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
November 6, 2006
Cons:
it stops working after your body gets use to it. and its bacd for your liver
i want to use accutane but i cant afford it.
October 10, 2006
Pros:
Works well and easy to take
Cons:
I stopped for two months and got awful acne.
Now on Erythromycin, hopefully it will be ok. I got it free on the NHS.
August 5, 2012
Pros:
None
Cons:
Diarrhea
Did nothing at all,had to go on Accutane.
May 1, 2012
Pros:
None that I experienced.
Cons:
Did not improve my rosacea prone skin at all. Couldn't take dairy for a couple of hours before and after the pills. Was on it for just under 3 months when I started getting intense constant pressure headache that lasted over a week. Was highly concerned it was intracranial hypertension and went to gp in a panic. Was told to come off it and the headache stopped.
Dermatologists are not holistic and only know how to prescribe drugs. My derm upped my daily dosage by 50mg when it didn't work. He was convinced I'd need to be on antibiotics for the rest of my life and that was ok. I followed the instructions correctly and drank lots of water but it didn't work for me. In fact my skin got better when I came off it and started using aloe vera gel, the Thursday Island brand. Amazing results and I mix it with oil free Nutragena for sensitive skin. I also went on Herbalife, the ultimate program, which has an aloe vera tonic, and my skin is clear and glowing - so happy! I am now starting to think that the right nutrients are key. Taking antibiotics is not sustainable in the long term, going natural is the way for me! Good luck everyone, it's a stressful journey to find what works for you.
December 14, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Cons:
- Gave me even worse breakouts
- Gave me body acne where I didn't have it before
- TERRIBLE mood swings
- Chest pains with it
- Hot flashes
I saw my dermatologist's assistant, instead of my dermatologist, and she was NOT upfront with me about the side effects. I explicitly asked about them, and she said there basically were none - just some dizziness on occasion. This couldn't be further from the truth. First off, this drug DOES NOT WORK. Doxycycline took about a couple of weeks to clear up my face once I started using it. If I went off, I would break out but when I started again, I'd be clear in 2-3 days. I've been on Solodyn for 2 weeks and I've gotten MORE breakouts. I've even tried doubling my dosages to make it more effective, and it STILL doesn't work. I went into a meeting at 10:00 and came out at 1:30 with two fully matured, pus-filled pimples, ready to be popped. I get a headache when I take this medicine. It makes me extremely irritable and aggressive. It burns in my chest about 20 minutes after I take it. Oh, and did I mention IT DOESN'T WORK. I wish there was a lower rating than "1." The coupon for the free month's supply was garbage. I've already called my dermatologist to have her switch me back to doxycycline. They're going to have to pick someone else to experiment this Solodyn crap on. I HATE this medication (fyi, I'm the person that people who have known me for 20 years have never seen not smiling, and this rant disguised as a review was written 1.5 hours after taking it - just to show you just how bad the mood swings are). I HATE this drug, and I no longer trust the crappy physician's assistant who put me on it.
July 7, 2010
Pros:
not much, dried up my acne to moderate extent after 4 months of high dose
Cons:
dark pigmentation, my back looked SCARY (i was shocked and almost fainted), too much of high dose was needed in my case, was still having enough pimples to make people cringe when they saw my face.
I wouldn't recommend it. There are better antibiotics and I found Adapeline to be much better (it's topical, read my review there). Only the pigmentation was bad enough to put me off it.
November 25, 2009
Pros:
NONE whatsoever
Cons:
I had pretty bad acne before taking the medication. all my acne was on my cheeks. after i started taking this medication i became:
1. very dizzy, my acne got SO SO much worse. Like i'm getting a new pimple every single day now
i had mild acne before . now it severe. this medication SUCKS. honestly i've tried proactive which completely fcked up my face, stievamycin, clindamycin, tetracycline, and finally minocycline. out of all i feel that clindamycin worked the ULTIMATE best.
October 16, 2009
Pros:
had terrible acne, nothing was working so far, it cleared it up in no time! only the occasional zit when i got super stressed. and yes, you can eat after taking it.
Cons:
had to take it twice a day, it stopped working after 2 years, but then again, most antibiotics or any acne treatment loses its effectiveness after awhile.
i liked it. i had to switch meds, but that was after 2 years, and i'll probably have to switch again in another few years, its to be expected.
October 15, 2009
Pros:
did not see any improvement
Cons:
no improvement to my daughter's skin, caused her severe stomach pain
This did not help my daughter at all. I was not thrilled about her taking this since antibiotics are not good to take long term! After 6 months of use,we stopped due to no improvement and stomach pain. There are too many antibiotic resistant illnesses in population due to overuse of antibiotics.
September 10, 2009
Pros:
I've tried minocycline and at first it seemed to be helping, and then I got my period and it seemed to stop working.
Cons:
made me sick at first and then I took it again and I felt fine. I heard that it turns your teeth colors.
I DONT THINK THIS HELPS. I WOUL D RECOMMEND A BETTER EATING DIET AND PLENTY OF REST, EXERCISE, AND A GOOD CLEANSER.
Pros:
it works the first couple of years