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 3, 2010
Cons:
Made my skin very light sensative, much more so than other oral antibiotics had in the past (tetracyclin, omoxycillin, etc.). Skin was also very sensative on my neck and my shirt/collar would give me alot of discomfort/rash. Other areas of the body that have friction (inner thighs, armpit/side area) were irritated.
Skin irritation made me stop taking this and look for a different oral antibiotic. The results weren't quite good enough to deal with the day to day irritation. My girlfriend said my skin looked much healthier after about a week of being off this. I had a couple pimples but it was better than the redness/blotchiness from irritation.
May 2, 2010
Pros:
- Clears EVERYTHING
- No side effects (for me)
- Easy to take
Cons:
- Effect wears off :(
- Acne bacteria resistance...
I've always been battling acne on and off (sometimes benzoyl peroxide fixed everything up), but last summer my skin was at its worst... So I went to dermatologist and started taking doxycycline, as well as applying Epiduo. By the next week, there was already improvement! At the end of the break, my skin was a freaking miracle to me - smooth, not ONE single pimple. But I stopped taking it after my prescription (6 months) since my skin had no problems. Of course, it came back, and now I have acne again....but it's less severe than it was last year, so I'm wondering if I should deal with antibiotics, since I don't like what it does to my body internally (though I had no side effects from doxycycline.)
April 30, 2010
Pros:
Cleared up some of my severe acne
Cons:
I still kept breaking out, and had to use AcneFree while on it, but broke out still.
Doxycycline was alright for me for a few months, but stopped working after a period of time- I have severe acne so I still kept breaking out even though I used it.
It made me so naseaus even if I had a small meal-
If you have light acne I guess it would work better, but not for severe conditions,sadly.
April 27, 2010
Pros:
May work well for some people!
Easy to take
Cheap
Cons:
Didn't clear my skin after 2 months of use, I am still breaking out consistently.
You can't use it forever.
You may become resistant to it.
Decreases appetite (may be good for some people, but not me)
Didn't do a thing for me, but neither did other tetracyclines.
April 25, 2010
Pros:
Cleared up my milia
Cons:
acne comes back slowly
I didn't' take this antibiotic for acne but for something else but while i was taking this for a week, i did notice that my forehead acne (milia) was going away. I have acne on my cheeks and my forehead but since my cheek acne was already under control by benzoyl peroxide I was not able to know if it was clearing my cheek acne as well. However i think this was definately affective for my acne. Took this morning and night for a week.
April 25, 2010
Pros:
easy to take, not expensive
Cons:
had to take twice a day, couldn't eat dairy products with it, or take anitacids.. that was a pain. had severe stomach pains
clears severe acne FAST.
April 23, 2010
Pros:
Easy to take, not costly, works well
Cons:
none really
I've had problems with acne since I was 6 and my mother finally had me speak with someone about recommendations for my skin. After we filled my prescription and I started taking it, I experienced no side-effects and waited patiently for it to work. Within a month I noticed that my skin was clearing up and that I was no longer receiving painful cystic zits I'd gotten before. It works exceptionally well. I've never had any problems except I threw up once but that was because I didn't take it with any food. It made me feel so much better about myself. Now here's something VERY interesting; I've had to discontinue use of it for the past year for a few various reasons (no issues caused by the pill, I assure you) and I've found that though stopping it has meant that I break out, I still don't break out anywhere near the way that I did before taking it. I think it really helps regulate some hormones and keeps things somewhat on track even after you stop. I can't wait to start using it again! I recommend it so mucH!
April 22, 2010
Pros:
Helped clear up face- cleared up after about 2 weeks
Cons:
Acne returned after about 6 weeks
Had terrible reaction after 3 months where pain in throat, chest, back prevented me from eating for a week until I stopped taking it. Went back to normal after stopping.
It was a nice 4 weeks I was clear and healthy but the inability to eat without pain wasn't worth it.
April 19, 2010
Pros:
-Greatly reduced acne....maybe one whitehead every few days for the first few months.....
-No stomach pains like what others are reporting
Cons:
-I think the acne got slightly immune to it after a few months, however I took inconsistently at times and I think that may be why
Ok I had pretty bad acne until I was 16....I had tried all the creams and none worked....I knew it was internal, so my doctor prescribed these to me and I am incredibly great full. After about 4 months I slowly started to get more white heads and now 8 months later I get a whitehead around every day but I dont get cysts anymore and I was put on another anitibiotic....either way this product works great, just make sure to follow the instructions and take it consistently so you wont become immune
April 9, 2010
Pros:
- Very economical.
- Effective with consistent recovery.
- Easy to swallow capsule.
Cons:
- Will make you feel very ill for a long while if taken on an empty stomach.
- Requires planning, i.e. when to eat, when to take the medication.
- Should be taken at regular time intervals.
- Supplements like calcium, magnesium, iron, antacids, laxatives and others reduce the effectiveness of the antibiotic.
- May develop side effects, e.g. diarrhea, yeast infection, stomach pains, etc.
- Possibility of increased resistance of bacteria.
Acne runs in my family (from both sides). My grandparents, my uncles and aunts, cousins all suffer from acne. This is my third course on the antibiotics so I know that this works for me as it had in the past. I've noticed a trend of 4-5 years of clear skin before the next severe uncontrollable acne breakout. I used to go to a dermatologist for my last two courses. Needless to say, the consultation fees and harsh topical medications were very costly and I never enjoyed my trips to the clinic anyway. Recently, I purchased the medication over the counter and realised how much I could have saved in the past. Currently, I am at day 12 of my course. There has been little to no breakouts since I started the course. However, several acne breakouts occured during the 3-4 day period when I had very little sleep. I had been up late at nights during those days rushing a deadline to finish synthesizer/keyboard arrangements for a coming acoustic gig and had been going to late rehearsals and waking up early the next morning for work. Not only did I breakout, I fell sick from overworking (burned out). Medication should always be accompanied with a good regimen. Other than that, the antibiotics helped clear my pus-filled acnes and swells. I had acne on my forehead, left and right cheeks and chin. Most had cleared out and started to reduce in swelling and redness within the first week. It was so noticeable that my boyfriend was more than shocked to see the improvement. Before this, it got so bad to the point where I couldn't even touch my face lightly to wash without crying out in pain. I am now using Shiseido's facial wash, moisturizer and blemish gel. Before I had the severe breakout, I was also on supplements like vitamin B complex, C, E, Zinc and Magnesium, Fish Oil and Calcium. I am lactose intolerant and had also recently sustained an injury of a broken toe. I had to stop intake of Calcium, Zinc and Magnesium for the meantime.
Pros:
Works fairly well after a couple weeks. Was easy to take one daily, no stomach problems as some noted.