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
July 26, 2015
Doxycycline
Can doxycycline cause importance I've been taking it for 4 days and in the 4th day found I'm having problems with getting a erection
February 10, 2015
Miracle Worker
I'm 20 year old female that one month ago, had terrible hormonal cystic acne. Acne has always been something I have battled with for years, but recently it had become worse than I had ever experienced. I decided it was time to get a prescription of an effective antibiotic and was prescibed Doxycycline (100mg 2x a day) due to the fact that my skin wasn't responding to any of the cleansers/topicals/or regimens that i had tried over the years. The first few weeks definitely had a negative effect on my skin, since my skin was at the purging stage. However, STAY WITH IT. It has only been about 5 weeks now, and i kid you not, my acne is completely gone. I haven't got a single pimple since the purging stage and I couldn't be happier. Yes, many complain about the nausea that accompanies the antibiotic, but i don't find it unbearable. As long it is taken in the morning right before breakfast, and at night right before dinner, there shouldn't be any issues. Although it has only been a month since i started, I cannot see how doxycycline could possibly have adverse effects. Im so very pleased with my results, and I cannot wait to see what it does for my skin long term! Highly recommend!
February 23, 2016
How is your face now after a year
December 19, 2017
where was your hormonal acne located? Mines getting a little bit worse as well in the end of first week
August 21, 2010
Cons:
A little redness on the face
Take with after eating
I Love this pill, it helped clear my acne alot
before when i used to go to school, i used to embaressed from my face, but now when i started this antibiotic in the summer holiday, i feel great nearly ALL my acne has gone away
and i feel very confident :D
December 16, 2009
Pros:
Starting to clear up skin
Cons:
I'm on the 150mg Slow release pill and OMG it's like a horse pill!! Can they make it any bigger??? ;) Anyways besides it being really hard to swallow, and upsetting my stomach a little bit nothing else so far.
I started to take this on Monday so 3 days now. Before I started to take it, I had the worst breakout ever! I mean at least 20 big pimples on my face and a TON on my arms shoulders back and chest. I look like a walking pimple! I had one on my arm that was double stacked! Freaking gross!! Anyways now that I have totally grossed everyone out my point is the Doxycycline seems to be making the breakout go away. I have those cystic acne ones that are a bugger to get rid of. They take WEEKS to go down and they seem to be getting smaller and less painful! My main goal is to get accutane but if this works heck I swallow a horse pill every morning!! I already took the Monocyclin and it made me really sick so I stopped taking it after 2 weeks. I'm totally allergic to Penicillin, so hopefully this works for me! Also I got these as a sample from my Derm so I don't know what my co-pay is going to be. My last one for the monocyclin was 20.00
August 13, 2010
Pros:
-Worked very quickly
-Cheap
Cons:
-Hard to take as directed (timed proper and no vitamins timed proper)
-It's a drug so you have to keep taking it : ( I want to go all natural)
I have been taking this for about a week and have seen a HUGE improvement in my skin!! I was soooo broken out when I started this pill... It was to the point that I wouldn't even leave my house, I'm a picker which of course made it look 1000x worse than if I would have just left it alone... ANYWAYS so I'm a 25 and have completely clear skin. Yay!!!!! OOOOH make sure to take PRObiotic sometime in the middle of the two doses or 3 hours before or after your pill so you stay healthy. Antibiotics kill all the bad and GOOD bacteria in your body. <3 Good luck! P.S. I haven't taken it with food as the directions state to "Take medication on an empty stomach 1 hr before or 2-3 hours after a meal." My docotr told me that the effectiveness drastically decreases if you take food with it.
May 14, 2010
Pros:
It's cheap, and at least temporarily effective.
Cons:
Acne comes back after you stop taking it, you have to be careful about eating with it while avoiding dairy.
I was about to start taking Accutane until my insurance company declared my acne a pre-existing condition, so my dermatologist decided to put me on doxycycline and Aczone until the waiting period is over. I started taking it a week and a half ago (when my acne was pretty severe) and I'm already much clearer and my skin appears much calmer. Unfortunately, it seems to be making me tired and fuzzy headed, especially if I'm subjected to heat, and I do have to take the pills with food and stay sitting up or I'll vomit. Also, and I apologize if this is TMI, but I'm already battling a yeast infection a week and a half in. I think this is an effective drug, but with what it's doing to my body, I'd really rather be on Accutane and just get it over with.
June 17, 2014
You people are idiots and screw up the ratings on this product
seriously do any of you have an education at all? or do any basic research on yourself? If you take ANY antibotic for years, even months your body will build immunity to it. You body will build immunity to almost everything. Antibiotics are NOT meant to be taken for months let alone years for this reason. If you acne that won't clear up within weeks on an antibiotic you should stop taking them and change your diet etc. but odds are most are too lazy and looking for an easier solution.
January 12, 2010
Pros:
worked very quickly, no side effects
Cons:
nothing
i got this two weeks ago from my dermatologist. I have really bad cystic acne on my cheeks and this has so far helped to start clearing it up. It isn't painful anymore and it is going down. I'm also using tretinoid as well. I would recommend drinking a full glass of water when you take this and while you are eating or else it can cause you painful stomach problems. So far, this has solved most of my problems and the acne on my chest has dissapeared completely.
March 9, 2011
Pros:
Cleared up most of my acne, less oily skin, cheap
Cons:
takes time!
As a teenage girl with mild-severe acne, I have tried EVERYTHING to clear my acne. Everything from all sorts of bottles, accutane, vitamins, and even laser treatment (costing me more than $3500). If i just would have done a little research i would have known that i should start under the skin, rather than focusing on the top. I got my doctor to prescribe monodox and doxycycline, and at first i thought it was just a waste of time. I didn't see any improvements till two months in. But once i did, almost all my acne vanished in a few weeks!!!! Its been nine months since i've started, and even if i miss a few days, my skin barely breaks out. I have never had so much confidence in the five years i had acne. So, bottom line, start BELOW the skin. You won't regret it :)
February 20, 2011
Pros:
Cleared acne
easy small pill to swallow
Not a topical
Cons:
hearing distortion
I have reviewed doxy a little over a month ago but I felt the need for a final review seeing as I am now off it. What I loved about doxy is that I took it 2x a day and that was it. It did clear my skin completely except of course for the scars. Doxy really did help me gain my confidence back and then some. I know people can and will list the bad side effects which is good because we should all be aware but it was totally worth it taking doxy. I am now on accutane; we'll see how this goes.
Pros:
Stops new acne from forming
Stops these red painful bumps forming underneath the skin