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
May 31, 2013
Helped with acne but dried out my skin and made me sick
Cons:
stomach problems
dried out skin
A few years ago when my acne was very severe I went to a dermatologist and requested accutane but was told to try this first. First of course I broke out worse the first month, then my acne started to clear up. However, this drug made me very sick. Even though I would make sure to take this on an empty, I threw up constantly and always had stomach pains. It also made my sensitive skin very dry. I now only use natural remedies for my skin problems and have had great results.
May 8, 2013
After stopping minocycline because it stopped working, My acne was pretty mild for about 3 or for classes then got really bad recently. I was prescribed Doxy 100mg three days ago, to take twice a day for 30 days. The first day was fine and the nausea was bearable as I'd learned to control it from Mino, but the second morning I threw up. I haven't vomited in almost 8 years...that's the end of that.
March 25, 2013
Pros:
Saw some results, but not really.
Cons:
Didn't clear up my acne.
Made my ears & armpits super itchy.
Caused my nails to peel.
Couldn't eat dairy within 2 hours of taking the pill.
Had to take with food.
Just didn't work for me. This drug was crap, and now I've wasted over $120 bucks, AND my time. I'm getting married in 40 days and have just started birth control to try to clear up my skin, but I wish I hadn't wasted 8 months on doxycycline.
March 22, 2013
Pros:
Clear skin
Cons:
Depression
I've had severe acne for 8 years. Nothing had worked. After taking Doxy for three weeks my skin was completely clear. However, I got majorly depressed andould cry for no reason. It isn't worth it.
December 23, 2012
Pros:
reasonably priced, some improvement
Cons:
found minocycline to be more effective than doxy and doxy is stronger and because of that i notice that i feel quite nauseous if I take it without eating a decent sized breakfast (up and go - which is like a flavoured milk with blended cereal in it in case its not called 'up and go' internationally - doesnt cut it neither does a slice of toast)
May help people who have no luck with minocycline. However do be patient with mino - it took 3 months for me to see improvement and 6 months for others to notice improvement on mino. Well worth the wait though. failing mino give doxy a go - they work very similarly though
August 27, 2012
Pros:
Helps with inflammation
May work a little better if used with topicals such as retin-a creams.
Cons:
Vaginal discharge
Naseau if you do not take it with food
I have very severe acne all over my cheeks. on one side I have nodular cystic acne that was highly inflammed. This helped with inflammation but not with getting rid of acne itself. I still get break outs every day....accutane looks like my only option now.
August 3, 2012
Pros:
I have not had any side effects that others have complained off.
Cons:
I'm still breaking out
I've been on Doryx for about 3 weeks and I am still breaking out. Maybe I need to wait a bit longer but I was expecting better results. I always take it with a meal, so I wonder if this is inhibiting the effectiveness of the pill.
July 19, 2012
Pros:
-Clears Quickly (I have non-cystic breakouts)
-No initial breakout ^^
-No Side Effects while on it
-No drowsiness
Cons:
-Loses its effectiveness
-Gave me side effects off of it
-Breakouts are Really likely to come back
-Doesn't work 100% after all
Okay so I'm a 14 year old girl that's been having problems with breakouts for over 2 years. They were never Cystic or really huge, but I would get 4 or 5 pimples on my cheeks and they weren't exactly ever acne but more less the problematic breakout. I always thought it was hormonal (i also have oily skin). When I started using this instantly my face cleared up in just a week. Really no new spots after I started taking it. (One tablet a day). I'm now on my 11th day and the product is already losing its effectiveness. I found a new spot this morning on my cheek. As for the side effects I got none while i'm on it. But i forgot to take my pill earlier this week and I had nausea and bad stomach pain while off it. I took the pill later that night though. And I pretty much knew that once I got off it that my problems would return... I don't recommend this pill. Even if your breakouts aren't severe or cystic it doesn't initially solve any of your problems in the long run. Just kind of gets your hopes up for a couple weeks. I was iffy about using it in the first place because I read a lot of reviews on this and they all were about the same. Helps some, or clears you up but after you stop the use of it your problems come back worse.
June 27, 2012
Pros:
none
Cons:
migraines, nausea, excessive tiredness
I started taking this to treat my acne, and not only did I not see any results, I suffered multiple side effects. Granted, I took the medicine only for a week or so, but had multiple migraines every day. Sometimes I could not get out of bed because they were so bad. I was EXHAUSTED as well. Almost immediately after I started taking it. Every time I took it I got nausea, and threw up twice.
June 4, 2012
Cons:
- didnt really do anything for my acne
-probably made it worse
ive had acne since i was 15 at school and im now 18 and its started to come back to how bad it was about a year and a half ago. after using OTC stuff from the super market i used pro active that was the worse decision ever so i went to the doc and he gave me duac BP gel this worked amazing for about 8 months then started to not work at all then i went back about 2 months ago and he gave me doxy 100mg per day for 4 months im half way through and havent noticed any difference. probably made it worse. so i went back and he said that my acne isnt that bad i just need to wait till i grow out of it ): he also told me that if this doesnt work then there would be the other antibiotics then accutane but he also told me that i wouldnt have a chance of getting on that because my acne isnt severe enough. so i guess i will just have to wait but want to get clear for when my baby is born in november. things i use that might help you:
-nivia for men sensitive face wash
-lloyds pharmacy spotclear advance (this is a red light theropy device)
-pure lemmon juice
-multi vitamins
- still use duac BP gel i hope this helps you guys suffering from persistant acne ohh and i i have the best diet ever i only eat healthy foods fruit and veg but the doc told me that diet has nothing to do with acne?
Pros:
cleared up some acne