Minocycline
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Side Effects

Minocycline is an oral antibiotic that works by fighting bacteria in the body, including in the skin, and also reduces inflammation. It should...

Minocycline is an oral antibiotic that works by fighting bacteria in the body, including in the skin, and also reduces inflammation. It should be used only short term (max. 3 months).

It is usually taken once a day with food, at the same time every day.

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1394
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15.6%
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29.3%
3
24.9%
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15.9%
1
14.3%

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July 17, 2015
Long term effects not worth it
This was the first Rx my derm started me on. It worked for the first couple years I was taking it, but after about about year 3 it was no longer effective for me. The previous reviews are right. Although you can get good results with this Rx, it comes at a cost. Taking antibiotics over a long period of time can wreak havoc on your body all the way from your immune system to your respiratory system. This webMD article does a nice job of summarizing. [link removed] Hope this helps!
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May 20, 2015
It sorta works... For a while
I am a teen and one of the things I have been struggling with for many years is acne. I tried Proactiv, which helped for a few months and then it seemed had no affect at all, so I went to my doctor. She presricbed me Minocycline 100mg/ once a day and Retin-A. I have, and I know this is bad, been using Mino for almost two years now (I stopped once and in a few weeks my acne came right back, worse than before and showed no sign of leaving, so my doctor represcribed Mino 100mg/once per day and a stronger Retin-A solution). I have found that the Mino helped slightly with the few spots of acne I had on my back and chest, but has not done anything significant of noting on my face... Which is where most of my acne resides, so I'm planning on stopping my taking of Mino. I also found that taking Mino in the morning gave me an upset stomach, so I take it at night now. I have found also that the Retin-A was only drying my skin out, so I switched back to Proactiv and that is what is keeping my skin under control right now. I think for certain people this antibiotic can work, but for me it barely had an affect.
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December 4, 2014
Nothing really has changed
I have been on this medication for a little over a month now and nothing really has changed. I am 16 years old and I have had moderate acne for about a year now. My doctor prescribed me Minocycline (50 mg a day) along with Epiduo to test it out and see if it works on me. So far the acne on my forehead has reduced a bit although I have not seen any substantial changes yet. Maybe I have not been on the medication long enough to see results or maybe it just doesn't suffice with my skin, but if by January it still does not work my doctor is going to prescribe me Acutane.
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August 17, 2014
Caused more acne and red inflammation
I started taking MInocycline 4 months ago and It helped a little with my moderate acne but then i broke out in hives all over my body and my face became inflamed with red spots. I was told by numerous docs that there was no correlation between the reaction and the MInocyline. I was off it up until last week when i had a severe breakout. However I noticed that it was only making it worse and now my forehead is filled with red spots and my acne is not cleared. Very disappointed in this antibiotic and its adverse and side effects. Side effects that I had were headaches, nausea, dizzyness, and of course the reaction. I
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June 14, 2014
Ineffective
I was on this for a little while, and was later switched to Solodyn by my derm (supposed to be the same as minocycline except a bit stronger) and neither did much for my skin. I have severe cystic acne and am also on epiduo gel. While I was on minocycline I did notice the pimples that were on top of my cysts cleared up a lot, but I think that was mostly the epiduo gel. If your acne is not severe or cystic, I would suggest giving this, or preferably Solodyn, a try. If it is, you'll probably need something stronger. This did not give me an allergic reaction, but it did make me feel tired, nauseous, and gave me headaches. I did not experience these side effects on Solodyn.
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June 9, 2014
Caused Vertigo and Nausea
I tried Minocycline as the last attempt to avoid a second round of Accutane. After a few days on the medication I started waking up with vertigo and nausea so bad that if affected my ability to shower and get ready for the day. I normally don't have reactions to medications so it took me a few days to realize it WAS a side effect of the med but once I did my derm immediately took my off and we went with the Accutane. Unfortunately, the side effects kept me from being able to see the effects of the medication on my acne. Better luck to others!
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October 24, 2013
I don't really know.

Cons:

Stomach hurts even when taked with food
No results

I was prescribed this by my doctor along with Clyndaminicin (spelling?) and Benzoyl Peroxide. I took 2 full prescription bottles of this and it did nothing. I ended up not taking them anymore, and my skin actually cleared up. This also made my stomach hurt a lot. /:
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October 11, 2013
Worked in some way, bad allergic reaction

Pros:

Skin clears up

Cons:

gave hives
light headed

i was prescribed this medication about 3 weeks ago, my skin completely cleared up , but i would always get light headed and would always feel tired i took this medication 2 times a day one in the morning and one in the night but after the third week i got hives on my elbows and knees , so i stopped talking it.
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June 3, 2013
help!
I have been taking monocyclin twice a day 100 mg per capsule for almost 14 weeks. My face is still breaking out and i am starting to lose hope. How much longer until I see results??
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January 20, 2013

Pros:

My acne was reduced, still had the minor breakout (1 -3 pimples on my face). Even acne on my back and chest was reduced.

Cons:

On the third week, I had an allergic reaction. Severe itchiness, welts formed on my body, could not sleep due to the itchiness. Scars from the welts of my body.

My GP prescribed me minocycline and the first few weeks were okay. My skin was becoming less red and oily. Acne was slowly diminishing but on the third week, I broke out in hives and was severely itchy. Luckily, I took reactine and after two days I was back to normal. My GP said the reason why many dermatologists recommended it is due to it's price and that there is a very small chance people will be allergic to it.
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The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
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