 1 a day with meals...because it is strong medication and is bad for my stomach... Before i took 2 a day and i felt tired and felt stomachache...now fell better and I see my face clean but not really 100% ..but its ok for me I feel better now but still feel tired... :/... Just you see the result in a couple a months...
Pros:
Easy to take, once a day