Acne.org Products
Oral Antibiotic
Efficacy
54%
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 they can reduce severe acne in the short term, 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 Minocycline? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
April 1, 2009
Cons:
may not be for everyone maybe some side effects, ohhh ya sunlight sensitivity. i wana cry wen i see the sun but i hold together.
as in outbreaks i had about 5-10 big red pimple / zit things (maybe cysts) on my face, not on my forehead but chin, cheeks, and above my lips. around my lips was menacing and looked horrible it killed me inside. now a days im not as depressed, i take 100x minocicline. anything lower won't do as much probably. but 100x minocycline and regimen "acne Free" severe. acne free consists of 4 bottles a dead skin remover, a moisturizer, a morning and a night cleanser. i don't use the morning cleanser cuz the night one works better at both times of day. so far i've been able to live my life only with bad back acne and who knows maybe itll be gone soon.
April 28, 2016
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
please answer this question!
I am 13 and have been having acne for about a year. I tried a lot and my doctor just prescribed me solodyn. also onexton in the morning and ziana at night. I have been using this routine for about 10 days. I haven't seen much improvement. but I want to know does this product really work. and should I just give it some time? and if so how much time?
July 15, 2018
I’m on pretty much the same thing as you! I’m also thirteen! I also take spironolactone and use a retinoid instead of ziana. I’ve been using it for about a month and seen a slow improvement from about 2-3 weeks, so It takes awhile you just need to be patient but if it comes to like 3 months and there’s no improvement talk to ur doc! You should be fine so far though!
March 16, 2015
Worked well so far 50mg Once a day
I'm 25 and female, for the past three years my acne had been getting worse and worse. started off as once a month untill my whole jawline, chin and nose bridge was constantly covered in painfull acne. Both deep cystic and surface acne. I accidentally used the wrong steroid cream for a rash around my mouth and everything nose-down became covered in millions of tiny pimple like things - Perennial Dermatitis. Took 50mg Minocycline once a day at night for the rash and the acne. 3 months later and my skin has been the best it has in over 5 years. I still get a couple of surface pimples and one or two deep ones during ovulation but much better and smooth.
February 7, 2013
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
It DOES Work
No serious Side effects
Cons:
It takes time
Dry Skin
If you're doctor prescribes you solodyn don't give up after one or two weeks. This stuff takes time to work. It has to purge all of the bacteria out of your skin. After about 1-2 months you should start to see results and they are amazing. I was a moderate acne sufferer and started to take this stuff along with retin-a and erithromycin gel about 2 months ago. Face got worse for the first 2-3 weeks but then started to improve dramatically.
February 9, 2012
Pros:
It cleared up my "mild to sever acne" problem as my doctor assessed my facial area.
Cons:
It may get you nauseous, but I drink a lot of water, almost 3/4 of a gallon a day. so the nausea doesn't hit me that hard. On MY label it says not to have calcium, magnesium, or calcium 2 hours before and 2 hours after dosage as it my negate the effects of the medicine. In that sense, it is tough, because I am always eating something that has one or all of those.
Before I used, I literally would get 3 - 4 new fresh pimples EVERY DAY. After first few days, I already saw improvement. My pimples were lessening and not growing as much. Few weeks in, I didnt grow any new pimples. But I recommend trying to stay CONSISTENT with the dosage and take as recommended. I take twice per day, so thats one pill every 12 hours. At a point, I was taking my pill every 13 hours, then 15, then 17, then after awhile it got to every 24 hours. I weened my body off of it. But then when I started slacking off the minocycline altogether, one or 2 pimples would pop up. Bottom line: this medication worked for me. Stay consistent with the dosage, stay hydrated, and CONTINUE to do the acne.org face wash, treatment, moisturizer, and jojoba oil. Even though I slacked off with the meds, I still do the acne.org regimen. Now that my pimples have dissappeared, I have been focused on getting my scars to go away, and the moisturizer and jojoba oil is the SH*T!
January 30, 2012
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
-Got Rid of Acne
-Very vivid crazy dreams that are cool
Cons:
-At first, you break out really bad
-Become dependent upon it
Solodyn is not for normal pimples, it is for the cystic pimples caused by a bacterial infection. It treats ONLY the cystic pimples, and it does it very effectively over time. At first, the cystic pimples will become inflamed and more will appear, but after about two weeks they stop. Also, I take the medication right before I go to sleep, and I have the craziest dreams that are pretty entertaining to think about the next day.
January 22, 2012
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
-Easy to swallow pill
-So far it's effective
-I have good health insurance so it was only $20
Cons:
-Without insurance it's $1,000 (no joke)
-Your first week of taking medication you will experience side effects, dizziness, fatigue, dry lips, headaches
People must read this! You must understand the side effects before you get scared. This is my first ever pharmaceutical product for acne and I was extremely skeptical, but let me tell you the truth. I've only been taking it for one week but the side effects have already gone away. It is extremely important that you drink a lot, and I mean a lot of water while using this product. The drug is SUPPOSED to dry you out (basically) and eliminate acne causing bacteria from the inside out! Stay hydrated and the headaches and dizzyness will go away in 5 days. I'm already noticing my skin is becoming softer, but is also starting to become really dry which means its working. Grab a moisturizer and hang on for the ride!
January 12, 2012
Pros:
Reduces breakouts
Reduces overall size of pimples
Clears skin during dosage
Cons:
Slight disorientation
Calcium intake inhibits the antibiotic
Inconsistent results
Little effect on cystic/nodular acne
Slight constipation
I am an athletic 21 year old male with moderately severe acne, and the biggest problem I have are cysts and nodule acne. The smaller pimples and black heads are still present, but just less annoying and obvious. So take this review just as a reference not as you would react to the actual medication. Luckily I had little side effects while taking Minocycline, but I wasn't entirely satisfied with the results to be honest. I've currently been on 100mg twice daily for three months ingesting them at 10:00am and 10:00pm. And if you're just looking to rid yourself of small pimples and black heads because of hormone shifts and what not, then this is definitely ideal for you. If you have extremely embarrassing cystic acne on a high or low scale, then I'm sorry it just isn't. It takes a very long period of time for the antibiotic to penetrate deep into cystic pores where the infection is taking place. The only thing that has ever cleared my cystic acne is a vitamin called, "B5". I highly recommend it if you're desperate like I was, but after two years of taking it my acne came back with full force so now I'm looking for something that's a little more permanent. Remember a lot of your acne is genetic, not necessarily an external problem with your cleansing routine or hygiene. Oral medication is often times what's needed in order to train your body and, '˜'rewire your brain' as my doctor would say to see any noticeable results. The bottom line is it did a great job of clearing smaller acne including blackheads because of how much easier it is to penetrate, but the bigger and deeper pimples were almost unaffected. I've been clinically depressed because of acne and I plan on whooping its ass in the near future, so I hope you all recover and find something that works well for you, please don't give up just keep searching and I promise something will turn up.
December 29, 2011
Pros:
Helped the acne
Cons:
9 month minocycline use caused a toxic hepatitis in our son followed by a severe lupus-like, arthritis-like autoimmune disease from which he still has not recovered 10months after stopping the drug
Research the long term side effects on line. If you still want to take the risk and your doctor is not monitoring your liver enzymes ask for the monitoring. If you get any strange side effects on the drug stop using it.
August 1, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
-1 Time a day
-No side effects
Cons:
-Price
-Clearing Up Time
Bottome Line: This is a very good acne medication, with very minimal to do on our end. Simply take it once a day, now the only catch is being patient. It was extremely hard for me to not see any improvements on my overall acne for the first month! It was exactly the 30th day of taking it when I woke up and saw an improvement. I have been on it now on a little under 2 months and can say my acne is pretty much all gone! I have tried other medications and to me, this is one of the best, with very minimal to no side effects. To me, the price is worth very little maintenance, no side effects and good results! Just hang in there and don't knock it until you have tried it for at least a good month!
Pros:
hmmm cleared up... 70% of my facial outbreaks. horrible