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 30, 2011
Cons:
Side Effects--difficult swallowing, pain in esophagus, dyspagia
This medication definitely works to manage acne, but I'm experiencing a fairly unusual side effect that may preclude me from continuing to take the medication. I have been taking 100 mg of Doxycycline for about a month. I did not experience any of the stomach ache/vomitting side effects that are common with this drug. I would take the pill at night right before i went to bed, so I suppose, if my stomach were to be upset, I was asleep. Anyway, after about 3 weeks on the drug, I noticed that I was having difficulty swallowing and a burning pain in my throat when I would eat. The closest sensation I can compare it to is heartburn, but it wasn't actually heartburn because it would start the moment I started to eat or drink anything. After a few days of this, I decided to look it up online and food that dysphagia is a rare side effect of taking doxycycline. Apparently, the pill is pretty acidic and it can burn little ulcers into your esophagus. I also found an article that explained that if you take the pill right before bed without enough water (like I was doing), it tends to create this problem. In essence, if you take this little acidic pill, then lie down, it tends to dissolve more in your esophagus than in your stomach and if you don't have enough water with it, the acid isn't diluted, thus, causing little ulcers. The ulcers should heal in about 2-7 days after stopping the medication. I'm going to stop taking the medication for a few days to let my esophagus heal, but then I think I will switch to taking the pill in the morning and see if the symptoms come back. If they do come back, then I suppose this medication is out for managing my acne....sigh... it does work pretty well and I would hate to not be able to use it. Other than this
July 30, 2011
Pros:
-I think it improved my acne??
-insurance covered the $
Cons:
-Gas
-Fatigue
I surmise that it caused
-worsened ADD
-frequent peeing at night
BLOOD WORK!
Before going to the dermo, I would give my acne severity a 8/10 (10 being extremely severe.) I started the pill in April 2009(age 13), it is now (almost) August 2011(age 16). April 2009- October 2009: I took this pill EVERYDAY with the combination of epiduo nightly. Seemed to improve acne slightly.
Acne severity: 6.5/10 October 2009- March 2010: I took pill EVERYDAY with a combo of differin nightly. Acne severity 4.5/10. March 2010- December 2010: I took pill EVERYDAY with combo of Benzaclin day and night. Acne severity: 1.5/10 December 2010- May 2011: I took pill EVERY OTHER day with combo of benzaclin day and night. Acne severity: 1.5/10 May 2011- present day:
I take pill EVERY THIRD DAY with combo of benzaclin. Acne severity: 1.7/10. Actually, I'm not sure if it got worse. I believe its gotten worse on my chest, but it's summer so idk if it's weather related. I think i'm going to try going completely off of the pill because I think the cons out-weigh the pros and I have to get another blood test in order to get another prescription. I will edit the review once its out of my system. As you can see, it is debatable whether the pill did anything at all to clear up my acne. Presumably, it was the topicals that lessened the acne. I wouldn't take Doxycycline simply because its a short-term fix and its not safe to take this pill for a long time. It's hard to know whether it does anything and whether its cause side-effects. In retrospect, I wish I never started taking the pill. Contact me if you have any questions or any experiences going off this pill. I know how annoying acne is and I want to help.
July 27, 2011
Pros:
-Clears up Acne on Face & Body (especially cystic acne)
-Reduces Redness
-Easy to swallow
Cons:
-HORRIBLE & I mean horrible Nausea & Vomiting if taken on an empty stomach
-Makes skin ultra sensitive to the sun
I suffer from acne on my face and back. I've been taking it for about a month & I can really see a difference. I don't break out as bad as I used to. It really does work, you just have to be patient with it. The only thing I truly hate about it is the nausea you feel when you take it on an empty stomach. I threw up a couple of times because of it /:
July 21, 2011
Pros:
actually worked really well, easy to use, helps a lot with deep painful pimples, clears face 98%.
Cons:
doesn't work forever, body becomes immune to drug, causes nausea if taken on empty stomach, doesn't work if taken with milk before and after 1 hour.
basically I have had acne for a very long time. I've tried a lot of things to at least tame my acne. nothing really worked. I finally decided to seek help from a doctor. I wanted to go onto accutane but my doctor wouldn't let me since my acne wasn't severe enough. he prescribed me doxyclyine. it worked amazingly! I was so happy. my acne was finally under control. it worked all throughout my final year of high school but right around july it started to come back. I recently found out that I've most likely become immune to the drug. very sad! so overall great drug, but not a forever thing which is disappointing to say the least. I am going to try a different antiobiotic and I'm hoping I will have the same results. if not, accutane here I come!
July 17, 2011
Pros:
It really does work! Ive tried proactive and murad(both terrible) and this is by far! The best my skin has looked ever since i started breaking out :]
Cons:
Makes you dizzy, but ill rather feel dizzy than have constant breakouts. :]
Get this antibiotic.. I take it every 12 hours 100 mg.. I also apply benzoyl gel 5% to the affected area every night.. Yeah my face is not blemish free yet, but one week in this product and i feel so good.. Trust me people.. Try this product if its your last resort. :]
July 16, 2011
Pros:
Cleared up almost all of my acne
Easy to take
Cheap! (Only $4 at Target Pharmacy)
Cons:
A tiny bit of nausea
I've been taking doxycycline 100 mg for about a month and my skin -- both the acne and the general tone of it -- is enormously improved. I still get a few very small pimples every few days, and I still have some scarring, but the whiteheads are completely gone. In addition to doxycycline, I've been doing "the regimine," more or less. (I don't always remember to wash twice each day, and I'm not great at remembering to moisturize either.) But the combination of the doxycycline and the benzoyl peroxide seems to have done the trick!
July 16, 2011
Pros:
- cleared my acne
- easy to take, just 1 small pill
Cons:
- nausea if not taken with food
- can't be on them forever
This is the best medicine that I've taken for my acne. It immediately kicked in the first 2 weeks. I've had a few little setbacks but after 2 months I was happy with my skin and about 98% clear. The main thing that it did for me, I figure, was killing the inflammation of acne. I still got microscopically small acne, but it never developed into real lesions.
This antibiotic is good to clear up a flare-up of acne but it's probably good to get on a topical (like a retinoid) at the same time.
Doxycycline may help with the initial breakout that you may have while going on a topical.
I got used to taking it in the middle of the day, 3pm-ish, with some fruit, so it would be at least 2hrs before/past any dinners. Not sure if that helped but better be sure.
July 12, 2011
Pros:
cleared up acne
Cons:
Significant depression, suicidal tendencies, disrupted menstrual cycle, weight gain and severely lethargic. My doctor said none of my side effects could be caused by the drug, but I NEVER had those problems prior or after I stopped taking the pills.
Don't take them!
July 12, 2011
Pros:
-Cleared my skin
Cons:
-Sensitive to the sun
I had only moderate acne and bad scaring and this pill definitely cleared my skin up. It looks amazing now compared to how it used to. I've only been taking it since April and it took maybe 2 months to get my face completely clear. I have never gotten sick from taking this medicine. I got my prescription from my pediatrician not my dermatologist and my pediatrician told me to take it once a night after I eat and drink it with a full glass of water and to watch out for dairy products. I followed her rules for the first month but now I just take it at night with whatever and on an empty stomach and I'm still fine. The only bad thing I have to say about doxycycline is that I can't get lay out for hours and hours anymore without literally turning bright red. I love it other than that!!
July 10, 2011
Pros:
Clears acne
Convenient pill form
Inexpensive generic medication
Cons:
Hard on stomach lining
Nausea
This was the most effective and cheapest acne solution I've found, but it's not worth it. I'm tired of feeling sick all the time. My dermatologist warned that this can be hard on the stomach, and is not recommended as a long-term solution. I totally get that now.
Pros:
Clears up difficult chest and back acne