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
November 11, 2011
Cons:
Doesn't really clear up acne
Sun sensitivity
I was prescribed this medication by my doctor. It was originally prescribed for my acne, but then I was given another prescription for another problem (that has nothing to do with acne). I've been using that last prescription for at least three or four months now, and I've seen no improvement in my acne. It has, however, helped me with my other problem. So I'll give it an extra star for that.
September 30, 2011
Pros:
just BARELY helped with acne
Cons:
have to take it everyday and risk growing immune to antibiotics
not good enough and not worth it
September 28, 2011
Pros:
Acne clear for a month or so..
Cons:
My acne became resistant to it & stopped working... This product causes severe nausea if not taken with food.
This is probably for light to moderate acne.. It is not for heavy acne like myself.. Also you need to remember how many you took because that was probably my problem.. I took too many because i forgot... That's why i don't like pills.. The bottom line is that you are not supposed to be dependent on antibiotics.
September 26, 2011
Pros:
decrease in facial acne
decrease in body acne
Cons:
diarrhea
nausea
I started taking this several months before my wedding to clear up my skin. The only side effects I noticed was that it caused diarrhea almost every day. Also, if I took it on an empty stomach I felt very, very nauseous. The first month I broke out pretty bad but after about 4-6 wks I noticed a big improvement. I did not have any sensitivity to the sun that I noticed. The Rx was really cheap for me compared to some acne products I spent over $60 on. If you can get past the diarrhea and the 4-6 wks it takes before you notice improvement, it's worth a try, especially since it's so cheap. I did have really clear skin all over for my wedding so I am very glad I took this.
August 17, 2011
Pros:
-seems to be clearing acne somewhat
-cheap
Cons:
-severe nausea and upset stomach
this is the first antibiotic iv'e ever been on for acne and it is doing okay in treating my acne, definitely no miracle. DO NOT take a hot shower after taking this pill on an empty stomach you will black out and more likely than not puke.
August 14, 2011
Pros:
cheap cheap cheap
Cons:
didn't do ANYTHING
gave me stomach aches
I tried this after getting off of the ery tab (ery. was giving me awful, awful stomach aches, but it worked). I used this a couple of weeks after ery, so I had a few pimples. This did NOTHING for them. I was ticked.
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 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.
July 6, 2011
Pros:
clear skin
Cons:
can cause allergic reaction; not a long-term solution for acne.
i was on this for about 6 months. it worked really well and cleared up my acne. however, 6 months into it, i began to get really itchy bumps on my limbs that were huge. at first i thought it was an insect bite or bed bug, but i took some clarityn and the lumps and itchiness disappeared. that made me realise that i had become allergic to it. i also noticed from photographs that my skin had this yellow-jaundiced tint indicative of liver damage. once i came off it, my body returned to normal!! acne came back. bottom line - being on antibiotics is NOT a long term solution for acne!! acne will come back once u stop taking it and in the process u may cause a lot of internal damage!
May 6, 2011
Pros:
Started to help take down some inflammation and painful swelling.
Cons:
Gave me agonising stomach cramps, a thrush infection, burning sensation in chest, made it difficult to keep food down, didn't do anything more than take some inflammation down and didn't stop or prevent any spots from forming at all.
If your acne is an infection or infected, your main problem is inflammation and you are prepared to man out some really dreadful side effects then this may be the antibiotic for you. If not, then this isn't likely to help improve acne.
Pros:
Inexpensive with insurance