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
January 9, 2015
It's a treatment alright.
I've tried Doxy and Mino, and out of the two I saw Mino worked stronger for me.
My acne originally was just a bunch of pimples and some cysts. I took some pills and now the cycts are more common. For over a year this was MY pill. This stuff worked like a charm. As long as you take it every day, twice a day, 100mg.
If you missed a dose, A SINGLE DOSE, you could break out again. I got injections for that though, so it wasn't too big of a deal. My stomach hurts from time to time, and I dealt with it, but this pill did wonders, as gross as it tasted after swallowing... I loved being on it, but I got tired of taking two pills every day for the rest of my life(it seemed) so I wanted to take accutane, I even got the pills at home but I've chickened out for the second time now... I just heard too much about the risks and I'm not willing to risk my sex life and the future of my health and my sight and my mental health. (seriously have you read the side effects and reviews, they're scary af) There was a review that I read on here, about Bactrim, that I sort of agree with. This is all just a treatment game. Our dermatologists all tell us to take this and take that and it's all terrible for our bodies and it's all just a treatment. It's never a cure.(except accutane, but at what cost really?) Cause why would the doctors want to cure you? You'll never come back, and they won't make another penny off of you! I'm experimenting with a new route. The all natural route. No pills at all.. I'm gonna see how I feel after a month of not taking anything. I just might come crawling back to Mino and suck it up and take it twice a day like a good boy and try not to miss a dose and be happy that my skin doesn't have as many cysts and pimples as it does without the pills. We'll see... But bottom line is, I recommend this pill, it works wonders, it is exactly what it's meant to be, a treatment. It's not gonna do anything else for you.
January 5, 2015
most effective thing i have tried
Of all the things I have tried (Rx and non-Rx) this was the most effective (though I've now found a routine that works and does not include this). All antibiotics don't work for all people so if this does not work for you, talk to your doctor- for me, this stuff is great (I tried bactrim first, which works for most ppl but did not work for me and also made me very nauseous). I don't like taking antibiotics for long periods of time. I've used this several times in the past, finding I needed a 6 week course to really clear it all up but boy did it work. I finally found a long term solution for myself with a regimen that includes tretinoin and spironolactone, but I still keep some minacycline on hand just in case I should feel a cyst trying to pop up in which case I take this for a week. Definitely don't forget to take probiotics when you are on this, especially for more than a week or two, or you will definitely pay a price when you have certain foods.
December 26, 2013
made acne a lot worse :(
I used it for about one and a half months but it didn't work at all...
Infact it has gotten much worse and it dried my skin out...
I got really bad headaches and belly ache (problems with my digestion ect.) from it and it made me feel even worse than before :(
December 17, 2013
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
LISTEN TO ME
Pros:
Reduces redness
Gets rid of blemishes
Cons:
Takes time. BE PATIENT don't give up
Gets worse before it gets better
LISTEN TO ME. I understand everybody reacts to medications differently , but I believe solodyn really works. I've been using it for a little bit more than a month. I'm using solodyn 55mg. It got worse a few times in this first month month, but I dealt with it. It was weird because as soon as I finished my 1 month bottle, I saw a difference in my skin. I have VERY sensitive skin, red, bumpy, inflamed and discolored. Taking this before bed is best so it absorbs better with an empty stomach. BUT besides solodyn I STRONGLY suggest taking turmeric curcumin supplements AND using the turmeric face mask 2-3 times a week. Here's the link for the ingredients of the mask. [link removed] This WORKS. Especially for sensitive skin. It makes your skin extremely soft and smooth and brightens tone! I know you've tried EVERYTHING and so have I ! But I finally found something to control my inflamed irritated skin. I highly recommend solodyn and the turmeric face mask and supplements. Also drink a lot of natural green tea with antioxidants! A cup a day.
Let me know how this work!
August 16, 2013
Took 15 days to clear me up
Pros:
Cleared me up 1/2 a month
Side effects have gone away
Only have to take once or twice a day
Cons:
Side effects when you begin taking them
Risk of antibiotic resistance, killing good bacteria in your stomach, blue skin
Scared it will stop working
It has been 15 days since I began taking Minocycline and I must say I am very pleased with the results so far. I take 100 mg 2 times a day and will be brought down in 15 more days to 100 mg once a day. I read many negative things about antibiotics (i.e. antibiotic resistance, destruction of "good" bacteria in the gut, risk of getting blue skin) but, I believe it has been worth the risk, especially since I have been struggling with acne for 15 years. The side effects have went away. At first I felt dizzy and had a headache, but now I don't feel any of the initial side effects. It is up to each person to weight the risks/cons and the benefits/pros and decide for themselves if they way to use systemic antibiotics. From personal experience, I think Minocyline is superior to Doxycycline in terms of clearing up the acne, but it did have more intense side effects. I
May 16, 2013
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Works fast! Completely cleared my skin within a month
No serious side effects
Cons:
Expensive if you don't have very good insurance
Solodyn was the very first thing my dermatologist ever prescribed me, and it worked wonders! I saw a huge difference within just 2 weeks, and not a month later my skin was completely clear. I was on it for about 5 months (the best 5 months of my life!) when my insurance switched and no longer covered the cost, so I had to switch to the generic which is Minocycline. After switching to Minocycline, my skin started to breakout again and it got really bad. The worst my skin has ever been. My dermatologist recommended staying on it for at least 3 months to see if it would get any better, but it never did so I went off it completely. A few months later there was a change in my insurance again and I got back on Solodyn, but unfortunately it never did anything as I suspect my system grew immune to it. But the months that it worked were probably some of the best months of my life and I wish there had never been an issue with the insurance so I could have seen how long it would have kept my skin clear. It was a miracle worker while it lasted. :)
March 15, 2012
Pros:
Cleared moderate to severe acne.
Cons:
When stop taking, acne comes back worse.
Bad reaction to sun (sun spots on face)
Easily bruised and bruises do not go away.
I loved this product because it worked!! I took this medicine for 4 years. I had NO pimples, it was awesome!! However, I play soccer and would get bruises which would not go away due to the medication. Also, I would get sun spot on my face which do not go away. I had to get some $500 Obagi system to remove sun spots. I became concerned about taking the medicine for 4 years so I stopped and my acne came back worse than I remember.
February 17, 2012
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Clears up acne fast
Reduces scarring
$20 with coupon and insurance
Cons:
Mild side effects
Crazy dreams
I've been taking this medication for nearly a month now. Before I started I was very skeptical due some of the gruesome reviews. I started getting acne when I switched my birth control and moved to another state, I am 25 and have never had problems with acne before. At first it was just one cystic pimple a month, then it started getting to be 2-3 in the middle of my forehead and they would not go away. So I tried other face washes, facials, and a ton of over-the-counter medications. Nothing worked. I went to my dermatologist and he prescribed 65mg Solodyn and a topical treatment called Aczone. These two together, along with a recent purchase of the Clarisonic have cleared me up almost completely. I also switched my birthcontrol to a low estrogen pill so that may also be a contributing factor. My skin shows MAJOR improvements and the scarring is beginning to fade. I haven't had any cystic breakouts since I started! I took the medication once in the morning and became very sick and lightheaded so now I take it at night right before bed with a huge glass of water, and the only issue is some very vivid dreams. Granted, I've always dreamed vividly so it may be nothing new, but they seem to be a bit more crazy. Overall, I would recommend this medication, but do be cautious, drink lots of water! I am hoping that I won't have any problems when I stop taking the medication, but so far so good!
February 11, 2012
Product used: Solodyn (Oral Antibiotic)
Pros:
Cleared up some of my acne
Got rid of some of my discoloration
Cons:
Caused patches of hyperpigmentation on upper arms and back
This helped with some of my acne but it didn't completely stop me from breaking out. I did not like the fact that it gave me more hyperpigmentation(I'm already trying to get rid of PIH from when I was a teenager). Now my problem is worse...
December 11, 2011
Pros:
- Extended Release capsules worked perfectly
(Solodyn)
- Skin cleared up in about a month, lasted throughout treatment
- No side effects while on extended release
Cons:
- Hard to get Solodyn and the ER tablets, pharmacies would constantly try to put me on the generic tablets.
- Finally had to switch to generic tablets and was made extremely sick, felt spaced out, depersonalized. Stopped taking the generic twice a day immediately after feeling these side effects.
I was on Solodyn, the extended release brand name version of minocycline for a few months. I then was put on an almost identical generic extended release. It worked perfectly, very easy, I took it once a day in the morning, and it worked fine. It cleared my skin up, and there were no side effects. My parents didn't want to pay for the extended release anymore, so they just got me regular, generic, twice a day 100 mg minocycline. It was horrible. I felt awful, depersonalization, spacey, just completely horrible. So, bottom line, if you can get Solodyn or another ER tablet, go for it, but avoid the generic.
Cons:
i got many side effects (belly problems,migraine)
dries skin out
makes acne worse