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
August 6, 2011
Cons:
light head ache and blurred vision
im using this product with epiduo cream so i dont know which is controlling which but together there working well and has cleared my skin im taking one every morning and night but im going on to my second week and taking it every night and it is giving me good results
July 21, 2011
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Tightens pores, especially around and on nose.
Smaller acne blemished are reduced.
Skins overall tone is returning.
Oilyness is reduced.
Skin looks healthier.
Cons:
It does have a minor initial breakout where the smaller blemishes surface but they went away.
But now rather big non-discolored bump/cysts are starting to occur, they sort of just seem like swollen bumps.
Lightheaded/dizzy/tired at times
--From an early user's point of view.--
I was prescribed 2 months of solodyn, as well as using the topical creams epiduo and noritate. I've been using it one week exactly now. It's hard to tell if the good is out-weighing the bad yet, or even if the bad is caused by the solodyn and not one of the creams. I'm confused about it myself. My skin, as far as coloring and pore tightness goes, looks much better. Perfect in some places. But, I've gotten 3 big bumps, that almost seem as if they are bug bites rather than pimples, but they are not. Its hard to say, but they are large, about the size of a dime and swollen. They showed up after using solodyn, but they are the same color as my skin. My dermatologist says to just give it a little time and to see if it goes away. My skin everywhere else looks great, my cheeks look much nicer, as well as my nose. But those were my problem area before, and now it seems as if the solodyn reversed the issue, now my chin and forehead are breaking out, which is the exact opposite problem since they were blemish free. I'm hoping that it is temporary, and that onces these swollen bumps go away, that the solodyn will improve those areas as well. I'm about 50/50 right now. It made some areas look much better, but like I said, gave me 3 cyst/non-discolored bump type things. One tip I have is to avoid dairy when using this, it seemed to me that as soon as I had a glass of milk it, for some reason, did not keen to well with the solodyn, and that is when the bumps formed. You also have to stay out of the sun when using it as much as possible. Overall, I am happy with the way the majority of my skin is reacting to it, and hopefully the derm is right and the bumps are temporary, but we'll see. Perhaps I will make a second review after I have been on it longer. That's about all I can say thus far. I can't really say if I recommend it yet, like I said, I cannot tell if it is helping or not at this point.
April 20, 2011
Pros:
cleared up skin
Cons:
takes months to work
try it.
April 12, 2011
Pros:
Stops acne forming only for a short while even if you eat a lot of fried stuff.
Cons:
It didn't completely clear my skin, just basically didn't do much.
The results are different for everybody. And it didn't help me.
March 31, 2011
Pros:
I couldn't take it long enough because of intense side effects--but I have used doxycyclin (another tetracyclin) before with some success.
Cons:
After just my first pill, I had bad side effects. Flu-like symptoms (chills, achiness, fever), stiff joints, and moderate dizziness/nausea. I could live with the dizziness, but the flu-like symptoms were so severe that I couldn't function normally.
I'd be very clear with your doctor about the potential side effects. I regret that I didn't push my doctor more, particularly since this was not my first reaction to a tetracyclin. They say side effects are rare, but I'm skeptical. My main advice would be if you try it, ease into it. Start with one a day and see how your body reacts. I found that my doctor immediately jumped to prescribing oral antibiotics, etc. without having a thorough dicussion of my medical history. My advice would be to push the doctor to discuss all other potential causes and options before starting any oral medication.
October 30, 2010
Pros:
-completely cleared up acne
-really helpful for reducing redness
-no side effects
-inexpensive
Cons:
-takes a really long time to start working
-major breakout after about 3 months which left scars
minocycline is simply AMAZING. It takes a really long time to start working but its worth the wait. The best thing about it is that it has anti-inflammatory effects and reduces redness a lot - the first thing i noticed while taking it was that my skin became a lot less red after about a week. Getting rid of the actual acne took a lot longer. My skin started clearing up after about 2 months but it was quite a small difference. Everything went well (no new acne appearing) until about the third month when i was halfway through the treatment. I had the biggest breakout i have ever had - i have never seen my skin look so bad before. Antibiotics are not supposed to cause a breakout (apparantely) so it MAY have been because of stress, but i'm still leaning towards the antibiotic being the cause. I had blemishes where I'd NEVER gotten them before - my temples, all across my cheeks etc. It lasted for about 3 weeks but then my skin started clearing up again. I'm now up to my last month of taking it and my skin is completely free of acne - the only thing that is keeping my skin from being flawless is red marks from the breakout i had, but they're slowly fading. There were no side effects at all (although i was only taking 50mg) and it was so cheap. Overall I'm really happy with minocycline and I'd definitely reccommend it.
July 9, 2010
Pros:
Gets rid of redness in face
Clears up bacne
Clears up acne , eventually
Cons:
Long time to work
Side effects
I have never had acne until this year. I was on proactiv for a bit but that didn't help at all. As my acne got worse my doctor prescribed minocycline and clindamycin. I have been on both medications for a month now and my face is less red, my bacne is completly gone and my acne on. My face is just starting to clear up. The only bad thing about this medication is how long it takes to work. When it does start to work though it produces good results.
June 28, 2010
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
-reduced brought acne down to moderate rating
Cons:
-acne worsens if u stop
-dry skin
made a considerable dent , but its not something to "shout from the rooftops"
June 24, 2010
Pros:
Clearer skin than I'd had in years by the end of 6 weeks!
Cons:
Headaches and nausea after each dose
Could not take with food - had to be hours away from it twice a day.
Constant yeast infections that wouldn't go away entirely, even with Diflucan
Acne comes back within a month or so after stopping.
As a last resort before moving to isotretinoin (Accutane), I let the dermatologist give this a shot. He said he uses it regularly himself, and it was worth a try. I used it with topical Retin-A at night and BenzaClyn in the morning. For the first couple of weeks, my face got much worse and was covered with little red bumps as everything surfaced. By the end of the six weeks, I had clear skin that was smooth to the touch. Lots of compliments from my peers. The downside was that I had 3 or 4 yeast infections within a six-week period - that awful itchy kind that just don't seem to go away. Between those and the nausea and constant headaches each time I took a dose (twice a day), I opted to move forward with isotretinoin instead. I am so glad I did! Now I'm finishing my 5th month of isotretinoin and my skin just glows. I hardly ever get a single pimple. Definitely worth exploring if minocycline doesn't leave you happy/you can bear the minocycline side effects. My biggest concern is the damage that you're doing to your body by being on antibiotics long term - especially such strong ones as these - with no end in sight. Something to consider. But minocycline definitely works!
June 9, 2010
Pros:
Cleared up acne scars a LITTLE bit
Cons:
Skin pigmentation!!! and some LARGE, painful zits popping up.
I took this medication 4 times within 2 weeks (I was told to start slow) and I noticed a "bruise" on my thigh. Its about 2-21/2" long by 1" wide. Figured out, it wasn't a bruise (there was no trauma to the area and it didn't hurt at all) it was changed skin pigmentation. I contacted my doctor about it and she told me to stop immediately. It's been over a week since I have taken it and I still have this large mark on my leg - dark blue/black. I refuse to wear shorts or a bathing suit in public until it goes away!
Pros:
clear skin
clears whiteheads