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

Minocycline 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 taken once a day with food, at the same time every day.

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15.6%
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14.3%

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April 4, 2010

Pros:

keep away acne..temporarily.
side effects were minimal.

Cons:

huge breakout 2-3 weeks after stopping.

No anti-biotic is healthy to be on long term. So when I decided to stop, I started breaking out, a little at first, but it gradually got worse. Now I have everything..blackheads, cystic, small bumps, and I am 90% sure it was because I stopped minocycline. My acne was MILD and now it is moderate/severe, it has never been this bad. 3 months later, it has not gotten any better. I am thinking that accutane is my only course of action next.
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March 30, 2010

Pros:

size of pill...

Cons:

In consistent head aches,
Loss of energy/ Always tired
addiction
becoming immune after only a couple of months,
no results yielded
and getting a Vitmin D deficiantcy from not staying out of the sun while on the drug...

STAY AWAY!!! Find better solutions!!!
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March 11, 2010

Pros:

Cleared up the less severe pimples (papules)

Cons:

Dizziness and cystic acne worsened

Weelll, I've been on it for almost 2 months and my cystic acne is way worse than before. I do 100 mg twice daily. I delivered a baby 6 months ago and broke out like crazy with moderate acne. Birth control helped some. I never really had a whole lot of cystic acne. At most one at a time and only on my face. So I got on mino and I have... 9!!! Crazy. Also, I have popped a couple (with a sterile needle) and they're filled with a lot of fluid. Before all this mess, they were a lot thicker in consistancy- gross but true. This is so frustrating. I'm going to continue treatment, but am certainly going to the derm for accutane. Now I have to deal with even more scarring than before. I'm very disappointed but am hopeful for accutane. It does work for a lot of ppl, so try it, just take note of what's going on with ur body. I would recommend to try but it's just not for me. I had taken septra a few years ago and I was completely clear. This I don't understand. Hormones have changed for me I suppose.
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March 8, 2010

Pros:

acne was better

Cons:

developed LUPUS from the drug after taking it for 2 years.

Please think twice befor you take this medication. It is not good to stay on it. I developed a disease from it.
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March 2, 2010

Pros:

In combination with birth control pill, it temporarily kept my skin clear

Cons:

The side effects caused me to have severe gastro-intestinal problems. I would also get yeast infections occasionally.

I used antibiotics off and on for 2 years. It worked really well when I used them in combination with birth control pills. When I started experiencing terrible GI problems (my stomach hurt all the time, I had diarrhea, terrible gas), a new doctor told me this is not the most effective treatment for acne. My current dermatologist also reccomends against using them. In the long run, you will become immune to antibiotics and they will most likely become less effective. The last 6-9 months I was using antibiotics, it did not decrease my break outs at all. It has been over two years and I am still working on improving the damage done to my GI systems from being on antibiotics for so long. I strongly urge caution for those considering this treatment.
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February 18, 2010

Pros:

Nothing :/

Cons:

Diziness, Fatigue, Exhaustion, Illness, hives, rashes.

I was prescribed this medicine after a visit to the MD. The first day I took it I threw up vigurously. I continued to stick it out and the next week or so i continued to feel sick. After I took it for two weeks i grew deathly allergic to it. My whole body swelled up and I had hives everywhere ! It swelled up my throat, eyes to the point i couldnt see, i had a horrible rash throughout my whole body. I was rushed to the ER, and was put on steriods for a week. I am a very healthy person and rarely get ill. This medicine made me to the point of exhaustion and such. I would not recommend this to anyone, :/. Now im off and i am starting on accutane this week. Hopefully that works for the time. !
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February 17, 2010

Pros:

It did clear up my skin infection for a small period of time, until i got off of it. Still not worth anything.

Cons:

IVE BEEN BATTLING A SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTION TO THIS DRUG SINCE THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING. I had developed post-serum sickness to this medicine. My doctor never told me it was an antibiotic, unbelievable isn't it. I started to get hives exactly 2 weeks after my first dosage, then body aches, and joint pain. Also twisted an upper arm muscle in this whole experience due to joint and body pain. After being a guinea pig for 4 doctors, my pharmacist finally found Minocycline to be the bad guy.

Be careful and think twice about trying out this antibiotic, because its an antibiotic. Some doctors like mine -_- dont realize to tell their patients the severity of side effects that could happen to them, and the dangerous side effects other people have had in the past while taking this drug. I never want to go through this experience ever again in my life, i dont trust my family doctor the same, i go to specialists now unless i have a simple cold. Because of all of this-i really dont want others to go through the same thing i went through. Its just not worth risking your health when there are other acne medicines out there. Also another piece of advice, always do your research or make your doctor clearly explain what medicine he/she is prescribing to you, and if the medicine is ever considered dangerous. Minocycline sure is.
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February 10, 2010

Pros:

Nothing

Cons:

The side effects were horrible and it didn't do a thing for my acne. I was having severe headaches and was constently dizzy. After about two weeks I went to see my PCP who said that this medication can cause someone to have a pseudotumor cerebri so I had to get an MRI and it showed that's what I had. The risky side effects are not worth it.

Read all side effects of this medication before deciding to take it.
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January 22, 2010

Pros:

cheap and easy to obtain

Cons:

it didnt do a thing for me

i had moderate acne problems and i thought maybe an oral antibiotic would cure my acne rather than topical ointments alone. I was prescribed minocycline by my doctor and i took it twice a day for 5 days on and 5 off, and it did absolutely nothing for me. I am fair skinned and a hispanic male, but i would not recommend taking this.
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January 4, 2010

Pros:

Cheap, I suppose. Cleared my acne a little.

Cons:

Gave me a comparatively rare and debilitating disease.

I went on this medication 3 years ago, and it gave me Pseudo Tumor Cerebri, which means my body produced too much spinal and cranial fluid. I went partially blind temporarily, suffered extreme headaches, and dizziness to the extent that I could not walk. I would rather walk around with worse acne than I had than have to repeat all of those medical visits where nobody knew what I had, and where I had to have repeated spinal taps. My advice is: no matter what medicine you take, become acquainted with ALL of the side effects - even rare ones. Then decide if you think the risk is worth it. I, personally, do not.
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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.
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