Doxycycline
Results
Side Effects

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.

 [more]
3.4
1460
Read All About Doxycycline
Compare To Other Treatments
5
20.4%
4
35.1%
3
21.8%
2
12.1%
1
10.5%

Used Doxycycline? Rate It:

Choose from 1 to 5 stars
Sort by: Most Helpful
Order:
Number of Stars
Choose All That Apply
Clear All Filters
Done
September 14, 2011

Pros:

-Cleared cystic acne almost entirely!
-Significantly improved back acne
-Results seen within two weeks

Cons:

-Extremely sensitive to the sun!!!!! (I got terrible sun poisoning on my hands for the first month... just from driving in the car to and from work)
-Yellowed teeth
-Consistant slight red flush to the face
-Yeast Infections
-Scalp sensitivity
-Must not take on empty stomach

If your acne bothers you very much, especially if you have cystic acne, I would definitely recommend taking this antibiotic. With that said, I do think that you should be very aware of the side effects! My skin is not completely clear from this antibiotic, but it has improved. That is why all of the side effects were worth it to me. And my side effects were horrible. Right away I got a very severe case of sun poisoning on my hands that lasted for 3 weeks. And that was with applying SPF 70. You must not go out in the sun if you are taking this medication (I am on 100mg). If you are going to spend a day at the beach, my derm said to skip the medication that day (it leaves your body in 24 hours). I even had to wear gloves driving to work in the morning! Yeast overgrowth is a big problem if you are taking this antibiotic long term. Talk to your doctor about potentially taking a probiotic. Another significant side effect is yellowing of the teeth. I have always been known for having extremely white teeth without whitening them, but they are definitely a light shade of yellow now. My mother warned me of this so, I was expecting it. Lastly, take this medicine with food! Taking it on an empty stomach will cause you to feel very sick. I did not have the problem of throwing up at all though. I took 100mg a day for a while, so one pill in the morning and one pill at night. Now I just take 1 pill (50mg) with dinner because I am out in the sun a lot and can't handle taking it in the morning. Ance isn't as clear as it was, but still better than before starting Doxy. Hope this helps!
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
September 10, 2011

Pros:

Works Very Fast! Its my fourth day of using doxycycline and it has significantly reduced the redness on my face and raised areas
ITS A LIFE SAVER!

Cons:

NONE
In order to avoid the sickness that the earlier reviews mentioned is do NOT take doxycycline with dairy products with 2 hours of consuming dairy. This will not only reduce the effectivness of the medicine but also make you feeling sick

Remember to wear sun protection, as the only real problem with doxycycline is that it the skins ability to absorb light is reduced = potential for burning!
This Was Helpful

5 user(s) found this helpful

Report
August 25, 2011

Pros:

Cleared up Acne 100%
No new breakouts ever while taking this drug
Acne scars diminished
Worked relatively fast for me, about 1 month or so

Cons:

Makes you throw up if taken on an empty stomach
Loses effectiveness soon

I absolutely loved Doxycycline. My doctor prescribed me this drug after I suggested I wanted to go onto Accutane. He wanted me to try other alternatives before Accutane. I took Doxycycline for about 6-7 months before slowly experiencing a few pimples and then a massive breakout, realizing it lost its effectiveness. I had no idea antibiotics lose effectiveness since this was my first time taking medication for my acne. I was extremely disappointed, devastated actually. However, overall I would recommend this drug because it gave me almost a years relief and made me 100% clear for my high school graduation. I am currently on Bactrim/Septra & Diane35, hoping to get my skin back to normal.
This Was Helpful

4 user(s) found this helpful

Report
August 3, 2011

Pros:

smoother skin
barely any new pimples

Cons:

nausea

My acne is very mild-moderate. I'd get that one acne bump which would take a while to die down - then once that's gone..another would pop up. I was only prescribed this for about a month (4 weeks) and although I don't think there was a huge improvement...I did notice that my skin got a lot smoother. I still broke out with that one pimple every time but I think the main difference was the texture of my skin. This was probably noticeable from the 5-14 day mark. I was then prescribed to a different antibiotic, but it would have been great to see if my skin dramatically improved if I used doxy for longer than 4 weeks. One thing that you do need to be careful with is how you take doxy. I tried very hard to take it on an empty stomach... but found that to prevent nausea I had to take food after 1 hour (2 hours max). It really depends on you..if you feel sick / that you need to vomit...I'd definitely eat food to 'cure' it.
This Was Helpful

5 user(s) found this helpful

Report
July 30, 2011

Pros:

Clears up difficult chest and back acne

Cons:

Side Effects--difficult swallowing, pain in esophagus, dyspagia

This medication definitely works to manage acne, but I'm experiencing a fairly unusual side effect that may preclude me from continuing to take the medication. I have been taking 100 mg of Doxycycline for about a month. I did not experience any of the stomach ache/vomitting side effects that are common with this drug. I would take the pill at night right before i went to bed, so I suppose, if my stomach were to be upset, I was asleep. Anyway, after about 3 weeks on the drug, I noticed that I was having difficulty swallowing and a burning pain in my throat when I would eat. The closest sensation I can compare it to is heartburn, but it wasn't actually heartburn because it would start the moment I started to eat or drink anything. After a few days of this, I decided to look it up online and food that dysphagia is a rare side effect of taking doxycycline. Apparently, the pill is pretty acidic and it can burn little ulcers into your esophagus. I also found an article that explained that if you take the pill right before bed without enough water (like I was doing), it tends to create this problem. In essence, if you take this little acidic pill, then lie down, it tends to dissolve more in your esophagus than in your stomach and if you don't have enough water with it, the acid isn't diluted, thus, causing little ulcers. The ulcers should heal in about 2-7 days after stopping the medication. I'm going to stop taking the medication for a few days to let my esophagus heal, but then I think I will switch to taking the pill in the morning and see if the symptoms come back. If they do come back, then I suppose this medication is out for managing my acne....sigh... it does work pretty well and I would hate to not be able to use it. Other than this
This Was Helpful

7 user(s) found this helpful

Report
July 27, 2011

Pros:

-Clears up Acne on Face & Body (especially cystic acne)
-Reduces Redness
-Easy to swallow

Cons:

-HORRIBLE & I mean horrible Nausea & Vomiting if taken on an empty stomach
-Makes skin ultra sensitive to the sun

I suffer from acne on my face and back. I've been taking it for about a month & I can really see a difference. I don't break out as bad as I used to. It really does work, you just have to be patient with it. The only thing I truly hate about it is the nausea you feel when you take it on an empty stomach. I threw up a couple of times because of it /:
This Was Helpful

13 user(s) found this helpful

Report
July 21, 2011

Pros:

actually worked really well, easy to use, helps a lot with deep painful pimples, clears face 98%.

Cons:

doesn't work forever, body becomes immune to drug, causes nausea if taken on empty stomach, doesn't work if taken with milk before and after 1 hour.

basically I have had acne for a very long time. I've tried a lot of things to at least tame my acne. nothing really worked. I finally decided to seek help from a doctor. I wanted to go onto accutane but my doctor wouldn't let me since my acne wasn't severe enough. he prescribed me doxyclyine. it worked amazingly! I was so happy. my acne was finally under control. it worked all throughout my final year of high school but right around july it started to come back. I recently found out that I've most likely become immune to the drug. very sad! so overall great drug, but not a forever thing which is disappointing to say the least. I am going to try a different antiobiotic and I'm hoping I will have the same results. if not, accutane here I come!
This Was Helpful

6 user(s) found this helpful

Report
July 8, 2011

Pros:

- Removed cysts
- Reduced inflammation, pain, swelling, etc.
- Reduced number of regular "zits"

Cons:

- Nausea if taken on an empty stomach
- Complete cure for my cysts, but not for all other acne lesions

- I took 100 mg in the morning, and 100 mg at night. - I also washed my face twice a day with 2.5% BP wash, then followed with 5 or 10% BP gel and a moisturizer if needed. If you have acne characterized by large, painful cysts, I highly suggest taking this medicine (or another antibiotic). Persistent picking caused an infection in both of my cheeks, and numerous cysts under the skin. This medicine cleared it up without fail. Before this, my acne was always sore and bleeding, and would open up at very awful moments, like in public or when I was sleeping. I haven't had anything awful -- no large painful bumps or terrible red bleeding messes -- since taking this medicine. While it definitely cleared my cysts it also cleared some of my regular zits, but not all. I still have a few zits left, but these are slowly going away. They aren't NEARLY as bad as my cysts! Overall I'm thankful, and the doxy did a wonderful job but didn't clear me 100%, so it gets a 4/5. Overall: If you have BAD acne, take this or another antibiotic! You'll be happy you did. (Notes: Some people experience a reduction in gut flora when taking this long-term, resulting in intestinal issues. I haven't had this problem. Others also experience yeast infections. I also did not have this problem.)
This Was Helpful

38 user(s) found this helpful

Report
July 5, 2011

Pros:

-Cleared up acne pretty quickly
-Easy to swallow

Cons:

-Nausea (If not taken with food, you can eventually end up vomiting)
-Extreme sun sensitivity
-Tiredness
-Mild depression (Not sure if this was the meds)
-Tingling in the hands and feet

It's a pretty good antibiotic due to the fact that it works pretty quickly and effectively. The only major problem i only had with it was that it caused pretty bad skin reactions and sensitivity. But all in all, it works pretty good.
This Was Helpful

19 user(s) found this helpful

Report
June 28, 2011

Pros:

cleared my acne although slowly

Cons:

-

pretty good but it must be taken regularly and after eating. i took it with topical benzoyl peroxide-clindamycin for 2 weeks and my acne really started to clear in 10 days.
This Was Helpful

14 user(s) found this helpful

Report
Previous
1 … 6 7 8 9 10 … 42
Next

Relevant Article(s):

Relevant Review(s):

Relevant Forum(s):

Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website