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
December 22, 2006
Cons:
yeast infections, extreme sensitivity to the sun and tanning beds!!!learn from me and dont even think about going near a tanning bed!, random spurts of nausea in the day, and a horrible outbreak in the first month.
I have been taking adoxa for 3 months. Im just about to turn 21 and never had acne until now, prob because i was a swimmer in high school and the water would dry out my face. I hate looking at pics of myself and dread looking in the mirror in the mornings. Although i must say it is starting to get better. I take 150mg once daily usually at dinner time with food and a glass of water. I also take nicamide in the mornings with yogurt to keep the yeast infections from returning..which are a constant problem!(not fun)I also use clindagel inthe mornings and retin A at night..I never considered my acne to be bad but i just cant seem to get it to completely go away..I even bought the make up bare minerals for $60 to help it!hahah my problem is starting to become a rather expensive one seeing as how my copays for the 4 meds are $40 each adding up to $160 not including my birth control (estrostep) which is also supposed to clear up acne and the gyno appointments for the reoccuring infections.
November 23, 2006
Pros:
Clears up everything within days and reduces redness...all w/o side effects (at least for me)!!
Cons:
None..only concern is of habituation as with any other medicine.
So, the ProActiv stuff didn't work...actually it just made eveything spread to non-affected spots, so pretty soon you would have major islands of bumps. Went to dermatologist and she said I had mild acne, so she gave me Doxy 2x/day (100mg each), with Duac gel (topical antibiotic, and Retin-A. At first, the topical meds gave me irritation for like a week with redness but soon the skin got used to it and wow!! There was a MAJOR difference in a month. Skin was smoother and pores started being smaller and cleaner with less oil. Hyperpigmentation was also reduced and spots started fading from forehead and cheeks. Now there is virtually no more spots and there is only 1-2 break-outs b/c of stress (pre-med). Very pleased and would highly recommend if you don't get any traumatic side effects. Having prior knowledge of medicines, this is definitely one of the better antibiotics (expecially than Accutane).
November 15, 2006
Pros:
Anti-Biotic, kills acne in lower skin sectors, where it starts. It works excellent, just needs time. (Roughly 4-6 weeks before it kicks in). It prevents the future breakout of acne as wel.
Also, Apparently makes a great placebo.
Cons:
Symptoms, Takes at least a month to see full blown effects. Gastric Reflex, Nausea.. You Takes five weeks to kick in,
can't lie down for 45 minutes after taking. It's a pill, and it tastes bad.. Also, acne gets worse before it get's better.
Due to the particular properties of this medicine, It Will get worse before it gets better, and here's why. As this anti-biotic works to clear the bacteria from underneath your skin pores, the pores will become unblocked. The chemical will trigger a responce from your immune system, actualy causing breakouts. This responce is not caused by the chemical itslef, rather by the new flow of both chemical and pus through the newly opened pores. Usualy any change in the body will trigger a responce from your immune system, as will this particualr medicine. Fortunatly, after roughly four weeks, your immune system will build up a resistance to the anti-biotic, while the acne bacteria will not. Only in very rare cases will the acne bacteria build up a resistance, and that itself takes at least five months. However, usualy after two or three months, the acne has been sufficantly reduced to allow your immune system to start fighting it, and prevent future breakouts. Overall, Great if you need it.
October 19, 2006
Pros:
I have only been taking it for about a month somedays i think it is working and some days i think it is making it worse. i dont know if i should try it a bit longer or what! i am going back to the derm to see what he has to say.
Cons:
my face isnt flakey like other creames i have used that didnt work. i would rather have acne than red flakey acne!
I dont know what to do any more i think i will be stuck with it for the rest of my life
October 7, 2006
Pros:
Easy to use. Worked eventually.
Cons:
$$ expensive. $50/month for the pills my Dr. prescribed ($35 rebate might come three months later or it might never come at all). Easy to get suntan/sunburn.
The first three months I was on Doxycycline, it did not seem to make a difference. The last month, however, I started working out again - lifting weights and doing 30 minutes of intense cardio - and then my acne completely disappeared, not even one blemish. I also use OTC Neutrogena Clean & Clear Face Wash morning and night (Salicylic Acid 2%).
April 22, 2019
Didn't work for me
I had this treatment for cystic acne, but it didn't do anything for me unfortunately.
September 19, 2020
years without any results except stomach problems
May 26, 2018
It Cleared My Acne But Stopped Working For me After a While
I gave this product a three because it generally did help with my acne. I have had acne since I was in middle school, I am now 20. My family Doctor perscribed 100mg of Doxy as a short term solution but I ended up staying on the drug for over a year. within 1 month of taking the medication my acne was noticeably better, I wasn't breaking out with any new spots. After 7 months on the drug all my acne was pretty much clear. I decided to stop the medication at this point but my acne started coming back. After 2 months of being off Doxy, I went back to it because my acne was all coming back. I used the drug for 4 months but I was still breaking out. I went back to my dermatologist and told her my issues and she doubled my dose only for 2 weeks to see if that would make any difference. Within the first week of her doubling the dose I had many negative side effects, I decided to stop taking it all together.
March 20, 2018
didnt work at all
I took doxy for 6 nearly six months and it did literally nothing, if anything it made my acne worse and more painful :/
December 18, 2017
Temporary fix only
I'm 22 and started getting moderate acne about two years ago. I was prescribed doxycycline and it cleared my skin in about three months, which was great. In that, you could say it actually works.
I stayed on it for about nine months (which I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do) because my dermatologist had told me that it would probably stop working once I was off the treatment. And surely enough, about three months after going off doxy, my acne is coming back as bad as it was before. I don't know why dermatologists keep prescribing this treatment when there's an 80% chance that the acne will come back afterwards (sometimes worse even).
I guess that if your acne comes from your lifestyle (stress levels, what you eat/drink etc) it could work as a quick fix while you're making the changes you need, but for the ones who have hormonal acne and such this doesn't work long-term.
December 20, 2017
I don't understand why you give this one star... ? It worked great as you said?
April 24, 2018
This exact same thing happened to me too! Have you had any luck getting your acne under control since?
November 20, 2017
Worked but only temporary
Last year in August I started doxycycline because my acne was so severe! I was also prescribed a .025% tretinoin cream and aczone 5%. I took doxycycline everyday twice a day for 6 months and let me tell you..this skin regimen completely cleared my skin in 3 months. I was the happiest I had ever been especially since it was my senior year in high school. I got off the pills in February and stayed with the topical treatments. My skin was clear and they prescribed be .05% tretinoin gel as well as the aczone. Skin was clear but then end of September my skin broke out like crazy. I am back to the severe acne I had before. I am still struggling with it now and I genuinely don't know what to do. I eat healthy and work out. I just started my 3rd month of birth control so maybe thats another reason why i broke out because my body is adjusting to it but still. Doxycycline is only temporary and won't last forever ): I am thinking about starting it again because I can't deal with my face now. Being a freshman in college and going out almost every night is fun until you see people looking at the bumps on your skin, even if its covered with makeup.
Pros:
gives hope for clearing up acne.