Acne.org Products
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
April 18, 2016
Miracle for me
About a year ago I started getting a horrible acne break out on my lower jawline and neck area. Nothing I could do was getting rid of it and I tried every name brand on the market. It was sore, inflamed, rash like, and made me want to hide my face in a bag. I have extremely extremely oily skin like every 2-4 hours I can wipe my face with a napkin and see through it kind of oily and I went though puberty early so I have always had some minor-moderate acne for most my life I am used to it. This was an entirely new thing it was horrible, painful, and both physically and mentally scarring to have people stop you an ask what is wrong with your face. I finally went to see my dermatologist and I almost cried in relief when he told me it was a hormonal issue rather than anything I was doing that caused my problem I went on doxy-cycline and a gel for about 6 months and it cleared up my issue like a dream come true. I am now off it for about 4-6 months and I stil have minor acne that I combat with witch hazel and tea tree oil but that is normal and When treated it heals and goes away and I'll take it over a rashy, painful, never ending acne attack any day. The scarring on my jawline is healing up nicely and the red blotchiness that had taken over my lower jaw has a year later almost gone away completely. I wish I could post before and after pictures just to show you how much it helped. While it might not help everyone it was litterally a blessing for me. I didn't have any negative side effects or issues with with it however side note the duac-gel they normally give you to apply topically along with the pill should be used ONCE a day to start out with like the Dr. prescribes do not be me and apply it liberally multiple times a day and think it will help more all you will do is dry the ever loving heck out of your skin and cause pain and massive flakiness take it from me. Also see a dermatologist sooner rather than later I can't help but think if I had gone sooner then I would have healed quicker and would had had less scarring that can only be healed by time.
October 26, 2016
so you took the pill for 6 months and when you stopped the acne did not come back? I have been on I for 10 months and I am afraid to stop taking it bc I feel like it will all come back again.
April 21, 2017
It did come back not as bad but still bad within a year of going off the meds. It's very upsetting because I don't want to be on meds for the rest of my life.
December 20, 2017
did it get a little worse before it got better? How long until you saw improvement?
November 11, 2012
I used to have perfect skin but after I came to the UK to study I start breaking out badly. My cheeks and T zone were inflamed and I was miserable. I went through Acne.org and tried everything that had been advised - topically applying manuka honey, topically applying lemon, zinc tablets, duac, clean and clear moisturiser, clinique anti blemish solutions formula, fish oil etc. You name it, I've tried it. Then in September 2011, after visiting my dermatologist, I went on 100mg Doxy twice a day together with Diane 35. I stopped with Diane 35 after a month and continued Doxy for 3 months. I saw no improvement in the first month but in the second, I saw that my skin was slowly clearing up. By the 3rd month, my acne was minimal. After stopping for 2 weeks, my acne started coming back, blobs of cystic acne started appearing and I was distraught. So I was put back on Doxy and tried to slowly ween off the antibiotic by dropping to 100mg once a day. I finally came off the drug in August 2012, it is now November and while my face was never as clear as before and I do always get one or two pimples, my skin condition was much better than the severely inflamed cheeks and T zone I had back in early 2011. I remember feeling so desperate and depressed about my acne, I even stopped going out. I do highly recommend Doxy and you should come off the drug gradually, not stop absolutely. You should also take the drug on a full stomach because I have experienced severe waves of nausea when I first started taking the pill. However, in time you stomach will be able to adapt to the pill and the nausea will die down. I've also stopped taking beans, milk, soya because I found that they contributed to my acne. Also, Avene Cleanance K facial wash I rely on. I'm writing this review so specifically because I remember the state I was in because of my acne and I want to encourage those who feel the same way.
September 22, 2012
Cons:
-nausea if you don't take it with food
This antibiotic really does work, you just have to give it time. I started seeing results within one month, and after being on it for five months my skin was crystal clear. The only downside to this drug is that you can't take it forever and your acne can comeback once you stop taking it.
August 26, 2012
Pros:
Reduce Redness
Less Oily Skin
Keeps Acne Away
Cons:
Slow
I started taking this antibiotic about a month ago and I believe it works. You just have to wait a few months. Please take it after a meal or your tummy will hurt. I haven't had any side effects at all, and I feel normal. But I have heard that some people get yeast infection from taking the pill. I have seen improvement on my skin and hopefully it will get better! I am taking this twice a day and I put on Atralin on the acne spots before I go to sleep. I also use CeraVe PM moisturizer over it (it helps my skin so much!) I know this antibiotic pill doesn't work for everyone, but I really hope it works for me because I can see it working slowly on my skin.
May 11, 2012
Pros:
Skin is clearing!
Cons:
Doesn't seem to do anything for the redness.
It's great in clearing skin. I've been on it for a month, and I'm seeing 80% gone. However, the red marks left by the acne remains, and this drug seems to have no effect on that. If you're thinking about trying it and frequently get red marks, it'd probably be wise to not only use this alone. For reference, my skin had hundreds of breakouts that were all small. It looked bad, but none of the bumps were huge. On another note, the stomach problems people mention are significant. I'm quite accustomed to stomach problems, though. In my particular situation, I didn't need to take the pill with food, and could feel it throughout the day until I ate. This was very easy to put up with.
February 14, 2012
Pros:
Clears 95% of acne
No side effects at all
Cons:
Takes forever ( about 2 months)
Will make it worse before it gets better
This is a good treatment for anyone who is really struggling and is having to success. It will take about 2 months to working but after that its like magic. It's also nice because it doesnt make your face dry at all. Overall a great product!
February 8, 2012
Pros:
Very inexpensive
Side-effects were minor
Cons:
Requires a lot of patience
During college I had moderate acne easily controlled by topicals over the counter, but after my complexion started getting much worse, large, deep pustules mostly on the side of the chin and on my cheek bones. Been on Doxy for about a month now and am seeing some improvement, but need to be patient for full results I think. My skin is a little less oily and new zits take less time to go away than before the doxy. Hoping If I stick with it Ill see a ton of improvement by end of month 2.
February 5, 2012
Pros:
Cleared my Skin
Cleared my skin within a month :D My dermatologist told me ALWAYS eat food with pills unless the doctor says so. Its more effective because with food it will be easier for your small intestine to absorb. He was actually pretty angry that there was labels for people to not to eat for periods of time. SO On mines it says" take one capsule twice a day with food."
and on the side label it says "Take medication on an empty stomach 1hr before or 2-3hrs after a meal" My doc said don't listen to that, listen to that if you want your stomach to hurt and feel sick.
So with that being said I never felt any side effects . i love my dermatologist ..
October 20, 2011
Pros:
for me: non
Cons:
nausea, break-outs, itchiness, skin irritation
This is the first oral solution I've tried. The nausea was there, but bearable, and it only happened the first couple times. I've been taking 100mg a day for almost 3 weeks. At first there was no affect, but in the past week my skin has been irritated, itchy, and breaking out like crazy. I've broken out with with pimples and red splotches ALL OVER my neck and chest. I've never broken out there in my entire life. My skin is rough and puffy and so uncomfortable. Wish this had worked for me like it did for other people.
September 30, 2011
Pros:
helped clear cystic acne completely.
Cons:
sensitivity to sun, nausea if not taken with food.
IT WORKS! I had acne once before moderately about 3 years ago, and then my skin was completely clear for about 2 years but just recently my acne had gotten so severe that it hurt for me to even open my mouth wide enough to floss or eat, not to mention it itched all day and night. This has worked complete wonders for me. Even though it does take about 4-8 weeks for it to kick in, it's so worth it. I suffered from an initial breakout for about a month after starting the medication, and it made me breakout not only more on face but on my back as well so it's easy to lose hope but you have to stick with it to get the full results you want. At about week 6 my skin had gradually started calming down and then at week 8, I completely stopped breaking out. I'm currently on month three and it's still working great! My confidence went from 0-10 over the past month, and I couldn't be happier. Patience, patience, patience. That's all it takes.
Pros:
clears skin!
less oily