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
July 11, 2015
Don't use antibiotics!
Okay I am a 16 year old boy male who suffers from mild to severe hormonal acne. My face is horrible I have a lot of discoloration on my skin and i have acne scars as well. I have tried many products and I have spent thousands of dollars on my face. Nothing had worked. My face is immune to all the products I have tried so far. So one day i decided to go see a dermatologist. I have never been on an oral antibiotic before. So my dermatologist prescribed me an oral antibiotic since I have hormonal acne and topical medication weren't working at all. They were just making my face worst. I was prescribed minocycline. I took two pills a day and they were 100mg each. I took this pill for four months along with a topical cream witch was Tretinoin cream. Minocyclin did help my acne but it didn't cure it. My acne became much more smaller and I didn't get as many break outs. After I finished my last batch of minocycline all my acne came back and I started breaking out a lot. What you have to understand is antibiotics aren't going to cure your acne. Antibiotics are just a "temporary fix" for your acne its not going to permanently get rid of your acne. Plus they come with side effects. I experienced tiredness and i was fatigue as well. I would recommenced avoiding antibiotics.
February 4, 2015
My skin improves, but i feel giddy
Hi everybody,
One week has passed since I'm taking the pills (1 per day, 100mg) at the same time that I'm pouring Benzoyl Peroxide at nights in the skin. I have to say that my skin has improved and the spots are not like before, but I feel giddy, especially in the afternoons, and this feelings starts when I started this antibiotic. Has someone had this kind of effect with the minocycline?
July 12, 2015
Yes I felt giddy and had acid reflux!
January 7, 2015
Awesome results
Been on this for 5 weeks now and between week 4- now I started noticing the results. After week 2 I could tell I wasn't getting new acne but I still had the old acne present. Today I don't have 1 single spot on my face. I have 1 week of pills left and I'm going to see my dr to see if I need any more. So happy with the results . Just need to get rid of the pigmentation that the acne has left behind. I take 50 mg twice a day.
June 15, 2013
Horrible Side Effects
Cons:
Side effects
Short lasting
I was on minocycline for a few months time. My acne started to clear pretty quickly but shortly after my acne must have built a resistance to this medications because I started to break out and it was worse than when I started. My dermatologist then decided it would be better to increase my dosage I agreed and suddenly side effects started to kick in. I woke up one morning and when I got out of bed my knees were in a horrific amount of pain and I collapsed to the ground. I was brought to the hospital right away because my knees were swollen beyond belief. The ER figured I had arthritis and put me on heavy steroids which helped. But after the steroids I would flare up again. I saw specialist after specialist and no one could figure out why I was flaring up. So finally I decided I was just going to stop all the medications I was taking because nothing was helping and I was getting sick. This included stopping the minocycline. Within the week of stopping the medications I was able to walk pain free and my knees went back to normal and lost all the inflammation. Months later I met with my dermatologist and she asked me why I stopped taking the mino. I explained the story and she said oh my god why didn't you call me and tell me that was happening. It was the minocycline causing the flare ups. It is a rare side effects but it can happen. Unfortunatly the damage had already happened and my joint have been damaged. This medication proved to be a 6 months nightmare for me.
January 26, 2013
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Clear My face within 1 1/2 months
No side effects
Works best with a combination of topical cream or gel.
Cons:
None
It works trust me! You wont be disappointed! About a year ago I broke out pretty bad, probably the worst I've EVER broken out. We're talking about a person whose had acne for 11 years. Acne and cysts developed on my face, neck, back, shoulders, chest, and back. For three months I tried OTC products but to no avail. I finally decided to see my old dermatologist where he prescribed me 80mg of Solodyn with Epiduo. Within 2 months I was completely clear. Trust me this stuff works. IT ONLY TAKES TIME! :D
March 26, 2012
Pros:
My skin looks lovey and clear I don't break out at all.
Cons:
Makes stomach upset, however eat food first then take pill
Great for skin also women, eat yogurt with this while taken it....... The yogurt really helped I have not yet to get any Gyn issues.
March 22, 2012
Pros:
-Got rid of all my acne.
Cons:
-A reaction to the pill caused increased spinal fluid
-Migraines
-Nausea
-Temporary blindness
-An overall bad feeling
I had some kind of reaction the pills, allergic or something else, I have no idea. But I ended up having to get two spinal taps to release the pressure of increased spinal fluid pushing against my brain which resulted in losing my vision if I stood up too fast. There was nausea, vomiting, acid reflux. Basically, do not take if you desire to keep long needles away from your spine. Total waste. And now I have floating things in my eyes, acid reflux, and migraines that will never go away
March 20, 2012
Pros:
Worked great for about 8 months.
Most effective thing I have used so far.
Cons:
Stopped Working.
This product does work. It gave me a nice confidence boost. I remember waking up and not even feeling like I had to look in the mirror to see what was on my face. It didn't 100% clear me up, but it was certainly very close to it. I started college this year and it was great meeting people for the first time and not having to worry about my skin. Sadly though, I started getting acne while still on it after using it for about 8 months. I have been off it it for a month now; my skin pretty much went right back to where it was before taking it. I experienced no side affects and did not find it to impact my daily life in a negative way whatsoever. I was able to do everything like I had before the pill. I'm not really sure what I should do next. I don't really want to do accutane since I have avoided it this long. (I'm 18) However, it was so nice having great skin, I really want it back. For now, just back to dealing with waking up with new pimples every day. /:
March 4, 2012
Pros:
Cleared up my cystic acne and the acne all over my body. My skin was clear and the most beautiful it had been since I was a baby
Cons:
No cons for me except when I stopped taking it. My acne came back but not as bad is it had been
I was very happy with this antibiotic. It cleared up my skin like nothing has ever done before. I had cystic like acne that was painful and left scars without picking at them. Unfortunately, I stopped taking it because I had surgery and didn't want to mix the all the antibiotics together. After I stopped I became pregnant. My Dr was shocked that I had been taking minocycline previously because apparently it's a form of birth control. That was something my dermatologist did not inform me of. I would love to get back on this but unfortunately I do not have health insurance anymore. But for all of you out there thinking about trying it I feel it's worth a try. I did not have any side affects just beautiful skin.
February 9, 2012
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
-does clear up acne
-I personally had no side effects.
Cons:
-become dependent on
-can have severe flare ups when coming off
I have been on this medication for about 2-3 years, a lot longer than I should have been probably. But the very first time I tried to come off of it, I experienced the absolute worst breakout of my entire life. I actually though it was an allergic reaction of some sort, but the doctor assured me it was just acne. But I quickly when back on it to clear up my skin.
So this medication did work for me, though I became exteremly dependent on it. It didnt completely get rid of my acne, but enough to make me comfortable in my own skin. I have recently started coming off of the medicene with no intention of going back on. I have started breaking out, but nothing close to what happened the last time. Hoping this is just a flare up that will pass when my body gets used to not being on the pill.
Pros:
Cheap