Doxycycline

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Doxycycline is an oral antibiotic that works by fighting bacteria in the body, including in the skin, and also reduces inflammation. It should...

Doxycycline is an oral antibiotic that works by fighting bacteria in the body, including in the skin, and also reduces inflammation. It should be used only short term (max. 3 months).

It is usually prescribed at a dose of 50 to 100 mg once or twice per day.

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Josh

April 24, 2012

Pros:

- Cleared 95% of acne
- Reduced size of cysts
- Reduced redness
- Easy to take
- Completely covered on my insurance plan
- Smooth skin

Cons:

- Took about 6-7 weeks to see a difference in my acne
- Severe nausea if taken on an empty stomach
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Mood swings
- Breakouts after being off of antibiotic

I had severe acne throughout my sophomore and junior year of high school. I tried over-the-counter products but I did not notice an improvement with any of them so I decided it was time to see a dermatologist. My dermatologist evaluated me and we talked about treatment options for my inflammatory/cystic acne. I initially decided on Isotretinoin (Accutane) but later retracted due to fear of the side effects. The only other option was to go on Doxycycline. I was on 100mg 2x daily for ~7 months. I was also prescribed Tretinoin Gel 0.025%. First month was absolute hell. Maybe it was because I was adjusting to the antibiotics, I'm not sure, but I was almost always dizzy (although not severe) and I never wanted to get out of bed because I was always sleepy. Throughout that month my acne got significantly worse but I stuck it out and continued with the antibiotic since "it gets worse before it gets better". The second month was a little better. I have made the mistake of taking this pill on an empty stomach and I was vomiting, but I know better now. I think it was on my third month that I began having mood swings. I would get angry and upset for no reason. I consulted my dermatologist about this and he was completely baffled. He said he has not heard of this being a side effect and although he was worried he still told me to continue with treatment because I was showing improvement. Thankfully the mood swings went away and I'm not as upset and angry anymore which is good! The rest of the months went pretty damn well. My skin improved significantly but I still had issues with the acne on my back and oily skin. After about 6 months of being on this antibiotic my dermatologist lowered my dosage to just one pill a day. When I was done with that month, my dermatologist had me discontinue treatment. I've been off of Doxycycline for two months and I'm getting breakouts. Overall, I loved Doxycycline. Even though I experienced some bad side effects, it was wor

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Jessica

March 28, 2012

Pros:

It WORKS.
No side effects unless you have a sensitive stomach and you take it without food.

Cons:

takes a LONG time.

During the first month of using this, I didnt see hardly and results, and it was very frustrating. I thought it didn't work. After another month went by, my skin became a lot smoother, and less acne was popping up. As of now, my skin is very smooth and clear...you just have to be PATIENT....and dont get discouraged too soon.

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Jason

March 28, 2012

Pros:

-kills bacteria from the inside out
-easier to take a pill than a topical
-great results

Cons:

-only works for as long as you use it
-can't take an antibiotic for long periods of time
-can hurt stomach (only experienced this a couple times)

I was prescribed doryx 150mg 1x daily to use in 2 week intervals as needed. My chin acne got clear and I saw results in less than a week. by 2 weeks i was very pleased with the results and my skin was clear for a couple weeks after I stopped taking it. over time, my acne started to gradually come back to about normal. It can be great for a quick fix and you can use it in the first couple weeks of a new topical to avoid an initial break out. I will start taking this a few weeks before prom so my skin should be clear then

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Lucas W.83

March 27, 2012

Pros:

- It cleared up my bacne
- It stopped spots on my face as well
- Free on NHS

Cons:

Made me VERY sensitive to sunlight
Occasional vomiting after taking it

I started doxycycline because of my acne on my chest and back and it worked really well - cleared my skin up. I was on it for about a year but finally decided to come off it because it made me so sun sensitive. This is a fairly common side effect and as I'm so pale anyway it was not very nice. I made me throw up only twice and only because i hadn't eaten. I would recommend it though as it did work :)

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Paul

March 24, 2012

Pros:

No dry scaly skin
Easy to treat acne all over your body
Effective

Cons:

Cannot continue treatment for more than 6 months
Results in an upset stomach if taken on an empty stomach

With other acne treatments I have had which were always a topical medication, it was a pain to treat my entire torso and face. If I did regularly stick to treating all my acne prone areas, then i would run out of product very quickly. Doxycycline was easy because all i needed to do was take a pill and it solved acne problems everywhere on my body. It also didn't give me dry scaly skin that I always seem to get with other treatments. My face cleared up very quickly and my skin became very clear. My back took a bit longer, maybe about a month or two. I did experience a sore stomach once or twice, but that really was my fault because I didn't have it after a proper meal. The major downside is that I cannot continue the treatment. As an antibiotic, its hard to get it prescribed again. Even if i did, there is the possibility that the bacteria causing the acne will grow resistant to treatment.

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Verified Customer824

March 19, 2012

Pros:

clears acne
prevents breakouts
reduces redness

Cons:

horrible stomach aches
takes a very long time to work
will make acne worse at first

ive been on this stuff for almost 2 months exactly, and i gotta say its really starting to work for me. ive been taking 2 100mg pills a day. initially, my acne was getting worse, but i found out that was only because the medicine is removing all the bacteria from under my face, so it is being brought to the surface. i was starting to get confused because it would reduce breakouts, but then knew ones would come in its place, so my face was just a red mess. but i decided to stick with it, and now i see my skin improving greatly! my red spots are beginning to fade, and my breakouts have been reduced greatly. even when i get a pimple, it is much smaller and less noticeable and goes away much quicker. i highly recommend this medication though taking this medication with food and water is a MUST! ive had two occasions where i took on an empty stomach and both times i ended up throwing up.but having your confidence back and clear skin far outweighs the side affects, just dont forget to take with food

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BecBec4230

March 13, 2012

Pros:

Prevents cysts, shrinks existing ones.

Cons:

Irritating to stomach

Been using it for 3 years. I have not developed a tolerance to it yet because I will break out if I discontinue use. Twice a day. VERY irritating to stomach: must be taken with food.

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nick

February 14, 2012

Pros:

Clears 95% of acne
No side effects at all

Cons:

Takes forever ( about 2 months)
Will make it worse before it gets better

This is a good treatment for anyone who is really struggling and is having to success. It will take about 2 months to working but after that its like magic. It's also nice because it doesnt make your face dry at all. Overall a great product!

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Sitwano

January 22, 2012

Pros:

Clears up Acne
Leaves skin feeling soft and clean

Cons:

Leaves skin a bit ashy and weird
Makes you wanna vomit
Dizziness
Appetite loss
Overall, antibiotics are not good for health
... AT ALLLLL

Works if you want a temporary solution. I took 100mg pills twice a day for 1 month and then every alternate day for another month and a half.... completely cleared up my skin but left me feeling unhealthy... you can actually feel your body becoming sick in the long term... weight loss is immediate.. lost 5-8 kg in 3 weeks... Kills off all the good bacteria in your body... LOT of digestive problems (but not even severe or close to moderate.. mild is more like it) you can easily get sun burnt too... not a problem for people living most of their lives indoor... oh and the most important point... it clears skin in a minimum of 2 weeks :) great for those parties or wedding events that are just weeks away!! I recommend taking those accutane stuff when u stop ur course... that should give you seriously long term results... donno how people will react to these medications tho so be patient and cautious.... IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO consult your doctor before doing this... Oh and when i used this, it cleared up all my big cystic acne... for good... didn't come back again AT ALL... only some really small pimples and white heads came back and so now im gonna start with that accutane stuff...... wishing you the best of luck :)

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sammy*sunshine

January 5, 2012

Pros:

-Cleared up acne
-After I discontinued use the acne stayed away
-Tiny pill

Cons:

-Made me feel sick to my stomach
-The pill is very strong (100 mg) and it actually got lodged in my throat and I got pill esophagitis from it. Basically, it kind of burned the lining of my esophagus and made it excruciating to eat or drink for a week and a half. (The pill is tiny, I just have the worst luck in the world...)
-Slow to work

When I got prescribed this it was because I was having really painful cystic acne on my chin. It took about a month for the pills to work but once they did I was so happy. I was given four months of refills but after two months I stopped taking it because my acne was gone. This isn't recommended but my acne never came back. Sure, I get a pimple every now and again, but no more cystic acne and I spend 90% of the time acne free. I would recommend eating a slice of bread or something of that nature before taking the pill because it made my stomach very upset to the point where I was on my knees in front of the toilet about a half hour after taking the pill (before I learned the bread trick), and I have a strong stomach. Try not to eat or drink dairy two hours before or after taking the pill because lactose hinders the abilities of the pill. Also, make sure that you drink a whole glass of water when you take this pill because, like I mentioned, it once got lodged in my throat and that was a horrible experience that could have been avoided if I had just had more water with it. I know that it sounds like a lot of trouble to go through for such a tiny pill but I can honestly say, despite all the turmoil that I went through, I would do it all over again because I know that the result is the flawless skin that I have today.

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