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
June 29, 2008
Cons:
It can cause esophagitis if you lay down after taking it. Made me very dizzy after taking it for a while.
if you have severe or moderate-severe don't even try. helps a little for less severe
June 20, 2008
Pros:
got rid of my daughter's acne on her back and shoulders
Cons:
can cause a yeast infection of the skin that mimics acne
My daughter had acne on her back and was perscribed a low dose 50 mg a day) as it was a mild to moderate case - by our family physician. After a few weeks, sh had bumps on her chest, which looked like pimples, but were uniformly spread out. We then went to a dermatologist who upped her dose to 200 mg a day, and determined that the chest was acne also as the doxy "spits out" acne as it takes effect. These bumps kept spreading, up to her neck, chin, etc. Most were just white-head like bumps, some reddish. All the topical stuff did not work on it, and it seemed to get worse. So, we scheduled a second trip to the derm. She looked at the outbreak and told us it is a yeast infection of the skin! She is now on Sporonox to get rid of it. So be sure any outbreaks after taking doxy are indeed acne, not this form of skin infection, which doxy makes worse as it is an antibiotic.
June 10, 2008
Pros:
Sort of worked for me; reduced oil production but didn't eliminate acne. I'm on it for the second time, and it's not doing a thing for my acne. Pimples just keep getting worse; am planning on switching to another antibiotic.
Cons:
Seems weak + ineffective, am seeing no change in my skin, which is getting worse, if anything. I'm sure it works for some people, but it's definitely not a miracle cure.
Doxy's cheap - you can get it for about five bucks without insurance, so it doesn't break the bank at all. It doesn't work that well though (if at all), and I wouldn't really recommend it. I suppose you could try it out to see if it worked for you, but I think it's primarily for very mild acne. I really don't think it'd make a dent on severe acne, and it certainly hasn't helped with mine, which is moderate. I only gave it a 2 because it worked okay when I used it for the first time - but I had very mild acne then, maybe 2 or 3 pimples at a time on my face. Now that it's up to around 40, doxy's pretty much useless. I'm going to look into Bactrim.
June 4, 2008
Pros:
does clear up acne, would recommend it
Cons:
take them after something to eat or just before. i took once on empty stomach and was nearly sick and went really light headed
dont let bad reviews put you off, it does work
June 2, 2008
Pros:
Helped to reduce redness and tough dry skin. made the skin feel softer and helped it look better.
Cons:
Was extremely sensitive to the sun so I had to avoid getting sunburned even if I was out in the sun for 20mins. After 1hr of taking the pill I felt realy sick for at least 10-15mins maybe more.
Had to take 2 pills a day for 3 months because I had really bad acne. I was going to go on it for another 3 months but because it kept making me feel sick of the last 2 months that I had to take it I had to stop tkaing the pills. It is very afordable and works quite well but do take in to mind the side effects. Also as soon as I stoped taking the pills almost all the side effects stoped besides being sensitive to the sun but that only lasted about a week after I had stop taking the pills.
May 24, 2008
Pros:
Easy to take
Cons:
Can really upset your stomach (I experienced terrible heartburn, even taking it with food). DO NOT lie down after you take this drug (wait at least 2 hours)!
I would not recommend this. I ended up stopping after a few weeks because it upset my stomach so badly - and I ate a small meal before I took it (I also tried taking it wiht a bigger meal, with no change). I didn't see any difference in those few weeks, but I wasn't on very long.
May 20, 2008
Pros:
Cleared my cystic acne within a month, even on my back.
Cons:
Made me feel sick to my stomach. No Iron or dairy within two hours of taking it. After seven or eight months of taking it stopped working.
At first it was great. It cleared me up in a month like my Dr. said. I took it at night before bed with crackers or it would make me feel really nauseous but worth it for the results. However after taking it for awhile my acne started coming back. At first just a little bit and after an other couple of months it was as bad as ever. Not only got my cystic acne back but also all these small bumps around neck and my hairline which I didn't have before. I have stopped taking it. now I'm on Ortho Tri-Cyclen and have started to clear up again.
May 19, 2008
Pros:
Easy to use, convenient, thats about it
Cons:
Often made my stomach upset if I did not eat, didn't help with my acne, made my face red, and extremely sensitive to sunlight.
I used this with Differin .3% for like 2 months for my mild to moderate acne; and it did nothing. One day I had a soccer game for like an hour and an half, and I came home with like third degree burns on my face. This sunburn took like a week to heal (with aloe and ice). Despite the good results I've heard from this product, it did absolutely nothing for me, and I would not recommend it to a teenage boy with annoying acne.
May 15, 2008
Pros:
It's cheap, it works, no side effects, didn't get bad before it got better.
Cons:
Don't take on a completely empty stomach, eg, when you just wake up.
My doctor put me on Doxycycline and I'm very happy with it. I haven't had any side effects, except feeling a bit sick if I don't eat first. But you only need say, a cracker or two and a glass of water! It is well worth it. It cleared my skin right up, it got rid of the redness and the acne. I didn't have bad skin to begin with but this cleared up any imperfections, except blackheads.
May 11, 2008
Pros:
First two weeks you'll notice a slight decrease in acne
Cons:
treatment eventually plateaued, doesnt agree with empty stomachs, sometimes you'll burp up powder?, more small blackheads
high school student+doxycycline=waste of time
Pros:
Kept moderate acne under control. I didn't breakout while taking it.