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
February 11, 2011
Cons:
big pills
nasty taste if not taking with enought water
nausea if taken on empty stomach
headache for the first week
ive been battling acne since i was about 12 i am now 18. My Derm prescribed me doxy for my moderate acne, and she also prescribed me cendifer capsules . doxy has worked pretty well this is my 9th day, i also have a daily skin regime that i do. I have not had any big side effects except headache which has gone away since im out of the first week... i was given doxy 100 mg twice a day. i have no new pimples whats so ever and my scars seem to be clearing up.
August 14, 2010
Pros:
+ gets rid of those red, swollen, painful pimples
+ clears zits and little spots
+ 1 pill a day so its easy to keep track
Cons:
- skin is dry
- redness is a little more noticeable
- must plan a time to take pill
- stomach ache and slight dizziness
- takes awhile to work
- there may be a slight purge in the beginning which is the initial breakout but its moderate
Drink plenty of water. Its recommended to have a somewhat empty stomach before taking it but to avoid a stomach ache you should eat a little snack before or after. I'm 19, female and have tried all the antibiotics throughout highschool. I've been on doxy before with benzaclin and differin 0.1% as my topicals and it was pretty decent. Now i'm on again but with benzyol peroxide and differin 0.3% instead. I was about to go on accutane but I couldn't take the risks and chickened out. I'm hoping this gets rid of the zits and painful pimples like it did before. I took tetracycline and that worked pretty well for like 8 months so I decided to stop. Well, acne came back, not too bad, but still it sucks. Tetra is more likely to cause yeast infection so i'm on doxy. Take tetra first if you are still unsure about doxy. Minocycline?...SUCKS.
May 23, 2010
Pros:
None
Cons:
It didn't help my cystic acne.
I was prescribed this for my cystic acne,so I took it,then after my first trial,my doctor upped the dose and I did a second trial,but I saw absolutely no results.It may have been my doctors fault for prescribing this for my cystic acne
May 20, 2010
Pros:
Very effective after 6 weeks
Cons:
Occasional, light, brief nausea
I've suffered from acne since adolescence. My acne started to go from mild to moderate/severe at age 25 so I went to my doctor for advice. I was prescribed 100mg Doxycycline Hyclate to be taken twice a day. I'm at week 6 right now and the improvement is incredible. Over the past 3 weeks I've noticed a total of two pimples starting to form, but they never became nasty or all that noticeable and disappeared in a few days. I should note I've also concurrently tried the paleo/low-glycemic diet during this timespan, so I can't say how much of my improvement is attributed to that and how much is due to the Doxycycline. I occasionally get some slight nausea, but never to the point where I feel I may actually vomit. I also don't have any problems with drinking alcohol while on this drug, but I generally wash down my pill with vodka. :D I hope the effectiveness doesn't wear off. For the time being it works great.
February 7, 2010
Pros:
Works over time. olny medication that completely cleared my skin. not hard to swallow. No stomach issues.
Cons:
Takes time to work. (like a month )
Okay so this is my second time on this medication. the first time i took the 100mg once a day know my new derm is making me take 75mg twice a day.I just stared last night so i am hoping it works as good the second time. The first time i took it i swear it was AMAZING. the olny reason my acne came back was beacuse i stoped all meds cause my skin was 100% clear.
January 28, 2012
Pros:
cleared up ALL cystic acne
easy to take
cheap
didn't experience any form of sickness others describe
Cons:
does take some time to work (3-6 months)
i suffered from severe acne for about 2 years and tried every single product, regime and diet out there to fix it. finally got the courage to go to the doctors and i was prescribed 50mg of doxy a day and was told to use benzol peroxide once a day as well. i was told it would take around 3 months for it to kick in and literally by the end of the 3rd month i had no new cystic acne, it did take another 3 months ontop of that for everything else to clear up and scars to fade but please trust me it was well worth it. i have now been on doxy for 7 months and my skin is honestly getting better and better each and every day. PLEASE TRY IT and give it a go, i know is does take some time and it is frustrating having to wait but it is worth it to have your confidence and life back :)
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!
April 15, 2011
Pros:
* Easy to swallow pills
* Easy regimen to follow
* Cleared up nodular/cystic acne
* Made skin less oily
* Face was clear of cystic acne for many months after stopping treatment
* Affordable
Cons:
*First time taking pill w/out food, felt severe nausea. After weeks into the treatment, was able to ingest pills on an empty stomach w/no probs.
* Cystic/Nodular returned about 8 months later.
For the first few months, took 100mg in the A.M. and another 100mg at evening time about 12 hrs apart. Also used Clindamycin Phosphate 1% twice daily and applied Differin Gel 0.1% nightly. After 3 months, I only took 1 pill daily for maintenance. All 3 of these meds worked well for me and I was thankful at the time that my derm had suggested it because I had initially wanted to try Accutane. 8 months later after my last pill, my cystic acne has returned and I currently have 3 on my face. Have an appt this Monday w/my derm so I'm gonna try this regimen again to see how long the results will last this time after stopping the treatment. If the acne returns again but sooner, I'm gonna consider Accutane.
September 2, 2010
Pros:
Did a reasonable job reducing acne/inflamation
Easy to take
Cons:
Can mess up stomach if not taken properly
Not a long term solution
Dries out skin
I found this to be a useful treatment in combination with Finacea for my irritated/rosacea/red skin. I was on 100 mg 2x a day, and the first few weeks it was really screwing up my digestion and giving me loss of appetite. I have since reduced to 100 mg 1x a day, and taking the pharmacists consumption advice: take the pill with a full glass of water and then begin eating a meal. Antibiotics aren't a long term solution, so you it's best to do in combination with other treatments (topicals etc.). I also noticed my dandruff was worse, so I think it dries out my skin somewhat.
Pros:
pretty blue color
helped cleared acne in 8 day